Never Dare a Dragon

by Ashlyn Chase

She laughed. “I should’ve known…”

  As Jayce untied the boat and started up the motor, he winked at her. They backed out into the open river. Then he pushed the lever forward, and they cruised past several other docks and private boats.

  “You have a sweet setup here,” she said.

  “All the more reason to move in with me.”

  “I thought we agreed it was too soon.”

  His smile faded. “I don’t know about that. Timing is a funny thing. You know Rory and Amber, your hosts?”

  “Yeah…”

  “They’ve been living together since the day they met.”

  Her confusion must have been apparent. “What do you mean? Did they have some sort of roommate arrangement made for them before they moved in?”

  He laughed as he steered them into open water. “Not intentionally. To hear them tell it is a lot funnier, but from what I understand, it all started in the building next door to the B and B. There’s a husband-and-wife management team for the apartments. She rented the only vacant place from the wife at the exact same time as he rented the same apartment from her husband. Neither manager could decide which potential renter should have the apartment, so they simply stated that possession was nine-tenths of the law and waited to see who reached it first.

  “There was a mad dash down the stairs, with Amber in the lead until Rory vaulted over the railing, but they burst through the door of the apartment at the exact same time. Then they were stuck. Whoever left first was giving up possession.”

  “So neither one could leave?” Kristine giggled, picturing the conundrum they must have been in. “But they live together next door now. How did they get from one place to the other?”

  Jayce shrugged. “I’m not clear how they managed to buy such pricey real estate together, but I know they lived in the little apartment while they fixed up the building next door. I guess it was in rough shape. But with a lot of love and hard work, it became the B and B you’re staying in.”

  Kristine’s mind wandered as they left the harbor and sailed out to open sea. She loved the smell of the salty ocean air and the cool spray whenever they hit a wave. Boston wasn’t so bad. Some people certainly liked it. Liked it enough to fight over a tiny apartment and then wind up with something infinitely better. Maybe sometime she’d ask Amber how that had happened.

  Kristine had never been much of a fighter. Which was odd since fighter was part of her job title and description. But something was telling her she needed to deal with Donkey Pizzle once and for all. Sure, the mansion was probably well-defended, but her mother had confirmed exactly how stupid these criminals were.

  Once Kristine and Jayce were out of the harbor, he set the controls and left the wheel. He strolled over to her and rubbed her arms. “You look so serious. What’s on your mind?”

  She smiled automatically to reassure him. “Everything’s fine. I’m just going to miss you, that’s all.”

  He pulled her into a hug and caressed her back. “I’m not going to argue with you, you know. We may just be getting to know each other, but I can tell when I’m fighting a losing battle.”

  “Please be patient with me. I have the feeling that something will change eventually.”

  Jayce chuckled. “My mother always says that the only constant is change. If you don’t like something, just wait it out.” He sat down and moved over to make room for her to scoot in beside him.

  “Your mom sounds like a wise woman.”

  “She is. I want you to meet her. I know she’ll love you, and I think you’ll like her too.”

  Kristine shrugged. “She must be incredible if you named your boat after her. If things work out with us, I imagine we will meet eventually.”

  “Why wouldn’t things work out between us? What aren’t you telling me?”

  Kristine snuggled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. She knew he’d be upset if she were to tell him the truth, but honesty in a relationship was important. If their relationship couldn’t survive honesty, then what did they have?

  “Jayce, you’re not going to like this. I’m going after Donkey Pizzle. Right now, while my mother is up here and safely occupied, I have a window of opportunity.”

  Jayce reared back and stared at her for a moment. “Is this just about revenge?”

  “No. Not just revenge…although I’m plenty pissed off. These people need to be stopped. I know what they’re doing to mere human beings. I have an advantage. If they try to order me into some windowless van, I can simply say, I’m a dragon. Make me.”

  “Kristine, I can’t let you do this alone. If something happened to you, your mother and I would both be devastated. We’d blame ourselves and have to live with that forever.”

  “You can’t stop me, but I was hoping you’d say something like that because I could use your help.”

  He simply closed his eyes and waited for her to continue.

  “You know where they live. I wasn’t there when my mother escaped. You were. If I ask her where they are, she’ll know I’m going after them. She can’t stop me either, and I don’t want her to try. If she knows I’m going after them, she’ll worry or get in the way.”

  “But I have a job, and I’ve been away from it. Can we wait until I accrue some more vacation time? Then I’ll be glad to help you.”

  “Now is the only time. I’m on a leave of absence, and my mother is safe.”

  Jayce scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know what to do, Kristine. It seems as if you’ve made up your mind.”

  “Trust me, please. That’s all I ask. I swear I can and will take care of myself first and foremost. Those asswipes don’t deserve my life or my happiness.”

  She stepped into his space, rested her hands on his chest, and stared into his eyes. She hoped he would read the sincerity there. He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.

  “There must be something I can do to help you if you’re determined to do this thing. Can you give me twenty-four hours to come up with something else?”

  She sighed. “Sure. But I’m doing this, no matter what.”

  For a few minutes, they remained quiet—staring at the sea.

  At last, Jayce sat down hard. “I don’t know the address, but it’s in South Hampton. A white mansion with direct beachfront access.”

  “Any other way I can identify it?”

  He shrugged. “Tall hedges on one side. Some woods on the other—it can’t be seen by neighbors on either side. There’s a large oval pool near the back of the house, about fifty yards from the beach.”

  “Is there anything I could recognize from the street?”

  “There’s a stone wall and two iron gates next to the street. A long driveway ends in a circle in front of the entrance. There are topiaries on either side of the front door. They’re pruned to look like lions.”

  She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you. You really do love me.”

  He sighed and pulled her onto his lap. “I guess this is why they call it ‘madly in love.’ I must be mad to let you do this, especially without me.”

  She lowered her eyes shyly. “I’m madly in love with you too.”

  Jayce placed a finger under her chin and tipped up her face to look into her eyes. He must have seen the love shining there. She couldn’t and wouldn’t hide it from him.

  He gently pressed his lips to hers. They were soft, but his intent was unmistakable. Their mouths opened to one another automatically, and she sought his tongue. After a gentle swirl, he sucked on hers, and the resultant tug had her pulling him closer, needing more of him.

  He lifted her in his arms and set her on the deck just long enough to open the hatch to the cabin below. “M’lady…” He gestured to the steps down with a sweep of his hand.

  “Such a gentleman…”

  “Oh, there’s nothing gentlemanly
on my mind, I assure you.”

  “Good.” Her voice sounded raspier than she had intended. She scrambled down the wide ladder. Jayce caught up with her at the back of the cabin, where a smaller ladder led to the bed under the front of the boat. There was only about three feet of headroom. “I don’t think there’s enough room in here,” she said. “At least not if I’m on top.”

  Jayce grinned. “Oh, so you want to be on top, do you?”

  Kristine tipped her head and smiled coquettishly. “I was only saying there’s not enough room for me to do that, if you want me to. Or I could just lie there…”

  Jayce took her hand and led her back to the galley. “Watch this…” He pulled the cushions off the built-in benches, knelt under the small table, and flipped up the leg. Then he lifted the tabletop off its hinges and dropped it down to fit between the benches perfectly. He rearranged the cushions so they all laid flat. “Presto-chango. We have another bed—and plenty of headroom.”

  “Oh? And what are we going to do with that?” Kristine blinked innocently.

  Jayce narrowed his eyes as a slow, almost evil smile spread across his face. “I’m going to let you fuck me, my love. Any way you want to.”

  She laughed. “You’re going to let me?”

  “Any way you want.”

  He stepped into her space and began unbuttoning her blue-and-white-striped henley top. To her relief there were only three buttons from chest to neckline. She was becoming so heated from the inside that she couldn’t get the top off fast enough.

  She held up her arms, and he pulled it over her head. She had on a pink bathing suit top, but one yank on the tie behind her neck, and it was almost off too.

  She grabbed the hem of his navy-blue T-shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it on the floor. His hard pectorals and abs glowed with a golden tan. She caressed the hard planes of his chest while watching his eyes darken.

  “Jesus, Kristine. You could drive me crazy with lust.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said as she reached for his belt. “I’ll put you out of your misery.” A moment later, his pants hit the floor, and she kneeled in front of him. Ordinarily finding no underwear would have surprised her, but he was probably expecting sex. She took him in her hand and licked the tip of his hard erection.

  He leaned back and groaned. She pleasured him thoroughly, enjoying his every reaction. Without warning, she wound up on her back. The cushions were soft enough, so her squeal only resulted from surprise, not pain.

  Jayce leaned over her and divested her of her skirt and bathing suit bottoms. Now they were both gloriously naked. She couldn’t remember being self-conscious in front of Jayce. She’d felt a twinge of self-consciousness when they were first together, but that was more out of habit than any true awkwardness. She’d usually had a shy moment with any guy who made it to her bedroom. But she’d always felt comfortable with Jayce—almost proud of her nakedness. They fit together perfectly.

  As if to prove the fact, he reached under her arms and yanked her up so they were even, face-to-face, and then he wrapped a hand around her hip, pulling her close. She twined her legs with his and caressed his face. His dark eyes were so intense that they seemed to bore right into her.

  “Kristine,” he murmured. He kissed her lips over and over with tenderness and purpose. They opened to each other and played hide-and-seek with their tongues.

  He moved to the column of her neck, laying kisses down to her collarbone. He licked and nipped her there and then kissed his way down to one breast. As he suckled, creating delightful visceral sensations, she arched and moaned. When she whimpered, he switched to the other breast and gave that one the same full attention.

  “Don’t torment me, Jayce. I need you, now.”

  “Don’t worry, love. I’ll give you what you need.” He scooted lower, and his fingers parted her folds. “You are ready for me. And so soon. Are you sure you don’t want more?”

  “Not necessary. Please…”

  “Just another minute more. It’ll be worth the wait. I promise.”

  He lowered his head and laved her sensitive bundle with his tongue. Sensations built quickly, and soon she felt herself taking off like a rocket. Jayce didn’t let up. Her core grew white-hot, and her thighs trembled. Then she exploded. The powerful orgasm left her almost sobbing.

  At last she floated back to earth. There was a roaring in her ears, and her heart was pounding. Jayce gathered her in his arms and just held her while she gasped for breath. “How did…you do…that?”

  “A hummingbird can flap its wings fast, right?”

  “Yeah…”

  “Well, a phoenix can flap its tongue just as fast.”

  “Holy shit!”

  Jayce laughed. He tucked an arm around her waist and rolled until she was on top of him.

  She giggled. “Really? I can barely move, and you want me to do all the work?”

  Jayce lay there and tucked his hands behind his head. “You were the one who wanted to be on top. I can wait—although you would think that, as a dragon, you’d recover faster than a human.”

  She pushed on his chest and lifted her torso. “Oh, you would, would you?” She shimmered and transformed.

  He just grinned. She could tell she wasn’t going to get a shocked reaction, so she shimmered back to human form and straddled him. His staff was hard as steel. Taking his cock in her hand, she rubbed it up and down. The surface was satiny soft, contrasting with the strength and hardness beneath. At last, she lowered herself onto him and began to rock. He rubbed her breasts as she found her rhythm. A visceral tug shot to her core, and they both moaned in pleasure.

  She loved knowing she was bringing him pleasure. She wanted him to experience the same kind of gratification he gave her. If only she could just stay here, hiding away with him on this boat forever.

  Chapter 12

  Jayce woke up in his condo the next morning with a smile on his face. Before he opened his eyes, he remembered making love to Kristine on his boat and again in this very bed—twice. He opened one eye and glanced over at the empty space across from him. The sheets were rumpled, and her pillow still showed the imprint of her beautiful head, but she was gone.

  He bolted upright. “Kristine?”

  When there was no answer, he feared the worst. He jumped out of bed, donned his boxer briefs, and checked the open bathroom door on his way to the main living area. “Kristine?”

  Silence.

  Dammit!

  He grabbed his phone off the kitchen counter and brought up her number in his contact list. How long could she have been gone? Hadn’t they just fallen asleep? Shit. It was almost 8 a.m.

  “Hello?”

  “Kristine? Where are you?”

  “Oh, Jayce. I’m at the B and B packing.”

  “I don’t understand. You were going to give me twenty-four hours.” He began pacing and tried to modulate his voice to keep his anger from showing.

  “I told you I couldn’t stay and that I was going back to the B and B after our date.”

  He bit back a swear. “When you fell asleep in my arms, I thought you had changed your mind.” She was silent on the other end, and his frustration mounted. “When are you planning to return to New York? Before or after my twenty-four hours are up?”

  She let out an audible sigh. “Jayce, I need you to trust me.”

  “Trust you?” His voice rose, but he didn’t care at the moment. “It’s hard to trust someone who lies to you.”

  “I never lied to you, Jayce. I never said I was going to stick around while you spent twenty-four hours thinking. I never said I was going to stay for breakfast this morning. I can’t help the things you assume if you don’t ask.”

  Jayce pulled the phone away from his ear and counted to ten. Technically, she was correct. She hadn’t lied, and he had made assumptions. But that didn’t take
the sting out of it.

  He swallowed hard and asked, “So what’s your plan now?”

  After a brief hesitation, she said, “I’m heading to the train station as soon as I’m done here.”

  “Does your mother know you’re leaving? Or what you’re planning?”

  “Yes. Well, no. Not exactly. It’s a long story.”

  “Summarize it for me.” He resumed his pacing and scratched his head.

  “I told her at the Laundromat yesterday that I was going back to New York. This morning I paid for my room and left the key with Amber at breakfast. My mother was right there. She didn’t ask what I was planning to do beyond returning to work, and I didn’t bother telling anyone.”

  “She was probably engrossed in conversation with Conlan, right?”

  “Like I said, you’re very perceptive. You must also be a little psychic. That’s kind of scary,” she said, as if making a joke.

  He didn’t find it very funny.

  “Okay. If that’s how you’re going to play it, I have to do a couple of things first, and then I’ll meet you at the train station. You don’t have tickets yet, right?”

  “Uh…no. Not yet. But there’s a kiosk at the station. You don’t have to come with me, you know. In fact, I thought you were due back at the station tonight.”

  “You’re not leaving me much choice. I’ll have to call in sick.”

  “You have plenty of choices. You can go about your business and let me take care of mine. Or you can follow me around and drive me crazy. Or—”

  “Kristine. You’re not being fair.”

  “Fine. I’m not fair. Life isn’t fair. I was going to talk to you before I left.”

  “Oh? How considerate.”

  “Geez. What do you want me to do? Apologize for doing what I said I was going to do all along?”

  He wanted to throw the phone across the room. How did this get so out of control? If he went to New York now, he wouldn’t be there long. He was supposed to go back to work tonight at six. He hadn’t even had his coffee yet, so hoping for a brilliant idea was a bit of a stretch.

  “Can you wait until I meet you at the train station? Which one are you using, by the way? Back Bay?”