Page 23 of Charming the Dragon
Hayley jumped a little, as if being yanked from a memory. She shook her head. “No. By the time my parents and his parents found him, he’d driven the tractor into the side of the horse barn and hurt some of the animals. He got into a lot of trouble and was put on restriction. But eventually he could leave his house again, and when our families came together for Christmas, he cornered me in a room. And that’s when he, when he…”
“He fucking locked you inside a trunk.”
“Yes.”
Nathan clenched his fingers into a fist, wishing he could find this Nigel and kick his arse. Dragon-shifters were stronger thanhumans, and he could teach the bastard what it felt like to be the weaker one for a change.
His dragon said,Focus on Hayley, not the arsehole.
It was only then that he noticed how she shivered. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. She immediately turned and nestled against his chest. As Nathan wrapped his arms around her, he inhaled her scent of woman and something fruity. She smelled so fucking good.
His beast said,I agree. Hold her always. She should be ours to protect.
Not wanting to ask his dragon if the human was their true mate, he stroked Hayley’s back and said gently, “I’m sorry that happened to you, Hayley. Say the word and once we get out of here—because we bloody well will get out of here—I’ll hunt down the bastard and teach him a lesson.”
She burrowed more against his chest as her arms went around him. For a few beats, they were silent, merely holding each other.
It felt rather…nice. And warm. And the urge to protect Hayley against any threat rose inside him.
She finally replied, “Thanks, but the idiot got himself killed driving drunk, so he’s not anyone’s problem any longer.”
He grunted. “Damn. I wanted the chance to punch him.”
After lifting her head, Hayley smiled up at him. “Are you really pouting about my awful cousin being dead?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “It’s better not to think of him at all.”
Nathan raised a hand and brushed some of the stray strands of hair from Hayley’s cheek. Her skin was soft and warm, and he wanted to lean down and kiss her.
Wait, no. He most definitely wasn’t going to kiss her.
His dragon growled.Why not? Kiss her. Then she’ll be ours.
Hayley’s voice kept him from replying to his beast. “Is your dragon helping you plot the demise of someone already dead?”
“No. Just being his annoying self.”
His dragon growled.You’re a dick.
I’m not going to tell her you want me to kiss her.
His beast sniffed.You’re no fun.
The human leaned back, and Nathan reluctantly released her. She tried to smooth her disheveled hair, which only made it stand up more. He couldn’t help but smile.
She raised her eyebrows. “So you do smile.”
He reached out and tugged a lock of her hair. “I do.”
Batting his hand away, she frowned. “I know I’m not the most put-together person. But given the circumstances, don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m not laughing at you. You’re just…”
“What?”
Adorable. Beautiful. Brave. Mine.
