Authors: Charisma Knight
* * * *
Julia concentrated on preparing a contract for the Tanaka client when Angus strolled up to her desk. She felt him approach, but she refused to acknowledge his presence until she recalled her discussion with Bjorn.
“I’ll be out of the office for the rest of the day,” he s
aid
in a deep voice. “I trust you’ll have the contract prepared by the start of tomorrow.”
“It will be completed before the end of the day,” Julia shrugged, without taking her eyes off the computer screen. “You don’t have anything to worry about.” Regret filtered through her body as she recalled the brief tryst between them earlier, which made her wish for more of the same. He’d managed to show her tenderness and affection in the office, totally knocking her socks off. He touched her just the way she’d dreamed. And now, he was back to being the cold vessel she was accustomed to.
“Very well, then.”
She paused to look at him, wondering why he continued to linger at her desk, as though he wanted to say something else to her. “Will there be anything else, sir?” She was kicking herself. It was easier said than done, being pleasantly nice to Angus. She hoped Bjorn knew that. Of course he had to have known. They’d been friends for years.
“No. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good rest of the day.” With that, Angus walked out of the office.
She knew he was taking an ass-chewing from the client because of her mistake and wished she could redo everything herself. Apparently, his client was making life hard for him. Julia vowed she’d never put Angus in such a position again.
As she worked at wrapping up some loose ends of the contract, the tapestry in his office came to mind, and an overwhelming need to investigate it further made her come to the conclusion to let herself into
Angus’s
office just for a longer peek. She smiled slyly. Yeah, she needed a closer glimpse. If boss man knew she was curious about it and planned to check it out while he was out of the office, he’d probably fire her on the spot.
When five o’clock approached, she waited until the entire office cleared out before letting herself into his domain. She wanted no disruption and felt the need to be close to the man who ignited such fire within her being. There was something about Angus that left her craving more of the same treatment he’d given her earlier.
Also she wanted to know why the hell the man was so secretive. What was up with the disappearing acts when she knew he hadn’t scheduled any client meetings on a given day? Many a day she knew he’d retreated into his office, but yet, when she phoned him regarding paperwork, he never answered the phone. This happened frequently. On numerous occasions, after knocking several times, she’d let herself into his office, only to find it vacant. How strange was that? Where had he disappeared to? There were no exits in there, and they were on the fifth floor.
Her thoughts reverted back to the tapestry—what was up with that thing? The last few times she was in his office, she couldn’t help but feel some sort of connection to it. It was almost as though it spoke to her. She was drawn to it.
Anticipation flourished in Julia as she rose from her seat. Quickly, she grabbed the spare key to
Angus’s
office and let herself in. The large, plush office was silent, with the exception of a spark of energy that seemed to hum in the atmosphere.
A cool breeze seemed to flutter through the entire space, as though a window had been left open. But there were no windows in here. Exhaling, Julia drifted over to the tapestry, amazed at the hypnotic pull she experienced.
After reaching out with a shaky hand, she touched it. Then she saw visions of knights fighting dragons, slaying them.
“Dear Lord, please help me,” she cried out loud. The visions, the place, a world where these creatures existed seemed all too familiar to her. She’d been here before, or at least was told about this place somewhere in her lifetime or another before this one.
Images of castles and knights flitted through her mind and suddenly she was in their world. Breathtaking cliffs of green and cascading waterfalls came into focus. She looked up to the heavens, still amazed at the sight unfolding.
Julia opened her eyes, and an electrifying force sent her hurtling a short distance away, causing her to land flat on her ass. Shaken, she tried gathering her thoughts. She shook her head a few times and tried to rise, but she was immediately forced down.
“What the hell!” She felt like the room was spinning. Was she going bat-assed crazy?
“What the hell are you doing in here?”
“Uh-oh.” She tried getting up but couldn’t. Shit! Now she really was going to get fired.
“Um,” was all she could manage to say at first. She looked up to find Angus scowling at her. “I’m not sure—” She tried to lie. He’d probably skin her alive if he knew she was screwing around with that mysterious tapestry! She felt herself being pulled up by his strong hand.
“Could you please explain to me why you’re in my office, on the floor?” He glanced over at the tapestry, and then back to her as he helped her into a chair. With a heavy sigh, he covered her with his coat.
“Thank you.” She was
in
expl
ica
bly cold.
“Let me ask you this again. What were you doing in my office, near my tapestry?”
She rubbed her hands together. “I—”
H
e was onto her. There was no use in fabricating the truth. “I wanted to see your tapestry up close.” She admitted. “It’s beautiful, and I—”
Angus’s
jaw stiffened. “That tapestry has been in my family for many generations,” he admitted. “What were you doing?”
“I just wanted to see it, that’s all.”
“So you waited until I left?”
Julia rose to her feet. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?”
“What did you see?”
“What do you mean?”
“You saw something. I know it.”
Okay, the dude is seriously bugging.
“I’m going home, Angus. I don’t have time for this. I’m sorry for invading your privacy.”
“We need to talk,” Angus insisted. “Where are you from, originally?”
She crossed her arms and sighed heavily. “You know I’m from Cincinnati! Really, Angus, what the hell’s the matter with you? Why are you interrogating me? I’m sorry. I just wanted to get a closer look at your tapestry. It’s mesmerizing.”
His face twisted as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Julia! Just tell me where the hell did you come from? Were you adopted? Did you know your parents? Where were they from? Were they—”
Julia lit into his ass. “You know, that’s none of your business!” She felt her temper rising, and suddenly she was warm again. No, not just warm, but hot. It felt like flames were gathering somewhere, deep from within. She panted heavily in an effort to catch her breath.
“Back off, Angus!” The subject of her folks was a touchy one. They, after all, had not had a hand in raising her. Instead, they’d pawned her off on her grandmother because she was too much of a burden to them. She could never forget their words.
It was her grandmother who raised her into the feisty young woman that she was. Tears welled in her eyes at the harsh words and the cruel way her parents had rejected her.
“Julia!”
“No, Angus, leave me alone!” With that, she stormed out of his office. The need to place distance between herself and her boss was very strong. Collecting her purse and keys, she stormed out of Draguun Inc. and drove home.
* * * *
Once in the safety of her home, Julia flung herself onto the sofa. She exhaled and inhaled several times in an effort to regain her composure and forget what she’d seen in
Angus’s
office.
Furthermore, she tried like hell to forget her parents. Angus questioning her origins forced her to take a long look at her past. Strange things happened whenever her parents argued with one another. Eight-year-old Julia would go huddle in a corner, cover her ears, and rock back and forth as she tried drowning out her father’s screams and threats. Why had he been so cruel to her mother?
Years later, it was explained by her grandmother that her mother had an affair. Julia learned that the man she thought was her father was not. Of course he wasn’t. What respectable dad would taunt their child for being overweight? Her mother’s boyfriend wounded the child deeply the first time he made her aware of her weight.
The first time a fire erupted in their home, she was blamed for it. Along with their arguing, fires were created. They’d checked her room for matches and lighters but never found any. Whenever Julia was placed under
stress that
was
what happened.
Tears streamed down her face as she recalled her tenth year. Things had become far worse in the Jones household, therefore increasing Julia’s stress. One morning she woke in a fireman’s arms. Once she and her family were safely on their lawn, they watched their house go up in a blazing inferno.
After that occurrence, her mother’s boyfriend left, leaving her and her
mother behind. Weeks later, her mother left without saying good
-
bye to
her
grandmother or Julia, leaving behind a stricken child and an elderly woman to pick up the pieces of their broken family.
Sobbing out loud and uncontrollably, Julia realized this was the first time
in a long time she had allowed herself to recall every aspect and detail of her childhood. She remembered everything as if it had happened yesterday.
After giving into the emotion from her darkened memories, Julia noticed that her fire alarm had begun to beep. She shook her head and grabbed the extinguisher off the wall to put out a small fire that had erupted in the garbage pail in her kitchen.
“Come on, get a grip,” she told herself after the good cry. She returned to the living room and sat on the edge of the sofa, calmly rocking herself back and forth. It worked as a child, and now it seemed to help even in her adult years.
Grandma always said it was good to cry every now and then to release repressed emotions and pent-up hostility. It helped tremendously.
Feeling better, she smiled and focused her thoughts on Angus, but her earlier visions grew strong within her mind. Whether her eyes were open or closed, she could recall every haunting image she’d seen just by touching that tapestry. Damned curiosity of hers!
Could it be that what her grandmother had told her about her uncertain heritage held some truth?
What of Angus? Obviously he was no ordinary human being. No. He wasn’t human at all, but a man whose eyes danced with flames.
Julia immediately pushed that thought out of her mind. “No way,” she grumbled to herself. “Angus McNamara, get out of my head now!”
There’s no such thing as dragons
, she kept telling herself over and over. Angus was just possessed or something. Maybe? Somehow she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around that one either.
Angus was just some control freak, and she was an idiot for even succumbing to those feelings she harbored for him.
She sat up on the couch and straightened her back. Yeah, it was time to move on, she thought to herself. Maybe she’d start a job search as soon as possible because there was just no way in the world she could continue working for this mysterious man. Immediately, sadness enveloped her because she really did value her job at Draguun. She was no fool. It wasn’t the job she would miss.
Content with her thoughts, she fixed a quick meal, ate, showered, and settled down in bed to read a good book. Try as she might, she just couldn’t keep that handsome boss of hers out of her mind. It was no use, she thought, as she tried to immerse herself in sleep. Unfortunately sleep wasn’t an option. Although she was exhausted, powerful images of otherworldly creatures invaded her mind.
Julia felt her body floating above a world she’d never seen during her waking hours, yet it felt as though she knew this place. This was a world where a peace she’d never known claimed her.
Chapter Three
The urgent sound of the continuously ringing doorbell ringing jarred Julia out of her peaceful sleep. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, she rolled out of bed wondering what fool could be ringing her doorbell at one o’clock in the morning. Yawning, she stumbled out of her bedroom and into the living room.
“Who is it?” she asked in an irritated voice.
“It’s Angus.”
“Good God, man! What’s wrong now?” she asked through the door. “Was the document I sent not good enough?” Perhaps he wanted to jump her shit some more about snooping around in his office. She held her head in her hand. She still had a warm buzzing sensation vibrating throughout her body. It had just started once she found out who was on the other side of the door.
Immediately she felt her libido rise as she opened the door and saw the tall, redheaded man. She was at a loss for words as he strode in without even waiting for her to invite him. He brushed against her, and she swore she was close to climaxing.
“The contract was fine,” he whispered in a husky tone. “You’re overextending yourself. I know this now.”
The Angus standing before her was somehow different, more relaxed, she noticed as she closed the door and studied his face. Something twinkled in his eyes, and it wasn’t amusement. It was lust. Or so she thought.
“Can . . . I get you something, coffee maybe?” She inhaled his spicy, earthy male fragrance but backed away when he came toward her. His scent drove her mad with desire.
“Julia.”
“What exactly . . . are you doing here?” She became feverish and immediately broke out in a sweat. She fanned herself as he continued to move in her direction. Her body wanted to go to him, but her mind told her something completely different.
“I need you.”
“Stay away from me,” she gasped. The strong need to fuck this man was apparent. Something mysterious and primal was building between them. She felt as though she’d explode if she didn’t have sex with him right now, this moment. She had to think of something to take her mind off sex for the moment. “Would you like some coffee
.
”
S
he tried remaining in control, but it was a lost cause.
“You know damned well I didn’t come over for coffee at this hour.” His voice was raspy and seductive.
Julia’s back was against the wall when she witnessed something shifting in
Angus’s
eyes. Flames danced within them, leaving her breathless. His nostrils flared, and her heart pounded hard against her ribs as she watched him. Angus looked more like an animal than a human, which thrilled and
frightened Julia all
at the same time
. She suddenly realized for sure this time
that Angus was no ordinary man.
She felt as though her entire living room was on fire, and the torturous flames within urgently sought their way to the surface. She broke out into a cold sweat, as she wondered why her body was reacting in this way.
She held her palm firmly against his muscular chest. “Stay away. This is sexual harassment,” she insisted.
No,
her mind shouted. It wasn’t sexual harassment. It was what she’d wanted,
had
been wanting for quite some time now. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her right now. The softer side appealed greatly to her and was much different than when he was in the office.
His face seemed to harden at her words. Apparently, she offended him. “Sexual harassment? No, Julia. I want you, but not for just sex. Don’t deny us this moment.” Angus grasped both her wrists and pressed himself against her.
Wait a minute! Angus McNamara wanted her? Impossible! Surely she had to be mistaken. “I—think you should leave,” she whispered, as she squirmed from his grasp. Why the hell was she pushing him away? Isn’t this what she wanted?
“Julia.”
She loved the way his lips formed when he spoke her name. The look of desire masked his handsome features. She was confused. He desired her? Where was the scowl she’d become so familiar with? Before she could say anything, Julia found herself backed into the corner next to the entertainment center.
“I need you.” He reached to trace the delicate line of her jawbone before cupping her chin.
Was this just a game, or were his intentions true? Panic flushed through her. Was this just sex to him? Would he use her for a night’s worth of pleasure and mistreat her in the morning? She wrestled with so many questions. All she wanted was a romp in the hay without the emotional attachments. At least that was what she thought she wanted—until now.
Julia looked down at the undeniable bulge in his pants. Was that for her? Her mind was clouded, and suddenly confusion set in.
The muscle in his jaw began to twitch as she took in every last detail of his face. The fine smile lines, the dimple in the middle of his chin. Her body began to shake as an alien force invaded her. A hot, prickly sensation erupted over her flesh, and something seemed to move beneath her skin. Flames licked her insides as she envisioned them in a heated, twisted pile of never-ending sex.
She looked into his eyes at the blazing fire, and steam filtered through his sculpted, slender nose.
He reached out to touch her. “Are you okay, Julia?”
She wasn’t sure. Her head spun, and she leaned against the wall, fighting to regain her composure. A dry feeling erupted in her throat, and she suddenly found it hard to swallow.
“It’s time for you to leave,” she belted out as she pushed past him. “You came over here uninvited, and you’re putting the moves on me?” Secretly, she loved that he’d come over at this ungodly hour.
“No!” he growled. “You’re not getting away from me again.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her against his hard body. “You belong to me!”
Sexual need surged through every nerve ending of her body, leaving her with a stunned feeling. Her body relaxed as strong arms held her in his grip. He pulled her tight against her, against his hardness. This was natural. She continued inhaling his masculine scent.
Suddenly, she snapped back into reality. “Let me go!” She pulled away from him. Stop playing games with me!” she snapped. “You know damned well you don’t have an interest in me!”
She stalked toward the door.
This is utter madness!
What would happen if they fucked? If he grew tired of her, her job would be at stake. What if he fired her? She’d come to love the generous pay and the comforts that pay afforded her. She opened the door, but his hand slammed it shut. She never even heard him walk toward her.
“You’re my Fire Mate,” he murmured as he gently stroked her chin. “This—all this isn’t right, not the way I’d planned it. I didn’t want to claim you under these circumstances, but you’ve left me no choice.”
“What circumstances?” Julia stubbornly crossed her arms. “What the hell are you talking about?” She raised a brow. “What. Am I fired or something?” She threw her arms up in the air. “Of course. That’s why you’re here. To fire me.”
Angus chuckled softly. “No, my sweet, Julia.”
His
sweet Julia
? Surely she’d lost her mind. Why the hell was he using the word
claim
? Angus must have fallen down and hit his head on the way over to her house.
“I think you’re sick,” she muttered. “You’re also a monster.” There, she’d told him what she thought of him.
“Far from it,” he murmured. He pressed his body against hers, pushing her against the door. She thought she’d fall through the floor when his hands cupped her face.
“What the hell are you, Angus McNamara?” Her nipples tightened into hard peaks as he brushed his fingers against her neck. She craved his touch. Why? She inhaled his male fragrance until her pussy throbbed. Her knees became weak. She’d never noticed this scent before. Not at this intensity. She looked him in the eyes. “You’re not human, are you?”
He grinned. “You know I’m not.” He nipped her ear before planting fiery-hot kisses along the crook of her neck. “Neither are you.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Suddenly, she felt like he was playing games with her. He just had to be. What did he mean she wasn’t human?
“I came to this realm in search of my mate. Now I’ve found you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were mine. You felt the same, too, only you didn’t know it at first. If I don’t claim what is mine, I’ll place you in danger. You needed my protection, and I need your acceptance—of my true nature, and yours.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “You don’t even know what you are, do you?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Exactly what are you, and what am I? What do you think I am? See, you’re crazy as a bedbug. And I’m not yours to claim.”
Julia noticed that scales appeared and disappeared, which made her blink in disbelief. Still, her mind refused to accept it.
No way.
She didn’t just see what she thought she saw.
Her mind raced. Her grandmother often told her as a child of otherworldly creatures—dragons claiming women in the human world. She could no longer deny her dreams or the visions she saw, even though her mind fought to do so. She stared Angus in the eyes in search of truth.
“Accept it, Julia,”
Angus s
aid
softly
. “I can hear your thoughts. If you weren’t my true mate, I wouldn’t be able to hear what you’re thinking. For as long as you can remember, you’ve dreamed of places unknown to most humans.” He paused momentarily as though his words would discourage her.
Before she could speak, Angus crushed his mouth to hers. He kissed her long and hard. His tongue parted her lips with such force she creamed herself—again. He sucked her tongue hard as she pressed her cunt against his leg.
“You’re my Fire Mate,” he seemed to hiss as his fingers weaved their way into her hair. She barely winced as he fisted a large amount and jerked her head backward, baring her neck to him.
“I’m confused. I . . . don’t understand!”
Releasing her hair, he lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the couch. “No need to understand,” he spoke huskily. “You need to observe with your instincts.” He tossed her onto the sofa and began stripping the clothes from his body.
He reached for her, almost ripping the silk robe off her. Something seemed to push the air from her lungs as she fought to breathe and struggled against his strong grasp. “Let me go,” she ordered.
“Oh no you don’t!” Angus snarled. “You need to be restrained,” he suggested in an animalistic voice.
“I’ll scream!” Before she realized it, a silk sash appeared
,
and then tied her hands together. An invisible force soon had her arms above her head. Did she want to stop him? She didn’t recognize her voice as her own. Her spirit sought dominance; however, her body had other intentions.
“My darling, I’m going to fuck you hard and fast! All night long!”
His gaze fell upon her naked body, as he studied her intensely. As he explored her firm, plump thighs, she shuddered. She tried breaking free of the ties as his hands continued their shameless exploration of her body.
“Don’t do that,” he murmured against her ear. He continued the seductive exploration of her body. “By the dragon gods, you’re so beautiful.”
Forgetting her inhibitions, Julia lifted her hips as he touched her most delicate treasure. Shouldn’t she be fighting him? She looked into his eyes, but all she saw was his desire heightening.
Julia’s hips lifted off the couch as he kissed and licked her rounded belly. Pleasure shot through her entire body. “Angus,” she crooned. She watched as the man continued to work his way down her body. She gasped as he reached her pussy. His gaze captured hers as his tongue caressed her clit. Julia almost leap
ed
off the sofa. “Angus!”
He quickened his pace as his tongue darted in and out of the soft folds of her pussy. She thought she’d die when he slipped one finger—then two—inside her cunt. Julia fucked his fingers as Angus continued eating her. Her arousal only increased when he growled, making her think of three words.
Sexy. Hot. Inhuman.
She gasped, and a howl broke loose from her lips. Julia’s body began to shake as the orgasm formed in the pit of her stomach. She balled her hands into fists as liquid gushed from her pussy.
His eyes twinkled as he lapped at her cream and swirled his tongue around her clit before drawing the nubbin into his mouth. He sucked it, scraped his teeth against it, and sucked it again. Julia struggled against the silk ties as moans slipped past her lips. All she wanted to do was bury her fingers in his thick, red mane, holding him against her body until she baptized his face with her juices.
Angus moaned against her cunt, which sent a tingling sensation at her toes, a feeling that shot straight up her legs and to the center of her stomach. She screeched in pleasure as the sensation grew stronger. To intensify it, he slid a finger inside her and wiggled it. He repeated his actions several times until she broke beneath him. He added another. She trembled as he continued the skillful finger-play.
Julia sighed as she rocked against
Angus’s
fingers. “Stop teasing, Angus,” she demanded as she rocked harder against his fingers and lips. “Please!”