The Bride Hunt Box Set: Books 1-3

by Charlene Hartnady

  He nodded. “Burgers and french fries, pizza, tacos and brownies.”

  Her stomach growled again, louder this time. “Yum.” Not that the food up until then had been bad or anything. It was just all so healthy. Meat and salad. Although healthy was good, sometimes a little ‘unhealthy’ was required and today was one of those days.

  “My males will bring back sushi when they go to town tomorrow to pick up your supplies.”

  She felt her cheeks heat. “You’re going to send a bunch of guys to buy the stuff for me?”

  He nodded, a frown appeared on his forehead. “Is that a problem? Two males will go and get you your list of items.”

  “I put a couple of feminine things on the list. I guess I don’t mind. I feel a bit sorry for them though.” She giggled, putting her hand in front of her mouth. She could just imagine how it would look. A pair of big burly guys were going to have to buy her tampons and underwear. There were also some steamy romance novel titles and a woman’s magazine or two on the list. There were one or two others things on there that she suddenly wished she had left off. She could just picture how the checkout person’s mouth would gape.

  Torrent shrugged as he put the tray down on the table. He pulled a chair out and motioned for her to sit. “You require the items. They will collect them. There is nothing to be ashamed about. I had a look at the list myself.”

  Her cheeks went from hot to inferno. Candy took a seat across from him, she busied herself with dishing up her food.

  Oh shit!

  He’d looked at the list!

  He was going to get the wrong idea. Arghhhhh!

  When she finally looked up, she met Torrent’s amused gaze. She looked down at her plate and lifted her fork.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  Oh god, Candy had piled her plate high. A whole burger, two slices of pizza and a taco. There was just no way in hell she was eating all of this. No damned way.

  Her mind was on other things. “Starving,” she managed to eke out. Suddenly her stomach felt wound into knots. She took a bite of the pizza anyway.

  Torrent grabbed a plate and helped himself to one of the burgers and some fries. He put the food onto his plate and then paused. When she snuck a peek at him he was looking at her strangely, his head was cocked to the side.

  “What’s wrong?” She instantly regretted the question.

  Torrent pushed his plate of food forward and folded his arms, leaning them on the table. “You’re embarrassed that I looked at the list. I can tell by the way your heart is racing. Your cheeks are bright red and you won’t look at me.”

  She shrugged. “I’m fine.”

  “You are embarrassed and greatly so …” He leaned back in his chair. “I can see it.”

  “I suppose I should have known that you would take a look. I guess I am a bit embarrassed.” Make that hugely embarrassed. You would swear she was an inexperienced virgin.

  “You shouldn’t be …” he paused. “Did I overstep the boundaries? I didn’t think it would make you so uncomfortable or I would never…”

  “It’s fine.” They were both adults. She managed to sort of smile and took another small bite of her pizza. “I’m okay with it.” Not at all! Yes, she was. She was an adult, dammit. They both were.

  “I’m glad you put condoms on there.” His voice sounded a little husky. He looked deadly serious. Torrent licked his lips, she watched the slow glide of his tongue over his lower lip.

  Then what he’d said registered. Oh god! Ground swallow me whole. Him looking at the list was one thing but she didn’t exactly want to talk about it.

  “There you go again. Your cheeks have turned seriously red.” He gave a small shake of the head. “You have nothing to feel embarrassed about. You’re making me repeat myself here.” He gave her a half-smile. The guy sure was sexy. Far too sexy. Torrent leaned forward, the smile disappeared and his eyes narrowed. “I’m fucking thrilled you put them on there. It means—”

  “Don’t get any ideas. It’s just precautionary. I don’t have sex without a condom especially since I can no longer get my pill prescription filled.”

  “You mean pills so that you can’t become pregnant?” He didn’t look happy.

  “Look, just because I’m getting some condoms doesn’t mean we’ll be using them any time soon, and by the way, they work perfectly well at preventing pregnancy too.”

  He frowned, looking confused.

  “I can see you’re not happy that my pill prescription ran out. Like I said, condoms work just as well. In fact, they work better since they also prevent STD’s.”

  “Firstly … I don’t want you taking pills to prevent pregnancy. Secondly … I don’t want to use condoms—” he put up his hand when she tried to talk, “but I would do so in a heartbeat if it would make you feel better. I want to fully claim you. I also want to start a family as soon as possible. We can’t give each other any STDs and I can scent when you are in heat. Humans call it ovulating.”

  She dropped the pizza back onto her overfull plate, glad she wasn’t swallowing because it would’ve made her choke. “Back up about a hundred miles, please. We’re not even properly married … mated. I haven’t even wrapped my head around that yet. Pregnancy and children?” She swallowed hard. “We need to get to know each other much better before we can take the whole mating step let alone to bring a helpless child into the world.” She struggled to pull air into her lungs. It felt like someone was sitting on her chest. “I didn’t have the best upbringing. My dad had a ton of affairs. My mom was … is an insecure wreck because of it.”

  Torrent clenched his fists and his jaw tightened. “That is when one of the mated pair ruts with someone else without their partner’s consent?”

  She nodded. “Yup. He finally ran off with one of the women. I was still very young. I never saw him again. After he left, my mom went through boyfriends like she did underwear. She had zero confidence and needed a partner to bolster her. She’s far too clingy and chases guys away. I hated my father for leaving but I missed him just as fiercely. I do want kids of my own …”

  Torrent seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief. He visibly relaxed, his attention on her. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Thing is …” she went on, “it’s important that I be in a stable relationship. I want a father for my child. I want—”

  Torrent reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “That’s good,” he smiled. “I want the same things. Dragons mate for life. There would be no divorce, no running away. I plan on being there for my children and supporting my mate. I would never leave you or our babies. It’s as simple as that.”

  “I want love and that doesn’t just happen, Torrent. We’re attracted to one another but it takes time for those other emotions to develop. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve explored this a bit more before—”

  “Before taking the plunge,” he finished the sentence for her.

  “Yeah.”

  “We are going to be just fine, Candy.” He squeezed her hand. “Let’s just forget about all the serious stuff and concentrate on getting to know one another.” His face had become animated, filled with boyish charm. It was appealing. She was sure that he didn’t show this side of himself often.

  Her throat tightened and that sensation of having her chest compressed increased. “We can’t have sex though.” Why the hell had she said that? Why did she keep bringing it up? It was like she was trying to convince him … no to convince herself. No. Sex. With. Torrent. Not yet anyway.

  He chuckled softly.

  Candy pulled her hand from his. She had to stand and reach up in order to give him a light slap on the arm. “It’s not funny. We’re dating … no, make that living together. We’re attracted to one another but we can’t have sex because that would mean instant marriage. It’s completely nuts. What if it happens by accident and we both regretted it?” She sucked deep breaths in and out, trying not to lose it.

  “I wouldn’t regret it.” He looked
so damned sure. “Not a chance.” Oh god! He looked like he loved the idea of them being together … like that … forever. Her whole chest tightened all over again and this time in a different way.

  No! This was all happening too quickly. “You can’t know that.”

  “It’s hard for you to comprehend but it’s true. Look, if it will make you more comfortable, if we decide to have sex, we need to first take a cold shower, if we both still want to proceed after the shower then…”

  She laughed. It bubbled up unexpectedly from inside her. It felt good. Really good. “You’re serious? A cold shower.”

  Although he was smiling she could see that he meant it. “Yes. If we take a freezing cold shower ‒ and trust me when I tell you that mountain water is fresh ‒ if we shower and are still game, then nothing will happen without thinking it through first. We won’t be able to regret anything.”

  “Deal.” She felt a lot better and even picked up her burger and took a small bite.

  “Deal.” His gaze locked with hers. There was a lift to his mouth and a strange look in his eyes.

  Candy swallowed and took another bite. It was juicy and really delicious, she tried to ignore the way that Torrent was looking at her.

  “Just for the record …” He took a sip of his water, that mischievous glint was still out in full force.

  She made a humming noise to let him know that she was all ears.

  “We don’t have to rut in order to explore each other sexually.”

  Bring on the choking. Candy put her hand over her mouth. She coughed and spluttered and then coughed and spluttered some more.

  “It’s not something we need to talk about right now, but keep it in the back of your mind. Also, I will wait for you. I’m not making the first move.”

  Candy took a long drink of her water and nodded. “Okay.” Her voice was high-pitched.

  “Why were you abducted?”

  That was an odd question. “What do you mean? You guys took me. You know why. To mate and impregnate me, I guess.” She shivered.

  “I keep forgetting that you were never briefed the way you should have been. I will follow up with Blaze. It seems he is reluctant to punish those she-dragons.” Torrent grit his teeth, looking pissed for a moment or two. “We didn’t just take anyone; human females were specially earmarked. There were several criteria that needed to be met, things like age, fertility, a female needed to be unmated and without young. I’ve told you some of this already …” he paused. “There were also other reasons why the five of you were ultimately chosen, we looked for females in need of rescuing. We wanted to try and give you all a second chance. As much as we needed you, we wanted this to be mutually beneficial.”

  Their reasoning might be skewed but they weren’t a bad bunch, these dragon shifters. When she didn’t say anything, he leaned back in his chair. “Why did you need saving? What happened to you, Candy?”

  Candy picked up her water and held it, she rested the glass on the table in front of her. “I didn’t need saving …” she chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, “not really, I would’ve been fine.”

  “You can talk to me. Tell me about your old life.” Torrent picked up his burger. “You wouldn’t be here if everything was fine.”

  Candy swallowed hard. For whatever reason, she didn’t feel comfortable talking to him about Ellis and what she did for a living. Not yet. If she was honest with herself, she felt ashamed. She was worried about how he would react. What would he think of her? She’d never been ashamed before. Why now?

  “Okay.” He must have sensed her reluctance. “Start with something simple. Tell me something about yourself.”

  She took a sip of the water and put the glass back down. “Well, you already know my favorite foods.” She smiled widely. “I try and eat healthy though. I exercise every day. I love being outdoors …”

  His whole demeanor stiffened. “I’m sorry you’re stuck in here.” He smiled. “Maybe I can take you out tomorrow. We would need to sneak out though, I don’t want anyone following us, or accidentally catching your scent.”

  Out? No way! “That would be amazing. I would love to go to the beach.” She had a thought. “Could you add a bathing suit to the list of items. I would love to go swimming.”

  Torrent’s eyes darkened. “I could do that.” He cleared his throat. “No problem.” It didn’t help, his voice came out sounding just as rough. “I would love to take you swimming. I might just be willing to kill to see you in a bathing suit.” He said the last more to himself than to her. “What else?” His eyes snapped back to hers.

  “My favorite color is …” she lifted her eyes in thought, “green. I’m a nature and an animal lover,” she added. Most people liked blue or red. People hardly ever love green.

  “Of course it is.” He smirked and gave his chest a rub, smoothing his fingers over his golden tattoo. It had beautiful green swirls within the golden depths. It was truly beautiful. “I like that green is your favorite.”

  “A complete coincidence.”

  “Is it?” His gaze was intense and disarming. She could drown in those eyes of his.

  “I didn’t know they could make tattoos that color. It’s really amazing.” The need to touch rose up in her but she suppressed it.

  Torrent smiled. “They don’t. We’re born with our markings. Royal dragons are born with gold. I’m a water dragon, that is why I have green markings within the gold.”

  “That’s interesting. We’ve been told very little about your species. How long do you guys live?”

  He smiled. “I think my answer would scare you.” He took a bite of his burger.

  “Why? Are you an old man beneath all of that muscled exterior?”

  Torrent swallowed. “By human standards, I’d already be dead … a couple of times over.”

  She had to laugh even though she felt a little breathless at his statement. “I’m only twenty-four.”

  He shrugged. “Age is of no importance. You are mature.” He wiped his hands on the napkin. “You will age much slower once we are properly mated. Your senses will improve and you will become stronger as well.”

  She nodded. What did she say to that? Yay! It was a serious bonus. “Are you trying to convince me?”

  “I didn’t think that such superficial things would be of importance to a female like you.”

  “They’re not.” Part of her felt like a fraud. Her boobs were fake. It wasn’t important though. It didn’t mean that she was hung up on superficial things. If they ended up in a real relationship, she would tell him. She’d only had one boyfriend and that was still when she was in high school. There had been no one since …

  “Why do you look so deep in thought?”

  “No reason.” None she wanted to discuss.

  He paused and for a moment it looked like he was going to argue, but then, thankfully, he nodded.

  They finished eating and he helped her clean up. She washed, he dried and put the dishes away. It was weird to see such a strong guy ‒ leader of his kind ‒ happily drying dishes.

  They talked about various things. She felt comfortable in his company. Torrent made her laugh, it made her realize how much she had been missing in her life. This all felt so crazy and yet it also felt normal. It was nice.

  Candy felt guilty when he threw a blanket onto the couch. The thing was far too small for his huge frame.

  There was no way she was sleeping in the same bed with him though. No way. They took turns using the bathroom. She went first.

  Candy removed her sweats once she was safely under the covers. She folded them and placed them in a neat pile right next to the bed. Easy to reach in the morning. She wore an extra large shirt.

  Torrent made himself comfortable on the couch. His legs hung over the edge. Not looking! He had to lie on his side to fit on the narrow base. Not. Looking! This was his choice, not hers.

  “Would you mind if I removed my pants? I’m used to sleeping naked.” His deep voice seemed to fill the la
rge space.

  Really!

  Yes, I mind. She didn’t like the thought of him naked under that blanket. What if it fell off in the night? She felt like groaning out loud. “I … um … guess that’s fine.” She was already making him suffer, she couldn’t force him to wear clothes to bed as well.

  “Thank you. I don’t think I could sleep otherwise.” She heard a rustling noise as he removed the garment.

  It was about ten minutes later when he spoke again. “Are you still awake?” His voice was low.

  “I am now.”

  He chuckled softly, the sound moving right through her. “You weren’t asleep.”

  “How do you know?” She could hear the smile in her own voice.

  “I have superhuman hearing.”

  “Oh yeah.” Still smiling. “Why did you ask me then?”

  “I’m not sure. I need to say something but I didn’t want to bother you.” More serious.

  “You’re not bothering me.”

  “I took the lube off of the list.”

  Oh god! Despite the dark, she covered her face with her hands.

  Torrent breathed out. “You don’t need it, not with me.”

  Oh shit!

  She rolled over and squeezed her thighs together. “If you say so,” she managed to somehow squeak out.

  “I do, Candy.” So deep and without a trace of humor. “I most definitely do.”

  She believed every word.

  Chapter 10

  The next day …

  Torrent was on the floor. The blanket covered him from about mid-calf to mid-chest. He was sleeping soundly even though the floor in question was hard and cold.

  His bed was soft and comfortable. Candy felt another momentary spark of guilt. She pushed it down. It was his own damned fault. She carefully dressed, sure to keep the covers over her. She worked not to make any noise.

  Just as in her previous room, this one had a coffee maker ‒ she’d spotted it the evening before. She tiptoed to the kitchenette and after opening and closing a few cupboards, she found the ground coffee.