Page 10 of Courted By the Grumpy Dragon (Monsters of Saltford Bay #2)

"Exactly!" Nina's eyes shine with hope. "He wouldn't have done that if he was about to change his mind about the library. This proves he never intended to cut our funding."

I want to share her excitement, but I know better.

"It's compelling evidence of intent, yes," I say carefully. "But it won’t be enough to overturn a properly executed will. Technically, Harold could still have changed his mind."

Her face falls, the light in her eyes dimming.

“But it's something, right?” she pleads. “It shows he was still planning to fund the library just days before the new will.”

"It's something," I agree. "But probably not enough."

I have to tell her, I know I do. But it kills me to make her sad. Still, she deserves the truth.

“Delilah’s lawyer filed a motion to accelerate the proceedings. The judge approved it. I have until November first to gather all the evidence and present them before the judge.”

"November first?" She stares at me in shock. "That's only four days away. What happened to needing time to investigate?"

I explain about Delilah's motion and what this means for the estate. With each word, Nina's expression grows more stricken.

"She's going to win, isn't she?" Tears well in her eyes. "The library is going to lose everything, and there's nothing we can do about it."

The sight of her distress triggers something primal in my chest. Without thinking, I reach toward her, then catch myself, my hand hovering awkwardly in the space between us. My wings shift restlessly at my sides.

Nina notices my hesitation, her brow furrowing.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"That thing where you almost touch me and then you don't." She steps closer, studying my face. "Like at the corn maze, when you ran away after kissing me within an inch of my life."

Heat floods my system at the memory. The cinnamon scent of my pheromones begins to rise despite my efforts to control it. Nina’s nose wrinkles and her pupils dilate, a sure sign that my pheromones affect her.

It shouldn’t make me proud, that my mere scent can arouse her, but it does. It makes me proud, and it makes me ravenous. Ravenous for her.

"I didn't run away." I counter, still fighting the urge to reach and touch her velvety cheek.

"You flew away. Literally." She takes another step closer and her breathing accelerate. I can see the effect my pheromones have on her like a mirror of my own arousal. "And that smell is back. That warm, spicy smell, like cinnamon, It makes my head spin. What is it, Kraxon?"

I back up until my legs hit the table, documents crinkling under my weight.

"Dragons sometimes emit pheromones in response to..." I trail off, unable to finish the sentence.

"In response to what?" She's close enough now that I can see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes, can feel the warmth radiating from her skin. "Because it happens every time you’re close to me and I’ve never felt anything like it."

"It's just a biological response," I say, the words sounding hollow even to me. "Meaningless. Best ignored. "

"If it's meaningless, why did you run away like I'd burned you?" Her hand hovers just inches from my chest. I can smell her arousal under the honeysuckle scent and it makes me burn, like lava pours under my scales.

"Dragons are fireproof, after all." She smiles, the corner of her mouth lifting at her own joke.

The scent of cinnamon fills the air between us now, impossible to hide. Impossible to deny. My wings muscle strain against my restraints, desperate to deploy. Nina's breathing grows shallow and fast.

I’ve never wanted a woman more than I want her right now.

"Tell me what this means, Kraxon."

Her hand settles over my heart, palm flat against my chest. The contact shatters what remains of my control. Heat blooms across my body as the cinnamon scent explodes around us. My wings partially deploy as I pull her against me with desperate hands.

"It means I want you," I admit, my voice rough and deeper than usual. "It means my body craves something in you that my mind is trying to fight. I'm losing that battle."

“Then you should just give in.” Again, she gives me that rueful smile that’s halfway into a smirk.

And I know I’m done.

This time when our lips meet, there's no hesitation, no pulling away. I kiss her with a possessiveness that surprises us both, one hand tangling in her silky hair as I deepen the kiss. She tastes like summer and honey, warm and sweet and absolutely perfect.

Nina responds with equal fervor, her hands exploring the texture of scales along my jaw, her body pressing closer until there's no space between us.

Her luscious curves mold to my hardness, making my already painfully erect cock pulse with agony.

Her breasts are soft and full, her stomach giving as my cock pushes against it.

I wrap my arms around her completely, lifting her slightly so she fits perfectly against me.

When we finally break apart, we're both breathless. I rest my forehead against hers, my scales burning with desire I can no longer hide.

"This complicates everything," I whisper against her lips.

"I don't care." Her breath caresses my mouth. "I want you too."

And then there is nothing that could have stopped me.