Chapter Eight

The kiss was too sweet. The energy of Melody’s arousal crackled against Garen’s lips, enticing him to fulfill her need for release. He could bend her over again and fuck her. Give her what she’d asked for even though it would leave him even more frustrated than he already was just being in her presence.

He stared down at her, focused on the glistening wetness that lingered on her lower lip from their kiss. It begged for another to follow. Her blue eyes begged even more, yet she held her tongue. Behind that desire that burned in her gaze lay something deeper that he wished he had time to explore. The dossier he had read of her history had intrigued him enough to agree to this arrangement with Skye, and now seeing her in the flesh incited fresh curiosity. Her flavor still tingled on his taste buds from when he’d sampled her juices, and he almost laughed out loud when the image of his “inhuman tongue” lapping at her wet cunt barreled through his mind. The undulating waves of her aura overwhelmed him, yet he cast his gaze aside and pulled away.

Even if by some miracle he could find his Nirvana with his cock buried inside her, she wasn’t for him. She was for Skye. A sheaf of paper and a freshly enchanted medallion waited for her in the Magnus Tower in downtown LA. If the interview went well and the contract was executed, she’d be his charge for the near future, too.

Skye had been skeptical, even after Garen described what he’d interpreted from her dossier. As much as he hated the idea of letting his friend go, Skye’s need for a female mate took precedence over Garen’s desires. The final piece of Skye’s inheritance hung in the balance. Whatever it was that tiny box contained—a key perhaps—depended on Skye’s mother’s magic accepting Melody. Having been acquainted with the Golden dragon, Mora, Garen believed it was possible Melody, with her bright aura and shining hair, would be ideal to satisfy the elder dragon’s sensibilities for her son.

Now, all that remained was to test the theory.

He resisted the urge to take her hand to lead her out to the car that waited for them. Irrationally, he wished he’d driven Dove down to LA for this meeting. Having his own vehicle helped him relax and unwind after a day filled with frustrations like this. Instead, he would be trapped inside the back of a limousine with Melody and her arousal. The glowing golden bubble that surrounded her now was the least of it. Her delicious aroma was just as distracting.

“Will I have to move, if Skye hires me?” Melody asked, speeding up to walk beside Garen as they navigated their way through the library’s tall shelves.

“He runs the Northern California offices of Magnus, in San Francisco. So, yes, you will need to relocate. Don’t worry about that, though. All your expenses will be taken care of.”

They passed through the library’s exit, into the bright, hot afternoon. The heat enfolded Garen in a comforting embrace that almost succeeded in burning away his lust.

Beside him, Melody groaned. “Is it as hot in San Francisco in September as it is here?”

Garen glanced down at her, amused by the squinting grimace she shot back at him as she fanned her face with the book she carried. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but her arousal had diminished somewhat, so it had to be the heat. He chuckled. “Not as hot as this, and Skye prefers cooler temperatures so we keep the air conditioner on a low setting at the penthouse. That’s where you’ll live after today.”

“If he hires me, you mean,” she said in a cautious tone, but her aura brightened again at his words.

“After I make my recommendation and he has a taste of you, I have no doubt in my mind.”

With that, he grabbed her hand and led her across the bricked walkway in front of the library to the limo waiting at the curb.

* * *

Melody couldn’t stop looking at Garen after the kiss. Her lips still tingled from the intimate contact. Kol had never kissed her, and though she’d craved every kind of contact from him, that one kiss from Garen had obliterated every wish she’d had for Kol’s attention.

On the way down the walkway to the limo, Garen’s skin caught the sunlight and he seemed positively angelic. The light shimmered on his pristine skin in odd, uniform patterns, almost like feathers, or scales. A play of light? Or a sign of his true origins? She could almost imagine a pair of white wings attached to his thick shoulders. It wasn’t until they were secured in the shadows of a sleek limousine that she could see him as somewhat human again.

“Can you at least tell me what to expect when I meet Skye?” she asked.

Garen smiled. “He’ll pleasure you well. He has a knack for it, I promise.”

She was having trouble wrapping her mind around the idea of this interview. “Jesus. I don’t even know this guy and you’re already sure he’ll know just what to do?”

“I’ll tell him some of what I learned today, of course. But he’s intuitive and very talented.”

Melody stilled. “What exactly will you tell him?”

“If he asks, I will tell him that when you are exceedingly aroused he won’t be able to make you orgasm until he touches your clit. But if he plays with your ass a bit, he could find the same results. Am I wrong?”

Melody’s face heated, but not nearly as much as her pussy did at the memory of what Garen had already done to please her—or the things he’d avoided doing. “I can come just fine with a cock. If you’d tested that theory you would know already. Shouldn’t that factor into your report? Or was that detail not important enough for you to investigate?”

He grinned at her. “My cock can wait. Can you?”

“Are you making me a promise?” She had no idea why her voice shook when she asked the question. After his kiss, all she wanted was to be alone in a bed with him. To see those beautiful pale eyes gazing down at her with the rapture she’d seen in the split second before he’d bent and kissed her.

“I can’t promise myself to you. But trust me, Skye will be more than enough.” He reached out to squeeze her bare thigh gently, letting his fingertips linger in a light caress. His eyes flashed again with that odd inner light and he seemed reluctant to pull away, but did so anyway, leaving her skin feeling almost too cool in the absence of his touch.

He’d already said he wasn’t precisely human, but those little flashes could still be explained by a trick of sunlight. The more details she witnessed, the more intrigued she became, and the more determined she was to go through with this interview just to find out his secrets. To find out why he suddenly reminded her so much of her dad.

The complicated tangle of her libido was secondary.

“Why am I meeting him here?” she asked as they walked through the lobby of Magnus headquarters.

“Mr. Magnus wanted the chance to introduce you personally. He and Skye had related business to discuss, as well. I’ll be completely honest—another employee of ours transferred to the San Diego offices without Skye’s approval. Skye wasn’t too happy about the transfer happening without his input. You are more or less a peace offering.”

“So this is an exchange?”

“Trust me, you will prove far more valuable than the man we lost. Skye was only really upset because his mother valued the man’s skills before she died and Skye took over running the Northern offices. I don’t think Skye shared his mother’s opinion, however.”

“What about you? Did you know this guy?”

“In passing. What he was to Skye’s mother is what you will be to Skye. I doubt he was ever promoted any higher than his initial position, though.”

“And to you?” she asked, trying to fish for more details to help her understand precisely what her role would be aside from simply “following orders.”

They stepped into an empty elevator and Garen pushed the button for the top floor.

“As far as our ranks are concerned, you and I are equals. I’m only a security supervisor. Both of us still answer to Skye and any additional job duties will be at Skye’s discretion.”

“You make it sound so formal,” she said. “Like I won’t actually be your sex slave.”

The elevator sped past floors without stopping, but it was still a long ride to the top. Garen shifted around to face her, his expression serious when he looked into her eyes.

“You will be no one’s slave, Melody. This opportunity is being offered to you as a favor, not just to Skye, but to you, too. It’s perfectly within your rights and power to decline it.” He lifted a hand and tucked her hair behind her ear again like he had earlier. The light contact sent a pleasant zing through her skin that made her entire body glow with warmth. “But you are perfectly suited for this, so it would be a shame if you said no.”

Breathlessly, she asked, “What makes me so special?”

Garen brushed his fingers along the edge of her jaw, coming to rest at the point of her chin. He gripped it lightly between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head back. Her heart sped up enough to make her a little lightheaded, but it seemed all her blood rushed lower, the heat of it blooming between her thighs in an undeniable pulse of desire.

“Your responsiveness when I touch you.” His eyes flickered again with an inner glow that couldn’t be a trick of light within the confines of the elevator, and then it was gone. In that split second Melody got the distinct impression that he saw something entirely new when he looked at her.

She tilted her head a little farther back, wishing he would kiss her again. Garen only brushed his thumb along her lower lip and moved away, resuming his earlier position by her side.

Melody let out an irritated sigh. “I think I’m getting the hang of this. You get me worked up and then deny me any release. So, is part of my job to be tortured then?”

She shot him a sidelong glance and was surprised to see him frown.

“It might feel like torture at the moment. Just be patient. After today, you’ll have a better understanding of what is expected of you.”

The elevator door finally opened into the reception area outside Kol Magnus’ office. Instead of leading her to her boss’s office, Garen turned the other direction and ushered her into the conference room on the opposite side of the elevators.

“Wait here,” he said and left the room.

Melody stared at the closed door, questioning her own sanity.