Page 20 of Red Fury

“Oh, really now?” Against my better judgment, I find myself asking, “What is your type, then? I thought someone like that was everybody’s type.”

His eyes fix on mine, and a smile spreads across his face, bringing those dimples to the fore. “I like a female who is a little harder to get. Ideally, someone with a smart mouth.” He looks pointedly at mine for a few seconds.

Holy shit!

I blink, remembering his words from the other night. “I thought you liked it when a woman begged. I hate to tell you, but that isn’t hard to get.”

He leans forward, close enough that I can smell his cologne mixed with that distinctive dragon smoke. “Hard-to-get at first,” he says, his voice low and rough. “Then I like a whole lot of begging followed by hard sex that a human probably wouldn’t be able to handle.”

Heat shoots straight to my core, and I have to look away to hide my reaction. “Well, you’re going to have to look long and hard to find someone who fits that particular bill.”

I reach for my glass again, only to realize it’s empty. My dragon is still pacing, still restless, and I’m considering ordering another drink when Fury leans back in his chair.

“You want to get out of here?” he asks. “I can give you exactly what you need, Shadow.”

Hard sex.

Yes…that sounds… No!

I laugh, the sound sharp. “I’m not going to sleep with you. Not now, not ever. You can get that thought right out of your head.”

His smile turns downright wicked. “What I have in mind is better than sex. It’s something you need. It will help take the edge off of what you are feeling.”

I stare at him, my eyes narrowing. “Better than sex?”

He nods.

My clit throbs even though he just said he isn’t talking about sex. I’m disappointed and intrigued and all at the same time.

“What do you have in mind?”

He grins.

I’m in so much trouble.

7

Fury

I navigate the rented black SUV through the streets, which are still surprisingly busy even at this time of night.

Shadow sits in the passenger seat, her posture rigid, hands clasped tightly in her lap.

We’ve been driving in silence since I finally managed to convince her to leave the bar with me. The minutes slowly tick by, and she grows more and more tense.

“You can relax, Shadow,” I tell her. “You’ll like what I have in mind, I promise.”

“Where exactly are you taking me?” she asks for the umpteenth time since we left the bar. There’s an edge to her voice that wasn’t there before, nervousness bleeding through her usually cool composure.

I can’t really blame her since she doesn’t know me. Since I’m her enemy and all. For all she knows, I’m driving her somewhere remote to finish what we started in my apartment.

Instead of answering her question, I glance sideways at her profile. “How long has it been since you last shifted?”

She turns to look at me, those pretty eyes narrowing slightly. “Why?”

“Just answer the question, please.”

She’s quiet for a moment, and I watch her jaw work as she considers whether to tell me. Finally, she sighs. “It will be exactly three weeks tomorrow.”