Page 29 of The Dragon Recruit
“Iris?”
A hand touched her thigh, and electricity raced through her body. Her gaze met Antony’s, and he frowned before looking back at the road. “I asked you a question three times, and you never answered. Maybe I should’ve waited to give you the special contacts until later, so I can tell if you’re chatting with your dragon or ignoring me.”
His hand lingered, and for a second, he stroked her inner thigh.
But in the next second, he snatched his hand back, as if he’d been burned. “Pardon. I shouldn’t touch you.”
Her dragon hummed.Yes, he should.
Iris ignored her beast and cleared her throat. “If you vow to never touch me, then what if I fall and to save me, you need to grab my hand?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Aye, but it’s fun to tease you.”
He smiled, glanced at her, and back to the road. “I like you with your metaphorical hair down, Iris. I think you don’t let down your guard enough.”
“And you do?”
“Touché. But if we’re to work together, we should probably stop putting up masks at every opportunity when we’re alone. Deal?”
She studied his profile again. Her gut said this was a bad idea. She already sort of liked him. And if she relaxed, and he still teased and flirted and touched her? She might be stupid enough to open her heart again.
And yet, she pictured Antony leaving a picture with a kitten for a little girl to find on the tube in London, and she instantly wanted to know what else he did, outside of his job.
Or how he’d managed to keep his sense of humor and sanity intact after doing this type of work for so long.
She’d just have to ensure she didn’t let him in too much.
Her dragon sighed but remained quiet.
Iris nodded and answered, “Aye, deal. I’d shake hands, but I’d rather you focus on the road. Single track roads can be a pain to drive.”
“I rather like them because there are fewer arseholes around. Yes, some people don’t know the rules about who pulls over when they meet another car coming the opposite way. But considering the people I’ve had to face over the years, and some of the jobs I’ve had to carry out, it pales in comparison.”
This was her chance to know him better. So she asked, “What was your first assignment? Or maybe your most memorable? Unless you can’t share either without killing me?”
“I would never do anything to endanger you, my dear.”
“So, does that mean your entire past is a secret?”
He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “A lot of it, but not all.”
“Then tell me about one of your most memorable missions.”
Antony remained quiet for over a minute, and Iris wondered if she’d pushed too hard.
But then he said quietly, “The most memorable is the one that got my fiancée killed.”
Chapter Ten
Antony probably shouldn’t have said that. And the longer Iris sat in stunned silence, the more he cursed his mouth and his inability to keep quiet around the dragonwoman.
And yet, there was something about her, something that made him want to confide, that he couldn’t resist. Maybe it was because he’d been doing this job for too long and was losing his edge. Or maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t something he could control.
Maybe he was her true mate.
Since female dragon-shifters couldn’t tell who their true mate was like the male ones could, and a kiss could set off a mate-claim frenzy, Antony should try harder to avoid getting close to her. Because if he was hers and he kissed her on the lips, he would either have to run away or agree to the frenzy and sleep with Iris until she was pregnant.
