Page 35 of Tempting Her Dragons

“I’ll take it.” I sit back on my heels, and he lets out a breath. He thinks it’s over. I pull him forward, and his knees hit the ground as I bring my elbow up at the same time. His nose cracks when it impacts, and his blood flows down his face. He gasps for breath. “Before you leave, I will get your name and address. Don’t make me find you by doing something stupid.” I let go, and he falls on his ass. “Nod, if you understand.” I can’t tell if he nods or it’s the severe trembling. Close enough.

I stand slowly, noticing the wide eyes focused my way. The Alpha panther, Jax, walks through the bodies easily, along with his brothers. He holds my eyes, and I wait for his reaction.

“We’ll take it from here,” he says, gripping the crying man by his hair and pulling him from the floor.

“You have blood on your elbow,” Blue, his brother, says easily.

“Here,” the other brother, James, says, handing me a cloth. “I always carry them. Blue doesn’t like assholes.”

“Thanks,” I say, a little confused by their acceptance.

“Finally, some blood,” River grins. “These gatherings have gotten boring. Way too normal.” He takes a big bite of a cupcake.

“Great, more memories to change,” Bash says. “I should start charging.” He moves toward the humans in the area, along with Micah and Ryker.

“So hot,” Sally says in Saphira’s ear. “You better get some of that.” She points to me. “And I’ll get our drinks.” She wiggles her eyebrows and moves to the bar.

I wait for Saphira’s reaction. I never want to scare her.

“Were you watching my ass?” she asks, walking forward.

“Yes.” She doesn’t stop until her breasts brush against my chest.

“I like your eyes on me,” she whispers.

“Good. They will be all the time.”

She slides her hands up my chest, yanks me by the collar, and puts her lips on mine.

I let her control the kiss. It starts slow but quickly goes wild. Her hands move up to my hair and grip. I hold her close, my palms sliding over her ass. Her heat begs to be satisfied, and if we weren’t in a room full of people, I would throw her down and fuck her. A kiss was never important to me; the act was just something you did when you were with a woman. Sure, it could be pleasant, but I didn’t need it. With Saphira, I could kiss her for days and never tire of her luscious mouth. She uses her whole body when she presses her lips against mine. She makes little noises in the back of her throat that drive me nuts.

“Fuck, that’s enough,” Laken grunts.

She pulls back and licks her lips. “Sally was right. That was hot.” She surprises the fuck out of me.

“Good job, brother,” King says. He squeezes my shoulder and takes Saphira’s hand with his other. “Will you stay by us for a while?” he asks her, but it’s more of a demand.

“Such a hardship,” she smirks and slides her hand in mine.

We turn as a unit, and I catch the gaze of Heath. He nods and walks away.

Shit, I got the approval of a beast.

Once we take our seats, Sally struts over with the drinks. Everyone starts a conversation again as if nothing odd happened. King holds the coyote’s phone, scowling while he goes through the pictures.

“King,” Quinn calls, and we turn to him. “Would you trust me with the phone?”

“Why?” King asks. He doesn’t mean to be rude; he genuinely wants the answer.

“I run an investigation agency. I could dig into his life and his pictures. I could find out if he has done this all the time. How many women? Does he hit up all the clubs? Or is there more to this?” Quinn explains, clearly not taking offense. He is the kind of man who likes things straightforward.

“What do you do at your agency? Exactly,” King says.

“I help catch cheating spouses and missing people. The other side is complicated. We help women get away from men who abuse them.” He leans forward. “It’s a delicate balance between the shifter world and dealing with human police.”

“Interesting,” King mutters. “I deleted Saphira’s picture, but it would be good to ensure others aren’t being subjected to his interest.” He holds the phone out. “Would you be willing to let me know how it goes? Maybe have a conversation about your business sometime?”

“I will.” Quinn puts the phone in his pocket. “Anytime you want to talk, I’m willing.”

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