Page 34 of Desired By the Dragon

I nodded, forcing a smile. “Of course. Should we make the rounds?”

He nodded but didn’t seem entirely convinced by my reassurance. Nevertheless, we began to circle the room and he introduced me to his colleagues. I nodded and laughed in all the right places, all the while keeping my ears primed for more info on the robberies.

A few people were talking about it, though none seemed to know more than what I’d already overheard. Everyone had theories, though, about where this robber was going, what they wanted, who they were.

I was pretty confident that I was the only one who knew the possible truth. It made my head spin with the possibilities. I’d known there was a chance of retaliation when I’d wrecked his bike and fucked with his stash. Had this been my way of self-sabotaging again? To give myself a way out of Indigo Cove? An excuse to run? Like a fucked up contingency plan?

Surprisingly, the urge to run wasn’t what I was feeling in that moment.

Max glanced over at me, sliding me a wink, as his colleague rambled on about some discovery or another they’d made recently about the ghost ship that haunted the harbor. I felt… warm. His little side glances, the way his hand never stayed from my hip, squeezing every now and then as if to reassure me when he sensed I might be nervous or unsure. It was like being part of a team that only we were in.

I liked it. A lot.

And sure, the heat was still there, making me want to rip the shirt straight off of his body and lick every inch of his tattooed skin, but I also wanted him to smile at me again. To keep trying to make me laugh, whispering gossip in my ear about various people as we circled the room.

And when the night began to draw to a close, I didn’t want to go home.

Max laughed at something the Dean said and then glanced down at me where I was tucked into his side, checking on me. Always checking on me. I laughed along, despite not hearing whatever had been talked about, I’d been too busy taking in the way Max’s mouth moved when he spoke.

“You ready to call it a night?” he murmured and I nodded, but before he could walk away again I held tight to his hand, pulling him back into me. “Everything okay?”

I nodded again, my eyes roving over his face as the space between us grew scarce. His breath was my breath, our skin brushing, and then I closed the distance.

This kiss felt different. Still hot, still hungry, but deeper somehow.

I parted his lips with my own and teased his tongue with the tip of mine, tasting him, drinking in his small sigh of relief, like he’d been desperate for this all night.

We broke apart, the clatter of the party breaking back into our reality, and when he looked at me there was a thousand questions swimming in his eyes. “Give me five minutes to say goodbye?”

“Of course. I’ll wait for you.”

He nodded, and in no time at all he was back, hand in mine, leading me away from the party.

Our footsteps echoed through the corridors, the moon shining inside in snippets as we passed the arched windows and eventually found ourselves outside. The air was cold, fresh, but I could barely feel it against the heat of my skin. A breeze kicked up, flicking my hair into my face, and Max pushed it back slowly, tucking the strands behind my ear and then lingering at my cheek.

“Come home with me,” he begged, voice hoarse like he’d been internally screaming, and I kissed him in answer, the meeting of our lips more frantic, the hot press a promise of everything still to come.

“Yes,” I whispered and a breath of what looked like relief made him relax.

“Thank fuck,” he muttered and I laughed.

The short walk to the faculty building was made longer by the amount of times we stopped to kiss, each press of our lips more hot than the last. Max dipped his head, devouring me in the entrance to the building and I whimpered, the ache between my legs needing relief.

There was a light in his eyes I hadn’t seen before, reverent almost, as he cupped my jaw and took his time kissing me slow. “Come on, trouble.”

Dazed, I let him lead us inside and up the winding staircase until we reached his room. He fumbled for his key, the tremble in his hands sweet, if surprising. It opened soundlessly, the intoxicating scent of him drifting out and settling me in a way that should have been unnerving but instead felt overwhelmingly right.

I stepped in close, seeking his warmth, and a small smile touched his mouth when he noticed.

The door closed behind us, the soft snick of the lock loud in the quiet of the room. Max flicked out a finger and fire lit the hearth, adding an orange glow around us that flickered in his eyes when he looked at me.

“Did I tell you how beautiful you look in this dress?” His voice was low, like he was struggling for control, and I remained silent, content to let him talk us through whatever happened next. Breathing out sharply, Max took another calming breath before turning away from me and taking off his jacket, hanging it up just so, and then removing his shoes in a similar fashion. Then he walked calmly to the armchair by the fire and sat down, reclining lazily as he studied me beneath the dark hair that had fallen into his eyes. “You are,” he continued. “Beautiful, I mean. A stunningly perfect creature. And you’re all mine.” His tone and defiant stare dared me to deny it, to argue with him.

I kept my mouth shut.

“Say it,” he growled, voice low and commanding. “Say that you’re mine.”

Heat raced across my skin, followed by goosebumps. We were playing with fire.