Page 33 of The Dragon 2

But I wanted a soft life. I deserved one. And if he wanted to be part of that life, he had better come with tenderness in one hand and tenacity in the other.

I wouldn’t just be impressed by silk sheets and chefs on standby. I would more be impressed by consistency, by a man who saw the burdens I could carry and still thought I should be held like a jewel.

So no, not yet for the suite.

Not until I knew for sure if he was here to worship or to wear me down.

Not until I knew for sure that beinghis,also meant being free, not owned.

Even more. . .every woman before me probably said yes to his suite on the first night. But I wanted to bethe onehe couldn’t tame so easily. He said I was a tiger, and for the first time, I was actually starting to believe him.

Not just some soft kitten in silk sheets, not just some warm body to tuck into a hotel suite and call it love.

A tiger.

Regal.

Relentless.

Raw.

A Tiger Queen even.

Not waiting for a crown.

Iwasthe crown.

And if he wanted to touch me, he’d need to bleed for the privilege.

You shouldn’t have jumped for those panties so fast, Dragon. Now look at me—fully feeling myself.

Smiling, I glanced at the little stack of my things on the floor—laptop, charger, and the fantasy book he gave me.

When the Dragon Swallowed the Moon. . .

I leaned over picked it up and shifted onto my side.

I could read until Zo gets out of the damn shower and Kenji’s chef appears.

The cover shimmered in the early light, bleeding through the blinds—deep obsidian, traced with gold and a silver title.

I flipped it open, trying to remember where I had left off.

Ah, right. . .the Dragon named Korin.

That chapter had hit me like a dream I wasn’t ready to wake from.

I remembered the weight of it—how Korin had torched the world from the sky, an ancient, unstoppable force. Cities burned, soldiers crumbled, and there was no stopping the wrath of that dragon.

Not untilher.

God.

This beautiful, magical Black woman hadn’t even flinched when he roared across the heavens at her. Hadn’t moved an inch when towers collapsed and men screamed around her. She just stood there barefoot and raised her hands.

She didn’t scream nor did she run—shefought.

Cold power shot out of her and she silenced Korin’s fire. And when she got the dragon, it hadn’t been rage that came out of him, it was arousal and awe.