NocC 029 - Kendra Leigh Castle - Taming the Dragon - Harlequin 2012-12 Read Free

brought his treasure
home.
    His eyes flicked up to meet hers again. She was terrified.
Acceptable, under normal circumstances, but he wanted information and her fear
would not be useful. He frowned, considering how best to calm her down. Even
now, he had little interest in the nuances of human interaction. In his world,
direct had usually worked.
    “You will be calm,” he growled.
    Her eyes rounded, but the heart pounding against his chest
where they touched didn’t slow. Perhaps if he let her speak...
    “I’m going to take away my hand,” he said. He paused, then
added, “If you scream, I’ll set you on fire.”
    When she stopped breathing altogether to stare at him, Kaden
decided his warning had been effective. Slowly, he uncovered her mouth, still
feeling the sensation of her soft lips on the skin of his palm. He inhaled
deeply, leaning in when he caught her scent. She smelled of pomegranate and
rich, ripe berry. Delicious enough to sink his teeth into...or simply lick into
submission.
    A disconcerting thought. He hadn’t given much thought to
anything but treasure and sleep in a good long time. Centuries, at least.
    The harsh rasp of the woman’s voice, such a contrast to her
beauty, startled him back into the moment.
    “Listen, asshole, I’m just here to make a delivery. If you
don’t let me go, Morgan will have the cops on you before you know what’s
happening. She knows I’m here, so back off. ”
    Kaden pulled back just enough to study her face, which was
ablaze not with terror, as he’d thought, but with fury. Fascinating, that such a
pretty thing would sound like a warrior. Or a dragoness.
    Kaden’s jaw tightened. Finding one of those was something he
definitely didn’t need to think about.
    “You truly came at the behest of Morgan Le Fay,” he said. Not a
question. Just simple amazement. He remembered, with a great deal of irritation,
the visits she had paid his cave many years ago. Shouting at him, trying to
order him about. When she had finally stopped coming, his necklace had been
gone.
    He had learned to ignore her a little too well. He would not
make that mistake again.
    The woman drew in a shaky breath and nodded, her eyes never
leaving his. “I did.”
    “Ridiculous. Why would the witch hire you to stand for her?”
Kaden asked. “You’ve no power. I would know. You’re defenseless.”
    “Witch?” Her eyes, now incredulous, stayed locked with his, and
Kaden felt something long dormant begin to stir within himself: desire. It
caught him entirely off guard. In an instant, he could feel the contours of the
soft female body pressed against his own, all long legs and perfect curves, warm
against him in a way that the treasures he slept among never were.
    Suspicion, his natural state, awakened fully.
    “There must be more. Some condition, some trick. Perhaps she
seeks to lure me away from my treasure and take it for her own by dangling a
pretty treat,” Kaden growled. “Or she is waiting without, preparing to enslave
me somehow. What aren’t you telling me, woman?”
    “My name is Tess,” she bit out. “Not woman. And I’ve just told you everything she told me! Deliver
necklace to the weird rich guy by the river. I don’t know if you’re rich, but
you’re definitely weird. So take the necklace and let me get out of here so I
can get paid!”
    The heat in her voice, the fight in her, pleased him. All of
him. Some parts more than others.
    He bit back a groan, trying to concentrate despite his rapidly
hardening cock. He’d had enough trouble since becoming trapped in this
world—finding good hiding places, avoiding the dragon hunters who sought both
his hoard and his head. His life was blissfully simple as long as he kept his
focus on treasure and sleep. A seduction was out of the question.
    Except...when was the last time he’d found a woman more
compelling than a piece of treasure?
    “Give me the necklace, woman,” Kaden said, troubled by the
answer.
    She pressed her lips