Page 5 of Red Fury (The Dragon Tributes #8)

He leans in really close, so close I’m sure I can feel his lips against my earlobe. “I’m not into forcing females. That’s not how I roll. I prefer wet and willing… Also, know that if I were ever to fuck a Draiger, she’d have to beg me first. You’d have to beg me, Draiger… long and hard.”

“Never going to happen.”

“Never?” I feel the lightest brush of his lips and goosebumps break out on my body and completely against my will. “Oh, really now.” He lifts slightly, his eyes raking over my body.

Why the hell did I wear such a tight top? Maybe because tight fabric doesn’t snag on items. Maybe because if your clothing is tight, your assailant can’t get a good grip. Tight was the right way to go.

Perhaps I should have worn a bra, though.

“I think you might be lying again, Draiger. Your nipples are telling me another story.”

“Fuck you, Red! I’m not wearing a bra. I hate the damned things. This isn’t for you, asshole.”

He laughs again, the sound shooting straight to my core.

He sniffs. “I like the way you smell…like candy. The hard kind you suck on.”

Suck on.

Lord help me.

“Musky, too. Are you turned on, Draiger? I think you might be.” I watch as he slowly loses concentration, his nose twitching, his pupils dilating. Males are so easy to manipulate.

The grip on my wrists slips just a little. The knife is no longer right up against my throat. His eyes are on my tits again. I might not be huge, but I clearly have enough to entice this gullible male.

Good thing I didn’t wear a bra.

“I’m not aroused.” My voice is husky and low.

“Really?” His voice is a rough rasp. “I think you might be lying.”

“I’m not,” I husk out, picturing him thrusting into me, his huge arms on either side of me. That intense stare locked on mine. Then I picture his face between my legs, and my pussy floods, wetting my panties in one hot gush.

I suck in a breath, my clit throbbing.

He inhales, groaning deeply. “Fuck! You smell good. I think you’re—”

I use his momentary distraction to my advantage. With a quick twist of my hips and a surge of adrenaline-fueled strength, I flip our positions again. We go rolling right off the bed, landing on the hardwood floor with a bone-jarring thud that would probably leave a human unconscious.

I somehow manage to land on top of him, my thighs bracketing his hips. I pull my second blade from the sheath at my wrist and press it against his throat, just as he puts my other knife against my neck. Right on the jugular.

Dammit all to hell!

We’re locked in a deadly stalemate now, both of us breathing hard.

“Well, damn,” he says, a smile playing at his lips. “Looks like I just fell for the oldest trick in the book.”

I laugh; it’s laced with confidence I don’t feel. “What can I say? All I had to do was think about having sex with my boyfriend back home. That was easy, Red.”

His eyes narrow, studying my face with an intensity that makes my skin prickle. “Are you sure you weren’t thinking about me , Draiger?”

I snort-laugh. “Definitely not! Not even if you were the last male on earth.”

“I think you’re full of shit. I think you might be attracted to me.”

“Like hell, but you keep telling yourself that if it’ll make you feel better.”

His smile turns wicked, and his eyes rake over my body…slowly. I’m sure to keep my blade right up against his skin. “I could say the same right back.”

I feel him hard and throbbing between my legs, the heat of him burning through my tights. It takes everything in me to keep from rubbing against him like a cat in heat.

Down, girl!

What the hell is wrong with my dragon?

He isn’t for us.

He’s the enemy.

“So, what do we do now?” I ask. “We seem to be in a rather precarious position. I’m not lowering my knife, and I’m sure you feel the same.”

He’s quiet for a moment, eyes lifting in thought. “I’m assuming that our directives are similar. Namely, that we’re both here to figure out what the humans are up to. Why not call a tentative truce? Work together while it’s in our best interest to do so.”

I frown. “I thought you were here to find out what I’m up to.”

“I am! But that’s secondary to finding out what the humans are up to. That’s your objective too, surely?”

“It is indeed.” I nod once.

“Well, then? It would seem that working together is the smart thing to do.”

I lick my lips. “And what happens when it’s no longer the case?”

“We cross that bridge when we get to it.” He raises a brow.

I hate that idea. I hate the idea of working with a Red. There is no way I can trust him.

“Work together? I don’t think so…but perhaps we stay out of each other’s way until we figure things out.”

“That’ll be tough since we leave on the same jet for the Big Apple tomorrow.”

“Crap!” I mutter. “You’re on the team coming with us tomorrow,” I state the obvious. I was too busy earlier to check the itinerary. I don’t normally care much who the security detail is.

He nods. “I am.”

“I don’t trust you, Red.”

“Looks like we have a whole lot in common, Draiger.”

I can’t think of any other option that doesn’t involve one or both of us bleeding out on his bedroom floor. And he’s right – we do have similar goals, at least for now.

“Are you in control of your dragon?” I ask him, not expecting an honest answer, but I have to ask it anyway.

“Trust me, I’m in far more control than you are, Draiger.”

I give him what I hope is a filthy look.

He sighs and smiles, looking prettier with dimples. I hate him so much. “I’m in full control.”

“Fine,” I say finally. “It’s a truce.”

To my surprise, he hands me back my knife by the hilt, and I take it. I still have mine pressed tightly to his throat. I study his face for any sign of deception, then slowly ease the blade away from his neck and climb off him and stand.

He does the same and in all his glory. He sure is a fine specimen of a male. No wonder he has my dragon so riled up. I don’t think she’d be like this if I had the opportunity to shift more often.

I have to work not to stare. To keep my eyes on his.

“Truce, Draiger?” he asks in that deep, rich voice of his.

I sheath both knives, my hands steadier than I feel.

We stare at each other for a few charged seconds. Then I nod once, turn, and walk backward toward the window, keeping my eye on him.

“I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow, then,” I say.

“Looking forward to it.”

“Oh, and Damien …”

“Yes, Claire .” He grins and out pop those damned dimples.

“Stay out of my way,” I tell him.

“That’s not very nice.”

“I mean it.” I slip out through the window and scale down the fire escape, my heart still racing. As I make my way back to my car, one thought keeps echoing through my mind.

Did I just make a deal with the devil?

I think I might have.