Page 35 of Red Fury

Oh, my word! I threw myself at him.

“Your dragon is part of you, Shadow. You can’t separate the two. You shouldn’t lay all the blame on her. It isn’t fair.”

“Draig dragons are feral,” I snap, reaching for my clothes. “We’re far less in sync than Mistveil dragons. Don’t flatter yourself. That was all her. You must know how the beast can linger for a while after the transformation back to human. For whatever bizarre reason, my dragon likes your dragon. That’s all.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.” I start pulling on my clothes with jerky movements, trying not to look at his still-very-erect cock. “I’m not shifting like this again. I go home in less than a week.”

“You’ll go home for what…? A weekend? A couple of days, at best? You might not have a choice in the matter in a few weeks’ time,” he says conversationally, making no move to get dressed. “We’re clearly attracted to each other. Maybe a quick fuck would be good for both of us. A way to get each other out of our systems, so that we can concentrate on the job at hand.”

I glare at him as I pull my shirt over my head. Then I choke out a laugh. “You’re serious?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well, you can get that idea right out of your head. It’s not going to happen. We can’t. Surely you know that?”

“You’re overthinking things.”

“I am not. We can’t fuck; we’re enemies.”

“I hear that hate-sex is the best kind. We’ll leave our emotions at the door.”

That damned smile again, the one that makes anger rise in my chest and my clit throb with renewed need.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Why did he have to come along and ruin everything? I was doing just fine on my own. Now my dragon is betraying me, as is my body.

I shove my feet into my shoes and start walking back toward the car. Just before I reach the tree line, I turn back to him and thank Scale, he is finally getting dressed.

“No way! I need you to forget this ever happened, Red.”

“No can do, Draiger. I can still taste you. I can still hear those sounds you made when you came hard on my mouth.”

“That was a mistake.”

“Tell your pussy that.”

I gasp. “You’re rude and arrogant.”

“And you love it.”

“You wish!” I groan in frustration and stomp away, his low chuckle following me through the trees.

This is a disaster. A complete and utter disaster.

And the worst part? Even now, with anger and embarrassment warring in my chest, all I can think about is going back there.

I hate that he wants it just as much as I do. All I have to do is say the word, and he’d finish what he started. I think I might like it altogether too much. It’s why it can never happen.

11

Shadow

“That concludes today’s session on enhanced cybersecurity protocols,” announces Director Foley from the podium, his voice carrying easily through the packed conference room. He looks at his watch. “Let’s take a short break; we’ll reconvene in fifteen minutes to discuss implementation timelines.”

The room erupts into the usual post-meeting buzz as delegates rise from their seats, stretching and reaching for their phones. I close my laptop and slip it into my leather portfolio.