Lure of the Dragon - Bonus Edition Read online

  “And then, when you’re ready,” Kai said, “you do the same.”

  She ran her hand over his neck, feeling his pulse. Instinctively knowing exactly where she’d plant her bite — right there, where instinct told her she wouldn’t do any harm. Her mouth heated up as her dragon side thought about the branding part of the mating ritual, and she had a vision of her big, powerful man coming totally undone.

  “I think I like the sound of that,” she murmured, already mixing up the present and future. Her body was already on fire, begging to claim and be claimed right there and then.

  “You think you like the sound of that?” he asked, not quite satisfied.

  “I love it. And I love you, Kai.”

  He pulled her close, sniffing deeply, possessively. “Forever, my mate.”

  “Forever.” She nodded, tickling his ear, then slowly lowered her leg to the ground. “Now take me home and show me your stuff, dragon.”

  “Are you telling me what to do?”

  She laughed. “What if I ask nicely?”

  He grinned and kissed her, hard. Then he took her hand and led her uphill. “I like the sound of that.”

  Bonus Scenes

  Sometimes, it’s just not possible to fit everything into one book — not so much in terms of page count as for flow of the story and pacing. So the minute I finished writing Lure of the Dragon, I started writing a special bonus epilogue called A Dragon’s Honeymoon so we could all enjoy watching Tessa’s dreams come true — literally! It satisfied my need for a little more of Tessa and Kai’s love story without making the end of the book drag out with an appendix that takes place in a different place and time.

  But then a funny thing happened. Several members of my ARC team said they loved the book and added how much they wanted to witness Tessa and Kai’s mating bite. Since I aim to please, I got back to writing, and voila! A second bonus scene was born! That one is The Mating Bite and it picks up right where Lure of the Dragon left off with Tessa and Kai on the beach at Koa Point. A Dragon’s Honeymoon takes place a few weeks later. I hope you enjoy both!

  Bonus scene: The Mating Bite

  This scene picks up where Lure of the Dragon left off with Tessa and Kai on the beach at Koa Point.

  They started walking hand in hand up the winding path toward the house. Then Kai slid his arm across Tessa’s shoulders and pressed her firmly against his side. By the time they reached the stairs for the final climb, his fingers were playing across her bare shoulder, and she was a goner. Heat had been building in her body the whole time, and she hungered for him. Really hungered — for his kiss, his touch, the hard slide of skin over skin. A dozen fantasies sprang up in her mind, and she burned to play out every one. Never mind that they’d spent half the night and most of the morning wrapped around each other. Somehow, she still needed more.

  Need my mate, a little voice growled in the back of her mind. Need to make him mine.

  Earlier, that nagging voice had taken a back seat to all the other questions in her mind, but now, it grew louder and more insistent. As if her dragon blood was slowly waking up and making demands.

  “Mmm,” Kai hummed, nestling his head against hers as they walked. The deep, earthy sound reached into her soul and kindled the flickering flames into a bonfire.

  Tessa took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn’t so crazy to believe she was part dragon. There was a savage beast inside her for sure, and it was hungry for its mate.

  You’re ready. He’s ready, too, the voice assured her. Why wait?

  She slid her right hand into the rear pocket of his jeans and hurried up the stairs. The sooner they reached the veranda, the sooner they could—

  Strip and go at it? Kai said in her mind.

  She nudged him with her elbow and made an exasperated sound as if she hadn’t been thinking that same thing. “Honestly, is sex all you can think of?”

  “Now, there’s the pot calling the kettle black,” he laughed.

  Tessa hid a smile. Kai’s mind-reading trick had its pluses and minuses.

  “Well, seeing as I’m part dragon…”

  He didn’t even whisper into her mind, but she could see the hope in his eyes. You could be all dragon.

  She took a deep breath. The mating bite would be all it took, and once the dragon in her was fully awakened, she would be able to shift forms like Kai. She could fly — no, soar — just as she had in her dreams. She could spend a lifetime with this incredible man and shake off all the shackles she’d been bound by for years.

  They were nearly at the top step, and the view was slowly opening up, but all she had eyes for was Kai. The thick hair she couldn’t wait to run her fingers through. The round shoulders she wanted to grip as he lay over her and brought her to another incredible high. The washboard abs she could run her hands over when they lay heaving and panting together afterward.

  Kai’s eyes swept over her body, and she sensed him making his own list. He twirled a finger in a tendril of her red hair, and a whisper went through her mind. I want to tangle my fingers in your gorgeous hair and kiss you till you can’t see straight.

  Tessa blinked. Damn, she was already at the point of not being able to see straight, except when it came to Kai. The world had shrunk away again, leaving just him and her and the furnace building around them.

  “Home sweet home,” she murmured when they reached the veranda.

  Kai hugged her close and murmured, “Home sweet home. And I mean the person, not the place.”

  She snuggled against his shoulder. Who knew dragons could be so sweet? Then she lifted her head and cupped his face between her hands. She’d meant to utter some remark, but the words got lost the second Kai’s eyes locked on hers. The air between them practically cracked with raw desire.

  “So how about you and I—” she started when Kai cut her off with a kiss. A searing, hungry kiss.

  But he broke away a second later, panting. His eyes closed, and she could tell he was warring with his dragon again.

  “Hey. I liked that,” she said, tugging him closer.

  He grinned, and those amazing blue eyes shone bright. “I liked it, too.”

  She tipped her head up to his and nibbled the edge of his jaw. Slowly, sensually. “Do you like this?” she whispered.

  He cupped her cheek and gave the slightest nod as she worked her way toward his ear, pressing her body closer to his the whole time.

  “And what about this?” she murmured, nosing his ear.

  His hands tightened in her shirt, and she willed him to yank it over her head and strip her there and then. He gulped, though, and stayed perfectly still.

  Tessa ran her hands along his belly until she felt the coarse denim of his jeans. She nearly stopped there, but the craving was insatiable, and her hand drifted lower. Lower. God, if she could rip those jeans right off his body, she would.

  “Don’t you want this?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I want you so bad.”

  “So why are you holding back?”

  His jaw went hard. “Tessa, this is about more than wanting you. It’s about claiming you. Every time we make love…”

  She shook her head when he trailed off. “What? Kai?”

  “Every time we make love, it gets harder to resist the instinct to bite. To claim you. To make you mine.”

  A ripple of desire went through her body, one nerve ending setting off the next and the next like an endless row of dominoes. “I want to be claimed. And you’d better watch out, because I’ll claim you right back.”

  He caught her hands before she could work down the zipper of his jeans. “I mean the brand, too, Tessa. I’m not sure I can hold back this time. And if you’re not ready…”

  She looked up and found his eyes not just shining, but glowing a rich, peacock blue. A sign of dragon arousal, she’d learned.

  She let her gaze wander off into nothingness while she tried to summon logical thought. A losing battle, considering the lusty haze that was taking over her body.
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  Come on, Tessa. Think this through. Haven’t you had enough of fangs and dragon fire for now? Are you really ready for the mating bite — and the brand?

  She braced herself to accept the inevitable No, but all her soul uttered was a heartfelt Yes. Please, it begged. Without that, we will never feel complete.

  We. Was that her dragon answering?

  She closed her eyes, recalling the amazing highs she’d attained with Kai. How could she possibly want more? But every high came with a little itch, a hint that she’d come close to something earth-shattering and missed by a hair.

  Need the mating bite, the voice cried. The brand.

  She took a deep breath. Kai had chosen her over the Lifestone. He’d almost sacrificed his life for her. Why should she make him wait? Why should she make herself wait?

  “I want this, Kai. I’m ready. Well, ready as I’ll ever be.”

  The glowing embers in his eyes glowed brighter. “Are you sure?”

  She squeezed his hands and went back to sniffing his scent. Hell yes, she was sure. As sure as she would ever be.

  “Yes. I want this, Kai. I want you. Forever.”

  Kai’s lips twitched as the last slender threads of doubt parted. He backed her across the veranda to the wall of the house and pinned her there, smothering her with a searing kiss. She moaned into his lips as her body molded to his. Oh, this was going to be good.

  His hands were as gentle as his mouth was rough, suiting her mood perfectly. His hips pressed forward, and she ground against him, desperate to touch him everywhere at once.

  “Kai,” she moaned, running her hands inside his shirt. She worked it up his torso, and for a moment, they were tangled, with him unwilling to break the kiss and her determined to discard every scrap of fabric covering his body. Tessa nearly giggled, but Kai was so serious, she couldn’t. He pulled back for a split second and ducked out of the shirt, then went right back to claiming her mouth with his.

  Tessa managed a quick gulp of air, quivering with anticipation. The man was on fire. If he made love to her as forcefully as he kissed… Well, hot damn. She groaned, urging him on.

  Their hands tangled as he attempted to peel off her shirt while she groped at his fly, and for a second, neither yielded to the other. Then Kai pulled away. Panting hard, he put his hands on the wall on either side of her head and tipped his head against hers.

  “You first,” he murmured, letting her take the lead. She could hear the edge in his voice, though, the man-versus-beast struggle inside.

  “You, my mate, are a star,” she whispered, running her hands up his chest.

  He growled. “If you could hear what my dragon wants to do with you…”

  Now that sounded good. She worked his fly down and snaked her hand inside. “Oh, yes? Like claim me, maybe?”

  When she ran her hand along his thick shaft, he hissed and went perfectly still. She pushed his jeans down, followed by the boxers, and fisted him. When she pulled her hand up and down the full length, he groaned under his breath.

  “Or maybe your dragon wants me to tease him for a little while,” she said, letting her voice go all sultry.

  Kai’s jaw locked so hard, she could barely understand his mumble. “Dragons don’t like teasing.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame,” she cooed, trying to keep her voice light, when in reality, her mouth was watering, her panties soaking. “Teasing can be fun.” She ran her thumb over the head of his cock while the rest of her fingers circled him.

  “Fun?” he groaned. He was a statue, but his cock twitched in her hand. Slowly, his hips thrust forward to slide through the circle of her fingers.

  She grinned. “See? Fun.”

  He drew back then pushed forward again. “I can think of something even more fun.”

  She nosed his ear and whispered, “I’m thinking of it right now.”

  Kai took a sharp breath. She tightened her hand around his cock and moved in the opposite direction of his slow thrusts, imagining what it would feel like when he was inside her.

  “I’m picturing you deep inside me,” she hummed, getting herself as worked up as Kai was, judging by the sweat breaking out over his brow. She wondered how far she could push — or how far she dared push — his dragon side.

  Kai made a low, garbled sound. A vein at the side of his neck pulsed. His cock glided through her hand in a slow, steady rhythm. When he lowered one hand to her breast and palmed her slowly, she groaned and licked her lips. Whoa. She was killing herself with this tease, not just him. But anticipation was the best part, right?

  Not this time, it’s not, Kai murmured in her mind.

  Briefly, she considered dropping to her knees and taking him in her mouth. But his fingers were doing the most incredible things to her nipple, and her back arched. The man was quietly launching his own counterattack, and her soul was absolutely ready to hand her body over. The sex they were about to have was going to be off the charts. She pictured herself naked and spread on the bed, with Kai looking over her before coming to his knees over her body.

  He nodded into her shoulder wordlessly. I like that idea. A lot.

  She play-slapped his shoulder. “You really have to stay out of my mind when I’m thinking dirty thoughts.”

  “They’re the best ones,” he murmured, running the rough pad of his thumb over her breast.

  Tessa took a deep breath. Was she really ready for the mating bite — and more importantly, the dragon’s brand that would make her a shifter like him? Kai had mentioned the danger in the brief talk they’d had on Molokini and explained the reason his parents had never taken the step. But Tessa was part dragon, which meant she’d be okay, right?

  Kai hadn’t looked so sure.

  Please, the inner voice cried. Please.

  “Tessa,” Kai whispered, about to pull away.

  And just like that, her decision was made. Never in her life had she done things halfway. Why start now?

  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him back. “I want this, Kai. I need this.”

  “But what if…”

  She put her fingers against his lips. “Why would destiny have brought us together if it didn’t want us to mate?”

  His nostrils flared, but he didn’t say a word.

  “Damn it, Kai. I need you.”

  His eyes blazed at her then went wide.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Your eyes…” His mouth cracked open as he smoothed her hair back. “They’re so green.”

  She made an exasperated sound. Didn’t he know that already?

  “No, I mean… They’re glowing. Like a dragon,” he breathed.

  Tessa blinked a few times. Her eyes didn’t feel any different than usual, but her body was burning with need. She pulled him closer. “Well, that just shows that the dragon part of me needs this, too. And how sure she is that everything will be okay.”

  We’ll be okay, the voice in her mind chimed in.

  Kai hesitated one more second, running his hands gently along her sides, extending his thumbs so they brushed the sides of her breasts. A growl sounded in her ears, and she couldn’t tell if it was the one building in her throat or Kai’s. But it must have been Kai, because an instant later, he devoured her with a kiss, not holding back in the least.

  She gasped because it really was rough, but then she kissed him every bit as desperately. When Kai dragged her closer, she wrapped her legs around his waist. By the time she came up for a breath of air, he’d carried her to the bedroom, and her inner voice was crying, Yes, yes, yes!

  “Tessa,” he murmured, lowering her slowly and following her down, kissing her the whole way.

  She reeled him in, aching for his touch. She spread her legs as Kai slid a hand down her belly. The second he traced her folds, her hips jerked off the bed.

  “So good,” she moaned as he furrowed deeper. “Kai…”

  He circled her entrance with one finger then two, but even that wasn’t enough. She raised her head and
shoulders off the mattress, pawing at him. “I need you inside me, dragon. Now.”

  His eyes flared, and she caught a faint hint of green reflected in them. Maybe he wasn’t kidding about hers glowing, too. But it felt as if her entire body was glowing, so why not her eyes?

  “Come to me, my mate.” Her voice wobbled from sheer need.

  Kai’s gaze went to her neck, and she could see him calculating where to place the bite.

  “Turn over,” he said in a husky voice, guiding her around. “Like this.”

  She rolled and came to all fours under his bigger body, rubbing her backside against his groin while he combed her hair away from the left side of her neck. When his fingers brushed the sensitive skin there, she quivered with desire. Kai, it seemed, was more tuned in to her body than she was, because this new position felt exactly right. His hands traced her sides then took firm hold of her hips.

  Tessa held her breath, so hungry for him it hurt to wait.

  Kai nudged her once, twice, then sucked in a breath and thrust into her in one hot, hungry slide.

  Tears filled her eyes at the exquisite pleasure-pain. “Yes,” she moaned, pushing back against him, begging for more. “Yes…”

  Kai withdrew halfway then thrust back in, and she cried out again. And again and again as he penetrated ever deeper and faster. Her whole body clenched up as she channeled all her energy on their point of contact.

  Kai’s harsh breath turned to soft grunts. Tessa dropped to her elbows, mouthing her cries into the pillow. Her mind was a haze of sheer pleasure, her body climbing higher and higher like an addict getting the ultimate fix.

  Tessa, Kai groaned in her mind. Tessa…

  The smooth rhythm grew jerky, and she knew he was close. She clamped her inner muscles tight around him just in time for his next thrust, making it burn.

  Tessa, he moaned.

  She turned her head to the side and let out a keening cry as her body shuddered, finally succumbing to her orgasm. Kai…

  His left hand left her hip and touched her shoulder, turning her slightly as he pushed in one last time. When he leaned over her, the puff of his exhale seared her neck.