A Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Protectors Book 3) (14 page)

“If you want adventure, come seek us tonight,” Ran said, leaning down to whisper in her ear, brushing his lips against her in a way that sent tingles rushing down to her toes.

She whipped around to respond, but he was already gone. She opened the door wide to look for him, but he’d disappeared, quick as the wind or a snuffed-out flame.

M
elissa spent
the next few hours eating and resting. After a sufficient amount of time alone in her room, looking around at the gray and burgundy furnishings, the satin bedcovers, the gently moving curtains by a slightly open window letting cool air in, she started to come out of the daze she’d been in and snap into reality.

Just as night started to fall.

Dragons. She’d been rescued by two devastatingly gorgeous dragons who now wanted to marry her.

She’d stopped expecting marriage a long time ago. Maybe it was her tendency to keep to herself or the fact that she was in a career that didn’t give her a lot of chances to meet men, but she’d never met someone she was really interested in.

Even in college, when she’d been the type that was more interested in studying and getting good grades than going to parties or chasing frat boys.

And then she’d moved into her career and it had been everything she wanted. Quiet, isolated, with the ability to do as she pleased as long as she got her work done. But it hadn’t afforded a lot of opportunity to meet men.

But now she had, and all because she hadn’t been able to stop herself from interfering in a dangerous situation. And that seemed to be exactly what the dragons liked about her.

She walked to the window and fingered the silky fabric of the drapes in her fingers.

If you want an adventure, come seek us tonight.

Ran’s words came back to her as if carried on the wind, and she put a hand up to rub the back of her neck lightly. Most of her sexual experiences involved vibrators and sexy fantasies. But her mind held a rich array of fantasies she still wanted to experience, and now she had someone to do it with. No matter how dreamlike this whole situation felt, she didn’t see how she could turn that down.

In bed, she guessed Ran would be ardent and aggressive, the type to sweep a woman off her feet and pleasure her until she couldn’t breathe. Draven was more difficult to predict, but he’d be intense, hot, commanding probably.

And they seemed to want her as much as she wanted them. Draven had been reluctant but still willing, and Ran had been ecstatic.

He’d also called her dragon-heart.

It was an odd thing to be called. She’d been called brave a few times in her life. Mostly when people found out what she’d been through, how she’d grown up alone, barely knowing her family before losing them.

Despite being young, she remembered that day clearly. Remembered the screams, remembered the painful feeling of being alone, too young to understand.

And she definitely remembered the years that came afterward. In and out of foster homes, with no one to claim her for real.

She breathed deeply, waiting for her heart to calm. She’d dealt with this for many years. She’d gotten to a good place, a place where she’d accepted things for how they were and stopped being bitter. After all, there was nothing she could do to change it.

And now, for once her empty life had an advantage, because it meant nothing was in the way of her taking the dragons up on their odd but tantalizing proposition.

It made sense in a way. Life had been so awful and now in contrast was ridiculously good. Like some sort of universal scale had been balanced.

That’s if she could find happiness here with two men she barely knew. But wasn’t that how all relationships started? With people you barely knew? She’d just been rescued, kidnapped, and brought to a luxurious apartment instead of met at a bar and taken out on a boring first date.

And when she thought of Ran’s and Draven’s face, something felt so right about it all. Like she was meant to know them, meant to love them. Though that could perhaps be wishful thinking because they were both so incredibly hot and so strong and just everything she’d want in a man.

And they were right down the hall.

Waiting for her.

She ran her fingers along her arms, feeling a slight chill. Then she studied the window for a moment before leaning forward to close it.

It was time to start her adventure. She didn’t want to wait another moment. She looked down out at her outfit. Her work pants were dirty from being thrown on the ground, and her blouse was loose and baggy and brightly colored. She wished she’d had something more seductive for her first time with them.

She looked at the fully stocked closet. There had to be something in there. She ran her hands over the many silky shirts hung there until she found a section of lingerie, all new and high end with tags still on. Apparently, Ran had thought of everything. He certainly didn’t do things halfway.

She flipped a tag over in curiosity and gasped at the price. Dragons must be loaded. She supposed that made sense with all the myths about hoarding treasure.

She finally found a piece she liked. A negligee in shimmery, turquoise silk that caught the light nicely and would slide perfectly over her curves and complement her skin. She pulled it off the hanger and held it up to her, grinning.

How had Ran known? And why was he so eager to move things along with someone like her, mate with her, as Draven had said, when he didn’t know anything about her?

It must have something to do with the reason he’d called her dragon-heart.

Well,
she thought as she changed and prepared to head out to meet her fate,
I feel dragon-hearted right now.
And ready to give her heart to two dragons.

“
S
he’s coming
,” Ran said, leaning against the headboard with his hands lazily clasped behind his head. “Just wait.”

“You’re insane,” Draven said, turning a page in the book he was pretending to read while he waited to see if Ran was right. What mortal in their right mind would come to visit them on their first night after being kidnapped and brought to a new location? And hearing about dragons and seeing dragon fire and everything else Ran had put her through.

He knew dragons held a strong sexual attraction for humans. Most shifters did, but dragons had to choose humans for mates, so the pull was even stronger.

He turned another page and adjusted his reading glasses on his nose as hairs prickled on the back of his neck in anticipation. He thought he heard footsteps in the hall and sat up straight, listening carefully. Dragons didn’t have the best hearing, unlike some shifters. But they made up for it with immortality, super strength, and dragon fire. Not to mention the advantages a lifetime of collecting treasure afforded.

And Draven was all about the treasure. He couldn’t resist the acquisition of new loot. And the thought of her body, curvaceous and rich, would definitely be the ultimate treasure.

He shook his head against the unbidden thoughts. She was just an average mortal. He wouldn’t be like Ran and foolishly run into this, despite the rare bravery she’d shown.

Melissa.
Ran had read her mind for her name, and she’d taken his mind intrusions with the same kind of calm wonder she seemed to take all of this. He had no idea what had happened to her to make her accept things with such fatalistic calm, but he was curious about it.

Ran, on the other hand, was just delighted to have met another woman he considered a dragon-heart, after so many years.

Draven sighed. If she stayed, she’d definitely be a handful. But at the same time, with each breath he knew he and Ran would protect her with everything they had.

Damn, he was already thinking of her as his. While he tried to read his book, he kept thinking about her soft, warm body. Her flashing brown eyes, passionate and intriguing. She’d be curled up under the covers now. Would she be thinking of them as she had before? He didn’t mind-intrude nearly as often as Ran. But her lustful thoughts toward them were so obvious that one didn’t need to be a mind reader to catch on.

Her beautiful dark eyes said it all. He was painfully hard at the thought of giving her everything she seemed to want. But he’d already decided not to rush into things, and he wouldn’t let a tempting little female change that for him.

He let out a hoarse sigh that drew Ran’s attention. But then Ran cocked his head and looked at the door curiously. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Draven asked.

“I swear I heard footsteps, but they stopped outside the door.”

Draven’s heart pounded. Could she really have come? She’d have to be incredibly adventurous.

Or incredibly horny.

Ran gave him a triumphant look as he got up to answer the door.

Draven picked up the book and studied it, trying not to listen. Even if she was here, he was determined not to participate. He was a dragon who didn’t bond easily, but he knew sex would speed that along. And he didn’t want to bond again until he knew it was with their true mate.

The one that would last forever.

Ran opened the door. “Melissa. I’m so glad you came.”

Draven looked up to see Ran send him a devilish glance as he let Melissa in, and Draven turned quickly away.

But not before he saw her flushed face, her wide eyes.

This mortal was in way over her head. He thought he would perhaps let Ran play with her first, and if that didn’t scare her away, perhaps they could trust things to move a little further.

“I’m glad you found what we bought for you,” Ran said, his voice husky, making Draven want to turn around and see what he was looking at. “You look beautiful. Truly perfect for a first time.”

“My first time,” she said quietly. “I mean, I’ve used dildos and such. I think it’ll be fine, but…”

Draven bit the inside of his cheek. “Damn.”

He could feel them turn their attention on him, but ignored them, burying his nose in his book. He wasn’t going to be a part of this. Not tonight, when everyone seemed hell bent on ignoring common sense.

But he could scent her. The sweetest smell in the world, delicate and floral and feminine. Damn, how long had it been? He adjusted his crossed legs, trying to deal with the fact that he was painfully hard.

But her first time—with two dragons? He suppressed a growl deep inside him. Did he even know how to be gentle with a virgin? He’d never thought about having one. That was something dragons were into in the Middle Ages…

“I’m sorry if I…” She trailed off, and he could feel her gaze on him, probably self-conscious because he was blatantly ignoring her.

“Not at all. Come in. I promised you adventure after all,” Ran said easily as Draven heard footsteps moving toward the bed. He tried to resist looking but couldn’t help sneaking a peak to see Ran leading their curvy little mate toward the large bed in the middle of the room. He helped her climb up, and Draven caught a peek of gorgeous little blue panties on a curvaceous, amazing ass that just begged for his hands.

Damn, he was hard. And aching to touch her. She looked so small in the middle of the bed as Ran gently nudged the thin silky straps of her negligee over her shoulder, exposing gorgeous, soft skin to their eyes.

Ran’s eyes met his, glowing in the dim light of the room, a challenge lit within. They’d always enjoyed pleasuring a woman together, on the rare occasions they’d had one.

But this was different. His body ached to be there, touching her, taking her with Ran, becoming one with her. Ran put an arm around her and drew her close to him. She let out a gasp as Ran gently nipped and sucked the skin at the base of her neck, keeping his eyes locked on Draven’s, inviting him—no, challenging him to come forward.

But Draven stayed glued to his chair. He hadn’t yet lost control of himself, and he didn’t intend to. Even if her soft sighs as Ran caressed her back and kissed his way to her ear drove Draven to distraction.

Then Ran slipped the negligee lower, down to settle around her generous hips. Draven let out a growl as Ran’s hands came up in front of her, presumably to cup her breasts, which would be full and delicious.

Draven was definitely a breast guy.

“Mmm, Draven, you sure you don’t want to come over here? These are a prime pair of—”

Ran was cut off by a low growl that came from Draven without him even being conscious of releasing it. Those were his breasts. The breasts were always his. Ran knew that, dammit.

Draven ran his tongue over his dry lips, trying not to imagine how her breasts would feel in his hands. Heavy and warm. Something to support, to kiss, to lick. To guard.

The growl was still going inside him.

“I don’t know, Dray. They’re so big. I’m not sure I’m the right one to handle them.” Ran sent him a wicked glance over Melissa’s shoulder, and Melissa looked back at him for a moment, her cheeks beautifully flushed, lips swollen, eyes slightly glazed.

Damn, Draven wanted to be the one doing that to her. Taking her with Ran and making her scream their names.

“I guess I’ll do what I can though,” Ran said, lowering his mouth slowly down in front of her.

No! Those were Dray’s, and he was going to make sure the lips on them were his. He stood up abruptly, not caring about the enormous erection he was sporting, and strode to the bed angrily. When he was there, he reached from behind her and grabbed her hands in one of his, yanking her back and pinning her between him at the foot of the bed and Ran in the center. Ran’s hands held her soft thighs possessively, stroking them lightly as Draven kept her hands above her head.

She was totally helpless between them, and judging by her face as Draven used his free hand to slowly circle one aching nipple, she was totally enjoying it.

“
D
ammit
,” Draven said, his low, quiet voice stirring Melissa to the core. “The breasts are mine. Always.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, trying to twist to see him, though it was difficult with Draven holding her hands down and Ran running distracting palms down her thighs and over her ass. Ran had a way of making her feel so wanted, so needed, with that hot green gaze that seemed to flicker from dragon to human.

She was relieved to see Draven’s words were meant for Ran, whom he was staring at with hard eyes as he released her wrists in order to move both his large, strong hands over her breasts, closing them and then squeezing them possessively as his thumbs flicked over her nipples. She gasped in response, and Draven’s cold, blue gaze turned fiery.