by Cathryn Fox
When you tempt a dragon, be prepared for the fire…
Zoologist Chloe Stevens is certain she’s on a wild-goose chase. There are worse things than being forced to travel to a remote South Pacific island, but to search for a dragon? She’s sure the real reason she’s been sent to find a creature that doesn’t exist is that her boss—and ex-lover—wants her out of the way while he properly initiates a new team member.
Whatever. Might as well relax and enjoy her all-expense-paid “assignment”, aka vacation on Ryuu Mountain. The secluded resort is the perfect place to indulge in a little carefree, hedonistic sex. Especially with Jared, the drop-dead-gorgeous bartender.
Their hot fling quickly melts into something deeper. When Jared reveals he is more than he seems, Chloe has a decision to make. Whether to take her discovery public and make her mark in the scientific world. Or keep his secret to herself—and surrender body and soul to the only man who sets the woman in her on fire.
Warning: This book contains frank language, hot, hedonistic sex on a tropical island and big, scary, shapeshifting dragons who wouldn’t think twice about “gobbling” you up (in more ways than one).
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520
Macon GA 31201
Dance of the Dragon
Copyright © 2009 by Cathryn Fox
ISBN: 978-1-60504-664-8
Edited by Anne Scott
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: September 2009
www.samhainpublishing.com
Dance of the Dragon
Cathryn Fox
Dedication
To my sister, who patiently listens to my never-ending ideas.
Chapter One
“Lying, cheating bastard,” Chloe Stevens mumbled under her breath before taking another long pull from her icy strawberry drink. The delicious fruity concoction did little to help cool her down. In fact, it seemed to rile and fuel the dark side of her temper even more.
Shifting on her beachside bar stool, Chloe stirred her drink with her straw, blew an exaggerated breath and glanced around the majestic island of Ryuu. Emerald waves lapped gently against a bed of pristine white sand and created soft, soothing noises. Towering palm trees fringed the secluded cove, providing the eclectic mix of guests with their much-coveted privacy. Off in the distance she could see couples frolicking in the warm surf, sexual energy oozing off them as their seductive laughter lingered in the air. Warm exotic scents from flowers, salt water, and…man curled around her and awakened her senses. Chloe drew the alluring aroma into her lungs, tasting and savoring the sweetness on the tip of her tongue before exhaling with a heavy sigh.
Sure the exotic island was beautiful, everything the brochure had promised, and sure she should be out enjoying the activities instead of plotting and strategizing ways to separate Michael Wilson’s testicles from his body, but she couldn’t seem to get her ex-lover out of her head.
Asshole.
As a zoologist working at York University in Toronto under the guidance of the charming, enigmatic Michael Wilson, the last place she expected to find herself was on a small island smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, searching for dragons. Dragons. Of all the… The island might be called Ryuu, meaning dragon in Japanese, but that certainly didn’t mean dragons inhabited it. Now or ever.
A slight breeze blew in off the water and rushed over her moist skin as Chloe pulled a red leatherlike swatch from her pocket, peeled away the protective cloth and ran it through her fingers. As far as she was concerned, sending her to the island in search of the legendary Ryuu dragon was just an excuse to get her out of the office so Michael could properly “initiate” the newest member of the organization into his team—his personal team, that is. Chloe scoffed, remembering her initiation all too well. Michael’s new plaything was young, innocent, and oh so accommodating, a replica of Chloe herself. Chloe shook her head. Michael sure had a way of breaking in the good girls. Honestly, her biggest mistake wasn’t in sleeping with her boss. Her biggest mistake was thinking about fairy-tale weddings and happily-ever-after. Let’s see how happily-ever-after Michael was going to be without his testicles.
And speaking of fairy tales…
Legend had it that a dragon slumbered on the mountain towering the sandy island floor. But that’s all it was…a legend. For years rumors had circulated and garnished the fantasies of many people, so much so that a tall fence had been erected around the base of the mountain to keep the beast contained, according to the tale. Chloe suspected the real reason for the fence was to keep vacationers from exploring the dangerous cliffs. Over the last century the whispers had died down, until some crazed lunatic had recently touched down on Canadian soil carrying, what he claimed to be, part of a dragon’s wing. Chloe examined the swatch again before rewrapping it and slipping it back into the pocket of her sundress. Truthfully, it looked like the caruncle from the throat of a wild turkey.
Even though numerous scientific tests performed at the university lab had ruled out that logical explanation, Chloe still believed otherwise. After all, secret genetic engineering experiments were growing at an alarming rate worldwide. One couldn’t deny the possibility that she was in possession of a mutated caruncle. Although why one would want to do gene splicing with a turkey was beyond her.
Despite the studies on the sample, the truth was Chloe still couldn’t positively identify the red swatch, with all the strange veinlike vessels spidering off in different directions, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t a dragon’s wing. Because dragons didn’t exist, dammit. And she’d only been sent to the island on some wild-goose chase—or rather dragon chase—so her boss could have his wicked way with the new girl.
Obviously her boss had come to the same conclusions as she had—the swatch was nothing more than a mutated caruncle. Otherwise he’d be all over the island, seeking his fame and fortune with the rare, yet spectacular discovery. If there was one thing the last few months had taught Chloe, it was that her ex was a man of little character, a man who’d do anything to get ahead in the scientific world, even if that meant using extreme measures and excessive force in the field, much to Chloe’s dismay. He was also a man who believed a woman’s place was inside the lab, not in fieldwork, because they lacked the skill, strength and intelligence needed when going up against wild animals.
Sure he was quick to enlighten her to the fact that this was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, the opportunity to prove her abilities outside an academic setting, but they both knew it was a load of bull. She was merely a distraction he didn’t need when breaking in his new plaything.
Honestly, Chloe would give her eyeteeth to discover a dragon on Ryuu. Then after she unveiled her discovery, she’d make her mark in the scientific world, and show her ex what she was really made of. What all women were made of.
Her anger sparked and she grunted something very unladylike. The hell with Michael and his ridiculous notion that dragons existed. She had two weeks on this beautiful island. Even though it was the off-season for tropical vacations, and there
were very few guests at the singles resort, she might as well take advantage of her paid vacation and try to mingle with the fellow vacationers. Sure it was out of character for her. But maybe a little—or a lot—of hedonistic sex was just what this scientist needed to take her mind off matters. Yeah, it was time to let her long auburn hair down and indulge in a playtime before she went back to civilization and figured out her next career move, and how she was going to spend the rest of her life.
Deciding to do just that, she pulled her hair from its restrictive ponytail, shook out her locks and let them fall over her shoulders in a rebellious tumble. Then she removed the straw from her glass and downed what was left in one gulp.
“Can I get you another?”
Chloe tipped her chin and turned toward the deep, sexy voice. Gorgeous emerald green eyes edged in rich amber met her gaze. Taking her by surprise, her heart skipped a beat and her entire body moistened. Good God, she’d never seen eyes quite like those before. She looked past his shoulder but the bartender who’d served her earlier was nowhere to be found. Geez, she’d been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t realized a shift change had taken place. Her gaze moved back to the new replacement, taking the utmost pleasure in his roguish good looks, short dark hair and killer athletic body. It was easy to tell he was a local by his rich coloring and sun-kissed skin. As she studied his appearance, her nipples tightened and brushed against her thin sundress. The feeling was downright sensual and had her mind spinning an erotic adventure. Mr. Hot Bartender was dressed in a white shirt with a nametag pinned over one sculpted pectoral, and a low-slung pair of jeans that showed off hewn muscles. With a casual, laid-back, easy way about him, this guy took bad-boy bartender to the extreme.
As she slid her glass across the teak bar top, all thoughts of her ex-boss, his new plaything and dragon hunting disappeared quicker than her last daiquiri.
Just then two men sidled up to the bar and summoned the barkeep. With Chloe’s lascivious mind still focused on Mr. Hot Bartender’s rock-hard body, she was only half-listening to the conversation, but her ears immediately perked up when one of the men brought up the Ryuu dragon, and the bartender quickly went to work on dispelling the ridiculous legend.
As she watched him move with a casual nonchalance, her tongue darted out and scraped across her strawberry-soaked lips. His movements were so confidant, smooth and easy, it was almost as if he were gliding, or better yet, slow dancing around the small hut.
With muscles that hadn’t come from any gym, he looked wild and unkempt, like he’d just crawled out of bed. Damned if she didn’t want to crawl right back into it with him. He was the antithesis of her ex-boss really. What the hell had she seen in Michael anyway? Intuition told her this guy had more integrity in his little pinkie finger than Michael had in his whole body. In fact, this guy seemed self-assured, secure in his identity and certainly didn’t appear to be the type who needed a menagerie of women to boost his ego. He looked sexy, untamed, and downright…“scrumptious.” Forget about taking advantage of the island. She’d rather take advantage of him.
As soon as the two men left with their drinks, the bartender turned back to her. “Scrumptious, huh?”
Dammit, she hadn’t said that out loud, had she?
She tried for causal but failed. “Yeah, my drink…it…it was good, real good.” Rattled by his close proximity and animalistic allure, her words came out broken, choppy, despite her efforts. Cripes, she’d been around hot guys before, so what was it about this one that had the ability to addle her logical brain?
“So you’d like another?”
Suddenly, a tingle on her arm drew her attention. Needing a moment of reprieve from his seductive pull, she examined the rare, long-horned beetle crawling over her flesh. She lightly squeezed its hard black shell between her thumb and forefinger, stood and carefully placed it on a nearby tree.
Satisfied that the beetle had been returned to nature unharmed, she twisted back around and reclaimed her seat in time to see the barkeep give her a look that she didn’t quite understand. Ignoring it for the time being, her glance brushed over his nametag a second time before settling on his mesmerizing eyes. Benjared, aka, Mr. Hot Bartender leaned across the countertop and blatantly gave her a slow, lingering once-over. His observation halted and played over her breasts, and she wondered if he saw the telltale hardening of her nipples. His gaze travelled back to her face as he rolled her empty drink glass between his big palms.
“Or maybe you’d rather talk?” he asked. “You look like you have something on your mind.”
She resisted the urge to laugh. Jesus, was she really that transparent?
He gave her a wickedly playful grin that curled her toes and dampened her panties. “So what do you say? Drink? Or talk?”
Hell, she didn’t want to drink or talk. She wanted to play. And she wanted to be bad. Really, really bad. After all, being a good girl merely left her single, and with a job she certainly couldn’t go back to.
She held her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Benjared. I’m Chloe.”
His rough hand curled around hers and brought on wild and wicked sensations. Her mind raced, and her body tingled right down to the tips of her toes. God, there was something so carnal and so primal about him that it had her burning from the inside out. “Call me, Jared. Jared Sani.”
“Jared…” she murmured, trying out the name and wondering how it would sound on her lips when she screamed it during climax.
Jared watched her. Watched the way her eyes flickered over his body with heated interest, and the seductive way she brushed her tongue over her lush bottom lip. He knew what she was thinking. Hell, he was thinking it too. Or at least his cock was thinking it. He was so goddamn hard, his dick was ready to break free from its zippered cage and drive into her hot, moist center in one powerful thrust. It had been a long time since he’d come across a woman who exuded sweet and sexy at the same time. Talk about a mind-blowing turn-on.
As he went to work on making her another drink, he wondered what brought her to the island. Was it for a little R&R, or was it because of the recent rumblings about the Ryuu dragon? With her fair skin, manicured nails, long and loose auburn hair, and flirty sundress with a hint of cleavage exposed, she didn’t resemble a dragon hunter at all. Far from it, really. Which was a good thing, otherwise he’d never be able to fuck her the way she needed to be fucked. Because if he did, and if he lost his control, even for a moment, and exposed a hint of his primal self to a dragon hunter, he’d end up under a microscope. Not that he’d have to worry about that in the near future anyway, he quickly reminded himself. Not with the way his body was growing old and his magic dying. Still though, he didn’t want to take his final breath on a cold steel table, dissected and examined before the last of his magic had faded and he disappeared right along with it.
Of course, no woman had ever rattled him enough to lose his hard-earned control before—control that had kept him safe and alive thus far. But there was something different about Chloe. He’d spotted warmth and compassion in the depth of her eyes when they met his—traits he’d yet to see in the barrage of women he’d encountered. Honestly, it had the strangest effect on him. And the way she’d cared for that rare, long-horned beetle instead of swatting it away or squishing it beneath her shoes, like so many others would, told him a great deal about her character.
He took a long moment to just watch her and read her body language. Deep down he suspected she was a good girl, a sweet young thing looking for a little bad-boy action. Perhaps she’d been hurt and was striving for a way to put her past behind her, or perhaps she just wanted to step out of character while at the seductive singles resort. As a bartender, he’d certainly seen and heard it all over the years, having come across numerous women who fell into one of the aforementioned categories. Either way, something about the twinkle in her eyes had him believing she had a plethora of forbidden desires that she’d yet to discover. And goddammit, he wanted to be the guy to help her discove
r them. With the way his cock was clamoring for attention, he’d like to start right now by introducing her to a little naughty—and a whole lot taboo—pleasure, because he suspected she had no idea just how much she wanted that.
With that last thought in mind, Jared pulled a bowl of partially frozen strawberries from the freezer, placed them on the counter and used a plastic measuring cup to grab a scoopful.
Chloe tossed her long curls over her shoulder and pointed a finger at the blender. “Is that for me?”
“Yeah,” he responded and took in the mischievous look in her bright blue eyes. When she puckered her full lips, he studied her reaction and asked, “Second thoughts?”
“No it’s just that I used to bartend in my college days and I make it differently.”
He was just about to dump the scoopful of strawberries into the blender, but the look on her face stilled his movements and told him just how much she wanted to play. He wanted to play too. Perhaps it was the beast in him, or perhaps it was the man. Regardless, they’d have a good time together, and she’d go back to civilization in a week or two, and he’d remain exactly where he was. The same way he’d remained stationary, chained to the island for the last thousand years.
It wasn’t like they could have any sort of relationship beyond sex. Not with him being a—well, with him being different and all. And it wasn’t like any of the women who’d sidled up to his bar wanted more anyway. A hot fling with a bartender while on vacation was all they were looking for. Jared knew better than to long for anything else. If a woman ever found out what he was, they’d run screaming for the hills. He had to admit, as the last of his kind living on Ryuu, his nights were incredibly long and lonely. Although soon enough, thanks to his dying magic, that would no longer be a concern—for him or for the good people who inhabited the island and kept him safe.