Defender Dragon (Protection, Inc 2)

aught fire. The sensual coziness she’d felt nestled in his arms transmuted to shockingly intense desire. She gasped into his mouth, her heart accelerating as if he’d lit a quick-burning fuse inside her. She didn’t want to lazily snuggle and kiss, she wanted him to rip her clothes off and take her.

She could feel his heart pounding as well. His hands dropped from her head and clenched on her shoulders, fingers sinking into her soft flesh. She couldn’t tell if what she felt was pleasure or pain, but she liked it. When she opened her eyes, she was unsurprised to find that his were brilliant gold.

“Now, Lucas,” Journey gasped. “I want you in me, now!”

He lowered her to the ground in an instant. The sudden drop gave her a brief thrill of danger, as if she was falling. But he cradled her in his arms for a gentle landing. For a moment he was still and poised above her as she lay on her back, his gaze hungry, the sun bright on his hair. Then he was shoving up her skirt, his hands clumsy with urgency.

There was a flurry of hasty fumbling; they were both too intent on getting to each other to care about careful undressing. Journey yanked at Lucas’s shirt and ripped it open. Pearl buttons popped off and scattered all around. Lucas jerked her panties down and left them halfway down her thighs, too impatient to take them all the way off. When he reached down to his breeches, his hands were actually shaking with desire. She had to help him undo the ties.

“Come on,” she heard herself muttering, without having any intent to speak. She felt out of control in the very best way. “Come on, Lucas! Come on!”

The knot finally gave way, freeing his rock-hard shaft. He dropped down on top of her and plunged himself into her. Journey cried out in ecstasy. The moment of penetration was so satisfying, it was almost an orgasm in itself. He filled her completely, his cock hard and hot inside of her.

She lifted herself up to meet him, frantic with desire, her hands slipping over his sweat-slick skin. The scent of grass and roses and arousal dizzied her. He kissed her hard as he thrust, each movement taking her closer to the brink. She could tell that it wouldn’t be long for either of them. His heart beat like a drum against her chest.

He gave a final hard thrust, and jerked back his head to call out her name. His brilliant eyes opened wide as he reached his own climax. And then Journey came in a burst of fulfillment, only a heartbeat behind Lucas, overcome by ecstasy and love.

He rolled off her and lay beside her on the soft grass. They were both breathing hard, their hearts still pounding. Then they relaxed into the afterglow. Lucas reached upward, stripped the petals from a scarlet rose, and scattered them over Journey’s body. They fell lightly on her sensitized skin, like drops of sweet-smelling, crimson rain.

“Rubies on pearl,” Lucas said softly. “You are a treasure.”

“I can hardly believe that this is real,” Journey said. “I thought I’d never love a man again. I thought I’d never trust a man again. And I sure never thought anyone would fall in love with me— especially not someone as cool as you!”

“Oh, am I cool now?” Lucas inquired, smiling. “Nick once called me the opposite of cool.”

“What does he know? He’s probably still mad because you broke his nose.”

“Perhaps.” Lucas sat up, then earnestly bent over her. “There is one last thing I haven’t told you. I didn’t want you to feel pressured. But I don’t want to lie by omission, either. Also, it involves your safety.”

“What is it?” she asked, alarmed.

“The arrangement between myself and Raluca...” Lucas began.

I knew it, Journey thought with an inward sigh. Royalty might seem romantic and glamorous, but she was beginning to wish Lucas was just a bodyguard with no other entanglements.

He went on, “The only way for me to break it is for you to appear in court and declare your intention to marry me. You have one month to decide.”

Much as she loved him, that instinctively put her back up. She didn’t like being bossed around and pushed into a commitment, especially one with a deadline. “Says who?”

“The ancient traditions of dragonkind,” Lucas replied glumly. “Backed up by the royal families and parliaments of Brandusa and Viorel.”

“Yikes.” Hastily, Journey added, “It’s not that I don’t want to marry you. I love you! I’m sure I would like to marry you some day, but it’s so soon to get engaged. And I don’t like being bossed around. I especially don’t like being strong-armed into a lifelong commitment on an arbitrary deadline. Lucas, do you want to get engaged this soon?”

His handsome face creased in a frown. “I would if I wasn’t being forced into it. And if I wasn’t forcing you.”

“You’re not forcing me. Your government is.” Once she’d heard her own words, the whole idea sounded even worse. “You know what, that settles it. I don’t want the government setting the date for our engagement. We should get engaged on a date we choose.”

“I feel the same way. That’s why I haven’t proposed to you. I want to wait until you have a free choice. And, of course, until I have obtained a ring worthy of your finger.” He lifted her hand and kissed it.

Any one of Lucas’s rings could probably purchase an entire farm in Lummox. Her mind reeled at the thought of what he’d consider worthy. “So how do we get out of it? Do you just tell them all to shove it?”

Thoughtfully, Lucas said, “Do you know, I once thought that I could never do such a thing. It would be breaking a vow of honor. But now that I’ve met you, I see that there is more to honor than keeping agreements dreamed up by others for the sake of profit and politics. There is also the honor of the heart.”

“So you’ll tell them to shove it?”

“I’ll tell them to shove it.” But his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “But there is something else I need to attend to. As I said, a number of people will benefit if Raluca and I marry. I believe those assassins were sent to kill you by someone who wants to make sure I marry Raluca. I am not sure that person will give up so easily. I need to find out who they are.”

“Any ideas?”