Page 42 of To Ignite a Dragon's Desire

Maybe I’d let this go too far.

Riley shook with adrenaline as her chest heaved.

I lifted her higher so we were face to face. “Ouch.”

That smirk of hers went straight to my groin.

She sensed it. Her scent heated, swirling spice rapidly filling the space as her eyes widened with a frantic desire, dropping to my lips.

My fingers tightened on her arms as I leaned—

“Bravo.” Malachy slowly clapped, reminding us of the audience. “I think you might’ve bruised him.”

“Yeah, I did.” Riley’s smile was full of pride even as the scent of embarrassment washed over her, making the notes of orange taste sour and too sweet.

I was learning everything I could about her, cataloging her scents and dancing to her rhythm, forming a picture of the mate fate intended for me.

This was my greatest adventure yet.

She wiggled out from my hold and landed on her feet, placing a gentle hand against my chest. “I’m going to take a bath.”

My thighs shook with the effort it took to keep standing in place as Riley pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, turning to walk away.

The black leggings hugged her round ass perfectly, the sight nearly causing me to drool.

Malachy stepped out of her way and arched an eyebrow in my direction.“Goddess, brother. Could you be any more pathetic?”

He needs to go.

I snapped my jaw shut as I turned to growl at him. “I think it’s time that you and I had a little chat.”

17

Riley

Girl Time

I stared at my phone on the bathroom counter, debating smashing the thing. If it wasn’t my only connection to Willow and Ember, I might’ve just thrown it away.

For the past few weeks, Drew had been texting and calling. I’d turned off my voicemail so I wouldn’t have to hear his voice, but I knew it was him. Not that many unknown numbers would keep pleading with me to answer the phone. I didn’t know that many people. Not anymore. Only Ember and Willow stuck around when Drew started keeping me away from my other friends.

He'd said I hung out with bimbos who’d only bring us down when the world fell apart. Yet his friends were a bunch of ‘bros’ and losers who talked a big game and never backed it up.

Thankfully Willow and Ember didn’t care when Drew gave them the cold shoulder. They only came to visit me anyway. I hated to think about what would’ve happened if he’d succeeded in isolating me completely.

Isn’t that what Lucan is doing now?

I deleted the new text without reading it, tossed my phone on the rug by the tub, and stood in front of the sink as I looked into the mirror.

The difference was hardly noticeable, but I could feel it. Every day I got stronger and more confident in myself.

And I need to stop comparing Lucan to Drew.

It wasn’t fair to Lucan. True, it’d only been a few weeks, but he wasn’t anything like my ex-boyfriend. He encouraged me to call my friends. Asked questions to learn more about them. He listened to all our stories and paid attention to the details. Lucan was the kindest, sexiest man I’d ever met.

That’s because he’s not a man.

I rolled my eyes at my own reflection, laughing to myself as I remembered what Ember had said about dragon dick. The thought of how that might feel had a delicious ache building between my thighs.

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