Rogue Dragons Series: Box Set Books 1-5

by Hartley, Emilia

  Struck by memories she’d shoved away for too long, Isabella nearly crushed her fortune cookie. She shook herself and looked up. “He moved away after he filed for divorce. Usually kids get mad at their parents for splitting up. I didn’t want to keep them together. I wanted him to take me with him when he left.”

  But, he hadn’t. Her father had vanished the moment her mother signed the divorce papers. Her mother had gripped harder when her hands already felt like talons on Isabella’s skin. It wasn’t like Isabella could leave her, too. Not then.

  Isabella shook her head. She’d never meant to get caught up in her family history. That was all behind her now. Before her lay a future in which she could do better than her mother. She wouldn’t tell her child that they needed to make themselves smaller to keep a partner. Isabella would raise her baby to know their own worth and to find someone who would celebrate them.

  “For the longest time, I was afraid the people in my life would leave me. I held so tight to Tommy because I felt like I’d tricked him into a relationship, and the only way to get him to stay was to keep him happy.”

  “What about your own happiness?” Dillon asked.

  Her gaze lifted and found his earnest eyes studying her. She pressed her lips into a firm line.

  “I get by,” she said. “I like writing romance novels. I’m really excited to become a mother. That’s about it.”

  His lips twisted to the side. “I don’t know how to treat you.”

  She recoiled, confusion souring her stomach.

  Dillon touched her cheek, his palm barely connecting with her skin. “I’ve never been around a pregnant woman before. It scares me. How do I keep you safe? Are you really as fragile as I think?”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn’t fragile, just weak, when voices began to climb the hill toward them. Evangeline’s voice carried the furthest, followed by Gavin’s growls. When Gavin made a sound of dismay, she knew Casey had defended his mate—probably by bopping Gavin.

  “What are you two doing hiding up here?” Gavin asked as he stepped into the grove.

  Casey sat on the other side of the picnic table and pulled Evangeline into his lap. When he kissed Evangeline’s cheek, a furious jealousy overtook Isabella. She clamped her hand over her mouth, alarmed at her own emotions. She couldn’t help but be aware of how empty her other hand was when she flexed it.

  No one would touch her like that anymore. Not that many of her exes had ever been so affectionate. Dillon’s words reverberated through her mind. He thought she was fragile right now, as if she would lose her baby if he even looked at her wrong.

  Sure, she’d heard a lot of pregnancy horror stories, but it wasn’t like she would fall apart if Dillon held her hand.

  Isabella’s eyes widened. Why was Dillon the first person she thought of? Her gaze slipped toward him, and she found him watching her. He barely paid his friends any attention at all. The way he looked at her made her think his world had shrunk down to her and only her.

  She bit her lower lip and watched a bit of yellow begin to circle his blue irises. The contrast between blazing yellow and cool blue entranced her until Evangeline leaned down to whisper in her ear.

  “While we’re up here, there’s no one in the cabin who will be able to hear you if you need to scream.”

  Isabella balked, shooting her best friend a wary glare. Evangeline stood upright, clearly proud of herself. She even tossed Isabella a sly wink before claiming her seat on Casey’s lap once more.

  Casey raised a brow as he regarded his mate. It was clear he knew she was up to something.

  Isabella’s face flamed. She couldn’t handle it anymore. She shot out of her seat and tried to get her feet over the bench seat. They tangled with each other, but she finally found her footing after stumbling for a solid minute.

  “I have to go…check on Persimmon.” She lurched down the hill, back toward the cabin.

  Was she really that obvious? Isabella bemoaned her inability to be subtle about her attraction to Dillon. She covered her face with her hands, but they weren’t as cold as she would have liked. Nothing could tame the heat searing her cheeks.

  She couldn’t deny how nice Dillon was to her, but that made her think she was attracted to him because of that alone. Dillon had entered her life in a time when she was starved for attention and kindness. Like a drug, she wanted more from him.

  It didn’t seem right to lead him on if that was all she wanted, though.

  She paused at the door and glanced back. Maybe Evangeline wanted her to get this out of her system, though. Evangeline had said nothing about a relationship. If anything, Evangeline had made it sound like she wanted Isabella and Dillon to hook-up.

  Dillon’s muscle-bound body filled her mind. Her imagination conjured his soft smile and wondered if he would love her gently or if his dragon would urge him to be rougher. She wouldn’t have minded either.

  Cursing, she let her forehead fall against the unopened door.

  “Are you alright? You ran out of there pretty fast.”

  She let out a squeal and bolted upright. Dillon stood near her elbow with his head bent so he could get a better look at her.

  “Oh, fine. I mean, I’m fine.” She tried to force her lips into the shape of a reassuring smile, but she thought it might have come across as queasy.

  “The Chinese food didn’t upset your stomach, did it?”

  She threw up both hands in a placating gesture. “No! It was absolutely delicious. I just…Evangeline…she said something…”

  She could have sworn a red blush flooded his cheeks. “Oh, um. I might have heard.”

  Isabella straightened. No one else had followed them down the hill. So, she took Dillon’s hand in hers and led him inside.

  Her heart fluttered against her breastbone, but she didn’t try to calm it. She let the anticipation fill her while Dillon closed the door behind them. Before taking another step, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed a chaste kiss against Dillon’s lips.

  “Thank you for everything,” she whispered, barely pulling away.

  A growl vibrated his chest. He leaned into her as his hand grazed her hip. She savored his warmth, comforting as it was in the tumultuous time. Around Dillon, her world no longer felt uncertain. He grounded her in a way she’d never felt before. A deep-seated need for more gripped her, making her curl her fingers into the front of his shirt.

  With his free hand, Dillon brushed her hair away from her face. His eyes followed the movement before trailing down her cheek, her neck, and lower. Warmth blossomed along her skin, making her feel alive.

  She’d been touched before. Men had come to her for sexual favors, but none had made her feel like this. Under Dillon’s gaze, she wasn’t just a piece of meat to be fondled. He savored her, stared at her like she was a work of art. She knew she was no marble masterpiece, but he didn’t seem to care.

  She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Where this would go next, she wasn’t sure. Did she want to go any further? Did she want to drag Dillon into her room, or should she end it here?

  Dillon cupped her face and regarded her for a long moment, like he could sense her hesitation. “You tell me when you’re ready.”

  Her breath hitched. She opened her mouth to say that she was, but the words wouldn’t come out. Her stomach churned nervously. The anticipation from earlier turned cold. Tommy’s words returned to haunt her. She didn’t want to be too easy. She didn’t want to jump from man to man while she found out what she wanted.

  That wouldn’t be fair to Dillon or herself. She needed to take her time and work on being confident on her own.

  Swallowing, she reluctantly unwound her arms from his neck and took a step back.

  “I’m a patient man,” Dillon assured her. “Not like those hot-headed fools I live with. When you’re good and ready, you come to me. I’ll be waiting.”

  He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead before passing and leaving her alone
in the hall. She’d never assumed that Dillon would say something like that. Her heart clenched as she stared in the direction he’d gone. At first, she blamed the sensation on fear, but she soon realized it was only the unknown that had upset her.

  No man had ever promised her something so sweet. Dillon barely knew her, and yet he promised to wait for her. She didn’t even know if Dillon would be what she wanted when she was ready to date again.

  She covered her mouth with her hand. Did that mean he already knew he wanted her?

  22

  “What would your friend like?” Dillon asked into the phone.

  Silence lasted for a heartbeat before Evangeline crooned, “Why? Is it because you like her? Are you falling for my friend? Do you want to mate her up?”

  Casey’s mate was sometimes too much. More often than not, she filled the empty space with noise, so Dillon didn’t have to speak up, but in moments like this he wondered how Casey dealt with her. She would be ferocious when she changed.

  Daphne had booked her flight, though it was still a month away. Casey’s sister had helped a number of new shifters enter Zander’s pack. If anyone could guide Evangeline through the process with the fewest hiccups, it was Daphne.

  Casey had warned Dillon and Erik against catching feelings for his sister, but Dillon had no interest in either Evangeline or Daphne. Both were too loud and aggressive. He liked Isabella, who’d spent the last week softly padding around the cabin. She’d filled the space with the smell of fresh blueberry muffins and buttermilk pancakes, so the cabin seemed like a real home for the first time since Dillon had arrived.

  Dillon knew what he wanted. He only needed to wait until Isabella was ready to love him, too.

  On the other end of the call, Evangeline groaned, probably frustrated that she couldn’t get a rise out of him like she could with Gavin and Erik. “I don’t think Isabella is that difficult to shop for. You helped her move in. She likes plants and her rabbit.”

  Dillon picked up a bottle of bubble bath and turned it around to read the back. The long ingredient list made no sense to him. He didn’t know why he even bothered. Still, he tossed it into his basket.

  “Plants and rabbits,” he said back to Evangeline.

  “I guess so. Or you could just give her some good dick.”

  He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. Leave it to Evangeline to jump right to the obvious. He wanted to touch Isabella more than anything. Every time he crossed her in the hall, his beast would shove him in her direction. The beast growled and scraped for physical contact, but he’d told Isabella that he would wait.

  As it turned out, that was the hardest part for him.

  Dillon was an animal, at heart. He didn’t know how much patience he had left in him. His lonely beast had all but claimed her. He only needed to mark her so the others would know she was off limits. No other woman would ever appeal to him the same.

  Had Gavin felt this way about the woman he’d thought to be his mate, then he wouldn’t be hiding in the mountains. He would be hunting her down and convincing her to come back to him. Dillon’s rising feelings for Isabella only proved to him that Gavin had never known love. Though, that shouldn’t have surprised him considering the way Zander treated those in his care.

  He said goodbye to Evangeline and tossed a few more items into his basket. Isabella had been working hard around the cabin. She didn’t need to work to earn her keep. He hoped this reward showed her that.

  * * *

  Isabella had two doctors tell her that it was amazing that she was already showing. Because of her erratic cycle, she hadn’t noticed her first missed period. The first doctor informed her that she was further along than she’d anticipated. That coupled with her petite frame meant that she would have to start hiding her bump soon. Not yet…but soon.

  If she didn’t, then Gavin would surely kick her out. She didn’t see him around the cabin often, only when he needed to sleep. She couldn’t interrupt that man’s sleep schedule with a crying baby. Gavin seemed to be going through something, and while she didn’t understand, she didn’t want to make his healing process any harder than it already was.

  Except when he asked her how to find Nellie. His obsession with her friend struck Isabella as strange. Nellie had asked both Isabella and Evangeline to keep her whereabouts a secret, so Isabella gave him a non-committal shrug every time.

  When he came roaring into the kitchen, she quickly covered her newspaper before looking up at him.

  “Still not going to tell me?” Gavin asked.

  Isabella gave him her usual shrug. Gavin’s upper lip curled. She wanted to ask him why finding Nellie was so important to him, but he stormed out of the room before she could say anything.

  Her shoulders dropped, tension flowing out of her as her muscles relaxed. She uncovered her newspaper and pulled it closer before circling another option. There weren’t many apartments in town that she could afford, but every now and then she came across a studio that seemed nice.

  The sound of bags hitting the floor startled her and made her yelp.

  She spun in her seat and found Dillon staring down at the newspaper on the table. A look of betrayal twisted his countenance. His chest inflated, like he would say something. She watched him quickly deflate, shake his head, and stalk out of the room.

  Her gaze dropped to the bags on the floor. Thinking they were groceries for dinner, she picked them up and started to unpack them. It became very apparent this was not what she thought when she pulled out a pack of rabbit snacks.

  “Oh,” she said under her breath.

  She found a bottle of rose bubble bath, a pair of fuzzy socks with rabbits on them, and a bag of peanut butter candies, too. No man under this roof would want anything to do with these items. Which could only mean Dillon had bought them for her.

  The newspaper now under the gifts seemed to accuse her of treachery. She scowled down at it while her heart tried to make sense of what had happened.

  She gathered the gifts in her arms and padded back to her room to put them away. When she found her door open, she didn’t hesitate. Just as she thought, Dillon waited for her inside. He crouched near Persimmon’s cage with a finger through the grate for Persimmon to sniff.

  “I didn’t know you’d be leaving,” Dillon said without turning around.

  Had anyone else gone near Persimmon during an argument like this, her heart would have raced. Tommy would have used the rabbit against her, used it as a hostage. Right now, she suspected Dillon hadn’t come to her room for any nefarious purposes, but to instead find comfort in Persimmon’s company.

  Isabella closed the door behind her so no one could eavesdrop on their conversation. “Gavin agreed to let me live here, but he made that decision without knowing about…you know. He won’t want to deal with a baby in seven months. They scream and cry and Gavin doesn’t seem like the kind of person who can handle that.”

  Dillon stood upright. Without meeting her gaze, he came to embrace her. His forehead rested against her shoulder. She held him, one hand on his back while she threaded her fingers through his hair with the other.

  “I can’t ask you to stay,” he said.

  Though he said he couldn’t ask her, the words carried a tone that almost seemed to beg for him. Her heart couldn’t handle the desperation coming from him. The need he expressed called to a similar need inside herself.

  She’d ignored it all week, trying to tell herself that she didn’t need a man. Yet, every time she came across Dillon in a hall or in the kitchen, she had to fight to keep from reaching for him. Nothing felt as good as the moments when he held her like this. When her body pressed against his, and she could feel his strength, she felt at ease.

  She couldn’t change her situation, though. The baby would come, and she would have to have a home set up for them.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” she whispered to Dillon. “I love it here. I love the mountain view. I love making food for you and the other guys. I love being able to
see you every day. But out of respect for the others, I’ll need to find my own place soon.”

  Even though she spoke of leaving, her fingers tighten in Dillon’s shirt. As he straightened, he lifted her with him. Her feet left the floor. He cradled her against him, so steady that she had no fear of falling.

  He brought her to the bed, where he turned and sat. She adjusted, one knee on either side of him so she could wrap her whole body around him. Though she told herself she needed to remain just friends, she couldn’t help but want to break her own rules.

  “I remember the first time I saw you,” she said. “I’d walked Evangeline to work that morning and stood outside the shop, so I could watch you through the window. You didn’t see me, but I certainly noticed you. You’re so much taller and wider than the others. I had eyes for you and you alone, but I didn’t think you would notice me.”

  Dillon’s fingers pressed into her flesh, a tight grip that told her he never wanted to let go. “I saw you. I would have chased you down if I hadn’t overheard you mention a boyfriend.”

  Isabella lurched back. “You heard what I said outside the shop?”

  Dillon nodded.

  Then another voice joined, shouting from another room. “We have great hearing!”

  Dillon growled Gavin’s name under his breath. Isabella fumbled out of Dillon’s grasp She paced back and forth several times before yanking the door open and shouting back to Gavin.

  “How much have you heard?” Her voice echoed down the hall.

  When no answer came, she nervously picked at the curls over her shoulder. Gavin was going to kick her out for sure. She hadn’t found a new place to live yet. She never should have kept her pregnancy a secret. Transparency would have saved her from this moment.

  Just as her fear and anxiety were about to get the best of her, Dillon pulled her into his arms. She released a breath and drew in a fresh mouthful of air.

  “I have nowhere to go,” she said into Dillon’s skin.