The Dragon Guardian (Lochguard Highland Dragons 2)

Staring into Gina’s eyes, he realized he was leaning over the lass on a bed. The urge to lie down next to her and pull her close was strong. He didn’t like the idea of Gina MacDonald sleeping alone in the huge bed.

Not only that, the human’s flushed cheeks and deep green eyes made both man and beast want to do much more than carry her around.

Gina drew in a breath and his beast snarled. She wants us too. Kiss her. Don’t think. Just do it.

His dragon’s need pumped through his body and Fergus moved his head a fraction closer to Gina’s face. Darting a glance to her pink lips, he contemplated kissing her. Surely one kiss wouldn’t hurt anyone or risk his clan. Meeting Gina’s eyes again, they were full of heat. Her heart was also hammering in her chest.

Raising a hand, he cupped her cheek. Just as he tilted his head to kiss her, Holly cleared her throat behind him.

It was as if cold water had been splashed over his body. What the hell was he doing nearly kissing a human female? Not only that, a pregnant one carrying another’s child? It wasn’t as if he could mate her. Doing so might anger the DDA and hurt his clan’s chances of another female sacrifice in the coming year. And Lochguard desperately needed the new blood.

As always, he needed to think of his clan first and his cock second.

His dragon roared. She can become part of the clan. Kiss her and take care of her. I want her.

No.

Pushing himself away, Fergus avoided Holly’s eye. “Take care of her.”

Without another word, he strode out into the hall. When he reached the living room, Fraser opened his mouth to ask a question but Fergus cut him off. “Not now, Fraser.”

Fergus needed to clear his head without his twin’s infernal questions. The only way to ensure that was to go outside and stand near the sheep pens.

Walking out the door, he ran his hands through his hair.

Bloody hell. If his beast roaring inside of his head wasn’t enough, his own heart was beating double-time. Even without the lass’s scent surrounding him or her tempting lips right in front of him, all Fergus could think of was pulling the human close and kissing her.

Just thinking of Fraser in the room with Gina made his dragon snarl. She’s ours. Go back inside and claim her before it’s too late.

Damn, he wanted to say yes and rush back inside. But unlike his beast, Fergus had responsibilities to fulfill. I can’t.

You’d put the well-being of the clan before seizing what we’ve both wanted for years?

For so long Fergus had yearned for his own female. Judging by his dragon’s reactions, it was entirely possible Gina was his true mate.

Yet would fate be cruel enough to give him a female he couldn’t have?

She could be ours, his dragon stated.

For a split second, Fergus toyed with the idea of charging back inside the house. Then he remembered the last time his clan had been attacked by an enemy. His sister has been gravely injured and confined to a wheelchair for over a month. The next time, it could be his mother or even his cousin, Finn, who was injured.

His beast spoke up again. Talk with Finn and find a way. We shouldn’t throw away our chance.

Rubbing his hands back and forth through his hair, Fergus tried to figure out what to do. Could he accept the risk and have everything he’d ever wanted? Searching his brain, he tried to figure out a solution.

~~~

Gina watched Fergus’s tight arse as he all but ran out of the room.

She was pretty sure Fergus had wanted to kiss her. There were a million reasons why she should’ve pushed him away when he’d been hovering so close to her body. There was her son to think of, for one. There was also the little problem of not being part of the human sacrifice program, which meant it was illegal for her to mate a dragon-shifter.

Not that she wanted to mate Fergus. Of course she didn’t. The last time she’d mingled with a dragonman, she’d had her heart broken. Gina refused to go through the same thing twice.

Holly’s face moved into her line of sight. The woman’s dark eyes studied hers a second before stating, “Roll onto your left side and then you can tell me about your pains as I start examining you.”

She nearly sighed in relief at the distraction. The midwife wasn’t going to ask her about Fergus. “They’ve been irregular over the last few weeks. But today’s were really bad.”

Holly lifted up Gina’s hand. Taking the skin of her finger joint between her thumb and forefinger, she pulled lightly and watched as her skin held together. The other woman met her eyes again. “How far along are you?”