Dragon Song

He’d been watching her all night. Tielle had felt his dark eyes follow every move she made, especially when she walked on the dance floor. She hadn’t lacked for dance partners, not when she was dressed as she was in a slinky red dress that hugged every curve and showed off her cleavage to the point that the guys were foaming at the mouth and fighting each other to get closer. But not him. He hadn’t moved from his spot in the corner although she’d sashayed by with her girlfriend a couple times.

And he was interested. Tielle knew when a man wanted her, even when he wasn’t given to roaming hands and a lustful expression in his eyes. This man hadn’t shifted one muscle. He swirled his drink in his glass before bringing it to full, thick lips that made her want to taste him. He was built too, massive shoulders, bulging biceps, visible because of his short-sleeved shirt. His head full of dark curly hair and chiseled jaw line started fantasies in her head that dulled the fun of being with men.

She’d dated white men plenty of times. In fact, they were her personal preference, but every one of them were of average to good looks. All had been mild-mannered, sweet, and fun. None compared to Sexy over there. This guy was dangerous with a capital D. Tielle should keep it moving, but something about him made her want to forget her usual ploy of making a guy come to her and just march right over there.

On impulse, she began dancing in his direction—with subtlety, she hoped. Her partner followed, grasping her hips and moving closer than Tielle liked. For the moment, she let it slide. When they were within steps of Sexy, she stopped and swung around to the man whose name she’d forgotten the second he uttered it. She began gyrating with her most sensual moves, raised her hands above her head and tilted her head back a little, closing her eyes.

Her lips parted, she danced for him and not the guy in front of her. Still, her tease set her partner off. He whooped in excitement. “Damn, I’ve never met a woman like you before. Let me take you home tonight,” he shouted in her ear.

She pushed him back and whirled. He grabbed her hips right away and tried grinding into her ass. She moved again.

“Baby, don’t tease me,” he pleaded.

When the music ended, he made another offer to take her home, and she put a hand up to his chest, smiling. “Sorry, baby, I’m here to unwind and have fun. I’m not taking anybody home tonight.”

“Dance with me again.”

“Nope.” She didn’t even elaborate or give him some lame excuse. His lust was starting to gross her out, although she couldn’t blame him after what she’d done to the poor man. At her limit waiting on the one she wanted, she closed the steps between them and stopped just between his jean-clad legs. “So you’re just going to stare all night or what?”

“If you wanted to dance, you could have said so,” he replied. A shiver ran down Tielle’s back at the deep, slightly accented, timbre of his voice.

She put her hands on her hips. “You should have come to me.”

He smirked. “Like all your other trained puppies? I don’t think so.”

She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. When she swung around to walk away, he stood up in one swift motion and wrapped his arm around her waist. His huge palm splayed over her belly made her sag against his hard body. She should tell him to get his damn hands off her, but she didn’t want him to.

His hot breath brushed her neck, and when a slow beat started up, he moved her and himself to the seductive tones. “Is this what you want?” he whispered. “Or something more?”

She’d worn a thong for the night, but right now, she needed a whole lot more protection with the pool that had started between her legs. The man was in another league than the guys she was used to. Maybe she should run now and cut her losses. Again, she didn’t want to. Her eyes drifted closed. She tilted her head back against his chest and rocked with him.

All of a sudden, she wanted to kiss him, to feel him inside of her while they had sex, but she never took a man home she didn’t know. The rule crumbled with each caress from this guy’s body and with each word he spoke.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Tielle.”

“Pretty…no…beautiful, just like you.”

She blushed. What the hell was she doing? She did not blush. “Thanks. What’s yours?”

“Stone.”

“Seriously?”

“Mm,” he breathed. “Seriously.”

Yeah, he was a stone all right, solid. The rock that had grown out in his pants pressed into her back as he was several inches taller than her. Stone slid his hands up her sides and let his fingertips tease the beginning swell of her breasts.

“So what does a man have to do to sample all of this?”

She glanced up to find his dark gaze aimed at her breasts. He licked his lips, and it had a different effect than what she’d experienced with the other men. To her shame, she started thinking about those lips wrapped around a nipple. She shook her head, trying for some clarity. “That’s not how I do things. I don’t jump into bed with a man on first meeting him.”

“Too bad.” He lowered his mouth toward hers. Tielle was mesmerized. She parted her lips, ready to accept his kiss. Desperate anticipation coiled in her belly. The heat from his mouth and body tantalized her. Giving into him seemed the right thing to do. Their lips brushed.