Page 32 of The Heart of the Dragon

"Are you going to have sex with me or not?"

Chapter

Thirteen

Rose

Watchinghim nearly choke on his smart tongue was enough to make me forget everything else but this desire coursing through me. I was over the poisoning incident and so should he be. It was an accident. How many ways could I explain that to him? Or apologize for it?

It was never going to happen again. And while I hadn't shared all my findings with him, I had a feeling that the negative effects of the poison would soon be gone. I'd run two timed tests on his blood about six hours apart and I could already see it dissipating.

Besides, we didn't need trust to have sex. But this feeling...this almost fiery ache for him. It was like a constant burn under my skin and it seemed to be growing. If I didn’t do something about it I might go crazy.

"You don't suffer from shyness, do you?" he asked, a slight tinge of humor spicing his words.

"I learned a long time ago that not asking for what I needed was a mistake. And as I said before, although it probably bears repeating, I am not one for subtlety. Besides, I'm pretty sure this is your fault." I huffed a sigh and attempted to roll away from him. A move he didn't allow, tightening his arm around my torso and using it to haul me across his chest.

"My fault? How in the world could you come to that conclusion? You kidnappedme, brought me to your lair in the middle of nowhere, and are now demanding sex."

My mouth dropped open at his assessment. My mind raced around his words, computing all the facts.

Oh. My. God. He was technically right. I renewed my struggle against his hold, trying to break free and put some space between us. What on earth was wrong with me? I couldn't seem to breathe let alone think right around him. This man with the unusual blood was going to ruin me and I couldn't seem to stop myself. Mortification heated my face.

Dammit.

I looked up at him ready to face the music of my actions to find him grinning down at me. "Just kidding." He chuckled, a deep sound that reverberated through the room. “I mean, you did do those things, and we are in your lair, but I’m as far from innocent as one can get.”

"Seriously?" I asked. "My lair? What is this? Some kind of medieval fantasy you've got cooked up in your head?" He may have been joking, but I was still embarrassed as hell. Now what? How could I extricate myself from this situation? Before I could come up with a plan, he shifted, and that little slide against mesent a shiver racing down my spine. Something I couldn't hide if I tried.

Oh. My. God.

"I'd say we're both pretty serious about this." The words rumbled through his chest as heat shot through to my core. I couldn't lie. All jokes aside. Having him here like this was a losing battle.

"That doesn't make it smart," I managed through clenched teeth as I used every ounce of strength to keep myself from doing something ridiculous like reaching up to lick the side of his face. I groaned at the thought. Was it too much to ask to behave like a normal human being?

Although if he wasn't human...

"Smart is relative is it not?"

"What?" I'd already lost my train of thought and wasn't following our conversation. My skin prickled and I needed to do something about it.

It was pretty clear the only way to make this go away was to leave the room. Get away from him. Far away from him. As in right now.

I didn’t move.

“Your pupils are dilated,” he observed, using his hand to cup my chin and pull us closer so he could get a better look.

I swallowed hard, trying to think of anything other than the slash of his mouth and how it would feel against my heated skin…

“Dammit.” I gulped for air that refused to fill my lungs.

“What?” He asked, his eyes widening.

Screw it. If he didn’t want this as bad as I did then he would have to say so. He was more than capable.

“You can stop me. Just say no.” It was the last thing I said before I shoved him back against the bed and climbed on top of him.

His expression didn’t change except for a slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. Nor did he say anything.

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