Dragon's Heart, Volume 1 Read online

  By the time Troy had sorted everything out so he could get those few free days with his mate, it was time to pick Amy up.

  Chapter 7

  Amy roused from her sleep to hear Wendy moaning. “Oh God, make it go away, it’s too bloody early. What the hell is that?”

  “It’s the door, you plonker.” Amy chuckled, hearing another knock. Pushing back the quilt, she threw a pillow at Wendy with a flick of her wrist.

  She went to the door and looked through the peephole, gasping when she saw several people outside their door holding vases of flowers.

  “Wendy, you gotta see this,” she said, opening the door a little.

  “Miss White?” a tall brunette in a smart uniformed suit asked.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “Hi. My name is Charlotte, and I’m the duty manager at the hotel today. Sorry to disturb you this early, but we had a request that you receive these before you went off to your courses this morning. May we bring them in?”

  Amy opened the door and snatched up her robe, seeing the same startled look on Wendy’s face that she was sure was on her own.

  Four men walked in past Charlotte who was now holding their door open, each of them carrying crystal vases filled with long-stemmed red roses, each vase adorned with a red bow tied around them. The perfume scent of them quickly filled the room.

  Both Wendy and Amy ran over to look at the gifts, searching for a card, as Charlotte and the men left quietly.

  “Oh my God,” Wendy squealed. “What does it say?” she asked, bouncing on her tiptoes as Amy pulled a small card out of a crisp, white envelope.

  My goddess,

  These remind me of you.

  Petals soft as your skin.

  Red like your freshly kissed lips.

  Scent as sweet as your essence.

  Bloom—a smile that flourishes as it grows.

  Until tonight, my mate.

  Tears pooled in her eyes as she read the card. It felt like he was handing his heart to her. Was this really how he saw her?

  “Wow! That’s so sweet!” Wendy said, comically pretending to hurl in a waste bin.

  Plopping down on the edge of the bed as her knees became weak, Amy reread the card over and over. Her heart beat faster. A rose was suddenly shoved under her nose. She looked up to see another long-stemmed rose between Wendy’s teeth, a beaming grin on her mischievous face.

  “You’re a dork.” Amy chuckled.

  “Yeah, yeah. Come on, lover woman. Now that we’re up, let’s get ready.” With a twirl she danced off to the bathroom, the rose still in her mouth.

  The friends went to the first course in the morning with no complaints, but by lunchtime they were flagging. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors left poor Melanie and Sarah going to the later ones and taking notes, giving Amy, Wendy, and Bobbie time to shirk off and nap the afternoon away.

  * * * *

  Troy’s driver pulled up outside the hotel and walked around the car to open his door.

  Troy felt calm, considering. He knew from the security team that Amy was still there, but the question was, would she be meeting him tonight? He strode into the foyer like he owned the place, long strong strides, all the while looking around for her. As he turned toward the bar, the elevator doors dinged and there she stood.

  Her long, blonde hair was down and flowing free. She wore a long, white dress, the v-neck lace overlay showing just a hint of her breasts. He could see silver wedged sandals peeking from underneath her dress. It wasn’t until she took a step forward that he could see silver ribbons criss-crossing up her very fine legs to her knees. It was the slit up the side of her dress to her thigh that had his cock turning to rock in a second. He could see her creamy skin, all the way up. He let out an inner groan as her head rose and she looked straight into his eyes. He could definitely hammer nails now!

  She seemed to pause until the elevator doors began to slide close. Her face tipped down as her cheeks colored a lovely shade of red when she stood in front of him. He smiled as he wondered what was going through her head.

  “Was that a dirty thought?” he asked, leaning in and gently kissing her heated cheek.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she challenged. “Thank you for those lovely roses this morning. It was a wonderful surprise. Getting them home will be quite umm...fun.” She smiled.

  A spasm of pain shot through his heart at the thought of her being away from him again. Home was where he was!

  His dragon perked up. No leave! Tie her to your bed if you have to.

  He gestured toward the revolving hotel doors where his car sat waiting. His hand connected on the small of her back as they walked.

  “I hope you don’t mind but I wanted you all to myself, so I arranged for a chef to come over and cook at my penthouse.”

  “A chef? Penthouse?” she asked, startled. “I...Umm...I would have been happy with a simple burger or something, you didn’t have to go that extravagant.”

  “Only the best for my goddess,” he replied with a wink.

  He watched her avidly while they drove through the night city. Bright neon lights that were hidden during the day were now brightening up the dark sky. Her eyes sparkled at the display as if she had never seen them before.

  “It’s been years since I’ve seen this,” she said softly. “We used to live in a high-rise tower. We would often curl up with a blanket and sit on the tiny balcony, people watching. Some of the things the teenage kids did in the park had us laughing. We would watch the city come alive at night. Colored light in some places, house lights flicking on and off as people moved between rooms. We would make up stories about us living in one of those places.” A look of grief came over her face.

  “We?” he asked with a little regret, not wanting to hurt her.

  “My brother and I,” she replied, turning toward him with a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

  He watched her eyes well up, a single tear escaping and falling down her face. Raising his hand, he chased and caught the clear runaway.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “I still miss him.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was killed five years ago. We only had each other.”

  “No parents?”

  “Not ones worthwhile,” she snorted. “I brought my brother up, we coped together.”

  Thinking about what his mother had asked earlier in the day, he grimaced. “Speaking of parents, my mother is cooking a roast tomorrow and asked if you would come along to meet her and my father.”

  “We’re leaving to go home tomorrow, late afternoon, so I’m not sure there will be enough time.”

  “We will make it.” He smiled, gently caressing her cheek, leaning in and whispering a kiss along her lips.

  Chapter 8

  Troy’s residence was stunning. Amy didn’t get to see the place much the night she had stayed. To be honest, she hadn’t been much interested in anything but the man who had driven her sexually mad on the drive there. Not even in the morning had she paid much attention. Sneaking out quietly or being plain invisible was something she was an expert at.

  Black marble covered the floors throughout the place. There were two floor-to-ceiling walls of windows on either side of the room. She could see most of London.

  The penthouse was cavernous; it was split into two by an opaque wall with double glass doors in the center of it. In the main area as you walked in was a step-down area that had four huge couches in a square, with a solid glass table in the middle. To the right, just in front of a massive flat screen television securely bolted to the glass wall, was a mini-bar with four barstools.

  To the left of the double glass doors was the kitchen, which she assumed had all the up-to-date gadgets. The chef he had hired for the evening was chopping and slicing away, seemingly oblivious to them.

  A dining table, which was currently decorated with candles and cutlery and dinnerware, ran up the left side of the room. Through the double glass doors was a small hallw
ay. Troy led her down it, giving her a tour of the house. There were three guest bedrooms, several bathrooms, and a home office.

  The master bedroom was at the end of the hallway. It too had double frosty glass doors. The room also had three floor-to-ceiling walls of windows. Damn, this man loved his glass! In the center of the room on top of a step-up platform was a king-size bed with deep red, silk sheets draped over it. Her body grew heated at the memories of being fucked quite thoroughly through the night she had been there.

  When it was time to eat, Troy held out her chair for her to sit in and pushed it gently in when she was seated. The aroma coming from the kitchen was making her stomach growl.

  Quiet, classical music played as background noise while they ate. Over the several courses they talked, telling each other about their jobs and lives. He told her about his club, and she talked about the children she watched over. A vast contrast. She noticed he liked to touch her, his hand often reaching over to caress any part of uncovered skin, his knee touching hers underneath the table.

  “I want to ask you a question, as I’ve been curious since you first called me it,” Amy said with a blush to her cheeks as she looked deeply into his eyes. “You called me mate, said that’s what I was to you. What does it mean?”

  The dimples in his cheeks deepened as he smiled, his eyes glittering. “You are my one and only, the woman I would die for. Protect until my dying days. The one I will rest with forever and a day. Mine! The one that will hold my heart in her hands to destroy if you so wished. You will be the one I gift with my seed and watch you grow with our younglings.”

  Ours!

  She melted on the spot. The wall around her heart loosened its hold on some of its tightly packed bricks. “You mean this? Really? Why? You don’t know me.”

  “It’s how it’s meant to be. You are the greatest treasure a man like me could ever hope to find. I will explain more tomorrow, at my beach house. I want to show you everything about me. Now, let me ask you a question...do you believe in love at first sight?”

  “No.” She answered without even pausing. “Love is like trust, it grows, it has to be earned.”

  * * * *

  “Baby,” Troy growled, moving closer, his lips faintly touching hers, his eyes looking straight into hers. “I’m going to show you more love than you can imagine.”

  His gaze dropped to her lips as the tip of her tongue ran along her bottom one, leaving it glistening. He moved quickly, slamming his lips on hers, breathing in her small gasp. One of his hands automatically threaded through her hair at the back of her neck, pulling it toward him. His cock that had been at half-mast most of the meal was now painfully hard. Their tongues met and entwined around each other. His hand wandered up the slit of her dress, along the inside of her thighs, and he could already feel the heat coming from her core.

  “Stay with me tonight,” he begged. “Stay and let me love you, let me show you just a little of what we can be like together.”

  His fingers now very lightly grazed over her damp panties, pressing in just above her clit. She groaned, thrusting her hips harder into his fingers while dropping her head to the side so he could further kiss down her neck. He breathed in deeply, taking all of her scent in. Lavender, honey, and just a hint of...

  His dragon suddenly came alive, purring, bouncing, and clawing at his skin. Excited. Troy had to pause for a second.

  Youngling! Youngling! Youngling!

  Enough! Let me deal with it, he snapped at his dragon that was now more than excited, it was positively ecstatic. The stupid thing was rolling and squirming around on its back, purring loudly.

  Troy turned his attention back to his mate. He breathed in her fragrance again, burying his nose deeply into her neck, reining in his dragon as he went.

  Yes, his dragon was right! His seed must have taken inside of her the night they had spent together. The night he had mated her.

  As he kissed her neck his lips ran over her mating mark. He slid his tongue over the four small bumps where his fangs had slipped into her skin as they had both orgasmed, releasing dragon venom into her blood. This only happened when a shifter found their mate. A human mate would have an extended life and live as long as the dragon shifter. A bond was created at the same time—a small, thin wisp of magic that connected the two, leaving them able to communicate through emotions. In very rare cases, they were able to talk to each other telepathically.

  Dragon shifters also had quicker pregnancies, six months to a human’s nine. Which was now another thing he would have to tell her...tomorrow. Tonight he just wanted to love her. To have her in his arms as they slept and this time waking to her.

  The word “Yes” came out a breathless whisper. It was that that brought him out of his thoughts. Shifting one of his hands underneath her knees and the other to the middle of her back, he lifted her with ease, still kissing and nuzzling her neck.

  “Oh, goddess,” he sighed and carried her through the double glass doors.

  * * * *

  Amy flew in the air for a few seconds, the lace on the dress she wore billowing around her. With a small bounce she lay in the middle of his bed. Troy looked down at her with hunger in his green eyes. Her pussy dripped with her cream, and her clit throbbed. She wanted him, she needed him inside of her. What was it about this man, could it be love? Her musing was stripped from her in a flash when he crawled up the bed, just as naked as the day he was born.

  Huh! She’d missed him undressing!

  She could see he was very aroused. The mushroom-shaped head atop of his long, thick shaft dripped with pre-cum. God, he was big! His now naked chest with the smattering of hair on it, glistened a little in the moonlight coming in from the walls of windows that surrounded them. His six-pack rippled as he crept up her body. With his tanned, toned legs on either side of hers he pulled up her dress, lifting it up and over her now raised arms, leaving her in just the lacy, pink underwear set she had chosen, with the girls’ help, of course.

  “Oh, baby, it’s like seeing you for the first time.” He leaned down and pulled down one of her bra cups with his teeth, his tongue circling her hard nipple, sucking it into his mouth and teasing it with his teeth.

  Arching her back, she pushed her breast further into his mouth and let out a moan. She was so sensitive.

  “That’s it, baby, let me hear you.”

  While moving to concentrate on her other breast, one of his fingers dipped inside her panties and ripped them from her body. She didn’t care. Her hips rose to meet his fingers, feeling them slide between her very wet folds. He circled around her small, swollen bud, moving faster and faster. Shifting higher up to kiss her, he drove his tongue into her mouth, fucking it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer, his iron rod of a penis touching her stomach. One of his fingers glided inside of her, making her squirm. Pulling away from his lips, she arched again and panted for air.

  “Please,” she begged. “So close...”

  He withdrew his hand and she whimpered. She gripped his shoulders and gasped as he pumped two fingers back inside her, curling them to the hidden nerves inside her pussy. She went off like a rocket. Her neck arched on the bed, and her channel clenched at his fingers, pulling at them as he withdrew and then slid them back in. She curled her toes and closed her eyes, relishing in the orgasm. The pain of a bite to her breast threw her into another one, leaving her lying there like overcooked pasta.

  She opened her eyes when Troy moved over her and placed his cock at her entrance. He moved it up and down through her folds, teasing and tantalizing her. Then he gently pushed inside her. She looked up into his piercing eyes as he slowly drove deeper. Her arms lifted and enfolded around his neck. Her legs curled around his waist, trying to pull him deeper. It was maddening, he was going so slow.

  “Troy, move, please. I need you all the way inside me.”

  “Oh no, my little goddess, we have to go slowly. I want to remember this. I want to make it last.”

  She wa
tched as he looked down between them to see his cock slide inside her. She’d felt like jelly a few moments ago, her limbs like wet noodles. But as he pushed inside her, she wanted more. She wanted it now. But not even the strength she had left in her legs wrapping tightly around him could make him advance any faster.

  Raising her head, she licked at his skin. Salty. Smoky. Troy! She ducked her head to one of his nipples, taking it in her mouth and rubbing it between her teeth. She inhaled with a gasp as his cock reached the top of her sex, his hips pushing her deep into the bed. Her body was on fire.

  “Please,” she pleaded. “Please move.”

  With a knowing smirk, he withdrew until the end of his shaft was just inside of her, teasing her. His eyes looked straight into hers, and another small, tantalizing grin rose on his face. “You want more, baby?” he asked, his voice husky.

  “No, you can stop now,” she teased, but the grin left her face as he plundered forward, sweeping the breath from her lungs. Her hair flew around, hiding her face. She pushed it out of her way to see him.

  His control now broken, he fucked her...hard. In and out, rubbing each and every nerve in her cunt with his cock. He pulled one of her knees, raising it further up his body, pushing in deeper. They both groaned. He continued hitting the top of her cervix every time he entered her.

  His sure and steady strokes became uneven, more erratic. Placing a hand between them, he pinched her swollen clit and rammed in hard, one final time. He roared and she screamed his name. Both of them in orgasmic euphoria together.

  Chapter 9

  Troy watched his mate sleeping beside him, her long, blonde hair flowing over the pillow. The peace on her face was serene. He pulled the sheet up around her, looking at that creamy, pert breast that had peeked out. He wouldn’t be able to let her sleep much longer if he had to keep looking at it.