Page 12 of Desired By the Dragon

“There’ll be other guys,” Taz said, patting my hand. “Your friend there certainly seems interested.” She nodded to where Max stood and I turned in time to see him walking away, back into the fray of baby dragons and flustered moms.

I shrugged. It seemed wrong, somehow, to be talking about my encounter last night whilst also admiring the way Max’s broad shoulders filled out his overcoat. Typically, I was a one-man kind of girl, even if they didn’t always offer me that same respect.

“Maybe it’s just a sign that I should stick to the plan. No men, good decisions only.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “That means no abandoning me in places full of temptation.”

Taz snorted. “I’ll try. But you’re not the only one riding the heatwave at the moment, babe — and that wolf shifter knew how to scratch an itch.” She stood up and dumped her cup in the trash, pausing to allow an oblivious kid run past before she sat back down. “My advice? Your tattooed mystery man was right. Find someone to ride this out with. Emphasis on the ride.”

I laughed but didn’t bother to reply to the rest of her teasing words. It just wasn’t a good idea. After Derek, and being arrested again, I couldn’t risk falling into trouble — and certainly not so close to home. “Maybe,” I said, when it was clear she expected a response, and then let the conversation drop.

One thing was for sure, this was going to be the hardest month of my life.

* * *

The Crow’s Nest was busy at this time in the morning, earlier than I’d usually have stopped in — but with the dragon’s heat now in full swing, I was feeling… antsy.

So, I’d opted to get out of the house, get moving, walking, anything to burn off some of the restless energy that filled my body with a buzzing right down to my bones. I’d planned to stay sequestered away at home, safe, where I couldn't make any bad decisions.

That had gone out of the window pretty quickly.

I squinted at the blonde girl behind the counter as I waited for my coffee to go. Sitting in would have probably been too much of a temptation. There was one barista busing tables that my eyes kept straying to, his slutty little man-bun pulling me in.

“Cinnamon latte for Kiernan?”

I stepped up and smiled at the girl who’d made my drink, still not sure where I recognized her from — it was a small town, so I’d probably been to school with her or something, but a hundred years was a long time to remember some kid from pre-K. She looked young, but so did I. That was the thing with Indigo Cove, you never knew quite what might be lurking under someone’s skin.

The paper cup warmed my palm pleasantly as I hastily turned away, avoiding the incoming man-bun before he could get too close and my hormones could take over.

It was a weird sensation. I was me but a little wilder — a terrifying prospect, since caution and restraint had never been my strong suit.

Keeping my head down, I walked quickly over to the door and fumbled pushing it open before I remembered it was a ‘pull’. The glass windows had steamed up, making the scenery outside drip down the panes in a muffled blur, and too late I realized someone was waiting on the other side of the door, hidden beneath condensation and a cheerful autumn wreath.

“Crap,” I muttered, barely steadying my coffee before it could spill out all over the poor person I’d nearly flattened. “Sorry about that, I didn’t—” I glanced up and froze, lips parted and words caught in my throat before I managed to clear it.

Blue eyes ensnared mine, a teasing smile curving plush lips that had my entire body flooding with warmth and tension.

Dragon, my instincts purred.

Max, my mind blurted.

“No worries, at least you didn’t spill any.” He laughed and I stared dumbly, something about his smile, that mouth… “Are you okay?”

I blinked, realizing he’d been quiet for a few seconds and I’d been silent for too long. “Yeah, sorry. Long day.” There was another beat of silence as we silently acknowledged that it was barely 11AM and I was clearly talking bullshit. “I’ll, ah, get out of your way,” I murmured, stepping to the left at the same as him and shuddering when his warmth washed over me.

When I looked up, he was standing closer than I’d expected, close enough for me to see the way his dark lashes curled perfectly and the carved fierceness of his cheekbones, shadowed by the upturned collar of his coat.

“You,” I whispered, the truth dawning on me as he brushed his dark hair out of his face and revealed a glimpse of a dark watch on his wrist. “You,” I growled and he bit his lip like he was hiding a smile.

“So you really didn’t remember,” he commented, backing up a little and then halting in place. I glanced down and was shocked to see my own hand holding him hostage, a shimmer of orange visible across my fingers and claws where my nails should be. It took concentrated effort for me to release him. “I had wondered if you were just feeling awkward and pretending not to recognize me,” he continued and I could feel warmth in my cheeks that I was glad he ignored. Everyone’s self-control was a little shaky right now, at least all the dragons. And yet, he looked calm, grounded.

Annoying.

“I wasn’t pretending anything,” I snapped. “I remember what happened, just not who happened, and it was barely worth remembering anyway,” I rambled, ignoring the little voice inside my head that sing-songed lie, lie, lie, with a bit too much glee.

He raised a thick brow, shoving his hands deep inside the pockets of his long coat, but looked mostly unfazed by my harsh words. “Fair enough. I didn’t think you’d had that much to drink.” I hadn’t. He must have read the answer on my face because he nodded. “Ah. I see. First heat? I remember a lot of my first one was a blur too. Your instincts take over, inhibitions run low…” He shrugged. “It’s pretty common. So don’t beat yourself up about lowering your standards, you don’t need to feel bad.”

Was that a taunt in his voice? “I’m not.” The words were blunt and my tone was tight as I found myself watching the way his mouth moved instead of what he was saying. This was bad.

Really fucking bad.