Demand of the Dragon Read Online Free

than the day I left,” Caleb said,
unable to bite back the words. “I didn’t think that’d be possible.”
    “You can’t charm me, Caleb.” Her lips twisted, making Caleb’s
mouth water. “I’ll help find Tristan, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to step in
line behind the other Sindraco women who are falling at your feet.”
    Sure, there’d been others. But didn’t Lucy know that they were
stand-ins who filled a void? A void that lingered, aching until he was numb,
because he couldn’t have her? Didn’t Lucy know she was the only one he’d ever
wanted? The stakes were simply too high where she was concerned. The loss would
be too great if they didn’t work out.
    “You have to know...” His feet moved toward her of their own
accord. “I may’ve been gone for three years, but I thought about you all the
time.”
    Caleb stood before Lucy, inches apart, closer than he thought
he’d ever be, yet there was still so much between them. Finding Tristan.
Revealing what really pulled him away from his post the night Tristan
disappeared. Not to mention the fact that the claiming ceremony would still take
place if they couldn’t bring Tristan back.
    He’d be damned to stand idly by and watch Lucy marry
Geezer.
    “You always did know just what to say to make a woman melt,”
Lucy whispered, her velvety-soft voice drawing him in. “I was a girl when you
left, Caleb. A girl who didn’t know how to tell a man what she wanted. But
things have changed. I’ve changed.”
    Oh God .
    She set Tristan’s medallion on the armoire and stood up on
tiptoe to meet Caleb eye to eye. “I dreamed of the day you’d return. I dreamed
that you’d come back, sweep me into your arms and make me forget about all the
lost moments we’ve had. I dreamed you’d say things to me that you used to say to
your other girlfriends, the ones that you took to bed after talking and laughing
with me.”
    “Lucy...” Caleb didn’t know what to say. This was Lucy. His
friend. If they took their relationship to the next level, would they regret it
later? Getting physical always changed things. Always . Expectations grew heavy and stifling. Emotions ran high,
oftentimes deeper on the part of one person and not the other. Shit, could he go
there with Lucy? He didn’t know. How could he take the chance? “You’re not like
my other girlfriends. You never were.”
    “I know that,” she said, softly rubbing the tip of her nose
against his. “But couldn’t you just pretend that I am? Just for tonight?”
    Jesus . “Lucy, I don’t want to
pretend that you’re anything but what you are.”
    “Damn, you’re good.” Her breath coated his face in a sweet,
sugary rush. “Kiss me.”
    Stomach clenching, cock swelling, Caleb’s primal instincts
kicked into overdrive as Lucy closed her eyes and waited for his lips to cover
hers. Unsure as hell what would come from this moment, Caleb did the
unthinkable. He took a leap and reached out, grazing his thumb across her lower
lip. Consequences be damned, Caleb’s control evaporated with a single, quivering
touch.
    He caught Lucy around the waist and dragged his lips against
hers.

Chapter Three
    Lucy felt as if her insides exploded at the contact.
Her entire world lit up firecracker bright, starbursting into blinding
brilliance the instant Caleb’s lips touched hers.
    Nothing existed before this moment.
    Heat flushed through her body. Caleb’s fingers tunneled through
her hair, grasping at the back of her neck with increasing urgency. She couldn’t
breathe. Couldn’t suck in a solid breath. Not when his mouth was possessing hers
and his tongue was exploring her cheek and—
    It was all too much.
    Maybe she’d been rash .
    Lucy pulled back.
    “No,” Caleb growled and pressed her against him once more,
claiming her lips, her tongue. They were hip to hip, chest to chest, the heat
between them fierce and tangible, sparking over her skin like rods of
lightning.
    How many times had she dreamed