Dragon Heat 2 - Red Hot Dragon (14 page)

“No,” she whispered quickly. “I didn’t dare dream

we’d be this lucky. I’m just…stunned.”

“What’s that saying? ‘Luck favors the bold’?

Sweetheart, you were bold as brass when you barged into

my gym and propositioned me.”

Anxiety rocked her. She peered into the face she’d

come to love so much. “How do you feel about this?”

“I’m a little scared,” he admitted, “but more excited

than anything. Thrilled, really”. “I’ve wanted children for

some time now. To have those children with you? I’m the

luckiest man on earth, Avani.”

Overcome with joy, she melted into his reassuring

embrace. “I love you, Griffin.”

“And I love you, Vonny.”

Safe in Griffin’s loving arms, Avani smiled with the

realization that she’d been right from the start. This big,

sexy Welsh Red had stumbled into her neatly arranged life

and turned the whole thing upside down.

And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

About the Author

When Lolita Lopez is not chasing after her wild

preschooler, she likes to write supersexy romances and

scorching-hot erotica. Lolita shares her chaotic home in

Texas with her Viking throwback husband and one very

big and slightly neurotic Great Dane.

While browsing bookstore shelves as a teenager, Lo

discovered the erotic writings of Anaïs Nin and A. N.

Roquelaure. Certain her mother would not approve, Lo

smuggled the books home and squirreled them away in the

most likely of places: under her bed. Late at night, she

delved into the sensual worlds both writers created.

Please see the next page for a preview of

DEAD SEXY DRAGON

Chapter One

Stig Wyvern dried the last of his dishes and placed them

in the cabinet. His gaze moved to the bay window across

the kitchen. The setting sun splashed the sky with brilliant

streaks of orange and fiery pink. His stomach tightened at

the sight. With the darkness came the forced change, and

tonight it would be beyond his control. For this night and

those of the following eight days, he would spend at the

complete mercy of his inner beast.

Already his skin tingled, his nerves set alight with a

prickling heat. Even though he’d just ingested a pile of

rare steaks for dinner, his stomach growled with

emptiness. There wasn’t enough water to slake his thirst.

And his libido raged. He wanted nothing more than to find

a willing woman to sink into again and again.

But he couldn’t do that. He
mustn’t
do that. When in

heat, Stig’s scent changed, grew more potent, and made it

easier for the Knights to find him. So he would retreat to

the cavernous lair beneath his home and lock himself in

irons for the duration of the night.

Stig did a final check of the kitchen and headed upstairs

to make sure the house was sealed tight. He’d barely

reached the top of the stairs before he heard the frantic

knock at his front door. It momentarily stunned him. No

one ever knocked on his door. His closest neighbor was

five miles away—and he liked it that way.

He wanted to ignore the pounding, pretend he’d never

heard it and go about his business, but he just couldn’t. If

someone was there, it had to be serious. Maybe a car

wreck on one of the nearby roads or an accident in the

woods surrounding his home. Local teenagers had a habit

of staging wild parties out there. Underage kids and

drinking was a nasty mix.

As he hurried downstairs Stig couldn’t help but wonder

if the person on the other side was safer braving the

elements of the night than facing him so close to the sunset.

When in heat, his inner beast was difficult to control. The

primal drive and desires that would soon overtake him put

all humans at risk. He unlatched and unlocked the various

deadbolts on the door and quickly drew it open.

Stig’s gruff greeting died on his lips the second he spied

the petite black-haired beauty standing on his doorstep.

Her scent, sweet and spicy, wafted up to meet him. His

body zinged with recognition. “Cora?”

“Hey, Stig.” Cora Cardenas greeted him with a sad

smile. Her puffy and red-rimmed eyes betrayed her. She’d

been crying hard. An uneasy feeling twisted Stig’s gut at

the sight of the luggage surrounding her. He stuck his head

out the door and saw her compact car caked in grime from

the long drive. There were more boxes and suitcases

visible through the windows.

Shit. Of all the times for his dead friend’s sister to show

up on his doorstep, it had to be tonight, the one night when

he feared he wouldn’t be able to withstand his already-

brewing attraction to her.

“Cora, look, this isn’t a good time for me. I—”

“You promised!” She interrupted with a sob. “When

Hector died, you promised I could come to you.”

Guilt gripped him. “I know and I meant it. It’s just that

things are complicated right now.” He nervously eyed the

skyline. “There’s a hotel in town. It’s a forty-minute drive.

You shouldn’t have a problem getting a room.”

“Stig,” she said pleadingly.

Cora’s begging tore at his heart. Stig fought the urge to

gather her in his arms and offer the security of his home—

and his bed. Only the knowledge that she was forbidden

and that his secret world could put her in grave danger

stopped him from grabbing and dragging her across his

threshold.

“Cora, you need to go.” His muscles twitched and jaws

ached. The change was coming soon. Too soon for his

liking. “Cora, please—”

“The key!” She practically screamed at him as she dug

in the front pocket of her jeans. “I still have the key!”

Stig’s gaze moved to her now upturned palm. The key

he’d given her a little more than a year ago rested there.

He was haunted by his words.
As long as you have the

key to my home, you’ll always have a place to stay.

“Please.” Tears dripped down her cheek. Fear radiated

from her shaking frame. She was scared. Of what, he

didn’t know but it worried him.

Stig swallowed hard and stepped aside. “All right.”

Her shoulders sagged with relief. As she brushed past

him, her suitcase wheels bumping over the raised

threshold, Stig caught a whiff of her scent again. It curled

around him, the sweet-scented tendrils squeezing his chest

and filling him with need. His cock stiffened and pressed

painfully against his zipper. The urge to stroke her olive

skin was overwhelming, but he somehow managed to

master it.

Stig had to get away from her. His questions could wait

until the morning and the safety of the sun.

“I’m sorry I was so short with you just now. I have a

horrible headache. I…I need to lay down.” Stig gestured

around him. “The guest bedroom is the first room on the

left at the top of the stairs. The bathroom is the room on

the right. Make yourself at home. I’ll see you in the

morning.”

“Oh.” Cora was clearly confused by his abruptness.

“All right.”

Stig nodded and headed out of the living room. He

paused in the doorway and glanced over his shoulder.

“Cora?”

“Yes?”

“There’s a door in the kitchen. It leads down to the

cellar. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave it alone. I’m having

an issue with infestation.”

Cora’s eyes widened. “Infestation?”

He shrugged. “The house is so close to the woods. It

was bound to happen sooner or later.” He held her gaze.

“You’ll keep out?”

Cora nodded dutifully. “Of course.”

“Thank you.” A painful quiver of blazing heat pierced

his abdomen. He needed to get downstairs—fast.

“I’ll go ahead and get the rest of my things.” She started

toward the front door. “Go get some sleep. I’ll be fine

tonight. We can talk in the morning.”

Stig sensed the shift in her emotions. She’d arrived

distraught and afraid and now seemed calmed. That the

simple act of stepping into his home gave her such a sense

of security tugged at his heart. Suddenly, he remembered

why he’d made that offer to her at Hector’s funeral. Even

then he’d been drawn to her, had wanted to gather her

close to his chest and caress her silky black hair.

But those feelings were wrong then and still wrong

now. There was an unspoken code amongst friends. As

Hector’s baby sister, Cora was off limits.

“Good night, Cora.”

“Night, Stig.”

He didn’t linger but took advantage of her short trip

outside to rush into the kitchen. He made sure to lock the

basement door behind him before running down the stairs.

His bones ached and muscles burned as his inner beast

struggled for freedom.

Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness. His night

vision allowed him to move swiftly and safely down the

corridor. With each descending footstep, the temperature

dropped and the musty dankness grew stronger. The stairs

ended on a wet slab of stone blocked by a heavy steel

door. He punched in the code and yanked open the door

that led into a stunningly beautiful cavern.

Decades earlier, he’d discovered the secluded cave

during a solo spelunking trip. Building a house over what

he intended as his subterranean lair only made sense. The

layers of rock and dirt filtered his enhanced scent,

cloaking him from those who would do him harm. It

provided a secure place for him to hide out during these

episodes of uncontrollable, animalistic lust and blood

thirst that plagued him every three years. Until he found a

mate, a proper
nonhuman
mate, Stig wouldn’t be able to

shake his mating heat.

He ducked beneath a tricky little stalactite he hadn’t had

the heart to rip down while outfitting the cavern for his

needs. There was no time to dally tonight. Stig quickly

undressed. He walked over to the far wall and grabbed the

titanium chains. They rattled in his trembling hands as he

secured them around his ankles and wrists. The time

activated lock beeped and began the countdown to sunrise

and safety.

Secure in his bonds, Stig relaxed his shoulders and

welcomed the change. Scaly green patches transformed his

tanned skin. The bones of his face elongated into a kind of

snout. His short nails lengthened and sharpened into acid

green talons. Stig groaned in pain as his back snapped and

realigned itself into a curved shape. With a rending of skin

and a scream from his throat, pterodactyl-like wings

sprouted from his back, the black reptilian membrane wet

and stretched thin between the joints.

And just like that his inner dragon was free. The primal

urges of his beast suppressed Stig’s humanity. For now, he

could only think with the primitive parts of his brain. Hunt.

Food. Sex. Sleep. Those were his strongest desires.

He jerked at his bonds, desperate for freedom and

yearning for a taste of the young woman whose tantalizing

smell still teased him despite the depths he’d descended

to. His mouth watered and his erection twitched at the

vision of parting her thighs and lapping at her honeyed sex.

He could just imagine the sensation of tight, wet heat that

would envelop his cock if he thrust deep inside her.

Burning up with lust, Stig shuddered and pressed back

against the cool stone. He didn’t dare look at the blinking

hours and seconds on the locks. Thankful for the strength

of his chains, he closed his eyes and tried unsuccessfully

to subjugate his dragon’s needs.

This was going to be one very long night indeed.

* * *

Cora dragged the last of her suitcases into the guest

bedroom. It was small and sparsely furnished. She’d

expected nothing less from Stig. He wasn’t the warm and

cozy type. Actually, Cora was pleasantly surprised not to

find a military-style rack complete with itchy wool blanket

and paper thin sheets. The full-sized bed offered a comfy

pillow-top mattress and a nice, fluffy white comforter.

Pale blue walls added a soothing effect she desperately

needed.

Her tummy clenched at the thought of having to tell Stig

about the mess she’d created. Heat flooded her cheeks.

She could imagine the disapproving expression he’d wear.

She’d often seen a similar look on Hector’s face. Neither

man had been programmed to take risks or plunge into the

unknown in pursuit of a dream. Cora, on the other hand,

thrived on uncertainty. She liked taking chances.

Sometimes they turned out fine and sometimes…well…

they didn’t.

Hunger pangs twisted her belly. When had she last

eaten? Oh, right. That gross drive-thru burger joint about

five hours ago.

Cora left her room and carefully tiptoed past the door

she assumed led to Stig’s room. The last thing she wanted

to do was disturb him. For a second there, she’d thought

he was really going to refuse her entrance to his house.

Her gut told her there was something more than a headache