by Dena Christy
“Yes, it is just the two of us. I hope you will be comfortable here during your stay.”
“I’m sure I will be. Your home is beautiful.”
He suppressed the smile that tugged at his mouth. Perhaps Kevin breaking into her home had a positive element, however slight. Kevin’s break in had affirmed for him that she was not the hunter’s bait. That worry had nagged at the back of his mind during the week that passed since he’d last seen her.
Before he gone to sleep, some of the more clever dragon hunters recruited women to act as bait for dragons, and he had known several dragons who’d been killed because of it. Lyssa’s distraught response to what Kevin had done had been genuine, and it had killed the small nagging doubt Andor had.
He took her arm, guiding her up the path and past the fountain. She paused and went over to it. She dipped her fingers in the water and looked over at him.
“Does it work?”
“Yes. We don’t usually have it on, but if you like I can show it to you tomorrow. For now, we should get you settled in the house. I am sure you are exhausted after your ordeal.” He held his arm out and she threaded hers through it. They continued on the path and went up the stone steps that led to the wide front door of the house.
They walked inside, and their footsteps echoed in the foyer as the sound of it bounced off the walls and the high vaulted ceilings. The marble floors shone and the chandeliers above cast a soft glow upon her. The light brought out the fire in her hair, and he longed to run his fingers through it. He curled them into his palm.
“I will show you up to the room you will be staying in, and I can give you a tour of the house if you like.”
“Can I have the tour tomorrow? I’m tired, and would like to settle in and rest.”
He could see the exhaustion in her face, and while he wanted to spend more time with her this evening, rest was what she needed. She was in his home now, and until Kevin was caught, she would not be going anywhere. There would be plenty of time for him to know her and for her to learn more about him. Rickman walked into the house behind them, carrying her bag and Andor took it from him.
“I’ll take you to your room.” Andor put his hand on the small of her back, and led her up the sweeping staircase on the right side the foyer.
After climbing the stairs, he guided her along the gallery that offered a view of the foyer below. He knew which room she would occupy during her time here. It was next to his room, and although it would provide a powerful temptation to him to have her so close while he slept at night, he would not put her anywhere else. He wanted her to sleep as near to him as possible, and this room was a close as he could put her without having her sleep in his bed.
He took her into her room, and set her bag inside the door. She hesitated on the threshold of the door.
“Is something wrong?” If this room was not to her liking, he would put her somewhere else.
“Oh no, nothing’s wrong, it’s just I can’t get over how big this house is. My entire downstairs in my house would fit in this room alone.” She walked into the room, turned and looked up at him. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here. I’ll try to find a way to repay you.”
“There is no need to repay me. I am grateful that I was with you when you went to your home tonight.” He turned to face her fully. She tilted her head back, and her eyes went to his mouth. He eased the bedroom door shut, and when she made no sound of protest, it emboldened him.
Dare he kiss her? What would her soft curves feel like pressed against the hard planes of his body? He moved closer to her. Her lips were plump, and bare of lipstick. What would she taste like?
The heat of sexual desire rose inside him, and threatened to overwhelm him. The dragon inside him urged him to claim her lips for his own, but Andor was unsure if he could limit himself to just one kiss. He wanted to explore her body and make it sing with pleasure. He tilted his head toward her, and her tiny pink tongue darted over her bottom lip.
The leash he had on his desire was stretched to the limit. He would have to satisfy himself with one kiss. It would be a fight, but he could control the urges inside him. While he was a dragon, he was a civilized one and could contain the baser desires that wanted to take hold of him. After her ordeal tonight, the last thing she needed was to become intimate with him. The longing to kiss her was stronger than his desire for treasure, and he was unable to resist the siren call of her lips.
She sighed as his mouth covered hers and he drew her to him. As he suspected, her soft body fit perfectly against the hard planes of his own. Her tiny hands came up to rest tentatively on his chest. He wanted to feel her touch over his bare flesh, but that could wait for another time. Right now, he wanted to savor the taste of her lips.
Her heady scent filled his head as he moved his lips softly upon hers. He tightened his arms so she was pressed more firmly against him as he deepened his kiss. She smelled of summer fruit, and tasted just as sweet. He drew back, until a fractions of space separated their mouths. Her eyes fluttered open.
“Kiss me again.” Her eyes were soft and her voice a whispered caress. He didn’t need any further urging to take her mouth in the way he longed to.
He was more confident in his kiss this time. He turned her so that her body rested against the closed bedroom door. She wanted this as much as he did, and she welcomed him inside her mouth when he probed the seam of her lips with his tongue. A growl rumbled in his chest as she rose up on her toes to put her arms around his neck.
His blood pounded through his veins, and he could feel the heat inside him raise up a notch. If there was any doubt that she was meant to be his, it was laid to rest as he kissed her. The dragon inside him roused, and it demanded that he claim her, mate with her and make her fully his. He wanted to strip her naked, put her down on the queen side bed only a few steps away and make love to her long into the night.
She gave a sigh of pleasure, and her tongue dueled with his as he pressed his hardening body fully against her. His mouth left hers to trail over her cheek, and down to the skin of her throat.
“Andor.”
He relished the breathy sound of his names on her lips. The bed was only a few feet away and it called to him, offering a temptation to take this encounter with her go further than just kissing. Could he make it that far, or would the floor have to suffice for their first round of lovemaking?
A knock came on the bedroom door, and it was like a bucket of icy water had been thrown over them. It boomed beside her head, and Andor jumped back like a scalded cat. There was only one person it could be. Damn Rickman and his horrible sense of timing.
“What is it?” Andor’s voice came out in a harsh rumbled. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
“Are we going to eat? I could order a pizza.” Rickman’s voice came through the door, and Andor stared at it. Pizza? His idiot minion had interrupted them to ask about pizza?
“I’m not hungry, and I think I’m just going to get ready for bed and sleep.” Lyssa slipped away from him, and went over to the bed to busy herself with her bag. A blush burned her cheeks, and she would not look at him. Another grievance to be laid at Rickman’s door. Was she regretting their kiss? He was afraid to ask, so he put he turned away.
“I will leave you to your privacy.” He opened the door, and there he was. Rickman took one look at his face, swallowed and took a quick step back.
Andor stepped out of Lyssa’s bedroom and closed the door softly behind him. He loomed over his minion as Rickman’s eyes darted around for a means of escape.
“Can you think of any reason why I should continue to let you live?” Andor glowered at Rickman, and a small amount of satisfaction went through him when his minion’s face went pale.
“I interrupted something didn’t I?”
Andor slowly nodded his head. “While Lyssa is in this house, you are to assume that if you knock on a closed door, you are interrupting something. If you do it again, your usefulness to me will pale in comparison
to my anger at you keeping me from my mate. Have I made myself understood?”
Rickman nodded emphatically. Andor walked past him and down the stairs. Rickman followed.
“Well at least now you know that she’s into you.”
His minion was correct, she had welcomed his kiss before they had been interrupted. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when he recalled the passion with which she had kissed him. She would give herself to him, and once he was sure of her feelings, he would reveal his true nature. His curse was as good as broken.
7
Lyssa walked down the stairs of Andor’s home, her eyes sweeping her opulent surroundings in search for him. Last night had taken on an unreal quality in the harsh light of the morning. She longed to see him again, if only to assure herself that she hadn’t dreamed what had happened in her room the night before. Had he really kissed her? Twice? How far would it have gone if Rickman had not knocked upon the door?
There was no sign of activity anywhere in the house. Had she been left alone to rattle around in this huge house? Perhaps Andor had gone to work? It must be a lucrative living to afford such a grand old home.
She walked through a formal drawing room and tried not to compare Andor’s living space with her more humble home. Even before Kevin had done his work, her home would never have been described as fancy. She gave her head a shake. Andor didn't seem bothered by her more modest house, so why was she letting it worry her?
She came into the kitchen, and small dart of relief went through her. At least she wasn’t alone here. Rickman, Andor’s driver, sat at an island in the middle of the kitchen reading something on a tablet.
“How did you sleep?” Rickman looked up at her and smiled. While he wasn’t as drop dead gorgeous as his boss, there was an open friendliness to him that Lyssa warmed to.
“I slept a lot better than I thought I would.” The kisses she’d shared with Andor were the reason she’d been spared nightmares of Kevin’s intrusion in her house. Her dreams had been filled with Andor, and her mind had left Kevin’s violence untouched upon. “Is Andor here?”
“He’s gone out for a while. I can make you some breakfast and drive you to work after if you’d like.” Rickman turned off his tablet and stood.
“I’m not going into work today. I called my boss and in light of what happened yesterday, she said I could take the day off.” She sat down near where Rickman had vacated his own seat. She’d been glad to have the day off, since she’d hoped it would afford her some time to get to know Andor. And with Kevin still on the loose, there was always the chance that he would be watching the gallery.
“What would you like to eat?” Rickman walked over to the fridge and opened it. “I have yogurt, some fruit and granola. I can make you a hot breakfast if you like.”
Lyssa wasn’t used to being waited on. And it was not something she should become accustomed to, since she would not be staying here for long. Despite what Andor said about her staying as long as she liked, she couldn’t impose on him any longer than necessary. As soon as Portia returned, she would stay with her. Hopefully Kevin would be in police custody by then. “I’ll just take yogurt and fruit.”
Rickman quickly prepared her some breakfast, and she smiled up at him gratefully when he placed the bowl with fruit and yogurt in front of her.
“Well, I’ll leave you to your breakfast.” Rickman picked up his tablet and prepared to leave the room. Lyssa reached out and put her hand on his arm to stop him.
“Stay and keep me company.” She took a bite of her breakfast as Rickman glanced nervously at the door. “You can tell me more about Andor while I eat.”
“You want me to talk about Andor?” Rickman swallowed as he slowly sat down. He had a funny look on his face. Lyssa frowned for a second. This was not the reaction she was expecting from him, given that he had seemed friendly and open to talking to her when she’d walked in.
“I’d like to know more about the man who has rescued me twice now. Where is he? Is he at work?”
“No, he’s not at work. He’s out, that’s all I know.” His words came out in a rush, and Lyssa’s frowned deepened. What was wrong with him?
Lyssa looked at him as he fidgeted with his tablet and wouldn’t meet her gaze. Was he trying to hide something? She knew nothing about Andor, and Rickman was reluctant to tell her anything about his employer. What could he be trying to hide?
Caution slowly seeped into her body. Rickman was acting like he was hiding something, and his demeanor was not at all what she would expect to see from the simple questions she had put to him. Andor may have come to her aid twice, but what did she really know about him? Had she let his handsome face blind her to something more sinister lying beneath?
Andor had wealth, could the source of his revenue be from something illegal? Had she made a mistake in coming here? Was Andor involved with something dangerous and was that why Rickman looked so uncomfortable talking about his boss?
Her stomach turned sour and the food turned to sawdust in her mouth. She swallowed it quickly and couldn’t eat any more. She shoved her bowl away in haste and stood up. She needed to get out of here. She’d just gotten away from a dangerous man. Had she been foolish enough to get mixed up with another one?
“What’s the matter?” Rickman’s eyebrows climbed his forehead as his head jerked toward her. “You hardly ate any of your breakfast.”
“I’m not that hungry. Can you take me home?” She wasn’t a prisoner here and she could leave any time she wanted. Andor had said she could stay as long as she wanted, and now she wanted to go home.
“I don’t know if it’s safe for you to go back there. Kevin hasn’t been caught yet. Besides, Andor will be back soon. I think you should wait for him to come home.”
She should just take the bull by the horns and ask Rickman outright if there was something she should be worried about. If she was foolishly jumping to the wrong conclusion, then she would only be hurting herself by leaving. He didn’t have a poker face if his discomfort at answering basic questions about Andor was any indication, so if she was frank with him, she would be able to tell if he was lying.
“What does Andor do for a living? Is he involved in illegal activities? Please be honest with me. I am already being stalked by a dangerous man, I don’t want to get tangled up in another mess.”
Rickman’s face went pale, and she could see the dawning horror on his face.
“Why would you think that? Andor isn’t involved with anything illegal. He inherited his money and does not need to work. That’s all there is to it. I’m sorry if I’ve given you the wrong impression.”
Relief went through Lyssa. Rickman looked too distressed over what she had thought to be lying.
“I’m sorry, but you’ve been acting funny since I asked you about Andor. You have to admit that it looks suspicious that you don’t want to tell me anything about your boss. And I only just met him, so I thought maybe I’d made a mistake in coming here.”
“Andor is very private, and anything you want to know about him you must ask him. He’s out but he will be back. You can talk to him all you want then. He is not involved in anything illegal. If he had been, do you think he would have been eager to call the police last night?”
He had a point. It was Andor who had suggested calling the police last night, and would he have wanted to come to the attention of the police if he was involved in illegal activities?
“And what do you do for him? Are you his driver only?”
“I do everything for him. I’m more than just his driver. I’m more like a private secretary. I take care of the things he needs taking care of. My family has been working for Andor’s family for a long time.” Rickman looked at his watch. “And I’m afraid I will have to leave you now. There are things that I need to take care of. Explore the house, and if I see Andor when he gets home, I’ll let him know you are looking for him.”
Rickman turned on his heel and quickly walked out of the kitchen. It seemed lik
e he couldn’t wait to get away from her, but he had said there was something that he needed to take care of, so maybe that explained his haste. What a strange man.
With her appetite returned she pulled her breakfast toward her and finished it. She took her empty bowl to the sink. She cleaned the dishes she’d used, and it took some searching to find where they belonged.
The house was so big that it was hard to believe that only two men lived here. She set about exploring the house. Maybe if she looked around where Andor lived, she’d get more insight into who he was.
Andor soared high above the clouds, and looked down on his property with satisfaction. Lyssa was in his home, and it would not be long before he made her his. He needed to get back to the house, now that the restless energy he had woken with had been expended during his flight. The wind rushed over his ruby red scales as he dove down and the earth came rushing up to meet him. He landed softly on his feet, and he tucked his wings up close to his body. With a swirl of magic, he became a man again and straightened his coat.
The wind rustled the leaves, which were starting to transition from green to the burnt colors of autumn. The Hunter's Moon would be here soon, but he’d found her in time. There was no fear now that he would go mad, since Lyssa was now a part of his life. It was only a matter of time before she fell in love with him.
A smiled played on his mouth as he turned and walked in the direction of his house. When he had first woken in this modern world, and realized how little time he had to find his mate, he had been concerned. It was not a worry for him any longer. Lyssa was the woman that fate intended to be his, he was certain of it.
He strode toward the house and looked forward to seeing her again. The kisses they had shared last night had been everything he had expected them to be. She was so responsive and so sweet that it would only be a matter of time before she gave herself fully to him.
