“That’s where you’re wrong. We could be friends.” Sincerity shone in his eyes.
“Friends with benefits, I suppose.” She rolled her eyes. Truth was, she was right about the benefits part and it stung. Ultimately, Storm didn’t want to be friends or anything with actual substance. She was there as a booty call. Something to distract him from his boredom.
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to fuck you really badly.” Here we go! He made a groaning noise that she felt low, somewhere in the pit of her stomach. “But we could just be friends. I’m a grown male, capable of controlling my…urges. I like you, Jolene.”
She wasn't buying the whole friendship thing for a minute. She preferred it when he was straight with her. Better for both of them that way. "Yeah, we could but only if you let me go on my merry way. Better yet, point out a couple of really decent guys…ones you know are keen on a happily-ever-after. Guys who are more my type."
His eyes darkened and he stood up. One quick move. One second he was slouching on the couch and the next he was standing his full height and pissed. Jaw clenched, hands tight at his sides. Body rigid. “I’m sorry, Jolene.” He shook his head, not sounding sorry in the least. Why did she love it when he said her name? Especially when he used that rasping tone.
“You’re right.” He looked down at her, those purple orbs piercing into her. “We can’t be friends. I can’t let you go, and I’m not introducing you to anyone else. You're mine until the end of this term, and I'll be damned if I don't spend every second trying to tear off your panties with my fucking teeth."
Her clit did this zinging thing she felt in the pit of her stomach. Storm had been flippant, teased her, worked hard at pissing her off. He’d been arrogant and downright seductive, but she’d never seen him serious to the point of anger. It was sexy. It shouldn’t be, but it was. She didn’t like how it made her feel, which was hot and flustered. “Um…” Jolene licked her lips and he tracked the movement of her tongue. “Firstly, I’m not some possession. I’m not yours.” There wasn’t much force to her voice, which had turned into a soft purr.
“You are on dragon territory. That makes you mine. Start getting used to it.”
Mine! He was making her sound like a thing. His plaything, and yet it still made her feel warm and fuzzy and turned on. She was too intelligent to be feeling this way, but she was. "Unless you've changed your mind about settling down, this…" She pointed between them. "Sex." She snorted like it was the biggest joke because it was. "Isn't going to happen." She had to stick to her guns. "You will need to buy this cow before you can sample my milk." She pointed to her boobs.
Storm frowned. “You’re lactating?”
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s just a stupid saying. One I’ve been telling myself since Brian and I broke up.”
“The prick?”
Her lip twitched. “Yeah, the prick.”
Storm rubbed the back of his head, still looking pissed. “You don’t even want to be friends and yet you’d stay if I told you I was interested in more than just sex?”
“Yes.”
“Not going to happen. I need some air.” Storm ground his teeth as he walked to the door.
“Running away?” she threw at him. She’d all but admitted to being interested in him despite her finding him an arrogant asshole, and he had shot her down. Big time! No need to think about it.
Storm turned. “Yes, I’m running and as fast as I can. I can’t be holed up with you any longer. I’m not an idiot. The sexy nighties, little dresses. Look at you now.”
“A skirt and a top.” She shrugged.
“A tight as fuck denim skirt, a red lacy bra and a white tank…you’re driving me crazy. I can’t stay.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I need to blow off some steam.”
“Going to find a hook-up with one of your convenient dragon women?” Oh god, she hadn’t just said that! Thing was, he’d hurt her, and she wanted to hurt him back. She wasn’t doing a great job of it though.
“Good idea!” He nodded once. The movement jerky, the muscles on either side of his neck were roped. “I might just do that,” he growled, yanking the door open and slamming it shut behind him.
Jolene pushed herself up off the couch. “Asshole!” she shouted at the door. She should go after him. No! She should leave. Walk out that door. Explore the lair and meet other people. Sitting around was making her crazy. This whole thing wasn’t fair.
The thought of him out there, enjoying himself, flirting, maybe even more, had her clenching her fists. She shouldn’t care. He really wasn’t her type. Jolene began to pace. Why wasn’t she leaving? It wasn’t like he would actually hurt or kill someone. It wasn’t like anyone would try anything. Would they?
There was a knock at the door. Was he back? Had he changed his mind? Did he want to apologize? Or maybe he was back to tell her she could go. The thought should make her happy, but it didn’t. It left her feeling oddly disappointed. Like he’d given up on her, even though there was nothing to give up on.
Stupid!
There was another knock. “Can I come in?” It was Beck.
The disappointment she felt left her reeling. What was this? She couldn’t start feeling something for Storm. All he wanted was a good time. She wanted more. It would end in disaster.
Another knock.
“Come in,” she blurted.
Beck put his head around the jamb. He was smiling, but it quickly turned into a frown. “You okay?” He lifted his brows.
“I’m fine.”
“That frown and those downturned lips tell me different.” He sniffed the air.
“Don’t go all shifter on me.”
“I scent anger and frustration. Lots of it.” Beck closed the door behind him.
“Well, that makes a change from arousal, I guess.” She laughed. It was half-hearted.
“Ohhhh, I scent that too.” He smiled, it was friendly, his green eyes glinted.
“Of course you do.” Jolene groaned in frustration, rubbing a hand over her face and heaving an exasperated sigh.
“Did the two of you have a fight?” Beck asked, brows raised.
“I’m not talking to you about it. You’re his best friend, you’ll blab.”
“I would not. Males don’t gossip like you females.” He shook his head. “Look, I know a little bit about what’s going on. Storm filled me in on some of it.”
“I thought you guys didn’t gossip.” She laughed.
“We don’t. It wasn’t like that.”
“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled her eyes.
“Okay, fine. We gossiped like a bunch of females and you were the main topic.” He grinned.
Why did that make her feel good? She was an idiot, that’s why. “What did Storm say?”
“Like I said, he filled me in. I knew he planned on entering the hunt with no intention of mating the person he won. I told him it was a stupid idea, but once Storm decides on something, it’s almost impossible to dissuade him.”
“It was a stupid idea. Now look!” Irritation and frustration welled up in her all over again. “I wish he would just agree to let me go. We want different things. He wants to have fun and to have plenty of sex and I want so much more. It could end really badly.” Only if she didn’t stick to her plan.
“That’s the thing. He can’t just let you go.” Beck shook his head. Sincerity shone in his eyes.
“What do you mean? Of course he can. He’s just too damned selfish, too much of an asshole to do it.” She knew that wasn’t true, but she wasn’t feeling forgiving right then.
Beck nodded. “Granted, he is somewhat selfish.”
"Somewhat! Come on, he's a lot selfish." She looked at him head-on.
“He’s a product of his upbringing,” Beck said simply.
“An excuse if I ever heard one.”
“Maybe, but it’s still true.” Beck seemed to want to say more. Maybe to tell her something personal about Storm. Come to think of it, she didn’t know too
much personal information about him. Unfortunately, Beck seemed to think better of it. “It’s not that though. He can’t let you go, as in, he physically can’t.”
She snorted out a laugh. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Shit! She knew he had these possessive emotions running through him. Knew it would be difficult but impossible? Come on!
“No, it’s not. Storm is a shifter and a royal.”
“I know all of this. That’s why I signed up, because shifters are supposed to actually want commitment. They’re supposed to want a family. We were warned that they come on strong and when you guys mate, it’s for life. That appeals to me. That’s why I’m here. The problem is that Storm isn’t interested in all that.”
“That’s true, but unfortunately for Storm it doesn’t quite work that way. He wouldn’t listen to me or his brother, Tide. He wouldn’t listen to anyone when they tried to dissuade him. Now he’s stuck. He hunted you, he won you and he marked you.”
“He didn’t mark me,” she flung back, instantly feeling bad at how defensive her tone was.
“He will have kissed you, touched you. I could scent him on you when you arrived.” Beck looked at her expectantly.
That kiss.
That scorching, toe-curling, panty-wetting bloody kiss. Jolene had tried to wipe it from her mind. It had mostly worked. She cleared her throat and nodded. “It was a tiny kiss. It meant nothing.”
“It meant everything.” Beck’s expression was so serious that it was almost comical. “Storm brought you back and that made you his. He is driven instinctively to mark you properly.”
“As in…” She let the sentence die because she knew exactly what Beck was saying.
“Yep! Every instinct, every cell, every part of him needs…it. Even thinking of letting you go is abhorrent to him. He physically can’t do it.”
So that was why he had reacted so badly when she had asked him to let her go. “So, if I told him to introduce me to other guys. Ones who were not only sweet and kind but serious about settling, that might set him off?”
“You didn’t!” Beck widened his eyes. “No wonder I scent so much anger, so much testosterone. He left because you would not have liked the alternative.”
“Alternative?” She raised her brows.
“You don’t need me to elaborate. Bottom line, you guys are stuck. I’m sure he has realized the error of his ways. Even if he hasn’t yet…he will.”
“So, it’s purely hormonal, instinctual?”
“He does find you attractive, otherwise it wouldn’t work, but yes.” Beck nodded.
“And you’re sure we’re stuck together, I can’t—”
“No! He would go nuts if you tried to leave or if someone tried to take you. He’ll be extra horny and over-the-top possessive.”
“That much I noticed,” she mumbled. “Would it help if I slept with him?’ She put up a hand. “Not that I’m going to. I can’t!” She shook her head. It sounded like she was trying to talk herself out of it, which was stupid. Maybe she was trying to talk herself into it? Nah! It wasn’t an option.
“Yes, it would help if you had sex with him. His scent would be on you and he’d be able to breathe a little easier.”
Jolene almost felt sorry for Golden Boy. Ultimately though, he’d gotten himself into this mess. It was unfortunate he’d dragged her along for the bumpy ride. There was no way she was backing down from this. Storm needed to learn a tough lesson. To not mess with people’s emotions, with their lives. Not everything revolved around his ass, even if it was a fine ass. Then she had a thought that scared the hell out of her. “He will be able to let me go in two and a half weeks, won’t he?”
“Yes, he will. I understand why you don’t want to rut him. He made a really stupid mistake.”
Jolene sighed. “I can’t do it. I don’t want him to suffer, but I…there is no alternative.”
Beck snorted. "Storm is a grown male. He will get through this. I just wanted you to have some understanding for his…behavior. He can be an asshole, and he can be selfish but he's ultimately a good male. He means well."
She nodded. It was true, but it didn’t change anything. Storm had done this to himself. To them both. It did make more sense to her now. She couldn’t find any sympathy for him though. Not much at any rate.
Chapter 10
Storm stretched his wings and pushed hard. Until his muscles ached, until he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. He must have done about fifty or sixty laps around their territory. The first few had been at break-neck speed. The ground below a blur. Hours and many wing-beats later, he felt marginally better.
Storm landed on the main balcony and shifted. His skin was sweaty, muscles fatigued, his mind somewhat cleared.
He’d overreacted. For once, it seemed that he and Jolene had made some progress. The female had opened up to him. It felt good that she trusted him with something about herself. Information on her past relationships. Why she felt the way she did. Part of why she was so hung up on finding a mate. It made sense. It also made him feel terrible. Her goading, on the other hand, had pushed him beyond his limits. Particularly when she had begged him to let her go…yet again. It was becoming tiresome. Especially since he couldn’t do it. No chance! It wasn’t just that, she’d also asked him to introduce her to other males. Males who would mate and impregnate her. Even now, hours later, he still ground his teeth at the thought. His hands still wanted to instinctively curl into fists so that he could beat any male with designs on his female. Even if the situation was temporary.
Right now, the thought of her with another male killed him. It turned his insides upside down and inside out. Made him see red. Made him want to flip her over and…he grit his teeth some more. She didn’t want sex, so he’d had to leave quickly, otherwise...
Storm had briefly considered finding a dragon female, but the idea held no appeal. Then he’d considered flying straight to Walton Springs so that he could find a human female. That had left him cold as well. The only female he wanted right then hated him. Thought him arrogant. An asshole. Maybe she was right. At least to a degree.
Jolene wasn’t entirely correct in her thinking though. She did need to relax a little. Why couldn’t they be friends? Benefits? Absolutely. He still wanted to fuck her something fierce. Wanted it almost as much as he needed air. His balls had never felt this big. This tight. It didn’t matter how often he emptied them. The need stayed. It clawed at him. It was just—
It felt like he’d hit a stone wall. Storm took a step back. He’d been so deep in his thoughts that he’d walked into someone. “Flood! I’m sorry, I…”
The male’s eyes were dark and narrowed. His mouth a thin white line. The side-punch came out of nowhere. Flood was the biggest, meanest shifter, possibly in all four kingdoms. It was a good thing he couldn’t breathe fire, or he would be damn near unstoppable.
“The fuck…!” Storm growled as he jumped back to his feet in a swift move that…sent him straight into Flood’s waiting knee.
May as well have been a granite slab. His lip split, his eye on the right side instantly began to puff up. Flood kept coming. Storm barely managed to roll out of the way as the male's foot came down where his face had been moments earlier.
Storm growled, rolling away a second time. He jumped to his feet. Flood was massive and fucked-up strong, but he wasn't as fast as Storm, who countered with a kick to the side of Flood's leg. He aimed for the knee, but his thrust hit a little high. The bastard was faster than he looked. Still not fast enough though.
Storm got a punch in, just as Flood was turning his head. Smack bam in the nose. There was a satisfying crunching noise and Flood roared.
This time, Storm wasn’t quite fast enough, and a blow glanced off his jaw. Hurt like a motherfucker. Someone put themselves between them. Crazy bastard, since Storm was going to teach Flood a lesson or two and he was in the way. Storm might be the youngest prince, but he was still a royal. He still deserved respect. Flood nee
ded to bleed.
The male between them grabbed at him as he made a lunge for Flood. His fist connected with the male’s face with another satisfying crunch. The force barely moved the male. Flood took half a step back, his eyes narrowing. His mouth bloody. With another loud roar, he came at Storm.
Two males grabbed Flood, holding his arms while another grabbed him from behind. One of the three went flying just as two males grabbed him. Two more males rushed to hold Flood back. The male was a strong fucker.
Storm fought half-heartedly against his own captors. He had no wish to attack someone who couldn’t defend himself, and right now Flood was too busy fighting the males who held him. Another one went flying after a vicious blow to the face. Storm felt sorry for the bastard. Flood’s punches were like a hard, unyielding blast.
“Stop it!” Bay shouted. The haze of battle gone, Storm recognized him as the male who had stood between them just moments earlier.
“You’re a fucker!” Flood shouted, eyes on him, muscles bulging as he strained against those who held him.
Storm fought against the males holding him as well, incensed by what Flood had just called him. He broke free with a mighty pull but couldn’t bring himself to hit a helpless person. It felt stupid calling Flood helpless, and yet that’s what he was. It took five straining males to hold him in check. Flood’s face was red, veins popped up on his forehead. His muscles roped.
Bayou tried to grab back Storm’s arm, but he growled at him in warning.
“Leave him!” The higher ranking Bay snapped at Bayou. The male could obviously see that Storm didn’t plan on attacking Flood. He would have done so already if that were the case.
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