Sloane Appleton thought she’d left the dangers of dragon hunters behind when she fled to the city. She was wrong. They’re in the city, and they’re after her. For Mateo, the timing for finding his mate couldn’t be worse. He’d die before he let anything happen to her. His job is to find and eliminate the woman organizing the dragon hunts. But what his dragon wants—what it needs—is to claim his mate.
In this scene, Mateo has stood Sloane up for a date. And she’s pissed. What she doesn’t know is that Mateo is working undercover to eliminate dragon hunters in the area. Or that she’s on their hit list. But he does, and he’ll do anything to keep his mate safe. Even if she never forgives him for it. With danger at her heels, he takes Sloane into hiding with the intention of keeping her safe. But once alone, their chemistry explodes, and keeping her safe isn’t all he—or either of their dragons—wants.
Keeping His Dragon
An excerpt
What Mateo wanted was to back his gorgeous mate up against that glass window behind her, hike up her dress, and take her right there for all to see. It didn’t matter what kind of underwear she wore. He could slide the material to the side, and plunge right in, or rip the damned things off. Either way, he could make it happen in seconds. Then he wanted to sink his teeth into her neck, branding her as his forever. Her scent, sweet and warm, enveloped him, urging him forward.
When her small hands came to rest on his chest, her fingers caressing his skin, he groaned. Damn it. She deserved so much better than him, but he was too much of a bastard to let her go. He never would. In a world where most people were assholes, she was his little piece of heaven, and he wasn’t about to let her slip through his fingers.
She melted against him, making a soft mewling sound that made his cock twitch. He needed more. Bringing his hands down, he pulled her hips closer, pressing her tighter against him. He needed to feel every inch of her. Needed to devour her. He released her lips and kissed his way to her ear. Her sweet whimper when he growled against her skin had his dragon pushing for more—and for once, he had no intention of holding back. His. She was his.
Ours, his dragon protested.
Ours, he agreed just before he nipped at the tender skin just beneath her ear.
Sloane gasped, and her fingers dug into his chest.
“Let me take your dress off.” It wasn’t a question. He was past caring about niceties. Not that he’d cared all that much about them to begin with.
When he nipped at her skin again, then licked over the tender spot, she moaned. For a second, he thought she hadn’t heard him, but then she took a small step back and turned to face the window again. She reached up and pulled her glorious red hair over her shoulder, exposing her back—and the long zipper that ended at the base of her spine.
He took his time, kissing the back of her neck, then its base where he would mark her with his bite. The zipper came down with a rasp that had his blood pumping hot in his veins, and again, he had to fight the urge to haul her skirt up and take her right then and there. The mental image had his dragon surging forward.
Now, mate her now, the beast growled into his mind.
No, he snapped at the dragon, his growl accentuating his command. Look. See how beautiful our mate is, Mateo urged, softening his tone as he gazed from her neck down the long line of her back.
Sloane gasped and looked over her shoulder at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. “He’s close, isn’t he?” she asked, her voice huskier than it had been.
Before he had a chance to answer, she let the dress slip, revealing gorgeously flared hips and the top curve of her ass. A black strip of silky material forming a little T didn’t cover a thing except the very center of her crease. It would be so easy to snap it and uncover his prize. But he wouldn’t do that. Not yet. As hard as the dragon pushed him for more, he wanted to savor every second.
“He is.” Mateo traced a finger from her neck to the very edge of the flimsy material. Goosebumps rose on her warm flesh. He wanted to get lost in her softness.
“So what are you waiting for?” Her grin widened, and then she lifted her hands from where she’d placed them on her chest.
His heart pounded, and his breath stuck in his lungs. The shimmery black material that had kept most of her body from his view slid over each luscious curve to land in a pile at her feet. All that was left was the black thong, the sexiest sheer stockings he’d ever seen, and the red heels gracing her feet.
“So beautiful.”
But before he could reach for her, she stepped away. His protest died on his lips as she turned. She slipped a finger down her chest, to the valley between her breasts, drawing his attention. Her gorgeous long locks covered the right, but the left was exposed. It was full, round, and perfect. Her nipple jutted out, teasing him—tempting him. A small black V of material covered her but did nothing to mask her scent. Her sweet arousal perfumed the air, drawing his beast closer to the surface. A growl rumbled from his throat before he could stop it.