Ruby Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 3) (4 page)

“So,” he said, “tell me all about Braden.”

R
ed stabbed at his meat
, trying to ignore the painful lust surging through him.

He didn’t want Faye to see any of it.

He was coming to adore her. Her little stray curls. That half smile she wore when she thought something was ironic. The way she got so angry about board game rules or cheaters on reality TV.

He’d thought it was friendship but realized it was more when he’d met Braden.

He wanted to tear every male away from her, keep her to himself like a lost treasure. Keep her safe. Make her his.

It could only mean one thing. Something he’d thought impossible for a dragon whose main influence came from attracting people.

He’d found a mate.

He wanted to scream at the irony of it being Faye, who wasn’t interested in a relationship with him at all, but he couldn’t.

It was just a fact.

And as he’d been about to kiss her, he was even more sure when they touched, it would feel like home. Feel unlike any kiss with any woman had ever felt before.

But even though he tried not to read thoughts, he’d been so close to her, so connected, that he hadn’t been able to avoid it. And she’d been scared. Worried. Not wanting it.

And if he’d learned anything in the past few days, it was physicality could be complicated. Much more than he’d thought.

He didn’t want to kiss Faye while she had so much running through her head. While she was thinking he could hurt her. While she was compromising what she wanted.

He wanted to kiss her once she felt like he did. Like it would be the most amazing thing of her life. Like she wanted it more than anything.

But above all, he didn’t want to lose her friendship.

“What do you want to know about Braden?” she asked in a dull voice.

“Just what’s so special about him that he can keep an amazing woman like you from all the other men in the world?”

She sighed. “Men like you?” She shook her head. “Sorry, that’s not fair. I guess it’s not just Braden. He’s the last in a long line of losers I picked out. My friends blame my loser stepdad, who used my mom for a paycheck. I don’t know if that’s the case. I just know I keep trying to choose better. When Braden came along, he was the best I’d found. He seemed like he had a secure job. Seemed like the type who wanted to settled down.”

“I see,” Red commented.

“I mean, he seemed crazy about me.” She shrugged. “And then we moved in together, and it just started getting worse.”

“How?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t really want to talk about it anymore. It was just bad. And it shouldn’t have been, and I’m just realizing I don’t have the taste to choose the right men.”

“I’m not using you,” he declared.

She raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you? You only wanted me to help with your cat.”

He snorted. “I could have figured out something else. I wanted an excuse to talk to you more. You intrigued me.”

“Oh. Good for me,” she said sarcastically.

“No, really,” he said. “You were refreshingly different. It was interesting, being yelled at.”

She laughed. “You’re so weird.” She looked around the apartment. “Still, I owe you one for overreacting. How about I go with you on my day off and help you pick out some furniture?”

He nodded vigorously. “If you can make it look anything like your place, I’d be forever grateful.” He gave her a smile he hoped she found charming. “And besides, it’s an excuse to spend time with you.”

She bit her lip. It was full and pink, and he wanted to kiss it. “Look, Red. You’re hot. I admit that. But I’m really not looking for a relationship right now. I’m enjoying what we have. But let’s not ruin it.”

He stared at her a long moment. “How would we ruin it?”

“You know.” She averted her eyes, blushing adorably. “Sex.”

He sat back in his chair. “How would sex ruin it? I’m not saying we’d have it, but still…”

“You almost kissed me,” she said.

“I came close.” He admitted. “I made you want to kiss me.”

“Fine, you did.” She agreed. “No doubt because you want to kiss me.”

“Of course,” he said.

“But that just makes things complicated. And in the end, it just isn’t worth it because it doesn’t feel that great anyway.”

“Kissing?” he asked, screwing up his face in confusion. “You don’t think kissing feels great?”

She shook her head. “It’s just wet and unpleasant. I don’t like it at all.”

He stared at her, dumbfounded. He’d never wanted to kiss someone so badly in his life, and now he had another reason. He wanted to show her how good kissing could be. Women loved kissing.

Kissing was a preview to what kind of lover a man would be, so he had to think the rest of her boyfriends had let her down in that department, too.

Perhaps he could help her by showing her it wasn’t always like that.

But perhaps he needed to focus on going slow instead, so he could make her his mate without scaring her away.

“I’ve never heard that about kissing,” he said. “I’ve only heard it’s amazing when I do it.”

She snorted. “I guess women will say anything to get you in bed.”

“Do you think they’d bother if it wasn’t an amazing experience?” he asked, folding his arms.

She stared at him, and her blue eyes burned with curiosity. It was like watching a fish trying to resist a tasty baited hook. Her eyes strayed to his lips, focused there, and she wet her lower lip subconsciously.

Then she sat back, letting out a tense breath. “I don’t know.”

He stood again, walking over to her. He reached down to tilt up her chin, raising her out of her chair. “Want me to show you?”

She was having trouble breathing regularly, and a deep flush moved up her cheeks. She put her hands on his arms to steady herself. “I don’t… want things to get complicated.”

“What’s so complicated about a kiss?” he asked. “I’m just doing this to make a point, and I promise not to go further.”

“What are you, some kind of kissing god?” she asked. “Here to show me your magical powers?”

No, just a guy who is falling in love with you,
he thought, glad she wasn’t a dragon and couldn’t hear him.

She looked at him hesitantly, eyes falling to his lips again. “I guess one little kiss couldn’t hurt.” She licked her lower lip again, breaking his last strands of control.

But still he waited, poised on the edge of a precipice until he was positive he had permission to jump.

“Just one little kiss, then,” she said. “For research—”

But she didn’t get to finish before he cut her off, resting his lips against hers, gently, softly, velvet on velvet, as his hand snaked around to cradle her head.

He held their closed lips together, just enjoying the warmth, the fit, and letting her feel his body against her. Letting her decide where this went. Letting her sense his willingness to please her in whichever way she decided.

He would give her whatever she wanted.

Her lips moved under his and then slowly opened, and he ran his tongue gently over her full lower lip, making her shudder. Her hands came around his waist, and he grinned against her mouth, loving how even that felt.

Then he got serious, dipping his tongue tentatively inside, feeling her wet warmth, exploring her sensitive areas, reading the signs of her body.

She squirmed, opened wider, her tongue exploring naively with his. He loved that she didn’t really know how to do this. Loved that she wanted to play.

He pulled back and let their tongues play, and then when she gasped and released him, he dipped to catch her lower lip between his teeth, lightly sucking it until her nails dug into his back.

So she liked it a little rough.

He became more dominant, his hand around her head pulling her into a deeper, harsher kiss as his other hand curled around her waist, trapping her against his body.

She nearly melted, and he took advantage of it to get even closer, letting her know he was here; she was safe. He would take care of everything, and all she had to do was stand there and feel good.

His hand played with the sensitive nape of her neck as the kiss grew hotter, more sensual, the play of their mouths simulating everything he would like to do with her.

Her scent was stronger in the air. Roses and musk. Delicious, driving him to kiss her deeper, deeper, communicating with her silently in a way that felt like home. Taking her little moans and mewls in stride as he found new ways to please her.

When he finally pulled back, he looked down to see her lips were swollen, her eyes glazed, her face flushed.

She just stared at him for a moment, and he could feel the pounding of her heart beneath his hand.

Then she leaned against the table and let out a whoosh of breath.

He loved how her lips looked after his kiss.

She took several deep breaths and kept staring at him. Then, without warning, she launched at him, nearly knocking him back as she hit his body, reaching up on her toes for another kiss.

He grinned as he bent his head. He’d keep his deal. He wouldn’t let it go further.

But one more little kiss couldn’t hurt.

* * *

F
aye’s body
was on fire in a way she’d never felt before.

She hadn’t known a kiss could be like that. Instead of a wet mashing of mouths, it had been the most sensuous thing she’d ever experienced. A demonstration of male strength and power in the most delicious way. A slow invasion of her senses that left her body aching—no, screaming for more.

She’d felt so connected to him, felt his care and protection as he’d slowly explored who she was as a person, what she liked, what she loved. He’d made her open and moan with hardly any effort, simply because just his lips could make her feel so good she had to know what his tongue could do.

And then her tongue wanted to be involved.

And how did he stay so slow and patient and focused while she felt there was a wildfire burning inside. Like before, his hand gently played at her nape while his other hand banded around her like a steel cage.

But here in his embrace, she felt safer than she’d ever been before.

She’d initiated the second kiss, but she wasn’t in control anymore, and she liked that.

Gone were the debts. The job. Braden. The other bad things in her life.

With Red kissing her, holding her, thrusting rhythmically into her mouth in a way that made her want to get dirty, all the ugly things in her world disappeared.

He was here, he was in control, and he was going to make sure she felt
good.

She let the tingle go all the way to her toes and fingertips, felt the wetness building between her thighs, all from just the way his tongue swirled inside her, teasing her, heating her.

She never wanted to let go. Wanted to keep him inside her, focused solely on her, forever.

And that was a scary thought.

She finally pushed away from him, heaving hard breaths as she leaned against the table, wiping her mouth. “That’s not fair,” she said. “That’s… something else.”

He grinned, the corners of his sculpted lips turning just slightly up. He looked pleased with himself, and she couldn’t even say he shouldn’t be.

But it was just an experiment, right? He was just trying to prove a point, as her friend.

So why was her heart trying to scream,
Lock that down forever!

She tried to slow her breathing and relax. “You are something else, you know that?” She brushed imaginary lint off her pants. “I can see why women go so crazy over you.”

“Why?” he asked. “I haven’t done anything with any of them. Not for a long time.”

She sighed. “Probably because they’re just better than me at telling when a man can do that.” She shook her head. “Oh man, what were we even talking about?”

He grinned a little more. “I think we were saying we’d go couch shopping. Oh, and then you said kissing sucked, and as your friend, I couldn’t let that stand.”

Why did it now feel like when he said friend, the term was mocking her? She was the one who said they couldn’t be more. But now she was the one wishing it wasn’t so.

Stupid hormones.

“I need to… go to bed… Got work tomorrow,” she muttered, walking on shaky legs toward the door.

He, ever the gentleman, got the door for her and walked her home. “You going to be okay? That guy isn’t coming back, is he?”

She nodded. “I don’t think so. Not for now. I haven’t seen him in months.”

“Good,” he said, touching a stray curl, tucking it back into place so it could just pop back out again. “If he comes back, call me.”

He’d given her his number at some point but told her he never used a phone. Something about how he hadn’t figured it out yet.

“And you’ll answer?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said, tucking his hair behind his ear. “For you, anything.”

That sent shivers down to her toes. She unlocked her door and opened it. She wanted to run away from him, go process what had happened, but she also wanted to invite him in. Tie him to her bed. Ravish him.

His eyes appeared amused. There he went, looking like he could read her thoughts again.

“Thanks for dinner. And everything,” she said. “Good night.”