Page 22 of Kidnapped Plus-Size Mate

Is he…

Is he trying to flirt with me?

The unnerving suspicion has a cold shiver running down my spine. If that's his intention, it's not something I can stomach.

He's not Sterling. His attention isn’t the one I seek.

“I—erm—” I stammer uncomfortably. “I suppose it depends on the circumstances. The museum does warrant that kind of passion.”

“I'm sure it does,” the man says as he reaches into his tailored suit jacket and produces a card he holds out to me.

“I believe I have a better endeavor to direct that passion toward,” he smirks. “Come work for me, Miss Torres.”

“Work for you?” I startle, taking the card with a terse hand and frowning. The name “Brandon Hawk” sticks out like a sore thumb in bold, with the words “Fine Art Dealer” printed below.

It’s quite obvious why he wants me to work for him, though I’ve never received such a proposal before.

“You’d be perfect as my assistant, Miss Torres,” the man announces. “I’m willing to double the amount you’re getting here.”

My eyes go back and forth between the man and his business card, a cluster of unruly knots beginning to coil in the pit of my belly. With my frown deepening, I can’t help but wonder why he’d want me to work for him.

Chapter 7 - Stryker

Pacing the floor in my hotel room, I can’t seem to get the kiss out of my mind. Camilla’s heart-shaped, soft lips remain branded on my own, even after a whole night away from her.

The intensity of the pull I felt toward my mate was only strengthened after what happened last night. It took every ounce of self-control to stop myself from taking her into her apartment and ripping that seductive dress off her delicious curves.

Gods! I feel like I’m going insane right now, my fingers tingling with the desire to feel her flesh and make her mine.

I’m so close, yet so far from achieving my goal. If only the Council hadn’t been adamant that I follow the protocol they’d set out, I would have already made her mine.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, I try calming my inner dragon by running a hand through my hair and offering myself some words of affirmation.

Calm down.

Calm the fuck down.

All of which seems to add fuel to the uncontrollable fire that rages deep within me. I can’t calm down. Not when I’ve tasted a teaser of Camilla, and now I’m left wanting for more.

I get it now. This is the reason why Aragon, my older brother, couldn’t go ahead with the Council’s plans for him back then. He thought it was absurd to send his mate, Yazmine, an invitation to Draco and Lily’s wedding in the mortal world and meet her face to face. It’s why my twin brother, Stryder, couldn’t leave his mate, Olivia, to fend for herself when he found her in danger.

It was all nothing more than the primal urge to have their mates by their sides at all times. I thought they were crazy when they kidnapped their mates to the island. But the only thing that’s keeping me sane right now is the thought of sinking between Camilla’s thighs with the hot branding iron of my manhood, to claim her as mine and produce dragonspirit children for the clan.

This whole ordeal is what’s insane. Time and again, my brothers proved that it was only a matter of time before the human women came around and settled into the idea that they were meant to be a dragon’s mate. The only thing preventing me from doing the same is my desire to make my father proud.

Somehow, it’s more than that.

Despite my brothers’ mates eventually coming around, the anger they felt toward my brothers wasn’t something I wanted to feel. I’d hate to see resentment flashing in Camilla’s eyes. Not when it’s the desire I saw glimmering in her eyes last night. That look in those golden hues is something I’ve become addicted to.

Right now, I crave her closeness. I burn to stare into the depths of her eyes and feel her own desire for me as if it’s a tangible facet in the air around us.

I thought I could do the slow-burn romance with Camilla. But my intrinsic beast won’t allow me to stay away for much longer.

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, I think I’ve given Camilla enough time to yearn for me.

The gods know that I’ve had enough time away from her. This slow-burn romance will be the death of my inner dragon, who makes it impossible to stay away for much longer.

I have to see her. My dragon needs to see her, so these flames of longing can be extinguished and I can breathe again.

---