Keeper of the Golden Dragon's Heart (The Cedar River Series) (13 page)

I tried to peel Ana off me carefully, but she woke up. “Mmmm,” she murmured with a stretch.

“Stay here and sleep, babe. I’ve got to get to work,” I whispered.

“No, I want to get up. I have to work on my paper while I have the chance. I have to have it e-mailed to my professor before Christmas Day.”

She got up and offered me her hand. I took it and we went to eat breakfast.

Papa was smiling at Mama over scrambled eggs and bacon. “Son, you know it would be easier if you would just spend the night here. Either that or take me up on our offer and build the perfect cottage down near the lakeshore.”

I sat down and looked at him. I don’t know how he did it, but more often than not, my father knew what was bothering me. “I’ve been thinking about that offer, Dad. Maybe we could talk about it. I’m just trying to sort some things out before I start building a house.” I looked at Ana who had a glimmer in her eyes.

“I can’t imagine what you need to sort out,” Papa said with a wink at Mama.

I finished breakfast and kissed Mama good-bye. I nodded toward Ana and then headed for the door.

“I’m not finished yet,” she told Mama as she got up to follow me out.

Ana grabbed Brady’s coat off the hook before she came outside. “Have a good day at work, Bowie,” Ana said.

“Get your paper written so we can have some fun later. Have fun with Lance, but meet me at the station and we’ll have dinner at Pete’s,” I said.

She smiled deeply. “Thanks for understanding, Bowie. It means a lot to me.”

I kissed her as passionately as I dared on the front steps of my parents’ porch. She sighed when I let her go. All was right in my world…at least until I walked through the station doors.

Chapter Twenty-Two-Ana

I finished my paper for my anthropology class and sat reading a book that I’d brought home with me. Papa was working in the woodshop. Mama was at the Kennedy’s helping with the new cubs. The boys were all at work so boredom set in.

I took a shower and gave myself a mani/pedi. I had packed some fire engine red nail polish and decided that would be perfect for my date with Bowie. I fussed with my hair and make-up. I spent time being a girl which was not normal for me. I’m more of a wash and wear kind of girl. You know… a tomboy. Growing up with four boys didn’t give me a lot of opportunity to be a girly girl.

I dug through my underwear drawer to find the golden brown bra and panties set I’d bought. They were such a deep, rich color. As I looked at them now, they reminded me of Bowie’s eyes. I pulled them on and put on my favorite jeans, low-riding and tight fitting. The butterflies in my stomach were performing some sort of elaborate ballet as I got ready. Hanging in my closet was one of those items of clothing that I had stolen from Bowie on my last visit home. I’d always loved wearing his clothes because he’s bigger than his brothers. That and he had always smelled like home to me. Hmm, maybe there was something there years ago and I hadn’t realized it. I pushed that thought from my mind and finished dressing. I put a black blazer over top of the t-shirt. It looked good. So, I found some bangles to add and a variety of necklaces. A final look in the mirror told me I looked good so I slipped on my boots and headed out. I had the keys to Callum’s car. He’d pick it up at the sheriff’s station when he got off work.

The roads were slicker than I thought they’d be. So I had to drive much slower. I was so relieved to pull into the sheriff’s parking lot. My knuckles were white. I looked at the clock on the radio and decided I had enough time to leave the keys with Bowie. He was on the phone when I walked in. He looked up and saw it was me. He held up a finger so I looked around the office. It hadn’t changed much. A whistle from the doorway let me know he was off the phone.

“Well, you sexy little witch. I hope this is for me and not Lance.”

“All of what you see is for you. Even what you don’t see is for you,” I teased as I approached him.

“Isn’t this my shirt anyway?” he asked. I tried to look innocent. “I’ve been looking for this shirt for quite some time.” He hooked a finger in the front of my shirt and took a look down the front.

“Now, Sheriff. Isn’t that against the rules?”

He acted as if he were thinking about it. “I don’t know, but weren’t you always the rule breaker?”

I glanced at the clock, “Maybe we can break a few laws later, but I’m going to be late to meet Lance if I don’t get going now.” He pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Don’t eat too much popcorn. Pete’s saving us a couple of steaks for dinner.”

My mouth started watering at the thought of Pete’s steaks. “Can you stay out of trouble while I’m at the movies?” I asked.

“Just finishing up some paperwork, then I’m all yours tonight,” he promised. I waved good-bye to him and closed the door behind me.

Lance was waiting for me at the ticket booth. “I thought you were going to stand me up,” he joked.

I smiled at him, “I’d never stand you up. I had to stop and drop Callum’s keys off with Bowie.”

Lance chuckled, “And Bowie let you leave looking as amazing as you do? Is he blind?”

“Aww, you’re sweet. He was doing paperwork so I think he was glad to get me out of his hair for another couple of hours.”

We found our seats and settled in. The movie was pretty good, or at least I thought so. Our movie theater often showed movies with a paranormal feel and this one certainly had that. I grabbed Lance’s hand a couple of times, it scared me that bad.

When the movie let out, it was beginning to snow.

“C’mon, I’ll give you a ride to the station. No sense walking in this if you don’t need to,” Lance said.

I gladly accepted his ride. The last thing I needed was a sprained ankle or broken leg. The lights were still on inside when we got there. Lance insisted on walking me inside. Bowie was nowhere to be found when we got there.

“I’ll go see if he’s in the bathroom,” Lance offered.

Sure enough, he was changing for our date. Lance kissed my cheek. “Thanks for tonight, Ana. I had fun.”

“Me, too. We’ll do this again, I promise.”

Bowie came down the hall dressed in blue jeans that hugged every inch of his body. He was tucking in his shirt as he walked. My cat started purring as soon as she caught his scent.

“Hey, gorgeous. How was the movie?”

“It was good. You may actually like it, too.”

He buttoned up his jeans and grabbed his jacket. He leaned down to kiss me. “You smell like Lance,” he whispered against my lips.

“Well, what should we do about that, Sheriff?”

My answer was a growl as he locked up the station and escorted me out of the office. We walked to Pete’s. Bowie waved to Pete who was tending bar when we walked in. The hostess showed us to a quiet little table with a corner booth. Pete brought out a beer for Bowie.

“Anastasia Plum. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

I stood up to hug the burly man. “I’ve been busy, Pete.”

“Sure, move off to the big city and you forget where you come from,” he teased. “What can I get you to drink, Ana?”

“I’d like a whiskey neat, Pete.”

He arced an eyebrow at me, “You sure she’s legal, Sheriff?”

Bowie looked at me with that cocky grin, “I hope so, Pete, otherwise I’m going to be in big trouble later.” Pete guffawed as he walked away.

“You got big plans for later?” I asked as I scooted closer to Bowie who put his arm around the back of the booth.

“You bet I do. I intend to find out what you have on under that outfit.”

I felt warm desire spreading through my body. Pete delivered my whiskey to me. I sipped it slowly. I sure didn’t want to miss out on Bowie’s big plans for later. This is a night I definitely needed to remember.

Our steaks arrived cooked to absolute perfection, rare and delicious. I was so hungry. Bowie cut off a piece of his steak and held it up to my mouth. I let him feed me. It was a dragon thing to do. My cat appreciated it. The woman side of me enjoyed the sensuality of it, too. Occasionally, he leaned over to kiss me. Then, it hit me. He was staking his claim in front our community! Slick moves, I would give him that. I cut off a piece of my steak and fed it to him. His eyes lit up when he took the steak.

Without taking his eyes off of me, he motioned for our waitress. “Could we get a box for the rest of this? And our check, please?”

“I can get you the box, but Pete says dinner is on him tonight.” Bowie looked at her, shocked.

“Pete said that Ana is a hero and tonight the hero gets to eat for free. He says to tell you that he’s only paying for yours because it was your ugly hide she saved.” 

Bowie laughed out loud as she walked away. The waitress returned with a box big enough for both of our meals to fit inside. “Pete says to tell you that if you put this food in the oven at three hundred and fifty degrees for fifteen minutes, it will still be edible. There’s also a piece of chocolate fudge cake waiting for you at the hostess stand.”

Bowie thanked her, “Well, Ms. Plum, are you ready to leave?”

I scooted out behind him and carried the box. Bowie stopped for the piece of cake on our way out.

“Does chocolate stain?” he asked as we walked back to the station.

“It can. Why?”

“I’m just imagining that eating that cake off your body might be the perfect dessert.”

My body was overheating. Good grief! What had I been missing all of these years? “You do understand that these panties can be tossed, right?” I asked him.

He gripped my hand tighter, “I may have them framed.”

I stumbled. He’d caught me off guard with that comment. “How in hell do women ever tell you no, Bowie?”

He looked at me with that cocky look he has that makes me so mad, “Who says they do?”

“Am I going to be just a notch in your bedpost, Bowie Golden?”

“There are no notches on my bedpost, kitten. Women have never been inside my house, other than you and Mama, which means that you will be the first and last woman in my bed.”

I was a little shocked, but not really surprised. “You do get where this is going, right, Annie?”

I took a deep breath, “One step at a time, Sheriff. You may be a lousy lay which will tell me that this is going to be a very hard night to get through.”

Bowie said, “We’ll see.”

It was a short drive to Bowie’s house. When I walked inside, I knew in my heart that this was the point of no return. He put the steak box in the fridge and hung his coat on the back of the kitchen chair. I dropped my purse on the table and hung my coat over his.

“C’mon in, kitten. I’ll give you the grand tour.” He showed me the downstairs which really wasn’t much more than I’d seen before.

We climbed the stairs to his bedroom. “My gods, you made the bed?” I teased as I walked inside.

“I changed the sheets, too. Just hoping.” He stood leaning against the doorway with his hands in his jeans pockets. Gods, he looks so sexy.

I stalked toward him. My cat was going insane trying to get to him. I slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it from his jeans. I looked at him. He leaned his head back against the doorframe and closed his eyes. I planted kisses on his chest while my hand slid south to cup the erection in his pants.

He moaned softly and his eyes fluttered open. “Ana,” he said as he bent down to kiss me. One hand was tangled in my hair as I opened my mouth to his exploration. He pulled my hair so my head tilted back. His lips left my mouth and nibbled at my jaw line. I didn’t think it was this possible to feel this turned on. My knees were ready give out when he began lifting my shirt over my head. I tossed it on onto the floor. His shirt joined mine quickly.

He lifted his head and looked at me, “My gods, Ana. If you want this to stop, you better tell me now.”

My answer was to unbutton his jeans and slide them from his body. He moaned out loud and continued his seduction. I didn’t remember losing my jeans, but I stood in just my bra and panties while Bowie looked his fill.

“Where in hell did you get those?” he asked, his eyes wide with desire.

“Why,  don’t you like them?” I asked, knowing the answer.

“I just think we need to go shopping. You need more of them,” he said as he lay me down on his bed. His large fingers made quick work of my bra. I was coming unglued as he licked first one breast then the other. I grabbed a handful of hair and he lifted his head to look at me, a smug look on his face.

“Can we just get to it, Bowie? You can worship my body later. I’ve been anticipating this all night.”

He grinned, “Hell, kitten, I’ve been anticipating this for the last two years.”

He slid my panties down my legs, but he didn’t throw them on the floor. Instead he tucked them under his pillow. I gripped his cock and guided him toward the place I needed him to be. His chest rumbled as he worked his way inside of me. My back bowed off the bed as he filled me. I’d never dreamed sex could be this good.

“Open your eyes, kitten.” I opened my eyes and watched as he stroked himself in and out of me.

“You are so tight, Ana. By gods, you feel good.” He slid a hand under me and held me tight against him as his thrusts became harder. I could feel the tremors starting as he hit my G-spot repeatedly.

“Oh, Bowie!” I cried out as I came hard. With a final thrust, he roared as he came. My toes were curled, it was that good. He rested his head on mine.

“I love you, Ana.”

My heart answered him immediately, “I love you, too, Bowie.” I’d never thought I could feel all the sensations I was feeling now. This was the most incredible feeling in the world.

Bowie laid on the bed beside me, stroking my hair. I rolled over to face him as tears rolled down my face.

“You okay, baby?” I nodded. I curled up beside him and he held me against him. “Think we could make this thing work?” he asked.

“Eh, we might be able to figure it out.”

“It was that bad?” he teased.

“I may be able to tolerate sleeping with you on occasion.” I started laughing and couldn’t stop.