Page 38 of The Mating Claim

Then his mouth found hers, a sweet, bare brush of his firm lips against her trembling ones. He sampled her mouth leisurely, as if they had all the time in theworld.

When her lips parted beneath the gentle pressure of his own, he plunged inside, deepening the kiss. Lacey kissed him back, sliding her arms around hisneck.

Drust fisted a hand in her long hair and feathered tiny kisses down her neck, making every cell in her body sing with pleasure, He found her mouth again and claimed it, tangling her tongue with his, coaxing more quiet moans from her as the pleasuremounted.

This wasn’t the passionate, possessive kiss back in the restaurant. This was a kiss from a man who intended to arouse and impassion, who led her in a dance that would end up with only one goal – both of them naked in bedtogether.

I can’t do this. I can’t fall in love with you. Notagain.

Lacey jerked away, tearing her mouth from his. “Stop, stopit!”

Immediately he stopped, pulled away and looked at her with concern. “What’swrong?”

Wrong? Everything was too right. Drust was devastating and she suspected an excellent lover. Temptationgalore.

She couldn’t afford to have him in her bed. Not when so much else was at stake, especially her woundedheart.

Lacey closed her eyes, fisted her hands. “I can’t do this,Drust.”

A warm hand cupped her cheek, and then a gentle kiss on her forehead. Chaste, almost.Disappointing.

She opened her eyes as the bedsprings creaked and he rose. At the door, heturned.

“Good night, Lacey,” he murmured, closing the door behindhim.

For several minutes, she tossed and turned in bed, wondering. Who exactly was Drust and had they shared something special and wonderful in thepast?

And if so, what did that portend for their unpredictablefuture?

Chapter 9

All her goodintentions vanished after last night. Lacey paced in the kitchen the followingmorning.

Tormented by her feelings for the wizard who was her worst enemy, she didn’t know what to do aboutthem.

And yet, in the dream he’d been her best friend, for she was Minda, the woman Drustloved.

Shivering, she hugged herself. What happened to the woman in the dream? Was she Minda reborn? Lacey touched the dragon birthmark on her neck. Surely it seemed there was a connection between them. A connection so strong it made her cry out in hersleep.

When Drust held her like that, she never wanted him to let go. And that was the danger she faced. Falling for a powerful wizard was never on heragenda.

Drust was a handsome, sexy guy. But so were hundreds of other male dragons. She’d dated some, and felt nothing like the electrifying passion she’d felt forDrust.

And that dream! Had they shared a past life and that was why they were drawn to eachother?

I don’t care about the past. Not when I’m trying to survive thefuture.

Maybe she should simply do as he requested and go with him to destroy the book. But the rebellious part of her that resented authority screamed againstit.

Or maybe at least test out one small spell from the book before she watched it disappear from her life, and all the potential withinit.

The cobweb memories of the dream faded as she thought of her plans. The potential for finding Melanie and giving her foster monster a taste of her own cruelmedicine.

Drust had left after their kiss last night, promising to return before she left for work. She showered quickly, and dragged the book out from its hiding place inside the wall of Evie’sbedroom.

Lacey flipped through it, hesitating as she came to the dark spells in the back of the book. Miles, the proprietor who gave it to her (your father!) had also advised her to avoid those spells, for the magick was potent and though they could bring a person much power and riches, they opened a door one did not wantopened.

He’d been vague about exactly what kind ofdoor.