Again, fury and lust duked it out in Aiden’s gut. Would he be able to handle this?
Apparently picking up on the fierce emotions roiling inside Aiden, Jace speared him with a sharp look. “Unzip.”
Aiden blinked. “What?”
“Damn it, I don’t want to worry about you going all territorial and cracking my head open. If your cock is in her mouth, you sure as shit won’t be focused on what I’m doing.”
Dana licked her bottom lip and Aiden imagined having that pink tongue swirling over the head of his cock. He swallowed hard. Yeah, Jace definitely had a point. Stepping in front of Dana, he cupped her cheek and feathered his lips across hers in a questioning kiss. A shudder ran through her. He was ninety-nine percent certain it was generated from desire rather than fear, but the lingering one percent pricked his conscience. “You don’t have to do—” The last part of his sentence escaped his mouth like air from a leaky balloon when she stroked his erection through the placket of his khakis.
Lips curving with feminine power, she unbuckled his belt and wrestled the top button from its lodging. Concerned she was about to maim him, he coaxed her fingers away and eased the zipper down. Her hot hand slid inside his briefs and closed around him. He jerked in response and her smile widened.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he demanded, his voice ragged around the edges.
“Didn’t anyone tell you payback is a bitch?”
“Fair enough.” He yanked the Henley over his head and dropped it to the floor. “But keep this in mind. There’re two against one here. Who do you think has the better odds?”
Some of the cockiness dimmed from her expression. Taking full advantage of her momentary indecision, he grasped her waist and hiked her onto the chair. Bending, he slanted his lips over Dana’s, stopping any denial she might have offered. She gasped, her fingers curling against his shoulders.
He made love to her mouth, showing her with his tongue and lips exactly what he’d give her if he were the one between her thighs. The soft, feminine sighs mingling with his breath threatened to steal his sanity. Tracing his tongue over her chin, he gave it a little nip before glancing down. Jace’s index finger was buried in her pussy. Aiden went rigid at the sight. In more ways than one.
“Sweetness,
now
. Before he clocks me.”
Slender fingers caressed the head of Aiden’s cock and he sucked in a harsh breath. Giving an impatient tug, Dana rucked his trousers lower on his hips. Loose tendrils of her hair brushed his thigh, making him moan. A moment later, she engulfed his shaft in the warm heaven of her mouth. His legs started to buckle and he clamped the chair back in a white-knuckled grip.
“Pace yourself, sweetness. I need more than five seconds to enjoy you.”
“Fuck you,” Aiden growled. Locking his knees, he tried to tune out his brother’s responding laugh and the mind-blowing suction Dana was employing. Christ, much more of that and he stood a good chance of living up to Jace’s embarrassing prediction.
She eased back, launching an excruciatingly slow exploration of every ridge and contour of his cock before lightly grazing her teeth over the swollen head. Using only the tip of her tongue, she teased the sensitive juncture where shaft met crown. He groaned—the sound agonized even to his own ears. Cradling her skull, he nudged against her lips in hopes of persuading her to end the torture. She slanted him a mischievous look and inched away. The little minx was dead set on killing him. Suddenly her lips parted, a gasp catching in her throat as her fingers squeezed tight around the base of his cock. Some twisted part of him couldn’t resist glancing toward Jace.
The benefit of being a twin was he could almost fool himself into believing he was the one wallowing in carnal delight between Dana’s legs. Still, when Jace hooked Dana’s thighs over his shoulder, Aiden had to clench his fists to keep from dragging his brother away from Dana and claiming her for his own gluttonous feast. Her tongue returned to his cock, licking the weeping slit like a hungry kitten lapping up cream. Dana’s teasing ministrations more than managed to recapture his attention. She sucked him deep, her moan vibrating through him, and he stopped caring about anything but the sweet friction of her mouth. Her cheeks hollowed and she pulled back, her tongue coasting over the flanged crown before she bobbed her head and swallowed him toward the back of her throat again. She kept up her brain-frying rhythm until his balls tightened and he was shaking with the need to come.
“Dana.” Her name more an incoherent groan than anything else, he attempted to pull from her mouth. She gripped his ass, stalling his retreat. Eyes the color of sparkling emeralds gazed up at him with smoldering encouragement while her silky mouth leached him of willpower. There was no way he could stop the climax roaring down on him. “
Fuck
.” He held her close, his hips bucking helplessly as he came, hard and fast. Massaging his buttocks, she swallowed every drop he had to give.
A few seconds later, heart pounding, he relaxed his grip on her hair. It was a damn miracle the force of his orgasm didn’t blow his head off.
Knees wobbling, he hunkered next to the chair and ran his fingertips over her beaded nipples. Giving a broken gasp, she arched toward him. Not about to be left out of her climax, he drew her nipple into his mouth, tugging insistently with his teeth. She rewarded him an instant later with her sweet cries ringing in his ears. He watched the bliss playing across her face, the beautiful sight bringing new life to his still semi-hard cock.
A moment later, she blinked, her expression dazed. Giving her nipple one final lick, he couldn’t resist grinning. “Now
that
definitely sounded like a scream.”
“You’re delusional.” Her haughty tone belied the blush creeping across her cheekbones. She dropped her focus to Jace, who was sweeping his tongue in lazy circles over her inner thigh. Her eyes widened and she tensed.
Aiden didn’t need to be a mind reader to know she was experiencing a major case of the what-the-hell-did-I-just-do remorse. He reached for her but she scrabbled sideways, nearly upsetting the chair. Jace dropped onto his haunches. Not a moment too soon, either, as her leg swerved past his head, narrowly missing sideswiping it, and she jumped to her feet.
“No, no,
no
.” Her voice approaching that hysterical pitch only dogs and rodents could hear, she whirled and scooped her clothing from the floor.
More than a little distracted by the mouthwatering sight of her ass waving in the air, Aiden hiked his khakis in place and hurried to catch up with her before she scurried from the kitchen. “Dana, wait.” He snagged her elbow and she wobbled backward, colliding with his chest. Loosening his grip, he gently brushed away the blonde lock of hair that’d straggled in front of her eye. “There’s no reason to be freaked out about what just happened.”
She gaped at him like a second head had just sprouted from his neck. “
Riiight
. Because God knows, having oral sex with a couple of dragons in the middle of my kitchen is practically a daily occurrence for me.” Clutching her balled-up clothes in front of her, she leveled him with an accusing glare. “Excuse the irony, but I’m screwed now, right?”
Blinking, Aiden let go of her arm. “Sorry, I don’t follow your meaning.”
“I just willingly gave in to you.
Both
of you.”
His confusion cleared. “You think that was our way of weaseling you into the contract?”
Her mouth pinched tight. “The thought occurred to me.”
“Sweetheart, I told you nothing is finalized unless you mate with us on the first night of the Talon moon.”
Some of the storm clouds brewing in her eyes diminished. “So I’m safe until then? The three of us could fuck like rabbits in the meantime, and it wouldn’t matter?”
Aiden and Jace both choked at the same time. Jace was the first to recover. He strode forward, his expression dark with lust. “Absolutely.”
Dana bit her bottom lip, her gaze panning between them. She took a deep breath, her breasts swelling softly against the sweater scrunched in her arms. “I…I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Without further word, she spun and took off down the hallway.
Slowly, the oxygen returned to Aiden’s brain.
This is going to be the longest week of my life
.
Chapter Ten
Aiden and Jace insisted on driving Dana to the gallery Monday morning. While annoying, it wasn’t exactly surprising. Hell, with as adamant as those two were about guarding her from nonexistent threats, she counted herself lucky they allowed her to use the bathroom alone. She glanced toward Aiden. His long, tanned fingers wrapped around the gear shift, and unbidden memories of those big hands roaming her body flashed through her mind.
Great, like she didn’t have enough work cut out for her trying not to relive every second of last night. Her attention automatically drifted to his lap. Sucking in a breath, she mentally gave herself a good wallop upside the head. No, she would
not
think about his beautiful, magnificent cock and how she’d loved having the satin steeliness of it between her lips.
She gritted her teeth.
Yeah, I’m doing a frigtastic job not thinking about it.
Shaking her head, she lifted her gaze and found Aiden staring at her. Given that her rapt attention had been glued to his crotch, it was pretty damn obvious where her mind had been. Terrific, just what she needed—him knowing what a huge perv she was. Slouching in the leather seat, she glared out the windshield. Aiden keyed the engine and the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House”
pounded through the speakers. She slanted Aiden a sideways glance and swore she detected a definite curl to the corner of his lip.
“Let me guess, this song is the official anthem of your people.”
Jace’s rumbling laugh nearly drowned out the radio. Swiveling in her seat, she sent him a sizzling look. “Watch it. I still haven’t forgiven you for melting my silk flowers.”
“Really?” A wicked gleam twinkled in Jace’s eyes. “Aw, sweetness, and here I tried my damnedest to make it up to you.”
Bastard would have to remind me
. Her face hotter than a furnace, Dana reached for her seat belt and buckled up. “Could we get going, please? Some of us have to work, you know.”
“Hey, you’re not the only one,” Jace piped from the backseat. “We’re a couple of poor, working schlubs too. Just not this week.”
Oh yeah, lucky me
. Leaning forward, she lowered the volume on the radio while Aiden backed out of the driveway. “So what do you guys do when you’re not off rounding up female sacrifices?”
“I’m in the plumbing biz. And before you ask, no, I don’t wear my pants hanging halfway off my ass.” Jace’s voice dropped into that sexy, teasing pitch she was coming to know so well. “But I have been told I’m a real pro at handling my snake.”
Oh Lord
. Desperate to get her mind off
that
visual, she peeked at Aiden. “How about you?”
“I work for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.”
She blinked. Okay, she’d figured they weren’t local boys, but…Washington? Crap that had to be close to two thousand miles away. Unease settled in the pit of her stomach. “If I agree to the contract, I would have to give up my home, my family and friends. Everything. Wouldn’t I?”
Tense silence shrouded the interior of the vehicle until Jace cleared his throat. “It’s not like we’re planning on chaining you to a wall. You’re free to visit them whenever you want.”
God, apparently having dragon DNA didn’t make him any less clueless than the average guy. “Thanks. That makes me feel so much better.”
She waited for Aiden to add his two cents worth but he remained moodily close-lipped. Taking his cue, she stacked her hands in her lap and rode out the remainder of the trip without uttering a single word. By the time they exited the freeway, her jaw ached from keeping it stubbornly welded shut and the beginnings of a headache taunted behind her temples.
Aiden swung into the parking lot of Fancies, and the first thing Dana noticed was the dark blue police cruiser blocking the walkway, its lights strobing. All other worries skittered from her head as her heart rate galloped into overdrive. Fumbling with her seat belt, she finally managed to release it and yanked open her door. She raced inside the gallery, Aiden and Jace hot on her heels. Her knees threatened to buckle at the chaos greeting her eyes.
Black spray paint graffitied the walls. Several of the paintings had also fallen victim to the paint and malicious slashes from a knife blade.
“Oh no.” Her belly churned, forcing a wash of acid toward her esophagus. She swallowed hard, fighting off a wave of nausea.
“Ma’am, are you the owner of this establishment?”
Through the surreal haze fogging her head, she gaped at the uniformed police officer approaching. Close on his heels was Tony. Struggling to get her neurons firing again, she swung her attention back to the officer. “Y-yes. I am.”
“As you can see, there’s been a break-in,” the officer pointed out rather unhelpfully. Using the tip of a ballpoint pen, he flipped over the top page of the little notebook he held. “Your assistant and I have gone over the damages, but I suggest you take a look and make sure everything’s accounted for. You’ll also want to contact your insurance company.”
She stared at him, trying to make sense of the words spouting from his mouth. The only thing she could wrap her head around was the fact someone had broken in and destroyed the work she’d poured her heart and soul, her sweat and tears into. When she found the creep responsible for this, she’d rip off their arm and beat them with the bloody stump. Righteous fury blanketing the dread that’d earlier gripped her, she stepped around the officer and stormed to the wall that’d received the heaviest application from the asshole’s spray can.
Tony joined her. “I honestly tried to reach you on your cell phone.”
“The battery died. Unfortunately I didn’t notice until we were almost here.” Sidestepping the chunks of glass littering the floor, she headed into her office. She desperately wanted to crawl beneath her desk and not come out until her bad luck decided to take a long hike off a very short bridge. Since that probably wouldn’t be happening anytime this century, she flipped through her rolodex, searching for her insurance agent’s business card.
The card wasn’t in the appropriate slot. Of course not. Why would life suddenly decide to do her any favors?
Mumbling a few swear words beneath her breath, she dug in her purse for her wallet. The sharp edge of a piece of paper sliced into her finger. “Damn it!” Yanking her hand out, she glared at the red dot welling at the tip of her finger. “Oh, this is just the smoking turd topping the shit pile of my day.” Snatching a tissue from the decoupaged box resting on her desk, she wrapped her finger in a Kleenex tourniquet and pulled the offending papers from her bag. It was the damn Drakoni contract.
“
Argh
.” Growling, she whipped it onto the desk and continued rummaging for her wallet. Her luck took an unexpected turn for the better and she found her agent’s card tucked in behind the dog-eared photo of her father that she always carried with her. Stroking her thumb over his grinning face, she blinked back a stinging wash of tears. “I’m doing a piss-poor job of impersonating a successful, got-her-shit-together daughter, aren’t I, Pops?” Her throat uncomfortably tight, she shoved the photo back in place and dialed her agent.
The call took less than ten minutes and wasn’t nearly as painful as she’d expected it to be. Resting the phone back in its cradle, she pillowed her cheek in her hand and stared glumly at the business card she’d been nervously fidgeting with. She tossed it down and her attention returned to the contract lying on the center of her desk. Plucking the nearest edge, she dragged it closer. She hadn’t attempted reading it further after that one time, figuring the end part would be as difficult to comprehend as the beginning.
Flipping to the last page, she grimaced at the smear of blood marring the top corner and scanned down the page. She blinked in surprise when she realized this part of the document actually contained words that made sense.
If you could call the terms so bluntly laid out as being the slightest bit sensible. Or reasonable. Or remotely anything a woman in her right mind would agree to.
“The sacrifice, who shall henceforth be named Sacrifice number 5, must submit to and obey her Drakoni master completely or risk severe punishment.” Her hands shook with fury, causing the papers clutched in her white-knuckled grip to flutter wildly. “I’d be reduced to a freakin’
number
? And what sort of bullshit is this about punishment?” She inspected the remainder of the contract closely, on the lookout for any suspicious clause that mentioned flame-broiling her for lunch if she refused to do windows. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any specific breakdown of what the punishments might entail. But halfway down the last page she came across another section that made her eyes bug out.
“When the time comes for the sacrifice’s master to take a bride, the sacrifice will become the property of the married
couple
?” She dropped the papers like they’d suddenly become infected with cooties. “What the hell does that mean exactly?” An image flashed in her mind of a very butch female dragon wearing only leather chaps and a tattoo stating
I make ’em squeal like a pig
riding over her left breast.
Shuddering, Dana slumped back in her chair. “I am so screwed.”
Aiden watched the cop mosey to the back of the gallery while Dana’s assistant continued snapping off photos of the ruined paintings hanging haphazardly on the wall. Rage over the vandalism pounded in Aiden’s skull. It’d only taken one look at the white sheet of Dana’s face to know how hard this had hit her. A sour ball of guilt clogged his throat at the idea that he might have inadvertently brought this to her doorstep.
Jace stopped beside him, his expression grim. “Do you think this was random?”
“Possibly, but highly doubtful.”
“Maybe the dude we put the scare in on Saturday decided to enact some revenge.”
“Dana’s psycho ex?” Aiden mulled it over. Part of him really wished that were the case. It’d be easy enough taking care of the son of a bitch. “Could be.”
Jace’s gaze sharpened. “You have another theory?”
“I spotted Claudia Knoxville at the Ren fair.”
A choke sputtered from Jace. Once he regained his voice, he shot Aiden an accusing glare. “And you’re just
now
telling me this?”
“I wasn’t entirely sure it meant anything.”
“But now you do.” Still wearing a pissy scowl, Jace tucked his thumbs in his belt loops and rocked on the heels of his boots. “What the fuck is Knoxville up to?”
“Nothing good, I’m sure. But whatever it is, she’s damn well getting paid to do it. That chick doesn’t do anything that isn’t motivated by some cold, hard cash.”
Jace’s jaw tightened. “You think it has something to do with us. With the sacrifice.”
Aiden nodded.
“But the council
wants
us to fulfill the contract. Why sic Knoxville on Dana?”
Plowing a hand through his hair, Aiden released a frustrated growl. “All I know is Claudia’s appearance and the timing of the break-in are mighty convenient.” He dropped his arm to his side as the cop ambled from Dana’s office. “I’m going to check on how she’s doing.”
“While you do that, I’ll pump the cop for any additional info he might have.”
Leaving Jace to that task, Aiden strode across the gallery. He found Dana slumped in a padded office chair that was parked in front of a small window that faced the small alley between the gallery and the neighboring Chinese restaurant. As far as views went, it wasn’t exactly spectacular, but she seemed riveted by the sight.
“Do you see that cat out there rummaging through the Chens’s garbage? Man, does it have the life. Prime pickings from all the dumpsters. A little tail here and there whenever it feels frisky. And not once having to worry about how the hell it’s going to pay the bills. Or deal with a couple of dragons who insist Mr. Kitty is their sacrifice.”
“Dana—”
Her heavy sigh cut him short. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be such a big downer. None of this is your problem. Other than the sacrifice thing.”
His chest tightened, both at her weary tone and her declaration. Everything that affected her was his problem. Maybe he didn’t like it, or welcome it, but it was the truth.
“Well, at least there’s one bright spot,” Dana said, breaking through his morose thoughts. “I didn’t drop my insurance last week like I’d been contemplating. The adjuster is on his way. Should be here in…” she glanced at the wall clock fashioned from an oversized paint palette, “…two hours.”
“After he’s done with the inspection, Jace and I will get this place cleaned up.”
Dana pushed away from the window, the chair’s casters squeaking on the wood floor. “You don’t have to do that. Tony and I will—” She broke off with a gasp when he clasped the arms of the chair. Her wide green eyes blinked up at him. “Okay, I’m going to hang a bell on you to warn me every time you make one of your Flash Gordon moves.”
Struggling to keep his frustration in check, he leaned over her. “Jace and I will take care of the clean up. We’re here for you, Dana. For
you
. Get used to it.”
Her lips tightened around the edges and he waited for the inevitable argument. For several seconds they just stared at each other in a mute battle of the wills. Finally Dana’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Fine. I suppose having two extra pairs of hands will make it go faster anyway.”