Dragon Heart Read online

  Unless she put this moment to good use.

  For instance, a way out from a stifling engagement. The kind that would force the groom-to-be to break off his marriage proposal.

  Her mother would have a cow if she knew the thoughts tumbling around Shay’s head. According to Amelia Barclay’s rulebook, a leopardess of good breeding didn’t dilute the line. Her parents had talked incessantly since before she’d gone off to college about the importance of finding an appropriate mate. She didn’t have to ask Mom to define appropriate—she could recite the laundry list of requirements in her sleep, and all of them designed to actualize her potential as an alpha leopardess so the Barclay clan would be that much stronger. Totally warped thinking on their part.

  Drake was the opposite of perfect in her parents’ playbook, but so far that minor detail didn’t derail her from a secret and growing attraction.

  At the moment, her heartbeat hammered, vibrating over her skin from the energy Drake’s dragon shifter body radiated. Being this close to him was far too raw. Factor in the full moon, and both of them became the components of a chemical equation about to combust.

  “Well?” she inquired.

  “Never mind,” he replied.

  “Don’t you dare never mind me. You’re thinking something. Tell me.” She held her breath, meeting his glittering stare and noting the muscle ticking along his jaw that she longed to trace, lick, and suck. His angular features could have been carved out of granite the way the dark stubble rose along his cheek, beckoning her to run her fingers over his skin.

  “Just be prepared to leave. Thursday. Midnight. We’ll take the latest departure, or if need be, we’ll fly commercial. You and me.”

  “You’d do that? Deliver me and then what? Dammit, Drake! Every second of my life, you ride me about making the right decision. How is this the right decision? There’s a freaking elephant in the room and like, what? You’re just going to stand there and pretend it doesn’t exist.”

  “You’re wrong there,” he retorted, his pupils transforming into entrancing elliptical versions. “From what I can tell—whenever it’s just you and me, alone—it’s more like a parade of pachyderms!”

  She pressed up to him, proving him all shades wrong, licking her lips and watching his eyes trace her mouth. “Then don’t try and play this off like it’s just flirting that’s going on between us.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, little princesses aren’t on my menu.”

  “My, my.” She laughed—not the pleasant-sounding kind. “I never took you for a man who backed away from a challenge.” She wanted to take hold of his fingers and bite them. Hard.

  “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not scared of you. You aren’t my type.”

  She looked down at the boner in his jeans, then met his eyes. Right!

  Controlling her desire to get him to own up to their mutual fascination, she spoke slowly, “Yes. I. Am. Or would you care to divulge exactly what kind of six-shooter you’re packing down the front of your pants. Cowboy, sooner or later, we’re going to do more than talk. I’m going to climb and ride you like I’m a cowgirl, breaking a bucking bronco. And you, dragon boy, are going to like it.” She ended up jabbing him in the chest while panting heavily.

  Drake caught her wrist and yanked her to him. His hot breath caressed her skin and her nipples peaked into points, aching for his mouth. Their gazes locked together, their mouths were inches apart, and she felt her ability to maintain control dissolve as he leaned into her. He growled, the vibration of his voice spreading fire over her skin. “Sweetheart, you’re more than mistaken. That’s not going to happen. It can’t happen. Do you understand?” He released her hand and stared at her, both of their chests heaving.

  “Says who? I’m right here. We’re standing in a private villa.” She undid the sash to her robe. Desperate times required desperate measures … more than desperate when he wanted the same damn thing she did: hot, screaming sex with no strings. “Look at me, Drake. I’m a woman, not a child. I grew up, in case you haven’t noticed. I’m not looking for a fairy tale or a prince. I’m looking for a man who can take care of my needs.”

  “Get that crazy idea out of your beautiful head,” he said, staring down at her with flames slipping from his mouth. “You have no idea what you’re doing.” His muscles flexed and clenched when he took a step closer in a move that fully enflamed her leopardess cravings. He reached for her fingers, brushing his own across her belly and she snarled in response to a sharp jolt of hunger, rocketing inside her body and landing between her legs. She needed him, ached for him to give her release.

  In utter disbelief, she watched as he stopped her from yanking open her robe. Drake covered her hands with his large, warm palms and squeezed her fingers, his face a shimmering mask of lust and power. One she saw right through.

  “Yes. I. Do. I want you. Don’t stop this,” she replied, unwilling to put aside her wanting him. The overpowering feel of his capable hands pressing down made sane thinking next to impossible

  The skin of his palms sizzled over her hands as riotous sensations swirled deep in her belly, demanding relief. Her primal hunger swam in her veins and her leopardess nature crouched near the surface—lying in wait for a sign. Come on, one silly sign.

  This close to the full moon, she was a click away from doing something courageous … or incredibly stupid.

  The next ten seconds would tell.

  Maybe he didn’t realize what she wanted. “I’m offering myself to you. No strings attached.”

  “Fuck,” he said, closing his eyes and rubbing his thumbs across her fingers, a soft fluttering caress that pulled her nerves taut.

  Bingo! Jerking her hands out of his grasp, she called out his name. “Drake, please.”

  He flashed open his eyes—emerald swirls within his irises glinted. She fully undid her robe, exposing her completely naked body underneath, and relished the slow hiss he released. A solitary wisp of smoke spilled from his lips, curling around his head like a hazy halo.

  His gaze roved down her body as a muscle twitched along his sculpted jaw. “Shannon, you’re gorgeous. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Sparks escaped from his mouth with each word and his gaze raked her over with erotic flames. He had the power to unlock her deepest desire, setting her fantasies free. Between her legs, her flesh pulsated to feel his touch. More … to feel him sink into her.

  Talk about a scalding turn-on. Is this what it would be like to fuck a dragon shifter? Holy hell, she felt her canines scrape across her lips and a growl rise from her chest.

  “Drake, touch me. All over.” She licked her lips, her body trembling, waiting for him to make a move.

  “Your skin is golden perfection. I could spend the night with you and never get tired.” He actually stepped back. “And there’s a reason why that’s not gonna happen.”

  Her pulse skyrocketed at his refusal. “How can you deny us? Just try to tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you don’t feel this pull. Tell me you’re fine with me marrying another man.”

  “You’re playing with fire. Literally and figuratively. You’re a leopardess and haven’t a single, solitary clue about dragon heat. This type of flame burns until you have no choice but to cross the line. Cover yourself. Now, Shannon.” The swirling green in his eyes leapt outward like scorching sparks, licking down her body, and ensnaring her with a white-hot craving for sex and sin.

  “No. First touch me. One time, Drake. You know you want to.”

  The muscles along Drake’s arms turned to granite. “Shay, I only have so much willpower.”

  She fought to keep from roaring a mating call—not that Drake hadn’t already seen her in leopardess form, just as she’d seen him as a dragon when he’d flown overhead, a silhouette against a starry sky. It was his job to protect her, and he’d been the one to accompany her on her nighttime runs. She’d already rubbed up against him, nudged her cheek along his shoulder and then they’d almost kissed—almost but not actually—the night he
’d given her a ride on his motorcycle. As a full-blooded leopardess, she’d basically marked him as her territory. This crazy idea made more and more sense.

  Except for one hard-headed roadblock!

  “I’m not afraid to go after what I want. You said you weren’t either. Prove it.” She traced her fingertips along her belly, her gaze grazing over his dark, winged brows. His eyes were glowing now. From head to foot, his alpha masculinity qualified him as man fucking candy. She rubbed her fingers over her breasts, plucking her nipples and sucking on her bottom lip. “Wouldn’t you like to taste me?”

  “You can’t imagine how much, but no way am I crossing this line.” Even as his clearly visible erection strained the front of his jeans, Drake held himself in check.

  He was off limits. To her, Drake was like a piece of broken glass she held onto, piercing her deeper and deeper until she no longer noticed the risk—only the torture of being near to him.

  He was part of a draconian dragon dynasty. Good God, everyone knew they were only into other dragons. So it didn’t matter how many nuclear fusion stares they traded. Didn’t matter if he was the last in an ancient line almost extinct. Or so she liked to pretend to no one but herself. Ludicrous to think he’d act on their attraction freely.

  “Drake,” she groaned in exasperation. He was so close, yet so freaking far away.

  “This isn’t the type of fling either of us can walk away from.”

  “Oh no? Just watch me. I know you’re not innocent. All those women who flock to you and your Harley Shadow. Don’t you think I know what you do when you’re not chewing my ass? I’m not asking to bear your children. Jesus H. Christ, Drake. One. Night.” She couldn’t believe she was reduced to begging. But, she reminded herself, he was her only doorway to freedom, and she was prepared to do whatever it took to break down his ridiculous resistance.

  Whatever absurd scruples he had that prevented him from giving into her didn’t matter. She needed his help and he was too hot to walk away from if one night meant her freedom. Even if it was one time, he had the means to unchain her from Necrodemas. Sullied goods were not acceptable to a man of Dimitri’s standing. All of his wives had been untarnished. And he’d outlived all of them. She wasn’t about to be the next stepping stone in that lascivious old leopard’s lineup. Some unspoken and overpowering dynamic attraction lay between her and Drake. Tonight was the night to uncover why he made her feel alive like no one else did. He was her ticket to freedom. She needed him to bend.

  Maybe this type of truth will set me free in more ways than one.

  “Please, Drake, I need your help. Do me this favor. I’ll never ask for another thing,” she whispered, leaning closer, tingling from the way his eyes feasted on her breasts. “You could be here. Right now.” She touched her nipple, then ran her fingers down, across her belly, all the way to the apex of her sex. “Inside me.” Without an ounce of shame she rubbed her finger between her lips. She moaned his name, watching him watch her.

  His pupils that were once slivers dilated into full black. “This isn’t something you want any part of. I don’t fuck like other men.”

  “One night,” she said in a low, low whisper. “I’ll ride you the way we both want and then disappear. Gone. You know I can’t marry Necrodemas ... ”

  Why didn’t Drake just cave? She wasn’t asking for his help indefinitely.

  “One night?” He grimaced like he was in pain. “That’s not likely to happen. If I fucked you, we’d both need more. We’re so close to the full moon. You know, I didn’t stumble upon a leopard clan last week. Whoever mounts you would have to dish to get you through your heat cycle. You up for that kind of action?”

  He cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers, and her knees wobbled from the shivering pleasure that shot through her. He bent his head and licked across her peak with his now forked tongue. Her nipples hardened as the sharp tips tantalized her to the point of snarling and she arched, forcing her peak into his hot mouth. He sucked and she felt herself melt. Christ, what would a forked tongue feel like on her clit?

  She dug her fingers into Drake’s shoulder. Think, dammit. Say something convincing.

  “We could use protection.”

  Like her, he was on a mission to avoid a forced union, one he didn’t discuss. All she’d gotten out of Shawn was that Drake was ex-communicated from his family in Oregon after he’d joined the military. His clan occupied some massive compound in the Cascade Mountains and some private castle in Spain. All hush-hush. Of all the people she knew, he’d understand her plight.

  “Unless you’re on the pill, dragon body temperature doesn’t permit me many options, to be blunt. Condoms are a no-go.”

  She stiffened, her mind reeling.

  “We come from different species. The chances are infinitesimal. I’ve never heard of leopard and dragon mixed children.”

  His fingers traced down her ribcage and lingered at her navel as his gaze flicked down the front of her robe. He cracked a smile and nodded. “Right as always. There aren’t any dragon-leopardess offspring.”

  “Case settled. Get undressed and let me fuck your brains out.”

  He exhaled a serrated breath, gripping her hips and drawing her forward to him before he stopped and held her aloft, not an inch separating their hips. “Shannon, you’re breaking me.”

  “I’m going to. I promise, if it means we’ll be naked.” To see him tempted, almost torn made her want him even more … as though her hunger had nothing to do with seeking a solution. He was a decadent doorway. One she wanted to cross, if not possess extemporaneously.

  His breath came out hot and made her nipples tighten. She sniffed the air and licked at the scent of endorphins coming from his body. She glanced down and flashed her eyes back to his face. What did he have housed inside his jeans?

  “Do you have the slightest inkling of what you’re asking for … I’m an alpha dragon, Shay.”

  Even if her experience was nil, sex was sex. Sure Drake was frickin’ hot. Sex with him was probably off the charts … but still sex. Wasn’t it?

  She stammered, “We’re not mating. So you’re wrong about lasting out the full moon. We can do it once. We’re hardly two shifters falling head over heart hard. No one said anything about you claiming me as your mate. As long as you keep your fangs clear of my neck, we’re kosher. Okay?”

  He stared back at her like she’d just announced she had the power to walk through walls. “Shannon, there are still irrefutable issues. This is a no-win situation for both of us,” he whispered, closing his eyes as though that might sever the bond between them.

  “Why?” she demanded. “Because you served under my dad a million years ago. So what? And now, who gives a rat’s ass if you work for my parents? I’m not looking for forever, just once.”

  He opened his eyes; fire and heat swirled in their depths. “Is that what you’re telling yourself or trying to get me to believe? What would you have me do? You don’t understand the gravity of us in bed. We’d be on the run. Penniless.”

  “I get that this is going to torrentially rain on some plans. I don’t care about the money. I’ve got my own destiny.”

  “Kitten, with your Prada purses, designer lattes, and chauffeur driven Bentley, how far do you think you’ll get without your daddy’s credit card? Ever made your own bed, fixed your own meal … shot a gun?”

  Her eyes widened. “Stuff. Details. I’m not afraid.”

  “Your parents—hell, the justice councils on two continents would hunt us down. Not to mention Shawn and Richard. Collectively your brother and father will go ballistic.”

  What Drake said had a sliver of truth, but eventually Mom and Dad would get over her not marrying Dimitri. And the justice councils didn’t matter diddly-swat. She and Drake weren’t breaking any laws. In six months, this would blow over and la-de-da, everyone would forget about this idiot idea of using her as leverage to join forces with the Mediterranean Council. Let them find another leopardess to b
roker—someone who actually had political aspirations. She would be happy, single, and have her accounting career. And Shawn, he’d understand. They were close as siblings—felt each other’s life force.

  No way she’d marry Dimitri. This was her life—her way. A one night fling and voilà. That was her happy ever after, minus the lovey-dovey goo. Getting hitched—in love or not—was so not her plan. Leave that to the other leopardess shifters in her family.

  “I’ll learn to take care of myself. You can teach me.”

  “Big talk for a little girl who goes around with a security team. Sweetheart, wake up and smell the Folgers. Why do you think I’m here with you?”

  “Because you don’t have the balls to deal with your own family,” she flung back without mercy. “It’s too much fun dealing with mine.”

  Drake’s eyes widened and his face hardened. “Off base. We’re not from the same world. You have no idea how far apart our lives are.”

  “Probably true but irrelevant. I need your assistance. Tonight, Drake. What you do tomorrow is your business.” She inhaled and reached out to him, touching his chest. “I know about dragons. I have money and you could go your own way. Start your own pack.”

  “For your information, we’re called a rage … not a pack and for good reason.” His muscles tensed under her fingertips, growing hotter, and she moaned from the burn.

  For a second, they stared at each other and he shook his head. “I sidestepped a forced marriage. You willing to do the extreme? Like me … I’m nothing but a hired gun. It’s not like you’re in love—this is some rebellious phase. You’ll wake up one day and remember where you belong, but I wholly doubt your parents, Necrodemas, and the justice councils will forget.”

  “You walked away from your family. Something or someone must have prompted you to. Was it for love?” she asked, holding her breath and searching his eyes. If he was in love with another woman, this might not work.

  “Romantic notion and no. That’s hardly my story.” He plucked her fingers, lifted her hand, and kissed her knuckles. She felt weak in the knees but stiffened when he set her hand back on the railing, and avoided lowering his gaze to her opened robe. He took a step backward, resuming the role of the perfect gentleman, and that pissed her off more than anything he’d ever pulled.