Page 21 of Daddy Billionaire Dragon

“I’m glad you liked it. I loved spending time with you today, Nic,” he says, pulling me into his arms. I don’t resist. My hands are on his chest, and I’m feeling the steady beat of his heart under my palm.

“I set out to charm you, but was charmed by you instead. I love the way your face lights up every time you see or experience something new. You are utterly, utterly enchanting. Never ever change, Nic.”

His words touch me. I blink rapidly to clear away the sudden tears.

“Nic,” he whispers my name with his lips millimeters away from mine. My arms climb up his chest and twine around his neck. He presses my body to his with a hand placed firmly on the small of my back. His eyes are boring into mine with such intensity that I am hypnotized by his gaze. When he dips his head down, I tilt and lift my head to meet his lips.

The kiss is like nothing I’ve experienced before. It was warm, tender, soft, sending bolts of desire coursing through my veins. But underlying the desire is something more, something I can’t yet define. I feel this undeniable pull to him that I know is more than lust. The taste of him coupled with the heat from his kiss is a potent combination. His hand cradles my neck and tilts my head. When he deepens the kiss and our tongues mate, I moan. Neither of us wants to let go or let the kiss end, but eventually, we have to come up for air.

I feel drugged, dazed, drunk. Sudden panic grips my heart. If he can make me feel like this with one kiss, how much more will I feel if I sleep with him? I try to step away from him hastily.

“Don’t apologize, don’t say it shouldn’t have happened,” he warns, tightening his arms around my waist.

I open and close my mouth like a fish out of water. Words refuse to form.

“Come home with me,” he says, holding me captive with his intense gaze.

“I can’t,” I mumble, looking away.

“Why not?” he demands.

“I’m sorry, Lex. We’ve been over this,” I reach around me and pry his arms loose. He doesn’t resist. I hate myself for disappointing him, but self-preservation comes first.

For a moment, his jaw tenses, but then he smiles. I exhale in relief. But my relief is short-lived.

“I am not giving up, Nic.”

“Lex…”

“No! What are you so afraid of? We are two consenting adults with healthy sexual urges. It’s only a bit of fun! It’s not like we have to marry each other!”

His words feel like a knife in my gut. Tears spring unbidden to my eyes. I quickly turn away from him to hide them. What he says makes perfect sense, but what about the fact that I’m already feeling something for Lex?

“I don’t want to complicate matters. I had to end things with my boyfriend of three years a couple of months back. I am not looking for a relationship right now,” I whisper, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.

He turns me around so that I’m facing him again.

“And neither am I. We are extremely attracted to each other and that’s it. That’s what we are exploring. No messy relationships. Sort of like friends with benefits,” he insists, perhaps rather too vehemently.

Why do his words hurt so much? Didn’t he feel what I felt with that kiss? Didn’t he feel the connection?

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

I turn away, pretending to look at the city lights in order to hide my tears. I cannot let this get out of hand.

***

Few thousand miles away…

The man with the matted blond hair and the long, unkempt beard moved closer to the fire he had built in the cave. His torso, covered in strange tattoos, was naked. The bottom half of his body was covered in tattered old rags that might have been a respectable pair of jeans at one time. His eyes were slightly unfocused as he stared into the fire.

Sometimes, he saw her face in it, and at other times, he felt her beside him in the dark, damp cave that had been his home for the last couple of years. She also came to him in his dreams and spoke to him. He lived for those moments.

She understood his life purpose like nobody else did. Hadn’t she guided the other dragon shifters to him? Hadn’t he taught them the dangers of seeking a mate? Hadn’t he saved their lives? They were eternally grateful to him. He knew they were, even if some of them, especially the younger ones, thought he was mad. But he didn’t mind them thinking it. He knew he was insane.

Mad people denied that they were mad. It was thought to be a sign of insanity. So if he knew that he was mad, did that make him sane or insane? He’d bet the best philosophers wouldn’t be able to solve this quandary. He giggled gleefully. His brain surprised him sometimes with its amazing ability for reason and logic.

He threw a dried wooden stick from the pile next to him into the fire. But his brain had never helped him in the search for his followers. That was his gut. And his gut had told him that a dragon shifter risked being ensnared to a soul mate. He had sent two of his followers to New York a couple of days ago. They were due to arrive any time now. Ah, there they were!

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