Page 19 of Rurik
“Not looking like that from where I sit,” Jasonhuffed.
“It’s all right, Meg.” Damien’s chest tightened with guilt at upsetting her. She was one of his best hunters. He never should have let her get so close to Charlotte over the years. “Right now what matters is figuring out our next step. So knowing Charlotte, she succeeded in developing this drug. Now what, she’s run off to test it out? Why didn’t she go after one inAmerica?”
“You guys have been obsessing over the Barinovs for weeks, given the powder keg that area is right now. She’s probably trying to prove herself to you by getting what you can’t—an interview with aBarinov.”
Damien sighed, looking back and seeing the pieces laid bare before him and how they fit together. She had seen the file he had left at their house a week ago. It had pictures of the three brothers. And they’d been talking shop at home far more than usual. But still, this wasn’t like her. Charlotte was always so calm, so wellbehaved.
Shit.
Meg chuckled. “Besides, the Barinovs are freaking gorgeous, so that’s a perk. I can respectthat.”
Jason struggled for words. “But Charlotteisn’t…”
Meg snorted. “Isn’t what? A hot-blooded woman? You do realize you two have made her dating lifeimpossible.”
“Now hold on,” saidDamien.
“Oh, spare me, Damien. You had me tail her on half a dozen dates and run background checks on three boyfriends while I was in training. And I know for a fact you scared one of them off with a friendly ‘talk,’ Jason. I’m sure in your little macho brotherly heads you’re just looking out for her best interests and don’t even realize that you were smothering her. Hell, she’s probably still a virgin. If I’d been in her position, I would have run at those dragon hottiesmyself.”
Both Damien and Jason froze atthis.
A virgin? He went over the list of her boyfriends. She’d never seemed to be that close to any of those men. Was itpossible…?
“Fuck,” Jason muttered. “She’s like candy-coated ecstasy. They won’t be able to stay away from her. Did you tell her about that? How virgins are like catnip todragons?”
Meg shook her head. “Look, I was trying to help her prove her worth to you meatheads, but strictly in a research capacity. I’d never encourage her to go into the field. We just talked about the serum…” Her eyes widened as a new revelation dawned on her. “And I might have let her analyze the synthetic dragon pheromone we’ve been workingon.”
“So let’s just recap for a moment,” Jason added sarcastically. “Charlotte has created a dragon-suppression serum, she’s headed into a preternatural war zone, she’s a virgin, and oh yeah, she’s got her hands on a dragon love potion? Great—just fuckinggreat.”
Damien raked a hand through his hair. “She’s going to be fine. She’s only been there a day at most. She might not have even made contact yet. We can extract her before she gets too close. She’s not a trained agent. She won’t be able to get into too much trouble before wearrive.”
“Right,” Meg echoed, but he sensed herdisbelief.
“She’ll be fine. She’s probably asleep in her hotel right now.”He hoped. Or else he would rain fire down on those damned Russiandragons.
“Meg, I want you to swing by the lab Charlotte was working in and grab any of the serum she might have left behind. We could use any help we can get.” Taking on the Barinovs would be dangerous if it came down to that, and they’d need every advantage they could get to bring their baby sisterhome.
6
Marveling at his own boldness, he said softly, “I would enter your sleep if I could, and guard you there, and slay the thing that hounds you, as I would if it had the courage to face me in fair daylight. But I cannot come in unless you dream of me.” ?Peter S. Beagle,The Last Unicorn
Charlotte was havingthe most exquisite dream. It was snowing outside, and she was in a warm bed, the curtains half-closed, and a man was kissing her neck. His hot body was flush against hers from behind. She let out a soft moan of pleasure and tilted her head to give him better access to the sensitive spot just behind her ear, which sent powerful shivers down the rest of herbody.
“Yes,” she whispered in encouragement. Her dream lover murmured something she couldn’t understand, and his dark, warm chuckle against her ear made her feel like she was doing something wicked in the best possibleway.
She pushed back the covers and searched for his hand. When her fingers curled around his wrist, she guided his hand to the waistband of her panties and pajamabottoms.
“There? You’re sure?” heasked.
“Yes.” She rubbed her bottom against his groin, teasing the hard shaft by rubbing it against the cleft of her ass. “Touch me.” She closed her eyes, allowing her body’s senses to take over. The rustle of the sheets, the mix of his sighs and hers, and his smell, darkly masculine with a hint of pine and winter, wrapped around her. It was the most erotic dream she’d ever had. She’d never had a dream that felt this good—or thisreal. She wasn’t about to waste a singleminute.
“Be patient, little one.” Her lover’s rough laugh sent shivers of longing through her. She wanted him to take her, to shove her flat on the bed beneath him and take her so completely that she feltowned.
She tried to move his hand again. “Please…I need…” Her clit was throbbing, and her channel was wet andready.
“Oh, little rose, how you torture me,” he rasped as he sank his teeth into the sensitive area between her neck and shoulder. The possessive hold made her whimper, but not from pain. The bite rooted her in place, and her body went limp with pleasure at how safe she felt while being so incrediblyaroused.
He slipped his hand beneath her panties and cupped her mound, then explored her folds with his fingertips. She wiggled, encouraging him to plunge his fingers inside her, but he resisted, and she was held still by his gentle but firm bite. When he finally slid one finger into her, the ripples of building pleasure began in earnest. He toyed with her, thrusting, withdrawing, and then his fingertip brushed over a spot that made her jolt and her bellyquiver.
