Forbidden Dragon (The Bride Hunt Book 5) Read online

  Louise had to work to keep from rolling her eyes. “I will.”

  Chapter 4

  The next day …

  Louise still couldn’t get over it. She had expected to have to argue. At the very least she’d expected to be made to explain a little. She’d put a kick-ass argument together. Had spent half the night on a rush therapy proposal and the other half on coming up with just the right plan to deliver it to Blaze. She’d barely started talking when Blaze had granted her permission to step up the Resistance Therapy. He’d said a couple of things that mirrored what Granite had said yesterday, only in a much politer way, urging her to come up with a cure for their silver allergy as a matter of extreme urgency. He’d seemed stressed and a bit preoccupied, like he couldn’t get rid of her soon enough. Then again, the guy was a new father to the cutest little boy. She hadn’t been lucky enough to meet his wife and newborn son, but she had seen the numerous framed pictures adorning his desk.

  Louise loved babies; there was something about their cute gummy smiles and chubby cheeks that made her heart clench. Then again, that’s what they were designed to do. Tug at the heartstrings, make even the most hardened soul broody. Well, it worked on her. She would be thirty-four in a couple of months. That’s what happened when a person worked too hard. Their life seemed to pass them by. Louise was married to her job ‒ at least that’s what her last serious boyfriend had told her when she’d stood him up at the last minute, one time too many. Oh well! She loved her work. She only wished she could find love and keep practicing medicine. Maybe she’d bypass the relationship part and go for artificial insemination. Louise had to bite back a laugh. Nah! She wasn’t that desperate … not yet anyway.

  They slowly ascended before hovering over the large patio area in front of the great hall. Home sweet home! It was funny how quickly she had settled in amongst the dragon people.

  The ground rose up and the big shifter put her down. She stumbled as his clawed talons released her. Within half a beat she was steady on her feet without a trace of nausea. This whole flying in the claws of winged beasts was getting easier and easier. She’d been transported back and forth from Walton Springs, blindfolded mind you, and had been transported to the Fire castle plenty of times. It was becoming old hat.

  Staring at naked men however, was not.

  She averted her gaze as her ride shifted into his human form. There were cracking and pulling noises. The guy grunted and then he was all muscle and nakedness. This part of the whole thing was still as embarrassing as hell.

  “Would you like me to escort you to your work chamber?” the shifter asked, she could hear that he was smiling. He was a great guy, they all were.

  Louise pulled the hood of her thick fur-lined jacket from her head. “No thanks, Stone.” She glanced his way, sure to keep her eyes way up, like somewhere above his head. Not that she was even remotely interested in him. She was a human and humans didn’t look at each other’s privates, they just didn’t. Not unless they were into one another, seriously dating, married or all of the above. ‘Into one another’ needed to at least be a good start.

  “Are you …” he stopped talking and looked at something over her shoulder.

  A few bits of hair had escaped the bun she’d meticulously pinned in place at the back of her head. Her hair was a crazy mess of curls on a good day and a plain crazy mess on a bad day. The curly tendrils that had somehow managed to perform a Houdini feat began to fly wildly about her face and she heard the sound of many wings flapping in unison. She glanced back over her shoulder.

  Great!

  There were at least twenty of them. They were almost silent, considering how many of them were gradually descending onto the large space behind her.

  Crap!

  She felt like running away as she caught sight of the golden chest of the majestic dragon at the head of the formation. Its wing span was greater, its coloring brighter. Its eyes so much darker. He was magnificent even in dragon form.

  Granite.

  King Dickwad.

  A shiver surged through her. The familiar sound that marked their shift filled the air. Within seconds, Granite’s dark stare landed on her. Her mouth went dry as she took him in. Every last inch of him, in all his glory. Wow! Just wow. He bit down on his lower lip as he stalked towards her.

  She was so not looking at his magnificent golden chest. Nor was she looking at his ripped abs. She certainly wasn’t looking any lower.

  She made a croaking noise low down in her throat as her gaze landed on his heavy sacks, his cock. It was so huge it swayed from side to side as he walked. Oh god! Stop staring. Whatever you do, don’t drool. Do not whimper or moan. Eyes up! Eyes up dammit!

  The last thing she wanted was for him to think that she was interested in him … because she wasn’t. Not even a little bit. Sure, he was really attractive but that’s where it ended. The problem was that he’d already caught her staring at his junk. It was a given that he would get the wrong idea. There was only one thing to do about it. She forced herself to look past Granite and at all the other guys. They were all amazing specimens but her stupid eyeballs wanted back on Granite. They weren’t interested in the rest. Tough luck! She drank them in. Okay, she forced herself to look even though they were naked. She tried hard not to blush and it seemed to work.

  “Hey, Doc,” Rock gave her a wave.

  “Hi!” She waved back, her voice a tad shrill. Her cheeks a tad hot. Okay, so maybe she was blushing a small amount. Who could blame her?

  “Doctor Louise, good to see you.” Another wave.

  “You too, Igneous. Did you have a good training session?” She tried to act normal. Tried to pretend there wasn’t a huge lump in her throat. Or that there wasn’t a sea of naked men in front of her. One that could adorn any stage, at any strip club, any day of the week. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Granite approached. Not looking. Not looking.

  Igneous grinned. “Yes, it was—”

  “Enough,” Granite growled. “Dismissed,” he added with a little less venom. Shit! He was still approaching. He stopped when he was right in front of her. As in inches away. She could feel his heat, could smell his masculine scent. He was naked. Naked!

  You’re a doctor. You’ve studied anatomy. You’ve got this!

  “Bye, guys,” she gave a tiny wave to the departing warriors.

  “Follow me!” Granite strode ahead of her. All she could see in that moment was his ass. His really muscular, bronzed ass. It was a great-looking ass. Beautiful in fact. Could an ass be beautiful? He paused, his eyes still trained up ahead.

  Shit!

  Granite was waiting for her. Oops! She quickly fell into step behind him. Come to think of it, his back was also a thing of beauty. Wide, with broad shoulders. Well-muscled like the rest of him.

  “Hi, Doctor!” one of the men shouted as he walked past them in the opposite direction.

  Louise smiled and was just about to respond when Granite growled. It was scary. A deep vibration that reverberated through the hallway. The shifter who had just greeted her, tucked his head to his chest and hightailed it out of there. Face ashen.

  Granite was a moody SOB, that much was for sure.

  He picked up the pace to the point where she was practically jogging to keep up with him. They arrived at a set of large, double doors. Thankfully, he turned towards them or she would have collided with him. The doors were beautiful. A deep, rich wood intricately carved with vines and flowers. It was the doorknob that drew her attention. It looked like it was made from gold. It was encrusted with blue stones ‒ sapphires. They were big and they gleamed. Had to be fake.

  Granite opened one of the doors, standing to the side while she entered. Look up! Look up! Shew, she made it past him without letting her eyes wander.

  Wow! The space was huge. Triple volume. It reminded her of a loft apartment in an old building. One that had been completely renovated. It was a mix of modern retro and classic. His office chair was bright red leather, as were the plastic, funky-looking chairs at the boardroom table. The rest of the furniture was dark, either made of oak or covered with leather. The artwork was the same turbulent dark shade with splashes of red. Ultra-modern stainless steel stairs wound up to a platform above. On the platform was just about the biggest bed she had ever seen. It was unmade. The rumpled sheets had been haphazardly tossed to the side. Black silk. It was his bed.

  Granite cleared his throat and Louise jumped.

  “You live in your office,” she blurted, trying to tear her eyes away from his bed. The place where he slept. Even assholes had to close their eyes from time to time.

  “What of it?” He walked to his desk and typed his password into the open laptop on his desk. She noticed how he put his big body between her and the device before doing so. The guy really did have trust issues. It wasn’t like she was interested in anything that was on there.

  Keep your eyes on his eyes, Lou. You can do it! “It’s unhealthy to sleep where you work. Studies have shown that—”

  “It’s convenient.” Granite pushed a few buttons on the device. “I took a look at the proposal you mailed.” Shit! He didn’t look happy. Not even a little bit. Then again, this was nothing new.

  She nodded once, clasping her hands in front of her. The doctor looked nervous. This was the first time he’d seen her this way. Her eyes were wide. Her skin so pale that she seemed to have even more freckles on her otherwise flawless skin.

  Granite put a hand on the desk next to his computer. He moved to the side so that she would be able to see the screen. Her proposal was open. Granite scrolled down until he reached the part that he was looking for. “I asked you to step it up, Miss Parry. What is this?” He tapped the screen.

  “I did step it up.” She leaned in next to him and he caught her scent. Honeyed peaches. Fruity and sweet. It was a really good scent. Who was he kidding? It was fucking delicious. He tried to concentrate while she spoke numbers, explaining why they couldn’t increase allergen levels higher than she already had on the proposal. Next, she launched into the risks involved with pushing the immunotherapy any harder or faster.

  “How old are you?” he asked when she finally finished.

  “Excuse me. How is that relevant?”

  She seemed so young. Too damned young. “How long have you been practicing? Out of all of the candidates, why were you chosen to assist us?”

  The female stood up tall. She pulled a loose strand of hair behind her ear and licked her lips. “I am qualified for this position. Age has nothing to with it. Blaze hired me because I’m the right person for this job …” She rattled off her resume, stating awards she’d won and studies she’d conducted. Papers she’d written. The good doctor had even given a year of her life doing humanitarian work in Ethiopia. Working with few supplies and a shoe-string budget. Blah, blah, blah.

  She used her hands to emphasize her words. “The studies I conducted on the effect that dust mites have—”

  “Dust mites?” he choked out a laugh. He turned to face her, realizing how close they were. Granite could feel the heat radiate off of her. Could hear how her heart raced.

  “I don’t need to defend myself,” her voice was soft as she craned her neck to maintain eye contact. “I already made it through six rounds of interviews and an extensive medical. I had to agree to have my whole life scrutinized. From my birth certificate to any criminal records. I’ve been under a microscope,” she shook her head, “I don’t need this from you.”

  “How old are you?”

  “I’m nearly thirty-four, so plenty old enough. Is there anything else you want to know while we’re at it?” Not nearly as young as she looked then. He had her file, just hadn’t bothered to read it. In this matter, he trusted Blaze. The male would have been thorough. He needed the human to understand who was in charge though. As much as he loved the fact that she had her own mind, he needed her to obey him. Their species was at risk.

  “These ratios and contact times, how long before my males and I become resistant to the effects of silver?”

  She blinked a few times and then sucked in a breath through her nose. “I’m hopeful the therapy will work, but it’s not a guarantee.”

  “How long?”

  She leaned back in, her eyes flashed across the table on to the screen. “Eight months, maybe longer. We can’t push any harder than that.”

  He had to bite back a snarl. “Not good enough, Miss Parry.” It came out sounding harsh.

  “It will have to be good enough, Mr. Granite.”

  He had to fight a smile. “You can call me my lord or Granite.”

  “My lord?” She gave a snort and then quickly turned serious when she caught his stare.

  “It’s not good enough, Miss Parry.”

  “Call me Doctor or Louise.”

  “It’s not good enough, female. Why are you making me repeat myself?”

  “We can’t make the program fit within a certain timeframe. It doesn’t work that way.” She sounded exasperated. “It’s dangerous. I want no part of it.”

  “Then pack your bags, you’re leaving today.”

  She folded her arms. “No way. You don’t make those kinds of decisions.”

  “Want to fucking bet?”

  “You don’t have to swear at me. You’re trying to strong-arm me and I don’t appreciate it.”

  Granite put the tips of his fingers to his temples and pushed. “You have no idea of what’s at stake here, of the ramifications should this not prove to be a success. This is my kingdom—”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re the king and ruler of all. Your chest is golden…” She touched his marking with just the tip of a finger. It was just a brush, yet it felt really good. Too damned good. A soft, almost sensual stroke. His dick took notice. It took notice big time. What the hell? She did it again, another soft stroke. He knew she didn’t mean for it to come across as sensual. By the fire in her eyes and the frown on her forehead, he’d say that the opposite was true. Maybe someone ought to tell his dick, which throbbed. She sucked in a deep breath. “What about when your men are in agony? What if one of them was to die?” Her voice hitched on the last word. She cared. The female cared. Interesting.

  “I’ve told you that we are shifters. We don’t die easily. In fact, it’s almost impossible. It’ll hurt,” he gave a shrug, “I have spoken with my males and we’re ready to do what it takes for our people. They are willing to sacrifice, as am I. We are even willing to take the risk of death.”

  She held his stare for a long time before finally exhaling through her nose. “It’s crazy but let me have another look at the program.” She turned back to the computer. After a few beats, she gave a nod. “We can step it up but you need to know that it’s against my advice. Also, if I deem the risk too high, I’m slowing things down.” She was frowning deeply as she looked up at him from over her shoulder.

  “Duly noted.” He folded his arms.

  Oh fuck! Her gaze drifted to his already hard cock which hardened up a whole lot more under her scrutiny. Her lush pink lips fell open for a moment. Then she did an odd little ‘back and forth’ thing with her jaw before making a strange noise.

  Granite didn’t try to cover up. “We need to get this done within six months.” He ignored the fact that his dick was trying to get at her on its own accord.

  Her eyes widened and snapped back to his. “I’ll be going then. I need to run this by Blaze. So—”

  “Blaze is fully onboard. Have the proposal back by close of business today.”

  “No problem!” She began walking towards the door.

  “Miss Parry … female …” he called after her. The doctor stopped walking but didn’t turn around.

  “There is something I need to talk to you about.”

  She turned to the side but didn’t look at him. “Is it serious?”

  What kind of question was that? “Yes,” he tried not to growl and failed.

  “Okay, sure, but would you mind putting some pants on … please?” She waved her hands.

  “I’m fine … thank you,” he added.

  “It would be hard to … hard …” She shook her head and giggled, quickly pulling herself together. Then she chewed on her lower lip, still not looking at him. “I can’t concentrate on anything you say right now. I’m sure you need a license for that in certain states. Sheesh!” she exhaled. “You should really put on some clothes.” She had yet to look at him.

  “No!”

  “You have a gigantic erection, please get dressed. It’s not appropriate.”

  “Only if you take some of your clothing off.” She was wearing an oversized winter jacket. It looked stupid. Like she was a child playing dress-up in her mother’s closet.

  “No way.” She turned to face him. He could see that she was struggling to maintain eye contact.

  “Oh!” she smiled. “I get it. You’re one of those guys who gets off on being mean and rude. You probably enjoy whips, chains and spanking.”

  Just then, an image of this female spread out over his lap, while he spanked her ass, crept into his mind. He could hear her squeals as his hand met her flesh. Could see her glistening pussy nestled between her parted thighs.

  “I’m right!” she squealed, pointing at his dick which chose that exact moment to give a twitch.

  “Bullshit!” His voice was deep. Too fucking deep. “I’m horny. Seriously fucking horny. That’s all. I haven’t had sex in a very long fucking time and you were touching me.”

  Her eyes widened. “I wasn’t touching … Oh, as in my finger on your chest? That was enough to do that …?” She pointed at his dick… again.

  His balls felt achy. “Female, just about anything is enough to get me hard after almost six months of celibacy. Jerking off in the shower is not the same as a snug pussy.”

  She gave a shriek. “You did not just say that.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds. “My ears are bleeding.”

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