Sapphire Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

counter to greet him.
    Once again, she was impressed by how impossibly tall he was. Intimidating, though the expression on his stunningly handsome face was mostly neutral. The angles of his cheekbones and jaw and nose appeared plotted by someone who was trying to draw the most beautiful male visage possible.
    His eyes looked astounding with the blue sweater he wore. A sweater that skimmed the bulging muscles of his tall body, making her mouth water.
    She liked a hot guy as much as the next one, but she’d never had a reaction like this.
    She wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt before holding out a hand for him to shake. When he took her hand, he simply held it for a moment, gazing down at her with an unreadable expression as he looked her over.
    And then that expression was readable, the blue eyes mercurial. Heat. Want.
    Was that even possible?
    She pulled back, and he let her go, cocking his head as if he weren’t sure what he’d done wrong.
    “You pulled back,” he said. “Was I hurting you?”
    “No,” she said. In fact, it had felt good touching him, like something warm and soothing was flowing through her. But it had been too intense, and she’d felt as if her legs were going to melt right out from underneath her if he stared at her with those blue flame eyes any longer.
    She stepped back, adjusting her clothes. As her eyes skimmed up him, she couldn’t believe how long his legs were and how the wide, strong muscles there filled in his jeans.
    She looked up and saw a slight smile quirking the side of his full lips, and she caught her breath. It was like seeing just the slightest hint of sunlight peeking out from behind a cloud, and she could just imagine how beautiful all the rays would be if it could just come out farther.
    But as quickly as he’d smiled, it was gone, hidden behind a handsome mask of indifference once again.
    “So what should I start with?” he asked.
    She bit her lip and folded her arms. Normally, they’d ask the new volunteers to clean cages to get used to the place, but if she asked that of this clean-looking, gorgeous male who looked like he’d never gotten his hands dirty in his life, would he run?
    Then she wouldn’t be able to see him again, and she’d never been so intrigued by a human being in her life.
    Still, she should treat him like anyone else. Maybe she could help him with the cages and that would make it better.
    Or are you just trying to spend more time with him because he smells so damn good?
    “First, we clean cages.”
    “Girl, that man doesn’t need to clean no cages!” Patty shouted, and Hallie just grinned as she led Luc to the back.
    “Ignore her,” she said as Luc glanced curiously over his shoulder.
    “I’m Patty,” she called out. “And you’re heaven to look at!”
    “Heaven?”
    “You don’t know what heaven is?” Hallie asked as she opened the door to the back.
    Luc held the door for her, giving her a hint of his spicy scent as she walked through, brushing by his body and suppressing a shiver.
    “No, I know what heaven is. I don’t know why she says I’m heaven to look at.”
    “She just means you’re pretty is all.”
    He sat on a bench while she pulled cleaning supplies out of a cupboard. “I thought women were pretty.”
    “Some men are, too,” she said, averting her eyes as she gestured for him to follow her to the first set of cages. She gently began lifting animals out, putting them in a temporary holding area where they could play while she cleaned.
    He crouched beside them, watching them play. “I don’t think there is anything particularly feminine about me.”
    She gave him a placating smile. “I don’t either.” She sprayed down the inside of the cage and began to wipe it clean. “I think some women just use it to mean really good-looking. Very attractive. Sexy.”
    She was spraying again when she felt the bottle lifted out of her hands. She looked up as he opened a cage next to her and began working with it, taking