She’s not ours, Fergus stated.
Then hurry up and convince her.
He cleared his throat to garner her attention, but Gina ignored him to open the door and pick up her pet. With Coal laying over one shoulder, she turned toward him and raised her brows. “Well? You said we had much to discuss, so start talking.”
Taking a step toward Gina, he restrained himself from reaching out a hand to touch her. “How about you first tell me what Finn said.”
As Gina stroked her pet, Fergus wondered what it would feel like to have her hands stroke him.
Thankfully, her voice cut off the thought before it went any farther. “Ah, so you don’t know everything then. Judging by how you liked to order me around earlier, I figured you had all the answers.”
The responsible half of Fergus would let the barb go and focus on the bigger issue. He would never win Gina’s trust if all they did was argue. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I’m not sure how much you know about dragon-shifters, but we’re protective.”
“I didn’t see you acting this way around Holly.”
“I leave the overprotectiveness about her to my brother.”
Something he couldn’t read flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with casual indifference. “I don’t care about dragon-shifter nature or some other excuse. I’m not a possession to be passed around, Fergus MacKenzie. If we’re to ever get along, you’d best remember that.”
His dragon spoke up. We’re going to do much more than get along.
Not now.
Gina tilted her head. “Your
eyes flashed. What did your dragon want?”
His beast chimed in again. I want to keep you, that’s what.
Fergus didn’t react to his dragon. “Believe me, you don’t want to know.”
Still carrying her cat, Gina took another step toward them. The scent of woman and heather hit him. His dragon snarled. Hold her against our body. I want to memorize her scent.
Gina’s voice was lower when she replied, “Tell me, Fergus. Consider it a show of good faith to treat me better in the future.”
As they stared into each other’s eyes, a sizzle danced down his spine. Before he could stop himself, Fergus closed the distance between them. Standing so close, he was surrounded by her scent. The heat from her body warmed his chest through his clothes. If he leaned two inches closer, her belly would press against his groin.
Do it, his dragon growled out.
Lost in the depths of Gina’s gold-flecked green eyes, he barely heard his dragon. He focused on Gina’s increased heart rate. Then her pupils dilated, tempting him to pull her close.
Raising a hand to her cheek, he fully expected for her to scurry away. Yet she parted her lips and tilted her head up a fraction. “Tell me, Fergus.”
The heat of her breath on his chin made his cock go hard. No doubt, Gina could feel it pressing against her, but he didn’t care. A pulsing need to brand the lass flooded his body.
He needed to win Gina MacDonald’s trust—and soon—so he could make her his female.
~~~
Earlier, when Gina had been sitting in Fergus’s lap back at Loch Shin, her pains had taken all of her attention. But now, there was nothing to distract her from the heat of his body or his hard dick pressing against her.
His flashing pupils should remind her of exactly why she should push the dragonman away. Yet as Fergus stroked her cheek, all she wanted to do was curl against his chest and ask him to hold her.
Parting her lips, she was about to raise her head in invitation when Coal meowed in her ear. The sound snapped her out of the moment and she took five steps back.
Fergus clenched the fingers that had been caressing her cheek moments before. She waited to see if he would come closer again. The irresponsible part of her brain yearned for the dragonman to walk up and kiss her.
Turning away from her, Fergus remained quiet a second. A rush of disappointment squeezed her heart and she laid her head on Coal’s back. Fergus’s rejection should make her happy. It really should. She didn’t need any more complications in her life. Especially not the kind that involved a dragon-shifter who believed she might be his mate.