Kiss of the Dragon

Christina James

Blush sensuality level: This is a sensual romance (may
have explicit love scenes, but not erotic in frequency or type)

Bianca dreams of a man who will love her for herself and not
her money. When her stepmother’s jealousy leads to an unending stream of
suitors vying for her hand in marriage, Bianca fears her dreams are over.

With the arrival of the dark and sexy Draco, the Black
Dragon, Bianca plays the role of servant instead of a young lady of the castle
to see where his true interests lie. But her deceptions lead to feelings she
has never had before. Bianca is determined to have her dragon, but her
stepmother has other plans.

Draco doesn’t deny his physical need to bed the lovely
Bianca. Rather than give in to his desires, he threatens to ride away; however,
his honor demands he stay and protect her from the lethal attentions of others.
The first problem is figuring out who wants her dead. The second is opening his
heart to love.

Inside Scoop:
This medieval tale of French counts and
gypsy intrigue contains violence, sneezing brothers, nasty horses and knights
in dark armor.

A
Blush®
historical romance
from Ellora’s Cave

The aging beauty moaned with satisfaction as she rolled off
her young gypsy. A smile of contentment spread across her lovely face as she
ran one hand over the wide, pelted chest of her lover and sighed.

She owed this man more than just her life. He had helped to
salve her sorely hurt pride after her disgraceful exodus from her brother’s
estates in Burgundy. Accused of being a rich man’s mistress, she had been furious
with her family for pointing out her disgrace. She hated them for being
disloyal when rumors reached their ears of her wild behavior. Most of which
were falsehoods, though not all. But still, her own family rejected her without
question.

As a penniless widow, she also hated that her brother had so
much control over her life. To save face, he had sent her to their sister
Katrina, deep in the heart of the southern French countryside.

It was shortly after her arrival at the rustic estates, that
her sister let Heloise know that she was to be introduced to the Duke de Neige,
an eccentric local noble. The smug satisfaction in which her sister had
delivered the dictate infuriated her. Heloise knew that Katrina wanted her gone
from her house, knew that she had always been jealous of her for her beauty,
for the way men flocked to her side at every social event. No matter that her
sister claimed it was the only way to salvage what was left of her reputation.

The thought of marrying a wealthy man was not disagreeable
to her. There were many rewards to consider if she took the duke to her bed.
With her insatiable sexual appetite and, after becoming a duchess and the
mistress of her own castle, she could look for satisfaction wherever she
pleased. A small smile played over her full, sensuous lips at the thought. As
the Duchess de Neige, there would be no one to gainsay her, to outshine her.

But still, she had hesitated. It was said that the Duke de
Neige had a daughter, one old enough and beautiful enough to claim the
attention of any man, including her father.

It was the thought that she would be forever competing with
a younger woman for the attention she considered her due that nearly spoiled
Heloise’s mood.

Heloise was still warm in the afterglow of the great sex she
had just experienced with the huge, lusty man lying next to her. He alone, she
regretted having to leave behind. He had been the one to offer her a strong,
powerful shoulder to weep on when she most needed it.

“My sweet lady, why so sad? Life cannot be so horrid as to
bring a woman as lovely as you such distress.”

Letting him pull her into his strong arms, Heloise accepted
the comfort he offered with the warmth and strength of his body. She should
have resisted. From the beginning, she should have resisted him, but her need
for what he offered was greater than her pride.

He was a wild gypsy. A forbidden pleasure she hid from the
world. He had the most beautiful dark eyes that looked at her with such
passion. His perfectly sculptured lips begged to be kissed. He made her feel
young.

His sudden appearance in her sister’s stable months before
should have set off alarms in beautiful Heloise’s mind. It was his fortune that
she took him for a groom, and therefore, fair game. In fact, his reason for
being there was to pave the way to a more lucrative future that this
self-centered noblewoman could provide for him. With that in mind, he pushed
her gently into thinking she was the one to seduce him. He hid his smile in her
hair before placing a tender kiss on her temple.

Their innocent flirtation had steadily grown into a
passionate love affair, one which he thoroughly enjoyed. At first, he feared
their forbidden assignation might have gone beyond all propriety. She let him
hold her and soon she surrendered to her needs and he took his ease with her.

He knew she worried about her age, but he also knew how to
make her feel young and beautiful. He let her know in the subtlest way that he
was interested in her as a woman and a lover. It took the offer of her lips to
let him know he was welcome to more.

It was in the stable where she had first met him that they
made love. In the back stall on a pile of fresh straw, they had become lovers.
And she had returned to the stables many times after to meet him in secret.

When Heloise first learned of her impending exodus to Castle
Neige, she sought out her gypsy lover. But he seemed little surprised at her
news. In fact, he had been preoccupied, nothing more. She had been perplexed by
his strange reaction at the time.

And then he showed up at Castle Neige just weeks after she
had married the Duke de Neige. He had followed her when she had gone riding.
After she expressed her outrage at finding her ex-lover had tracked her down
with the knowledge that could ruin her marriage, she found herself in his arms
once again. And the kiss they shared left her body craving his. Heloise let him
take her there on the forest floor like a rutting animal.

Now, a strong, calloused hand caressed her smooth back and
she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensuous strokes as she all but purred with
contentment.

“Are you thinking about him?” the deep voice asked.

They lay deep in the shadows of the trees, hidden from
prying eyes. Still, she looked away before he could see the lie in her eyes.

“Nay, lover. I was just thinking of this time we have spent
together and wishing it would never end.” Heloise refused to admit why she had
become distracted. Thoughts of her new husband and his latest inattention
burned deep. Did the man not understand how much she had given up to wed him?
The duke treated her well enough, but sometimes his indifference hurt her.
Lately, his sexual overtures left her cold. It was as if she did not exist
unless he needed to slake his lust on her, and Heloise found it hard to take.
She wanted a man who would take care of her no matter what. She wanted a man to
love her.

A deep rumble of laughter started deep within her lover’s
chest before escaping in a form of a loud bark. He smacked her hard on her
exposed buttocks causing her to squeak with indignation before pushing her off
him. He stood and stretched his muscular arms high above his head, grasping the
lowest tree branch above his head. The look in his eyes as he looked at her
made her feel beautiful, wanton.

Her hungry eyes poured over him as he flexed the thick
muscles of his upper arms and massive chest.

With a triumphant smile, Eugenii picked up his tunic. “You
lie well, wench.”

His mocking words stirred Heloise’s anger.

“How dare you!” Flushed with fury, she leapt to her feet.
Heloise grabbed the carelessly tossed pieces of her garments that lay about
their love nest and with jerky movements, covered her nudity, pulling her
bodice over her breasts, brushing off her skirts and smoothing her hair. “You
know nothing of my thoughts.” She seethed as she finished her grooming and
turned to face him.

“You are always thinking about him, Vixen. But it is my
name, not his, you scream when I bring you pleasure.”

Heloise flushed at his accusation, because it was true. She
had built this fantasy in her mind and could not seem to let it go. It
embarrassed her that she had given herself away. “That is because I lose myself
in our passion,” she shot back. “And it is cruel of you to remind me of my
husband when we are together. Perhaps it would be better if we do not meet
again. The de Neige servants cannot be trusted to keep my secrets. I put myself
in danger with every assignation.” It was a poor excuse for using him, but she
could think of nothing else.

“You are smarter than you look, wench.” He pondered her for
a moment through narrowed eyes. Suddenly, an evil smile spread across his face.
“I have a plan that will get you what you most desire in this world and it will
also bring me what I most want.”

“And what, pray tell, what do you think I want above all
else?” Heloise asked.

“The exclusive reign of Castle Neige.”

A shriek escaped her throat as she lunged at him with her
dagger drawn and aimed at his chest. Knocking the blade out of her hand, he
caught her up in his arms and threw her back against the tree, pinning her
there with his massive form. He buried his hands in her hair and held her fast
as he kissed her hard and brutally until she could taste the metallic tang of
blood on her lips. With his breath coming in loud pants, he ground the hard
bulge of his cock into the soft flesh between her thighs. Her anger eased to
hungry passion. When he finally broke the kiss, he smiled smugly.

“You will listen to me and listen well, wench. You will do
just as I tell you. Then, and only then, will we both get what we desire.” He
waited as if for her acquiescence and she reluctantly nodded. When she did, he
pulled a small vial of clear liquid from his tunic and held it in front of her
face.

“Give only a drop or two of this sleeping draught to your
husband in his evening wine. He will become tired and retire to his chambers
early. When he has left the hall you will go to the kitchen and distract
whoever is in there.”

“What of my husband? This will not kill him will it? I
cannot harm him.”

He lowered his lips and devoured Heloise’s mouth in a kiss
that left her senseless once again. He placed the small vial into her hand,
closing her lax fingers around it before squeezing her closed fist in warning.
He then he lowered his hands and grasped the hem of her skirt. He slowly raised
it to her waist running his hands up her legs and around to firmly grasp her
buttocks.

Heloise moaned and her eyes drifted shut as desire took
over. Her arms encircled his thick neck as he lifted her against the tree and
held her there. He wedged his thighs between hers, opening her wide for his
invasion. But he did not enter her immediately. He teased her with his thick
cock, rubbing it back and forth against her nether lips, drawing from her deep
moans until he had rendered her nearly senseless.

As he manipulated her with his throbbing cock, he pulled her
breasts free from her bodice and she arched back so he could have full access
to them. He suckled one nipple and then moved his hot mouth to the other.
Heloise thought she would lose her mind if he did not fill her soon. She moaned
louder and began to move against him frantically.

“Please. Take me.” So engrossed in her body’s need, she
forgot what she was saying. “Oh please, do not leave me wanting,” she begged.

“Nay, my beauty, I will not leave you.” He raised his head
and stared at her and smiled viciously. “You have the appetite of a starving
whore, do you not, little vixen?” he taunted her. “But I love it. You will give
me your beautiful body any time I want it. You will give me anything I want.”
It was not a question, but a command.

“Aye, Eugenii, anything. Please! I need you. Do not tease me
any longer.” Heloise could not believe she was begging for this man’s favors.
But her wanton body held her prisoner. It demanded fulfillment.

“You will have what you need, my beauty.” He grunted his
answer as if he was having difficulty holding back his own need. “I will see to
it that you are free of the biggest obstacle to your dearest dream, and you
will deliver the lovely Bianca to me.”

“I want the little bitch gone.”

“She never existed,” he growled. “Forget her.”

“Oh god!” Heloise moaned in her passion as she arched her
back, offering him more. Demanding more. He dropped his head to suckle first
one nipple and then the other, pulling hard on them. A soft moan escaped her
lips.

“You will forget her. She is mine,” he repeated as his lips
found their way back to hers for a bruising kiss and he guided the head of his
swollen shaft into her hot, wet opening and, with a harsh groan, impaled her.

“Yes…oh, yes,” she sobbed. Her need to feel him deep inside
her brought from her a promise to agree to anything at that moment. With a
growl of satisfaction, he pumped into her. Heloise threw her head back and
screamed.

* * * * *

With fangs as sharp as a knight’s true blade,

Claws so stalwart they could rip a cavalcade,

The Beast pursues his illusive prey,

Searching through the mist, the darkness, and the shade.

Roaring his mistrust, his fear, and his torture,

Keeping apart, trusting few. But that would not deter,

The keeper of his heart, his soul and his love.

The hunter was hunted by a Beauty that rivaled a dove.