Dragon Heat 1 - Dead Sexy Dragon (5 page)

least bit sinister.

Of course, she couldn’t ask him because he’d pretty

much forbidden her to go down there. What was that

saying about curiosity and cats?

Her gaze fell on the limestone mantel. There were

pictures of Stig with similarly burly men she’d never met.

Framed photos of Stig and Hector and other marines took

center stage. They’d been taken on various deployments

and during their downtime stateside. In most of them,

Hector and Stig were side by side, arms slung over one

another’s shoulders as they grinned.

The sight calmed her. Whatever was going on down in

that basement, in that holding cell, she had to trust him.

Hector had trusted him implicitly. She had to believe her

brother’s judgment of Stig’s character was true. Those

men had fought in the fiercest of battles and had depended

upon one another for their very lives. Surely Hector would

have seen Stig’s malicious side if he had one. And yet, she

still had to know what was going on.

Cora took a steadying breath and made her decision.

Tonight she’d ask Stig about the basement.

Chapter Three

Stig gathered the last pile of sawdust with his broom,

scooped it up, and deposited it into the large can in the

corner. He made a quick sweep of his shop, ensuring

everything was in its place, and switched off the lights. He

yanked on the nylon cord attached to the overhang door

and brought it firmly down into place. During the day the

open garage-style door allowed the swift breezes to cool

the otherwise-sweltering shop.

He left out the side door, locking it behind him, and

headed toward his house. The scent of freshly baked bread

greeted him, reminding Stig he hadn’t eaten since that

amazing breakfast Cora had prepared for him. He’d been

so preoccupied with his thoughts that lunch had skipped

his mind. Helping Cora out of the shitstorm she’d created

and figuring out how to live through the next week with her

in the house had proven more important.

“Cora?” Stig expected to find her in the kitchen but she

was nowhere to be seen. He’d come through the living

room and had seen her laptop and cell phone but not her.

Maybe she was upstairs.

Stig washed his hands and cut a slice off one of the

loaves of honey wheat bread resting on the counter. On the

way to the fridge for butter, he peeked into the oven and

discovered a bubbling pan of lasagna. She’d raided his

garden for fresh veggies to make the salad sitting on the

top shelf in the fridge. Dinner was going to be quite the

feast.

After gulping down the butter-slathered bread, Stig

started upstairs. He needed a shower, a change of clothes,

and a plausible lie to explain why he’d be unavailable to

entertain her this evening. That was bound to be difficult.

Cora was the curious type. She’d start asking questions,

and what the hell was he going to tell her?

Stig darted into his room and grabbed clean clothes.

Having one bathroom and a guest in the house proved

more inconvenient than he’d imagined when building his

home. He should have sacrificed the extra space in the

bedrooms for that second small bathroom.

Without thinking, Stig barged into the bathroom. The

steamy interior and Cora’s gasp of surprise registered at

the same time. She stood mere inches from him, naked as

the day she’d been born. Water droplets followed the

sloping curves of her perky breasts and the smooth plane

of her belly. She moved a delicate hand in front of her sex,

shielding the smooth skin from his view. It didn’t matter.

He’d seen it all last night.

“Stig?” Cora stared at him questioningly. Black hair

hung in loose, damp curls around her beautiful face. On

impulse, Stig reached out to touch her hair. He wound the

locks around his forefinger and brought them close to his

nose. The scent was bright and sweet and one he would

forever associate with her.

There was no controlling his beast once her scent

filtered through him. Fire poured through his veins and

blazed straight to his lower belly. His groin tightened as

his cock awakened and sprang to life. In that hazy, lust-

filled moment, Stig thought only of tasting those full pink

lips.

“Come here.” His voice was thick and rough. Cora

obeyed without a moment’s hesitation. He hauled her tight

against his chest and cupped her face. He wasted no time

tilting back her head and claiming her mouth. Pliable and

sweet, her lips parted and welcomed his searching tongue.

His hand slid to the back of her neck as he devoured her

soft mouth. She mewled like a kitten and grasped at him.

Stig’s hands roamed the silky skin of her back. He

trailed a finger along her spine and clasped a plump

cheek. His hand slid along her hip and dipped between

their bodies. He palmed her bare mons and elicited a

shudder. Cora pressed against him and kissed him

hungrily.

It would be so easy to haul her off the ground and place

her on the bathroom counter. All he had to do was unzip

his jeans and sink into her wet sheath. He could have her,

hard and fast, right there, right now.

With a painful groan, Stig tore free and pushed her

gently to arm’s length. “We have to stop.”

Almost instantly Cora transformed from a woman

confident in her sexuality to a woman embarrassed. She

reached for the nearest towel and quickly covered herself.

Stig’s gut clenched. That was the last thing he’d wanted.

“Cora…wait.” He reached for her as she tried to shove

past him.

“Let go.” She shook free and glared up at him. “I’m not

interested in whatever lame-ass excuse you’re about to lay

on me.”

Taken aback by the fire in her eyes, he tried to reason

with her. “It’s not like that, Cora. I just…hell…I don’t

know what I’m saying.” He wiped his face and tried to

find the words. “You make me
feel
, Cora, feel things I

haven’t felt in a long time.”

Cora blinked, clearly stunned by his emotional

statement. She frowned in confusion. “Then what the hell

is the problem?”

“It’s complicated.” How could he explain he was afraid

his dragon’s need to mate might be clouding his judgment?

How could he tell her about the bloody feud ignited

centuries ago because a dragon male had fallen in love

with a human woman and gotten her killed?

“Because I’m Hector’s little sister?”

Although her guess wasn’t quite the problem, it gave

him a good out. “Yes.”

Cora sighed with frustration. “Then you need to sort that

out. I know boys have weird ideas about what’s okay and

what’s not when it comes to sisters. The problem is you

guys never stop to ask those sisters what the hell they

want.”

She spun on her heel and left. He winced at the sharply

slammed door. Well he’d completely fucked that up,

hadn’t he?

Shaking his head, Stig shut the door to the bathroom and

shed his dirty clothes. A shower did little to clear his

mind. He couldn’t argue with Cora’s points. She was right

on all counts. He was stuck in the worst of places. Coming

to terms with his feelings for a best friend’s sister was one

thing. Telling that little sister he was actually an immortal

dragon shifter? Not so easy.

As if about to brave the lion’s den, Stig cautiously

entered the kitchen. Cora radiated anger. She slammed

down plates and silverware and hefted the steaming dish

of lasagna over to the table. The dish thumped loudly

against the pot holders she’d placed to protect the

tabletop.

He’d have to be an idiot to take a step farther. And

yet…and yet there was something so incredibly alluring

about Cora in her current mood. A pink flush colored her

face and highlighted her cheekbones and lips. Her eyes

seemed to sparkle. Every huff thrust her breasts against the

low neckline of her green tank top.

The urge to pull her close and apologize overwhelmed

him. Stig questioned whether that would smooth over their

tiff or cause more problems.

“Are you just going to stand there?” Cora snapped at

him from behind the island.

Stig stiffened at her biting tone. He squashed the snippy

reply on the tip of his tongue. “Look, I’m sorry about what

happened upstairs. You’re right. You should have a say in

whatever this is that’s happening between us.”

Cora noticeably relaxed. “Thank you.”

Stig took a guarded step forward. “Cora, it’s not just

about Hector and my feelings about becoming involved

with a friend’s sister. There are a lot of things you don’t

know about me. Serious things. Dangerous things.”

“Like the holding cell in your basement?”

Stunned by her question, Stig gaped at her. His stomach

lurched. He was torn between anger and fear. “You’ve

been down in the basement?”

Cora tipped her chin up as if to show him she wasn’t

scared. “I heard weird noises last night. I wanted to make

sure it wasn’t a wounded animal.” She swallowed and

braced her hands against the counter. “What’s going on,

Stig?”

Realizing this was a pivotal moment in their

relationship, Stig ran a hand through his hair and gestured

to the table. “Sit.”

“All right.” Cora took her seat at the table. She sat with

hands folded and waited patiently.

Stig sat across from her and reached for a serving

spoon. It was easier to talk when his hands were busy. She

followed his lead and filled her plate. He waited until

they’d had a few bites before breaking the silence.

“My last name isn’t Wyvern. It’s just a name I picked

years ago.” He got up for a glass of water and brought

Cora a can of soda and a glass. The tab snapped and the

soda fizzed as it spilled into her cup. He returned to his

seat and took a sip. “Do you know what a wyvern is?”

“It’s one of those things on those old family flags, right?

Like a snake with wings,” she said uncertainly.

He nodded. “Close enough.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“More than you probably want to know,” he grumbled.

“Every three years, I go through a
phase.
It’s violent and

dangerous and I lose control. That cell in the basement is

the only thing that keeps me from harming others.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Every three years?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve gone through this before?”

“Yes. Hundreds of times.”

“That would mean you’re—”

“Substantially older than I look.” Stig picked up his fork

and tucked into his dinner. “If you want proof, I’ll show

you later.”

“I do.”

Stig sensed Cora was trying to wrap her mind around

his brief yet cryptic explanation. She hadn’t accused him

of being crazy or run from the house. So far, so good. He

figured breaking the news about his immortality was the

best way to ease her into the truth. The dragon business

could wait.

He decided a change of topic was needed and gestured

to his plate. “This is good. Not that I’m surprised,” he

added with a smile. “You should think about opening a

restaurant.”

Cora snorted. “Really, Stig? How do we go from you

trying to convince me that you’re, like, some immortal

Jekyll and Hyde to talking about me opening a restaurant?”

She twirled her fork between her fingers. “Besides,

restaurants are hard work.”

He grinned at her willingness to go with it. “And a

bakery isn’t?”

“It’s different. I
know
the ins and outs of running a

bakery. A restaurant? Not so much.”

“You will reopen your bakery, right?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure how or where.” A look of shame

clouded her face. “My insurance agent isn’t sure the policy

will pay since I’m kind of a criminal. I mean, that’s if I

don’t end up in the pen.”

“You’re not going to prison, Cora. I won’t let that

happen.” Stig hadn’t considered the effect her poor

choices would have on her ability to rebuild. She’d made

a mistake but didn’t deserve to be punished forever. “I’ll

loan you the money to start over if the policy doesn’t pay.”

She squirmed in her seat. “I’m not sure that’s a good

idea, Stig. Money between friends has a way of turning

ugly.”

“We’ll make it work.”

Cora didn’t fight him on the issue. She ate in silence. He

could almost hear the turning gears as she processed their

bizarre conversation. Whether she believed him was still

to be determined.

They finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen

together. Tense silence stretched between them. Stig eyed

the window and gauged how much time he had until the

change. Knowing the time was coming, he reached for

Cora’s hand. She stiffened at his touch but he kept hold.

“Come with me.”

Her fingers relaxed in his. “Okay.”

Stig led her upstairs to his bedroom. He’d imagined

taking Cora to his room before but never under these