The Dragon Guardian (12 page)

His beast huffed.
We will protect her. That is enough.

My biggest concern is protecting her from us.

I would never hurt her. But protecting her means taking care of her. She still hasn’t eaten anything. I don’t like it.

Fuck, she must be hungry. We’re going to have to stop by the shop.

Fergus rushed to the closest shop. So much for being Gina’s Guardian. He couldn’t even remember to get her some food.

He would work on it. After all, Fergus had yearned for so long for a female of his own. He needed to take care of the one who was probably his true mate. Especially if he was to convince her to stay.

And after their interlude back at his mum’s house, Fergus wanted her to stay. Just thinking about his hand on her soft, warm thigh as they flirted made his heart warm. He’d never felt so at ease with any female in the past.

Picking up a few things at the shop in the clan’s central living and shopping area, he paid the clerk and ran the rest of the way to the old Sinclair place.

Very few houses shared a wall on Lochguard, mostly because dragon-shifters liked their space. However, the Sinclair brothers had been close and lived as neighbors for sixty years before they died. He wondered if he and Gina would be neighbors that long, or would he succeed in wooing the lass? If his bloody brother hadn’t tossed the butter earlier, Fergus might’ve pushed Gina a little further. A hand on her thigh was a start, but all he wanted to do was hold her close and never let go.

As it should be
, his dragon stated.

His beast may be certain, but Fergus was cautious. The last time he’d pinned his hopes on a lass, that female had fallen for his brother.

His dragon roared, but before he could throw a tantrum or worse, Fergus constructed a complicated mental maze and forced his dragon inside. Fergus hated to do it, but he wanted complete control of his first evening alone with Gina. If he couldn’t manage a kiss again, then he at least wanted to find out a bit more of her past.

Coal meowed inside his carrier just as Fergus stopped in front of porch on the left, which was Gina’s house. “Just a moment, Coal.”

Knocking, Fergus waited. The door opened and he nodded at Arabella. “Is everything okay?”

She raised her brows. “I don’t give advice to you often, but stop hovering, Fergus, or you might drive her away. She’s far stronger than you give her credit for.”

He growled. “Of course the lass is strong. She escaped BroadBay and took care of herself in a strange land, all whilst pregnant with a dragon-shifter’s child. But when it comes time for the bairn, she’ll need help.”

“So you plan to take the child as your own?”

“If Gina will let me.”

Arabella studied him a second before stepping aside. “She’s in the kitchen.” She reached for her coat. “Finn should be done by now, so I’m going home. Call if there’s any trouble.”

Arabella taking an interest in someone so soon was unusual. “What did Gina do to you?”

“Nothing.”

He gave her a skeptical look. Then the scent of the ham and potato bake wafted up from his takeaway bag, reminding him of his female needing to eat. “Go, then. I’ll keep her safe.”

“I hope you can, Fergus. I hope you can.”

Before he could ask any questions, Arabella was gone.

Making his way to the kitchen, he found Gina sitting at the table nibbling on a biscuit. He couldn’t help but stare at the fleck of chocolate on her upper lip. What he wouldn’t give to lick it away.

Gina swallowed. “Something smells good. Stop staring at me and give me some.”

Blinking, Fergus handed over the takeaway bag. “I hope you’re not a vegetarian. How some humans give up meat, I’ll never know. My dragon would drive me crazy without it.”

Gina opened the container and took a deep inhalation. “No, I love meat too much. And this smells good.” She picked up the plastic fork and took a portion. Fergus watched as she slipped the food between her lips.

He would love to have those soft, pink lips around his cock.

His dragon roared inside his mental maze and Fergus quickly brought up images of older dragonwomen in bikinis. Damn Gina MacDonald and her sensual lips. She had to be taunting him on purpose.

With a deep breath, he focused on letting the cat out of his carrier. “What did you talk about with Arabella? Because whatever it was, you’ve nearly won her over and that’s quite a feat when it comes to Arabella MacLeod.”

Gina answered as soon as her mouth was empty. “Not much. She hasn’t decorated a room for her triplets yet, so I’m going to go over there tomorrow and suggest some ideas.”

He frowned. “Ara doesn’t strike me as the type to care about decorating things.”

She pointed her fork at him. “You’d be surprised. Apparently, she loves picture of old doors. We can totally use that as a starting point and go from there.”

Fergus couldn't care less about decorating rooms, but he loved the anticipation shining in Gina’s eyes. He’d bet his life that this was the first time in a long time the lass had forgotten about her past long enough to be happy. He only wished it was because of him.

Stop it, Fergus. We’re a grown male.
That may be true, but there was nothing wrong with making his lass a little happier.

Walking over to her, he tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. “If you can get Arabella to vouch for you, then Finn will probably allow you to stay, lass.” He took her chin between his fingers. “And I hope you’ll stay.”

As he stroked the soft skin of her jaw, Gina stopped breathing. She even leaned a few inches toward him.

If he were noble, he would release his grip and allow the lass to eat. Yet as her pupils dilated and her heart rate kicked up, Fergus didn’t want to waste his chance. He squatted down until he was eye level and murmured, “You’re so lovely, Gina. Between the sparkle in your green eyes and your wild, curly hair, you are most definitely the bonniest lass I’ve ever seen.”

She moved back a few inches. Only through his ironclad restraint did he keep his dragon in check as she replied, “Don’t do that, Fergus.”

“Do what, lass?”

“Say things you don’t mean. I know you’re my Guardian and I’m pretty sure your duties include keeping me happy. But don’t do it like that. A dragonman sweet-talked to me for several weeks before laughing in my face and abandoning me. Don’t lie to me, too.”

He growled. “I’m not bloody lying. I’m sorry the bastard American treated you that way, but don’t compare me to him.” He leaned closer to her face. “You are beautiful, Gina. Don’t ever doubt it.”

She opened her mouth, but not wanting to hear another excuse, he kissed her.

~~~

Gina had been about to tell Fergus to leave when he kissed her.

Part of her wanted to punch him in the dick for his audacity, but the other part of her breathed in relief. Ever since he’d had his hand on her thigh back at the MacKenzie household, her lips had pulsed with desire, wanting to be kissed.

As he sucked and nibbled, she let out a sigh. Fergus made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world and he would stop at nothing to devour her. If only she could start over and have Fergus be the dragon-shifter she’d met in the bar; her life would be in a very different place.

Yet as Fergus threaded his fingers through her hair and dug his nails lightly into her scalp, she forgot about everything in the past. They were alone with no one watching. Even if it was just this one kiss, Gina wanted to feel desired.

Fergus pulled away but stayed close. His eyes were filled with heat and wanting. “Was that enough to convince you of how much I want you?”

Say yes and dismiss him. Going any further could be dangerous.

However, Fergus lightly brushed her cheek with a finger from his free hand and she shivered. He smiled slowly and added, “Does my touch make you burn, Gina MacDonald?” His eyes flashed to slits and back. “It’s taking everything I have not to carry you to bed and make love to you.”

Her heart thumped as she saw the truth in his eyes. “I thought a Guardian was only supposed to protect me.”

“Aye, in the old days. If you refuse me, I’ll still protect you with my life. But”—he brushed her cheek again—“I want more. I want to hold you close and wake up with you in my arms.” He moved his free hand to her pregnant belly. “I want to watch your son grow into a strong male.” He lifted his hand to trace the curve of her breast. “And I want to devour every inch of your skin and make you come harder than you ever have in your life.” He removed both hands from her. “The bigger question is, what do you want, Gina?”

Recklessness had cost Gina her degree, her freedom, her friends, and even her family. Every sensible iota of her being screamed to order Fergus away and close off her heart from being hurt again.

On the other hand, Fergus’s mere presence eased her stress. Also, her son loved to dance in the dragonman’s presence and Fergus had even volunteered to protect her with his life. True, he could be using pretty words to get into her pants, but her gut said Fergus MacKenzie was different.

The only question was whether she took a chance and listened to her instinct or if she played it safe.

As she debated the reasons to go one way or the other, her son kicked. Gina smiled when he did it again. Without thinking, she reached for Fergus’s hand and placed it on her stomach. As her son continued to kick and move around, Fergus’s deep voice filled the room. “I think maybe we should listen to the lad. He seems to like me and you don’t want to disappoint the bairn before he’s even born.”

She snorted. “So you’re using my baby against me?”

He grinned. “Aye. It’s best to get him on my side early on. With his help, I might be able to convince you to be my mate.”

She drew in a breath. “Mate?”

Rubbing her stomach in slow circles, his grin faded. “Not now, of course. I will take as long as it takes to win you over, Gina Louise. Even if it takes me years, you’ll be worth the wait.”

She barely acknowledged the fact Fergus already knew her middle name. “But you just met me.”

“I’ve been thinking of you every day since I first walked out of the lake in dragon form and tried not to laugh as you threatened me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, it wasn’t an idle threat.”

“That may be, lass, but from that second, I loved your spirit. Whenever it fades, I can tell it’s because of the male that hurt you.” He paused, and then asked, “Maybe if you tell me about him, we can think of a way to purge your memories of his bastard self.”

“You’re just saying that to eventually get me naked.”

Fergus tilted his head. “If all I wanted was you naked, then you’d be naked already.”

Gina tsked. “Someone’s cocky.”

He laid a possessive hand on her thigh. “I want you to feel safe, Gina. But without knowing about your past, I can’t help you, let alone try to protect you and your son.” He squeezed her leg. “Tell me and the information will go with me to my grave.”

She paused before asking, “What if it endangers your clan?”

“Then I’ll persuade you to talk to Finn. But I won’t be the one to tell him.”

As Fergus stared at her, Gina tried to decide what to do. If Fergus knew the extent of how much BroadBay wanted her child, he might run to his clan leader. She’d be on her ass outside Lochguard’s gate before Gina could do more than blink.

Glancing down at Fergus’s large hand on her thigh, she attempted to think of a reason to keep her secrets.

Fergus spoke up again, his accent thick when he said, “If you won’t tell me because you don’t want to burden me, then think of your son. I can’t protect him, either, without knowing all the facts.”

She looked up at that. “So you’re guilt-tripping me into telling you the past?”

He winked. “If this is guilt-tripping, then you wouldn’t stand a chance against my mum. She’s the queen of making someone feel guilty.”

Smiling, she laid a hand over his. “Then I’ll have to ask Aunt Lorna for lessons the next time I see her.”

“Aye, I’m sure she’ll give them to you, too.”

Fergus fell silent. He was giving her time to make a decision.

Tears pricked her eyes. Even in this moment, when Fergus could easily overpower her and demand answers, he was patient. Kindness and something else she couldn’t name filled his eyes.

Truth be told, it was easy to imagine a life where she woke up to her dragonman’s blue-eyed gaze.

He could be hers if she took a risk.

Before she could change her mind, Gina blurted out, “It started with a dare. Madison was my roommate. Whenever she’d had a little too much to drink, she always came up with the most ridiculous dares. For the most part, they were impossible.

“But that night, we were at one of the bars at the edge of BroadBay’s land. Technically, the dragon-shifters weren’t allowed inside. But the owners knew the presence of dragon-shifters could be profitable in drawing crowds to gawk, so they encouraged it.

“Anyway, Madison noticed a group of men with dragon-shifter tattoos. She was usually the one to go up to men and ask them to sit with us. This time, she was pretty drunk and dared me to do it since it was on my list of things to do before we graduated and there were only six months left.”

Gina and Madison had written their lists as a joke during their freshmen year, but Madison had soon made it her mission to accomplish everything on that list by graduation.

Peeking up at Fergus, his eyes asked for her to continue, so she did. “Despite what you may think, I’m shy in large social situations. It’s only when I’m alone or in small groups that I can stand my ground. Since the bar was packed, I took one last shot of tequila before approaching the table. I half-expected the dragonmen to sneer and dismiss me. But the tallest one with light brown hair and whiskey-colored eyes smiled at me before coaxing me to sit next to him. He made me laugh and even taught me a few things about his clan. Having been an admirer of dragon-shifters for years, it was like a dream come true.”

In retrospect, Gina had been naïve. Only human sacrifices could live with the dragon clans, but deep down, she’d believed Travis’s promise about finding a way to be together.