Can't Get Enough (Dragon Kin) - G.A. Aiken Page 0,27

eyebrow. “I certainly don’t want him,” he informed her before pulling on his clothes.

“Then he’s mine to manage as I see fit.”

“‘Then he’s mine to manage as I see fit,’” he mimicked back to her in a high-pitched voice that had her slapping at his shoulders in a pitiful attempt at an assault.

Laughing, Ailean grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close again. “You have quite the temper, don’t you?”

“Don’t sound so mocking. I do have quite the temper. Few, though, make me angry enough to show it.”

“I’ll have to work on that. I’d like to see you truly angry.”

Shalin’s face fell and she looked a little…terrified. “No, Ailean. No you wouldn’t.”

Before he could ask her more questions, the skies opened up and rain poured down on them. Quickly setting the dragoness aside, Ailean pulled on the rest of his clothes and boots.

While he did, he watched Shalin merely crook her finger to get Nightmare to trot over to her side. Without any further prompting, he lowered himself so Shalin could mount him easily.

“Meet you back at the castle?” she asked, using Nightmare’s hair for reins.

“We’ll be right behind you.” He whistled for Dragon’s Gold. “Stay on the path and head straight home, Shalin. I don’t desire searching for you in this downpour.” Ailean placed his hand on her thigh. “Oiy.”

“Yes?”

“No kiss?”

Leaning down a bit, she kissed him and Ailean felt no cold blowing in from the storm. He only felt warmth and desire, his hands reaching for her automatically.

“No, no,” she laughed. “We have to go.” Shalin sat up straight, her hand stroking his cheek. “Thank you for today.”

He grinned at her, completely unaware that his clothes were already soaked through. “And are you leaving this afternoon?”

Shalin looked up at the sky. “In this storm? Of course—”

“Then we’re not done. We can thank each other another day. For now…”

“For now…what?”

“For now we’ll need to find a way to avoid my family’s involvement. Unless you’re hoping what we do every day turns into a nightly topic of discussion at dinner.”

“Gods no!”

“Between us then?”

She surprised him by looking impossibly relieved and he didn’t understand the bit of resentment that caused. Usually he adored the ones who wanted to keep their involvement between the two of them rather than spreading so many rumors it turned into another edition of those damn books.

“Yes. Between us.”

“Then ride and I’ll see you back at the castle.”

Smiling, she pushed her soaking golden hair off her face and said to Nightmare, “Go.”

And to Ailean’s shock, the beast did just as she’d asked.

What power did this female possess over wild animals?

“Well, she has no control over me, Dragon’s Gold.” When the horse snorted at him, he glared until she looked away.

8

A meal had never been so delightful for Shalin. Especially with so many others around. But none of Ailean’s kin bothered to note or question the two of them putting their horses up together or quickly going off their separate ways. Instead they were too busy arguing, because apparently that’s what they did when trapped in close quarters for any length of time. Any length of time being about five minutes, because it really hadn’t been raining that long.

So Shalin spent the rest of the afternoon in the library. The entire time she had a book open, but she never actually read it. She couldn’t focus. Not when she kept thinking about Ailean and what they’d done that afternoon. And the fact that he wasn’t done with her. Perhaps they could meet again at the lake tomorrow. Or someplace else on his territory out of his kin’s line of sight. On her ride earlier in the day she’d noticed a nice little cave built into a small mountain. A perfect place to spend some time alone.

But that would be tomorrow and she still had to get through the night. Still, not too hard when it involved the Cadwaladr Clan. What she never expected, though, was for the twins—who sat on either side of her so they could keep her laughing through the entire meal—to turn to her and say in unison, “So tell us another story.”

The room immediately fell silent at their request and all eyes were on her.

“Me?”

“You told us one before. Didn’t she, Kennis?”

“Aye. That she did, Kyna.”

“It can’t be hard, then, to tell us another.”

Without even thinking about it, her eyes focused on Ailean at the other end of the enormous table. She knew he could see the panic in her face, but instead