Dragon Men do it Better

by Mina Carter

  He grinned suddenly. Oh yes, he liked her. He liked her a lot. A fly buzzing around the back of his neck brought him back to reality and he looked up.

  “We need to move. The sun will be at its highest soon and the temperature will rise.” Of course, that wasn’t a problem for him with his Draakonic physiology, but for her, with her soft skin that looked like it would burn to a crisp… he needed to get her into the shade.

  She tilted her head at his words but didn’t move. Did she not sense the multiple dangers around them, the sun being only one on this planet he now called home? In fact, she seemed oblivious to all. Especially as she turned and faced the slowly rising sun, she lifted her face to the light and closed her eyes. He watched as a small smile played across her lips. The movement held his attention like gravity.

  For a soft species, she was beautiful and held his attention like no female before her, even if she had no scales.

  “We need to move, female,” he told her. “You’ll burn to a crisp.”

  “The name’s Jenna, not female, and I don’t appreciate being ordered about.” Her glare was the least terrifying thing he had ever seen. How had this fema…he meant Jenna survived? Yes, he was stuck on a planet and hadn’t been out in the wilds of space in what seemed like a lifetime. Yet he remembered only too well the brutality of space and of the other species. He had questions, and once they were safe in his den, she would answer them.

  Reaching for her again, he stalled the movement when she skittered away from him, a warning look on her heart-shaped face. “Don’t you fucking dare! Claws to yourself, remember?”

  He bit back the sigh. Didn’t she see it would be faster if he carried her?

  “Are all hu-mans as argumentative as you?” he asked, starting to frame an idea of her species in his head.

  She folded her arms across her chest. “I am not argumentative. I just don’t like being manhandled.” Head tilted up, she unfolded her arms and started walking past him. “I can walk, thank you very much.”

  He sighed and bit back his comment, bowing a little at the waist as he swept an arm out. “After you, my queen.”

  Her raised eyebrow was the only answer she gave to his comment as she moved forward again, only stopping after a few steps.

  “Errr which way?”

  He hid his smile as he indicated the path on the right. “Stay on the track, though. Your skin is too soft to go wandering off into the undergrowth.”

  Horned and armored snakes hid in the long grasses that would try and take a chunk out of even his scaled hide. Of course, he’d had to teach them a lesson soon after he arrived, and now the edges of his territory were marked with large snake heads so the slithery bastards didn’t try and encroach.

  Her pace was slow. Ideally he had wanted to run back, but he would let her lead for now. It gave him time to look his fill without her seeing. However, she picked her way over the path and jumped with a high-pitched squeal every time she saw a small creature, making his protective instincts grow even stronger. She simply couldn’t survive without him.

  5

  Jenna tiptoed over the path, her boots barely hitting the dirt as she skipped over every fallen log, vine and foliage. She didn’t trust any of them, not after the plants with teeth. She suppressed a shudder. Jesus, that experience wouldn’t be leaving her anytime soon. Beetles the size of small dogs scuttled past, causing unladylike squeals to erupt from her.

  “Holy fucking shit balls,” burst from her mouth as one said beetle eyeballed her as it moved back into the dense overgrowth.

  Plants, she could handle. Hell, Rufus the beetle over there she could tolerate…at a distance. Hell even tall, dark and lickable behind her was someone she could deal with—him and his biceps.

  Mmmmm bigmadeformyhandsbiceps.

  Jenna shook her head smiled to herself. It had been a while since she had slept with anyone. Maybe that was why she was reacting this much to a bit of man meat. So focused on her inner thoughts, she didn’t see the danger until she was nose to nose with it.

  By it she meant a snake.

  A big fucking snake.

  A scream of pure terror left her mouth and echoed, the sound carrying and filling the area. Her heart thumped against her ribcage as she locked eyes with those of the serpent. Its head was bigger than her own and armored, its red eyes focused and unwavering.

  Jenna was a brave human, but one of the few things that could bring her to her knees was staring back at her.

  A hard arm wrapped around her waist and she was yanked off her feet. A second later she was facing the other way, still wrapped in Ranaar’s arms, his lips at her temple. “Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s dead. It won’t hurt you.”

  “It’s a…It’s a…” was all she could manage to get out. She could feel her body shaking, and the only thing holding her up was Ranaar’s arms. Although if he had let her go, she would have climbed him like a pole. The higher the better, right?

  “It’s dead,” he told her firmly, adjusting his hold on her until she was nestled in his arms, curled up tightly. He started to walk and she flinched, not wanting to go past the huge snake head. All she could see in her mind’s eye was its glittering eyes and massive fangs, spread open wide by sticks. Obviously reading her distress, he kept his back to the thing, his body between her and it as he sidestepped around it and then turned to walk with long strides.

  Jenna subconsciously pressed herself against Ranaar. For some reason she felt safe with him—another little experience she wouldn’t be getting rid of when she finally left this planet… if she left this planet. Bloody plants with teeth and snakes the size of rhinos—what worldly catastrophe needed things that size, really?

  She was fine now. The scare had knocked her for six, but she was able to walk. Yet she found herself staying quiet and letting Ranaar carry her. He hadn’t moaned either about her weight, which was another point for him. Points were now stacking up.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, her voice quiet. At least she didn’t cry. She was an ugly crier and he didn’t need to see that.

  “I have a camp just over this rise,” he told her, his voice a deep rumble she felt against her side as much as heard. “This whole area is my territory. You’ll be safe here,” he promised her. As much as she was scared of the fuck-off big snakes, she believed him. After all, he’d killed the one back there. Hadn’t he?

  Jenna nodded and rested her head against his naked chest. It was one thing seeing it but a whole different ball game to be pressed up against it. The skin was smooth and warm, and Jenna didn’t stop herself from pressing her nose against it and breathing in. Hell, she was close to licking it. But everyone knew what happened when you licked things and she couldn’t afford to keep this one.

  His scent was rich, spicy, and reminded her of hot summer days. Her body reacted instantly, lighting her up from the inside to the point she pulled away and frowned.

  Whoaaa. What the hell.

  Ignoring her reaction and pushing herself as far away from his delicious chest as she could, she asked the ultimate question.

  “Are we there yet?”

  The deep rumble in the center of his chest sounded weird, almost not human. Perhaps he’d injured his vocal chords. Whatever, the sound affected her on a base level. It was like her ovaries had woken up and gotten with current affairs, and she could well do without their single-minded input, thank you very much. They were worse than her mother, banging on about grandkids.

  “Just here.” He nodded to an outcrop of rock just ahead. What looked like a combination of sails and sheets of metal created a roof of sorts. A couple of strides took them to it and he ducked beneath.

  Jenna’s eyes took their time adjusting to the dark after being out in the bright sunlight. Ranaar released her legs and slowly let her slide down his body until she stood before him with his large hands cupping her shoulders, her back against his chest. Stone walls surround them and any holes had been repaired using sheets of metal. Despite the rising heat outs
ide, the temperature inside was cool, a relief she didn’t know she needed.

  Her perverted mind instantly took in the large collection of furs off to one corner that she guessed was his bed. Large man…large bed. Another corner held containers and a crude worktop that she again guessed was the kitchen area. Strips of meat hung from the ceiling, curing, and another hide was stretched like it was being worked on.

  This man, whoever he was, had his shit together.

  “Nice place you have here.” She tilted her head to the side and looked up at his face, the darkness hiding his features.

  He grunted, giving a nod, but couldn’t hide the pleased expression that flitted across his features. “Water’s over there,” he told her, nodding to the kitchen area. “Dried meat. Should be okay for you to eat. You’ll need greens. I’ll forage later, when the heat dies down a little. You should rest. It’s going to get warm, even in here.”

  With a gentle nudge, he pushed Jenna toward the furs before he moved over to the kitchen area. She stumbled but quickly righted herself and approached the mammoth bed. Reaching a hand out she slid it over the furs, reveling in the softness. Not wanting to get any of the soft fur dirty, as well as anticipating the heat level, Jenna began removing her flight suit. She stalled when she reached for the hidden zipper. She had gotten undressed in front of a few people in her life, not including her small stint as a stripper in the aid of getting a mark, yet this seemed more intimate.

  She slid down the zipper from her shoulder and peeled the suit from her already clammy skin until she was able to step out of it, leaving her in a bright pink sports bra and matching shorts. Jenna bent over and picked it up before she folded it and turned to ask Ranaar where she could put it.

  Only to find he was studying the makeshift ceiling with all the fascination of an art critic presented with the ultimate work of the painting masters. His jaw clenched, the tiny muscle in the corner catching her eye.

  She hugged the suit to her chest and watched as he looked everywhere but at her, making her wonder if she had done something wrong in stripping off. He had said it would get warm, and as much as her flight suit was built for the insane climates of multiple planets and space, its own Achilles heel was heat. Too much and she would roast in it.

  “Everything okay?” she asked when he still wouldn’t look her way.

  “Do you often strip in front of males you’re not mated to?” he bit out, that delicious little muscle still working. He dropped his gaze to hers, pointedly keeping his eyes above shoulder level.

  She blinked in surprise. No way. Mister hot-as-bloody-hell was a prude? Seriously?

  “You said it would get hot in here, right?” She waited until he looked her in the eye and nodded.

  “This suit,” she waved it in the air, “will roast me alive if it gets too hot in here, so I have to strip. Unless you want me to roast?”

  She waited, her bare feet shifting from side to side.

  After a long moment, he nodded and then turned away to busy himself over by the kitchen area. She watched him in surprise for a few moments. He was acting like he’d never seen a woman in her underwear before.

  Jenna shrugged and turned, placing her suit on the end of the makeshift bed before she crawled onto the furs. The softness called to her, and as she laid her head down, a tiredness she hadn’t realized she felt swept over her. Closing her eyes Jenna let her body rest, knowing she was safe…for now.

  6

  By the claw, she was the most perfect thing he’d ever seen. Ranaar was rarely surprised, but the fact the little female had just stripped off right there in front of him had blown his mind. That she trusted him so much already, despite the fact they’d just met… she must want him as a mate, surely? To do that—displaying the body—was classic courtship behavior.

  And he’d frozen. Had to remind himself that she wasn’t Draakon. His species’ norms might not be hers.

  Then he’d growled at her.

  He closed his eyes, calling himself all kinds of an idiot. A snort pulled his attention back to where she had made herself comfortable on his furs. Her slight form was buried with only her head and hair visible. The snort happened again, pulling him closer. Her eyelashes rested against her cheeks as she slept, those same cheeks pink with warmth, and the snort was the little female snoring.

  He couldn’t help the smile that curved over his lips. She was. She was already asleep and she was snoring. Once again staggered by the trust she’d placed in him, he watched her for a moment, musing.

  Who are you, little female? And why are you here? Was she a sign from the ancients that his exile was soon to be over?

  Pulling himself away from his guard post by the bed, he made sure the roof and walls were all secure against the brutal sunlight and slipped from the shelter. She would be safe while she slept and he could use the time to hunt and ensure she was well provided for.

  Something pulled Jenna from the best sleep she’d had in an age and into consciousness so sharply she sat bolt upright.

  “I didn’t do it,” she shouted, the words firing from her mouth quicker than her ship could have moved. The automatic response was one she had been guilty of using on multiple occasions. It was usually followed with, “I was drunk,” or, “I was drugged.” Jenna shook her head to dispel the last vestiges of sleep and the cloudiness around her eyes that clung on. She yawned. The action and sound were the most unladylike things on the planet as her jaw cracked and anyone in the vicinity could have been sucked into the gaping hole that was her mouth.

  Only then did she realize she was alone—alone and very bloody hot. When Ranaar had said it would get warm, he may have played it down a bit. Right now it felt like she was sitting in one of those old-fashioned Earth saunas. Sweat was pouring from her body and her head felt light.

  “Ranaar?” she called out but was greeted by silence. Where was he?

  The silence continued as she slid out of the bed. Sweat rolled down the center of her spine and she grimaced. She didn’t mind getting hot and sweaty in a guy’s bed, but she preferred to do it with said guy.

  Oh my god, the heat was intense. She had to get out. Stumbling to the makeshift fabric door, she yanked it aside.

  Only to be blasted by a surge of inferno level heat. Stumbling backward, she whimpered. What the hell was this planet?

  A large male figure filled the doorway and the next instant she was being walked backward by Ranaar.

  “Not out there, little one,” he said firmly. “You’ll cook.”

  Somehow the hands he had on her were cool. She gasped and pressed herself against him. Against his skin. It felt like he’d just walked out of a chiller cabinet. She moaned in pleasure.

  “You feel so good,” she gasped as her hands did what she had wanted them to do since she had first seen Ranaar. They went everywhere, caressed every damn muscle he owned in an attempt to cool her own body down. The man was ripped. He had muscle stacked on muscle, and as her hands flew across his skin, he froze. His own hands gripped her shoulders tightly.

  “Why are you so cool when I feel like a walking volcano?” she whispered as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest. He smelled amazing and would no doubt taste the same, but now was not the time to be sampling the local delicacies.

  “Your body really isn’t suited for extremes of temperature.” He was talking but she was more interested in plastering herself over all that blessedly cool skin. A whimper of distress escaped her as he put distance between them, walking her backward, only to turn into a moan of pleasure as he opened a door in the kitchen area. A blast of cold air hit her back and she turned toward it, instinctively seeking the cool. Ohmigod, he had a fridge. She blinked, trying to work out if she’d fit in the small cabinet.

  Sure she had done a bit of yoga in her time, but she didn’t think she was capable of putting her feet behind her head in a fashion that would make her fit. Instead she turned and faced Ranaar with her ass getting the cool air. It wasn’t the most ladylike thing to do, but
then again she hadn’t been doing a lot of ladylike things since she arrived. Had she?

  “No I’m not built for bollock hot planets, unless there is a beach, palm trees and icy cool water as well as lots of alcoholic drinks.” The last word came out on a sigh as her body started to cool but only a little. Her head still felt woozy and she was still sweating from everywhere, even places she wasn’t aware she could sweat from.

  “Sit,” he ordered her firmly, which was when she became aware he’d been carrying something when he came in before she’d all but accosted him. It looked like a bag of random ship parts. None of them were familiar to her so they must have come from another ship. His?

  She watched with increasing awareness, her body temperature coming down, as he emptied the bag out and started to build something. Her attention was hijacked by the big scars down his chest. They ran from his collarbone right down, almost to his waist. The fact they were identical in size and shape meant they couldn’t have been an accident. They had been done deliberately.

  Scars—sometimes they freaked her out and other times, like now, she found them fascinating to the point she wanted to reach out and touch them. They looked so angry and would no doubt have caused a lot of pain. They added to his masculinity, making him seem more…well more. The guy was a beast.

  Her gaze caught on what he was building and she blinked. “Is that a fan?”

  He glanced over his shoulder and then shrugged. “Can’t have you dying on me. Can I? You’re female. It’s my responsibility to look after you.”

  Jenna blinked and her heart did a little backflip. “Well bugger me. You’re a keeper.” And here she thought chivalry was dead. When was the last time a guy did anything for her that didn’t end with them wanting something in return? This big dark, scary man beast of luscious muscle and lickable biceps actually cared, and not once had he tried to cop a feel.