Page 62 of Hoarded By the Dragon

I pull my tank top over my belly and belt my robe over it.

What if he’s not attracted to me anymore?I swallow that thought down. That doesn’t matter and it would probably be for the best. We have a lot of other things to deal with in the meantime.

“Did Stella give you the answers you were looking for?” I ask. He’d done his interrogation over the phone so as not to spark his dragon to anger.

“You were right. She doesn’t have any contact with the family. She’s never been on their compound. She has a tenuous relationship with one brother who refused to join the family business. She gave us the phone number he uses, but he’s a globetrotter of sorts, and she has no idea where he is. She said I should just burn the rest of them to the ground.”

I raise my brows at Stella’s bloodthirstiness. I knew she didn’t like what was done to her mother, but her emotions seem to cut much deeper than what she revealed to me.

“How would getting in contact with her brother help?” I ask, leaning my hip against the bathroom counter. Griffin jumps on the counter and meows at me to pet him.

“The whole compound is keyed to blood ties. If we could get him to turn against his family, he could simply walk out with the figurine, and we’d be done with this business.”

“That would be convenient.” I scratch under my cat’s chin, and he starts purring.

Kalos arches a brow at the cat. He accepted his presence here surprisingly well.

“Your animal wants to cuddle,” Kalos says dryly before clearing his throat. “Did you want to join me on the couch?” Kalos asks, letting his gaze drop briefly. The contact probably isn’t necessary tonight with how much of his energy I’ve had today.

“Of course,” I say, not because it would be good to keep feeding the baby heat… but because the idea of not falling asleep in his arms makes my heart hurt.

Gah, I’m in such trouble when it comes to him.

* * *

I wakefrom blurry dreams of pleasure, aching with need.

My arm shakes when I reach out for Kalos, but the other side of the bed is empty. I whimper. My hips rock, and the thin robe clings to my hot skin. The horniness from the pregnancy is finally calling all its cards in, and there’s no way that I’ll be able to take care of it myself.

I need my dragon, and he isn’t here.

I don’t even know exactly where his bedroom is.

I blow out a breath in frustration and punch a pillow. Perhaps it’s better this way. I can’t give in to my desires even if I wanted to.

Maybe my body just has a primal need for his presence. His scent. I could go curl up in his office and see if that helps. I’m not prepared to search him out in the middle of the night, wandering the halls of this giant place horny.

I have more pride than that.

I move in the dark, keeping my steps soundless until I come to Kalos’s study. There’s no moon tonight, but his scent fills every inch of this space. I’m familiar enough with his office to try and pick my way to his couch before changing directions. His chair will be the most scent soaked.

The chair creaks as I round the desk, and I freeze. There’s a whisper of movement, and talon tips run up my thighs.

“What are you doing, little thief?” Kalos asks. He must stand because the darkness gets warmer. There’s pressure on my belly from his body, and I shiver in relief. All my senses are attuned to this dragon lurking in the shadows.

“Kalos,” I whisper. A tip of a talon and the pad of a finger drag down the side of my face. I step forward, and he steps back. I bite my lip at the absence of him.

“Isn’t this déjà vu?” I tease instead of resorting to begging right off the bat. My voice cracks. Can he see in the dark? I feel around the desk and turn toward it, presenting my backside to him.

He rumbles behind me. He can totally see in the dark.

“You can catch me rifling through your important papers and demand my body in retribution,” I say, my skin feeling too tight.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, not drawn in by my roleplay.

I pant. “You weren’t there when I woke up.”

“Do you think it’s easy to hold you when you whimper my name in your sleep?” Kalos asks, his words a careful cadence.

---