The Bride Hunt Box Set: Books 1-3

by Charlene Hartnady

  Julie paged through the catalog. “I think I’d like to go with a teddy bear theme, or—”

  There was a knock at the door.

  Julie put the catalog down on the coffee table. “Hmmm…” she looked confused for a moment. “I wonder who that could be.” She eased herself off the couch and headed for the door.

  “Hi, I believe Roxy is here.”

  Shit! It was Blaze. “Yeah, we’re kind of in the middle of something. Girls’ stuff,” Julie answered.

  “I need to borrow her for a short while. There is something I have to discuss with her.” Julie had yet to invite Blaze in.

  Roxy couldn’t help but to glance at Pauline, as if the other woman had the answer to her question… Why was Blaze here? Which was crazy of course. Roxy could feel that she was frowning.

  Pauline grinned. She mouthed, “He wants to talk”. Her grin widened. “See, I told you,” she said without making a sound.

  Roxy gave a shake of the head. It couldn’t be. She got to her feet and walked to the door. Blaze’s features relaxed as soon as he saw her.

  “I’ll come by later,” Roxy said.

  “Sure you will,” Julie gave her a knowing look.

  “Sorry to mess up your plans,” Blaze said, after the door closed behind them.

  “No problem,” Roxy said. She snuck a little peek at Blaze from under her eyelashes. Believe it or not, he looked even more tense than usual. “Is it something serious?”

  “Yes.”

  Okay then. What could this be about? “Should I be worried?” she tried to sound upbeat, like she was joking and failed. Instead she sounded nervous.

  Blaze tried the handle on one of the doors in the hallway. It was locked. He grabbed her hand and marched forward to the next door, trying that handle. This one opened. He pulled her inside, closing the door behind them. It was another one of those dining halls, similar to the one they’d been in the other night, only this one was a little more intimate.

  “Okay. Out with it. I’m ready.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  “There is something important I need to discuss with you.” Blaze’s eyes were fixed firmly on her boobs. He licked his lips.

  “Um… is it a conversation you plan on having with my breasts? Something important you need to tell them?”

  Blaze made a groaning noise, he scrubbed a hand over his face and walked to the other side of the room before turning and coming back. His loose-fitting pants were tented. “I just…” He finally looked her in the eyes.

  “Let me guess, you’re having those mating urges again?” Again she tried to make light of it.

  Blaze folded his arms. He was breathing deeply. His chest was as chiseled as they came. His abs were a thing of beauty. His green eyes were filled with lust. “I need to have a serious conversation and all I can think about is getting between your thighs.”

  “I don’t know whether to be upset or flattered.”

  “Flattered.” He took a step towards her, grasping her hips with his big hands. “Definitely flattered. I like this dress.” He gave the material a tug and the boob-tube top somehow managed to hold on, his move only exposed the tops of her boobs.

  Blaze growled again. He licked his lips. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to concentrate on this conversation until I’ve had you.” He leaned down and kissed the tops of her breasts.

  “We had sex during the night and twice this morning. You’re like an energizer bunny.”

  “I’m not sure what that is but I don’t think I like being called a bunny,” his voice had turned husky. So sexy. “I want you again, Roxy.”

  “Take me then.”

  He picked her up and put her on the table. “Lie back,” he instructed, shoving her dress up her thighs. Blaze growled low in his throat.

  “Wait!” she squealed, quickly pushing her thong down and yanking it off before he could rip it. She leaned back on her elbows and watched with fascination as he moved between her thighs.

  The thing was that she wanted him just as much. There were times when he woke her up during the night and just like that she was wet. He’d stroke her clit for ten seconds and then he’d be inside her. No foreplay required. It was embarrassing how quickly he could make her come. Fact was, the mating urges – as he called them – seemed to go both ways. It didn’t matter that she was human. She couldn’t wait for him to be inside her.

  This time, instead of freeing his cock, he leaned in. Hot breath hit her straight on the vagina. Her clit throbbed. It was like he was touching her already.

  Roxy’s ragged breathing filled the small room. Was he going to look at her all day or… he tongued her clit. Holy shit!!

  Roxy whimpered.

  “I haven’t done this in a while,” he rasped before closing his mouth over the little bud of nerves and giving a suck. He may not have done this for a while but he wasn’t rusty. Not even a little bit. He gave her clit another lick.

  Goodbye eyes, it was nice knowing you. The organs in question rolled so far back into her skull that she wasn’t sure she’d get them back again. She made a drawn-out moaning noise. Then his tongue was inside her… in and out in a quick rhythm that had her back bowing and her hands flying to his head.

  She buried her fingers into his hair. Blaze took back her clit and suckled on it until she was begging. It was incoherent begging. Begging that was thick with moans, cries and whimpers.

  When his tongue lapped at her, circling her clit before laving over it, she felt her nerve endings catch alight. Her mouth rounded into a startled oh and her hands grabbed his hair.

  Her hips jerked. Roxy grit her teeth as an orgasm of epic proportions ripped through her. She was still riding the pleasure train when Blaze derailed it and pulled away.

  His face was wet. Using the back of his hand, he wiped most of it away.

  His hair stood at strange angles. Oops! She may have torn a couple of chunks out. Blaze picked her up like she weighed nothing. He looked angry but she knew better.

  Then he was sitting on one of the dining room chairs. A high-backed, intricately-carved, antique looking chair covered with purple velvet.

  She ran a hand through his hair. “Did I hurt you?” she sounded breathless.

  He gave her a tight smile. “I’m a dragon shifter. You can’t hurt me.” He yanked his pants down, and lifted her up with one hand while pulling her dress out of the way with the other. Then he was sliding into her. His eyes changed, a look of utter rapture appeared as he joined with her. She was sure her own eyes would reflect the same. Blaze frowned and clenched his jaw. “You feel good,” he groaned.

  “So do you.” Whose voice was that? Surely not hers. So wanton, so needy. She put her hands on his shoulders. Her feet didn’t touch the ground so there was no way she could ride him. Her pussy fluttered around his thick girth, still feeling the aftereffects of her orgasm.

  Blaze’s hands tightened on her hips. He lifted her and let her back down. Her head fell back as she slid up and down his cock. Slow and easy. Up and down. Careful but deliberate.

  Blaze was breathing hard through his nose. She let her hands slide down his chest and then back up. All those muscles felt really good. His eyes were a bright, brilliant green. So unnervingly beautiful. She leaned forward, having to reach up to kiss him. A soft brush of the lips.

  He didn’t reciprocate other than to breathe harder. She tried again, this time licking the seam of his mouth. She could taste herself on him. It turned her on even more. She clenched the walls of her vagina around him, eliciting a growl. Blaze kissed her back. His tongue breached her mouth and his hips thrust up.

  She moaned, his strokes had turned more urgent. His cock hit her deeper and quicker. Their kiss turned frenzied. His grip tightened as his hips jerked up. Her boobs jerked up and down and her dress slipped with each hard thrust until they spilled out. Her nipples were hard but they grew even harder as they rubbed against his chest.

  Blaze broke the kiss and sucked on one of her nipples. She
clawed at his back. He sucked again. The sharp sensation zinged through her, making her pussy clench. It was like her nipples were directly attached to her clit. He moved to her other breast, this time nipping at her flesh. His biceps bulged from holding her up so that he could thrust into her. He was making loud grunting noises. She could hear sucking sounds as he used his mouth on her. Her boobs bounced around his face and his abs pulled tight with every thrust.

  Blaze gave a particularly hard suck and she was done. Her back arched. Her nails dug into him. Her head fell back and she groaned his name. His movements slowed just a smidgen as they turned jerky. He buried his face in her chest, making a loud noise that was a mix between a grunt and a groan. Then he fucked her harder for a few seconds before easing off. His breathing was hard, his lips so close that she was sure she could feel them against her skin.

  Then he ran his hand up and down her back, falling backward to rest on the chair back. His eyes were closed. Blaze licked his lips. He pulled the top of her dress up, only opening his eyes when her boobs were covered. “I suppose I should pull out of you now so that we can talk.” He didn’t look excited at the prospect.

  “If it’s important then maybe you should. I’m not sure we can conduct a conversation like this.” She was breathing hard. Her voice was a little raspy from all the groaning.

  He gave a little circular motion with his hips and she whimpered.

  Blaze tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. Her ponytail felt like it had loosened. “You are the most receptive female I have ever been with.”

  “Is that a compliment?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Okay, I’ll take it, even though you are indirectly referring to sex with other women.” He didn’t say endearing or flattering things often.

  “I have been with other females,” he shrugged. “It is what it is.” Blaze frowned. He looked pained for a moment as he lifted her off of his still hard shaft.

  She put a hand over herself to keep from messing everywhere.

  Blaze lifted her off of his lap and disappeared into a side room that had to be the restroom. He returned with a warm towel.

  “Thanks,” she gave him a smile and cleaned herself up.

  “We need to talk about our relationship.”

  Roxy nodded. She sat on the chair he had just vacated. Blaze sat down next to her. He turned his chair so that he was facing her. “We have something here.” He ran a hand through his hair and sat forward so that his elbows rested on his thighs. “The sex has been phenomenal. I can’t keep my hands off of you.”

  She had to smile. “The sex has been amazing but sex isn’t the be all and end all.” She was glad he had brought this up. Maybe he felt the same as she did, that there needed to be more.

  Blaze smiled back. “No, it’s not,” he paused. “I want to discuss our future. I want to discuss the possibility of us mating.”

  Her heart beat faster. She gave a quick nod to encourage him to continue.

  “Compatibility is an excellent foundation. I realize that we haven’t spent much time with one another or talked very much.”

  “It’s kind of hard to talk during sex, especially the kind of sex we seem to have.”

  He smiled, looking so handsome. “Yeah, the mind-blowing kind. The kind that leaves no room for anything else.”

  “Yup, that sounds about right.”

  “It’s my best kind,” he gave her a half-smile before turning serious.

  Well, she wouldn’t mind the slow kind. The more intimate kind. Slow could be just as mind-blowing, maybe even more so. Roxy kept that to herself, for now.

  Blaze sucked in a breath. “I think that there may be a future for us.”

  “It’s still too soon to know that,” she blurted. Roxy liked the idea of them, but that’s all they were right now, an idea. There wasn’t anything substantial there. Not really. Why was her heart beating faster though? Why was she leaning forward to hear what he had to say next? Was she falling in love with him already? No way. Not possible. She did long for more though and it looked like she was going to get it. She tried not to smile like an idiot.

  Blaze smiled. He looked happy with her answer. “I think we’re headed in the right direction. We would make good partners. I think that in time we could become good friends.”

  He must have seen the look on her face because he quickly added. “Best friends even.”

  “Friendship is important in a relationship.” She meant it too. One part of her liked where he was going with this but another part was convinced there was going to be a but somewhere.

  “I know that you would make an excellent mother. You are kind and sweet,” he smiled. “You try and keep the peace at the dinners and functions we’ve attended. You don’t like it when I growl at the single males. You try so hard to be polite and not to hurt anyone’s feelings. If only you knew the disgusting thoughts those males have about you.”

  Roxy laughed. “Rubbish. I don’t believe it for a second. Then again, maybe Heat has rude thoughts but not the others. They are all well-mannered and kind.”

  “Well-mannered,” Blaze snorted.

  “How do you know what they are thinking?” she raised her brows.

  “Because I have the same dirty thoughts about you myself,” his voice deepened. “All the time. Any red-blooded male who lays eyes on you would have them.”

  She felt her cheeks heat.

  “It’s true,” he cleared his throat. “Let’s not talk about that right now though.” He adjusted himself in his pants. “Where were we?”

  “You said I would make a good mother.”

  “Family is important to me. I want children. I am sure that you are like-minded or you wouldn’t be here.”

  Roxy nodded. “Yes, I definitely want children. I always thought I would’ve had them by now but it hasn’t worked out… yet,” she quickly added the last.

  “I wouldn’t want to wait too long. Would you be willing to start trying soon after we were mated?” This was starting to sound a little too planned, like a business takeover or something.

  “I’m on the Pill right now. We were urged to start taking a contraceptive during the final interview stage.”

  His eyes darkened and his shoulders tightened up.

  “I could go off the Pill though… although…” It was her turn to pause and to choose her words carefully. This conversation was pretty hectic. It was so soon. She knew that things progressed quickly with non-humans but they had yet to hold hands or to have a romantic dinner together. They had yet to do any of the things that couples did. The few dinners they had attended had been formal and uncomfortable. “I still feel that it’s too soon to be having this conversation.”

  “No…” Blaze looked her deep in the eyes. “It’s the perfect time for this conversation.”

  Roxy felt herself frown.

  “I want a partner, a queen, and, yes a friend and mother to my children. I, in return, will take good care of you. I will treat you with kindness and respect. I would want an honest relationship. I would promise to be a good male. You would want for nothing.” It was like he was reading out lines from a résumé. “It is important that you know that my people and the four kingdoms will always come first. Everything I do will first be for the good of them. It is why you are here.”

  She wasn’t sure how to take that. What did he mean? She got an uneasy feeling.

  “I can see that I have upset you. I do not want to be in a relationship based on dishonesty. I respect you, Roxy. I am fond of you.”

  Fond.

  What?

  “If it were up to me, I would remain alone but for the good of my kingdom, I need to have heirs.”

  “So the only reason I’m here is to make babies and that’s it?” It was difficult to keep the anger out of her voice.

  “No. I told you that we would be friends, partners.”

  “Best friends,” she struggled to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  “A solid friendship an
d a good sex life between two people who respect one another, it is more than most people have.”

  “It sounds like settling to me,” she blurted.

  Blaze rose to his feet. “I can’t do love. I tried it once and it didn’t work for me.”

  “Okay.” She also rose to her feet. She spotted her underwear on the floor and picked them up. “You are interested in possibly mating me but you just needed me to know that it will be a loveless relationship. Do I have that right?”

  “You make it sound terrible. We would be in a partnership and have an understanding.”

  “Yeah, friends with benefits who just happen to have kids.” She had to work not to roll her eyes.

  “I want you to give it some thought before we move forward with this, or not. You might decide that my terms are not for you. I can’t do love. I can’t do long walks on the beach. I can’t do candlelit dinners or any of that other romantic crap. It doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun together though. We don’t need love to be happy.”

  “Yeah and by fun I’m sure you’re referring to sex.” She struggled to keep the emotion and disappointment out of her voice. How in the hell had she managed to snag the one non-human who wasn’t going to love her with all of his heart? That’s what shifters did. Sure, they hooked up a hell of a lot but when they mated, it was for life. When they loved, it was deeply. Probably even more so than vampires. Not Blaze though. At least she hadn’t fallen for him yet. Why the hell was she so upset about this then?

  Blaze shook his head. “Not just sex. We could…” He let the sentence die like he couldn’t think of one thing other than sex. That’s all she was good for, sex and popping out babies. There was a huge lump in her throat. If she tried to talk right now, she was afraid that she might cry. She didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.

  “Just tell me one thing. It’s important that you are honest.” He stepped towards her. “Are you in love with me?”

  What an asshole! The nerve! His question made anger course through her, which helped dry up any potential tears in an instant. “No!” she practically shouted at him. “I told you it’s too soon and I meant it. How damned arrogant are you anyway?”