Chapter 3 #3
She let out a growl worthy of her Dragon and jumped on top of him, her hands around his collarbone. “Don’t you dare call me darling.”
“It slipped out,” he grunted as she ground him into the mud.
“It doesn’t mean anything.” But damn, that word never slipped out while on duty.
She was firing up his wild side big-time.
Her thighs squeezed his hips, her hands pinned his shoulders.
He tried to gain control but she wouldn’t budge.
“Damn, woman, you an alligator wrestler?”
“Champion in the local division four years running, umpteen years ago.” Her smile reeked of pride and challenge. And he always accepted a challenge. With a heave, he rolled her so he was on top. She kept the roll going, besting him again.
“Will you listen?” he said.
She grabbed a handful of his hair and jerked his head back. “I would have listened if you’d simply called the number on all that damned paperwork they made me fill out. While you were all laughing at me, I’m sure.”
How to gain control of the situation without grabbing her somewhere inappropriate—somewhere that wouldn’t piss her off even more? Damned tricky when she was naked. And muddy. “I wasn’t laughing at you.”
“Sure you were. Inside. Outside you were giving me that smug smile you probably think…is…gorgeous.” She fought as he tried to wrap his arms around her upper arms. “While you looked down your nose at me.”
“Actually, I was looking at your tight shirt.”
She slugged him in the jaw again, not really hard enough to do any damage. He threw his weight toward her, pushing her backward and coming down on top of her. Now he straddled her thighs, leaning down to hover above her body.
“I was kidding,” he said, his mouth only an inch from hers.
“I was taking all of you in. I couldn’t believe you were the same wild Violet Castanega I saw in muddy clothes and a tangled braid.
” He couldn’t help the smile as he let his gaze drift from her neck down to her chest that rose and fell with deep breaths.
The mud didn’t cover the curve of her breasts.
“Then again, you do look extraordinary in mud.”
“Let me up!” She tried to buck him off, which drove her pelvis up and dangerously close to smashing his balls.
He lay all his weight on top of her. “Not until you promise to stop fighting.”
“I can’t promise that. How long do the effects of your magick stun gun last?”
“Up to thirty minutes.”
She bucked again, but he finally had her under his control. And he liked it. Which was odd because his women were always willing. Something about the fight completely turned him on, especially the way her pelvis bumped against his.
Her eyes widened. “Holy dragonfire, are you…does fighting get you…hot?”
He supposed, with all this writhing around, it was inevitable that she’d notice. “Not usually, but then again, I’ve never fought a feisty, naked female in the mud before. I have to admit, it’s doing strange things to me.” At her surprised look, he added, “Well, you asked. I answered honestly.”
She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Okay then, answer this honestly. Why are you here?”
That was a bit trickier, but he could stick to the true part. “I came to ask you more about your allegations.”
She just stared at him for a moment, her brown eyes disbelieving. “Instead of catching me in the parking lot, or calling, you sneak onto my land and surprise me. Are you kidding? Are you friggin’ kidding me?”
“No, I’m not. Why else would I be here?”
She let out something like a growl. “After I was summarily dismissed, why would the Guard suddenly take me seriously and send someone out? And for God’s sake, why you?”
He had those kinds of why questions, too, none he could share with her. “I’m not here on behalf of the Guard.”
She furrowed her eyebrows. Mud streaked her face, her toned body, and gods help him, she was tantalizing.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“I came on my own because what you said piqued my interest. There’s no need for the senseless deaths that would come from clan wars.” He’d seen that fear in her eyes when she’d appealed to Ferro. “I want to hear everything you know.”
She seemed to weigh his words. He knew how to lie skillfully when he had to. It was part of training, though he rarely used it in his personal life. The current situation blurred the line. Violet was blurring all kinds of lines, obliterating others.
She took advantage of his introspection, because he was suddenly spinning off her, compliments of an impressive twist and kick of her legs. He came to his feet, ready for another attack.
She was stalking over to where her clothes had shredded when she’d Catalyzed.
She held the remains of the tight shirt she’d been wearing to her chest. Suspicion drenched her expression.
“You’re serious?” Kade saw a mixture of hope and skepticism in her eyes.
And that eradicated any last shred of doubt that she was behind this.
“Very.” He pulled off his shirt and tossed it to her.
She snatched it out of the air and wriggled into it, giving him one last heavenly view of her full breasts and flat stomach as she pulled it on. She pushed her muddy hair from her face. “Why do you care? We’re all marsh trash to the likes of you.”
“The likes of me? Because I’m a Vega?”
“Everything about you.” She swept her gaze over him. “You move like royalty, you act like you rule the world, and you look untouchable.”
Which he found amusing since he was as muddy as she was.
She waited for his answer. He rubbed the mud, now itching, from his neck, buying time.
Royalty, huh? He sure as hell didn’t feel like any of that at the moment.
At least she hadn’t called him pretty. “My gut says there’s something going on, just like you suspect.
If the Guard won’t listen, then I will.”
“Why sneak up on me? You know what animals we all are.” She’d heard someone say it, obviously, as she mimicked it with a sneer. “We do act on instinct, at least our Dragons do. I didn’t even know you were there; my Dragon did. I could have killed you.”
He gave her a smile he was sure was smug. “No, you couldn’t have.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is a bet, isn’t it? Can Kade Kavanaugh nail the marsh trash? You might as well go home. Ain’t gonna happen. You’re totally not my type.”
Except those hardened nubs poking against his shirt told a different story.
“Neither are you, if that makes you feel any better. I’m a Deuce-gal kind of guy.
” Although this Dragon appealed to him more than any other Crescent—Deuce or Dragon—he’d encountered before.
And that was just…crazy. “I’d never try to nail a woman for a bet.
” He let his mouth curve into a smile. “Only for the mutual pleasure of both parties.”
A sound escaped her throat, but she cleared it. “Are you sure you’re not here to sniff out drugs? Find something else to bust my brothers on?”
He didn’t blame her for her distrust. She had good reason not to trust the Guard, as it turned out. “Arlo was the worst offender. He had problems, whether you want to admit it or not.”
She gave a quick nod. “He did.”
“Now he’s dead. Let’s find out why.” When her skepticism didn’t waver, he added, “Violet, you went to the Guard for help, as hard as that must have been for you. I’m here. Let me help.”