Rogue Dragons Series: Box Set Books 1-5

by Hartley, Emilia

  He paused in the doorway, whipped off his apron, and threw a burning glance over his shoulder. “I have your snack back here.”

  Oh, she had not expected that. Her cheeks warmed. She almost wished she’d thought up that line. Her core ignited, burning hotter than her face when the others turned their attention on her.

  “I didn’t know they stocked Grade A meat here,” Evangeline said with a shit-eating grin.

  Daphne wished she had a witty remark, but her mind blanked as she stood. Her body couldn’t decide which it wanted more, Ford or food, so she went in search of both. The kitchen staff gave her wary glances and made her feel like she’d made the wrong move. A server, though, winked and pointed Daphne toward the walk-in cooler.

  The feeling of trespassing didn’t go away until Daphne saw Ford. He’d braced himself against a steel shelf, his head hanging in a private moment. She pressed her back to the door and watched as his knuckles whitened. The question of what was going through his mind nearly made her turn around. This was a moment she wasn’t sure she was supposed to see.

  He must have caught her scent because he straightened.

  “Uh, should I have followed you?”

  His growl filled the room. Her heart thumped, hammering out a wild rhythm. She took a tentative step toward him before he whirled and gathered her into his arms. Boxes crashed, but they paid it no mind as their lips met.

  His hand slid up her spine until he could cup the back of her head. She savored his embrace and how it felt to give herself over to him in this moment. She didn’t have to think about anyone else, about who wanted her to do what. There was only Ford’s hands and Ford’s lips.

  Oh, and that growing bulge pressing into her stomach. She was tall for a woman, but not so tall that their bodies aligned.

  “Why do you haunt my mind, woman?” he whispered against her jaw before dragging his teeth over her skin.

  She shuddered and struggled to figure out a response for him. It wasn’t like she could stop thinking about him for long, either. Only here, within his arms, could she cope with the desire crouching inside her.

  His other hand slid up her thigh. It vanished beneath her dress and drew a gasp from her.

  “You’re going to get in trouble,” she said. “We shouldn’t be doing this in here.”

  He kissed down her throat. “I don’t care.”

  She gripped his shirt and held on while pleasure made her want to drift away. His fingers tugged at the waistband of her panties. Her core throbbed, a pulsing ache she couldn’t ignore. Her body begged for Ford. She wanted him inside her, so deep that she didn’t know where she left off and he began.

  “No,” she managed to say. “Not here.”

  Daphne pulled away from his touch. She immediately regretted it as the cold rushed in to remind her of all the ways they weren’t touching.

  When she forced herself to look up at him, his eyes glowed and his nostrils flared like it took every ounce of his will to keep from pouncing on her. She wanted him to. She really did. Her morals had dragged her out of a dream.

  “Not in here, around food. Not while you’re on the clock.” She tried to subtly fix her underwear. “Just because we have animals doesn’t mean we need to act like them. Woo me, Ford. Give me that once in a lifetime night that I’m never going to forget.”

  His chest heaved. Her beast reminded her that he could run again. Ford had kept a distance between them until now. He could throw up his walls again and fortify them to keep her out for the rest of their lives. Now might be her only chance.

  She would just have to live with her decision, then. Holding fast to her stance, she spun and walked out.

  Daphne had never hated herself more than she did in that moment. Ford had finally given her what she wanted, and she told him to hold onto that thought? What was wrong with her?

  She didn’t stick around for the rest of the meal. The others were deep in their conversation and barely noticed Daphne as she passed by. Her beast kicked and growled at her. Holding the creature back had never been this difficult. She needed to find an empty place to shift before she lost her mind.

  On the edge of town, she found a grove. The paths were trodden by animals, barely wide enough for Daphne to slip in on two feet. Just past the grove, the trees thinned out to look over a small valley. Oh, that was exactly what she needed.

  She shifted and opened her wings so she could glide into the little reprieve.

  Ford made her feel so many things all at once. Daphne had prided herself on being reasonable and rational, but around him she became an anxious little bunny. She darted back and forth, pacing between throwing herself at him and running away out of fear. She’d told herself that she’d turned him down because having sex around the food was wrong.

  Not that she’d panicked because she’d felt too much while he held her. When she’d been with other men, the sex had been fun, but not as overwhelming as it felt to be around Ford. He turned her inside out in every way imaginable.

  But he couldn’t be her mate.

  He’d already had one. Then, why did she feel like this? Had her beast chosen Ford despite his previous attachment? Was that even possible? She didn’t think their beasts made the decision, but that fate paired one dragon with another. She couldn’t possibly call Ford her mate if she wasn’t his in return.

  Her beast lashed its tail back and forth, slapping it against trees now that the creature had assumed a tangible form again. It was just as mad at her as she was at herself. Now, the only logical step was to avoid him altogether. If she couldn’t handle being around him anymore, then she couldn’t visit.

  She felt fire flash over her tongue. Hot and smoky, it seared her senses. The beast’s anger flared in the same breath. She couldn’t walk away from Ford. Not until she discovered what they had. Her beast wouldn’t allow it.

  The dragon threw its head back, a hollow note pouring from its throat. It yearned so deeply, so completely that Daphne didn’t think she would ever be able to come back from this. She’d come to realize just how empty her life was. Working for others would never make her complete. Now, she found someone she wished could be her mate and knew that ship had sailed long before they’d ever met.

  Was she meant to suffer like this? Would she have to go back to Zander and deal with his overbearing behavior for the rest of her life?

  58

  Passing by the door, Ford noticed that Daphne wasn’t at the table with the other shifters anymore. He tripped over his own feet as his heart stuttered.

  He peered up and down, wondering if Daphne had gone to the bar or maybe the bathroom, but she never reappeared. As the conversation continued around her, Evangeline looked him in the eye. Her expression said it all.

  Daphne had left.

  Ford swallowed his curse.

  He spun away from the kitchen door. He still had three hours left on his shift. The place he’d loved so much now felt like a cage. His beast paced inside him, digging its claws in with every step. Ford could remind it that Daphne wouldn’t be their mate, but the dragon cared little for logic while it was in the throes of frustration.

  A line cook cocked a brow at him as he passed. Ford couldn’t help his growl. It was automatic in the face of any opposition.

  The line cook leaned in and snapped the end of Ford’s apron tie so that it fell away from his waist. The line cook rolled it up in his hands and told him, “Go find her.”

  Ford halted.

  “We’ll cover for you,” the cook said as he gestured toward the others working in the kitchen. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

  The bartender, who’d snuck back for a moment’s reprieve from her customers, grinned. “I’ve never seen you pay so much attention to one person. We were starting to think you were a lost cause.”

  Ford grumbled something.

  “I’m going to assume that was a thank you.” The line cook jutted his chin toward the exit and went back to work.

  Ford had to temper
his speed so they wouldn’t notice how unnaturally fast he could be. His beast practically dragged him toward Daphne. Outside, following her scent, he heard a dragon’s bellow. His heart broke.

  He ran toward the source of the sound and found himself leaving town. In the dark, he almost didn’t see the cliff’s edge before him. Unwavering, he leapt into the open air and unleashed his dragon.

  Stiff and restless, the beast unfurled its wings. It circled around the valley below before landing. Through the darkness, Ford saw a hint of yellow. Her scales rippled like sunshine. When she stepped out of the trees, she bared her teeth in a snarl.

  About to shift back so he could apologize for what happened earlier, he was taken aback when she pounced. Though Daphne was smaller than him, she hit like a bullet. He slid back before digging his talons into the earth. They slowed and came to a stop, but Daphne didn’t.

  She ducked her head and rammed him. Once again, he slid back. Frustrated, he swung his tail and gently slapped her side. He didn’t understand what was going on. Daphne usually had more self-control than most dragons.

  With nowhere to let loose and indulge in her dragon’s urges, Daphne had finally given in. She wasn’t trying to be anyone other than who she wanted to be right now. With him, she didn’t have to pretend to have it all together. She could be the rage-filled monster that she kept under wraps.

  And Ford could indulge her. He trusted that she wouldn’t try to harm him. He went too long between shifts and knew how it could feel to have boundless energy coursing through his body. While he channeled some of that into cooking, Daphne had no way to release it.

  So, he took a stance and let her try to take him down. Slippery and relentless, Daphne battered him for the better part of an hour, until his lungs burned, and a happy exhaustion started to set in.

  Finally, she fell back and let go of her dragon form. A human woman met the ground, her arms spread wide like she was about to make snow angels in the grass. Ford sauntered over to her. He nudged her with his scaled nose.

  Her smile practically shone in the dark, it was so bright. She put a hand to his nose and ran it up his muzzle. He shifted back to human form while she touched him, so her hand rested on his bare chest when he was finished.

  “You left without eating,” Ford said, voice breathy.

  “That wasn’t what I had on my mind at the time.” Only the corner of her mouth lifted, showing him such a sorrowful smile.

  He told himself no. Over and over, he repeated it in an effort to keep himself away from what he couldn’t keep. She was sprawled before him, completely naked, though. He couldn’t help how his gaze roamed up and down her body.

  A tattoo of sunflowers graced her thigh. He backed up and bent low to kiss it. Daphne shuddered at his touch. His beast growled hungrily. It would never fail her. She wouldn’t crumple under another man’s hand. His Daphne would fight until her last breath. She would survive against all odds.

  She was the strongest woman he’d ever met.

  “Do you think…do you think we could get this out of our system?” she asked, quiet in the night. “If we give in to what we have, then maybe we’ll feel better.”

  Ford doubted it. She had become entrenched in him. A piece of his shattered heart now belonged to her. No matter what he did or where he went, she would always own that part of him.

  When he didn’t respond right away, she waved it off. “It was just a thought. We don’t have to—”

  He cut her off with a kiss. Pinned to the ground, she could not escape. It seemed that was the last thought on her mind as her arms wound around his neck to hold him. He crawled atop her, a knot in his chest easing as his skin slid over hers.

  * * *

  Daphne had expected Ford to run away. She’d done it to him earlier; it was only fair. But his lips cut her off mid-sentence, and she’d never been more grateful. That gratitude lasted barely a second before it was replaced by desire. Her body burned, hotter than any dragon fire she’d ever experienced.

  Everywhere he touched her, small fires ignited and delved deep into her body. Urgency overwhelmed her. She couldn’t get enough of him. Raking her hands down his back and up again, over his scalp, and along his jaw wasn’t enough. Not until his cock rose to press against her inner thigh.

  She let out a moan because she couldn’t form words. Ford answered with a thrust. Though he didn’t enter her, he still found the parts of her that he could stroke to create an inferno. One thrust became two, the urgency of his movement obvious.

  She wasn’t the only one prisoner to this need.

  “Do you want to go back to your place?” she whispered while his lips left a trail along her neck.

  She gasped when he nipped the skin of her shoulder. Electric sparks shot through her body and made her arch into him. He growled, a sound of pleasure and greed. Her question faded away as every ounce of desire to put this off died beneath his teeth. She wanted them to pierce her skin with the claim she knew she would never receive.

  She had only this night with him. Ford would hold her and show her the love she craved, but then he would move on. His heart belonged to no one anymore. He couldn’t give it to her the way she wanted. She could only pretend that this meant more than she knew it did.

  “Bed later,” he said urgently. He gripped her hips, fingertips digging into her skin.

  Still, he didn’t bother to find her entrance. He teased her between her folds with his measured thrusts. Sensation unraveled her. It tore away her careful control and kept it out of reach. She clenched her teeth and arched, trying to beg for more.

  The pleasure in her core wasn’t enough. Featherlight, it danced along her body when she wanted to be hammered into submission. She wanted to burn to ashes in the heat of their lovemaking.

  “You can’t break me,” she whispered.

  He’d been mated to a human. How many times had he had to hold himself back to keep from hurting her? Daphne wasn’t made of the same stuff. She was tougher, more durable than most. Just because she dressed like a girl didn’t mean she wanted to be coddled in the bedroom.

  Or forest.

  Ford paused. He blinked down at her.

  Daphne prayed he hadn’t gotten lost in memories and that he hadn’t mistaken her for his wife. The fear gripped her and tore away her desire until she was left awkwardly staring up at him. She had a feeling that the next thing he would say would break her heart. She would be able to hear the lie if he tried to cover up what he’d been thinking.

  “Do you think I’m going too easy on you?” His fingers slithered through her hair until he had her in his grasp. “I thought I was just starting.”

  Her heart slowly picked up pace until it raced behind her ribs. Ford gently tugged on her hair and the sensation rippling across her scalp reignited the fires in her core. Still, she couldn’t shake the worry that had broken into her thoughts.

  Ford’s hips moved away from hers. He put a hand between them, readying himself to enter her. When he looked into her eyes, she found herself telling him:

  “Say my name.”

  She caught the flash of his sharp canines. The head of his cock found her entrance and sent a jolt of pleasure through her. She wanted him inside her but forced herself to steady her breathing and wait for him to say it.

  He lowered himself over her, every inch forward pushing him deeper inside her. When his lips found her ear, he whispered, “Are you ready, Daphne?”

  Her relief released her from the hold she had over herself. The throb in her core multiplied until it echoed through her entire body, leaving waves in its wake.

  Then, Ford did the unexpected. He buried his head in her shoulder. She felt his teeth rake across her skin as he pumped inside her. She thought nothing of it until he bit harder. And harder. Her skin broke and his groan sparked an orgasm in her.

  She didn’t hide her scream. His name left her lips as she came undone beneath him. She dug her nails into his skin and held on. He didn’t stop his thrusting. Each str
oke sharpened the sensation coursing through her until she knew nothing but the feel of his body and her own pleasure.

  He brought her again right before he slipped out of her. Warmth covered her stomach. It dripped down her sides, leaving his scent across her skin. She tried to catch her breath, but her body refused to calm down. More aftershocks made her fingers and toes curl.

  She’d never had an experience with a man leave her unraveled like this. There was no way she could go back to the cabin tonight. Her control had vanished. The persona she tried to maintain all the time wouldn’t be there to help her hold her tongue or leash her beast.

  She rubbed the bite on her shoulder and wondered what meaning it could hold. Had he done it while in the heat of the moment? Or did he have intentions of keeping her?

  Sitting up, she reached for the clothing she’d brought into the valley with her. Sleeping with Ford should have ridden her of the wild need for him that’d been driving her crazy. Yet, as she cleaned herself and his scent filled the air around her, she knew these feelings weren’t going anywhere any time soon. They had her in their grip. She could do nothing to fight them off. Not anymore, not after an experience like that.

  “Follow me,” Ford said from behind her. “I can give you a ride home.”

  She snorted. “You just gave me the ride of my life.”

  His groan echoed in the night and made her grin despite her unspoken concerns. She followed him up a trail that led back to the cliff hanging over the valley. Ford took a moment to put on the clothes he’d left behind. Then he took her hand and walked her back into town.

  Neither said anything, but her heart fluttered when he took her hand in his. Daphne wanted to ask—no, she wanted to beg him to take her back to his place. Instead, she kept her mouth shut. Tonight had been only to get this out of their system. Though she still swam in a puddle of confusing emotions, and Ford held her hand, that didn’t mean he hadn’t moved on.

  “I have an early morning shift,” Ford said as he got into the driver’s side of his SUV.