Free The Dragon Lord by Connie Mason

felt possessive of her.
    It had to be his new demesne that gave him the sense of tranquility and possessiveness, he decided scant moments before sleep claimed him.It most certainly had naught to do with his belligerent wife. Rose had more thorns than the flower for which she was named.

Chapter Four
    You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.
    —Ziggy
    Rose burrowed her body into the warmth at her back, unwilling to abandon the coziness of the bed yet, or even open her eyes. She sighed and wriggled closer to the solid heat behind her. Nothing was more satisfying than a warm bed on a cold day.
    Rose had nearly dozed off again when a thought suddenly occurred to her and her eyes flew open. The heat at her back was too substantial, and something hard and foreign was pressing against her bottom. And suddenly she knew—she KNEW! She turned her head, saw Dragon lying beside her and tried to scramble away, but it was not to be. He grasped her about the waist and pulled her back into the cradle of his body.
    “Where are you going, wife?”
    Rose swallowed audibly.“What are you doing in my bed?” Her voice was hoarse from crying, and she hardly recognized the croaking sounds that came from her throat.
    “This is where I belong.” His hand slid upward to cup a firm breast.
    “Do not touch me!”
    ” Tis my right to do whatever J please to you.”
    He trailed a hand over a curvaceous hip and flattened it against her taut stomach. Rose sucked in a startled breath when that same hand inched downward into the thatch of gold fleece crowning the juncture of her thighs.
    Rose was not prepared for this. She knew Dragon had a legal right to claim her body, but she was not ready to surrender to the obnoxious blackguard. Unfortunately, her body turned traitor when he rolled her over to face him and forced her against his swollen sex. Heat crept through her veins and pooled in embarrassing places. Her breasts felt swollen and her nipples ached.
    Then he kissed her, using his tongue in a way that made Rose feel things utterly foreign to her. He was nude. She was nude. Their bodies were all but glued together, and she felt his man part prodding ruthlessly against the secret place between her thighs. Why was her body reacting so powerfully to a man she did not and never would like? When he thrust his hand between her legs and tried to insert his fingers inside her, she reacted spontaneously. Gathering her strength, she rolled away so abruptly she caught Dominic off guard.
    “Dammit! What are you doing?”
    “Duty calls. My day begins at dawn.”
    Dominic’s face hardened. “Your duty is to your husband.”
    Rose sent him a defiant look. “My duty is to Ayrdale and its people.”
    “You mean Dragonwyck, do you not?”
    Rose wrinkled her nose. “Aye, Dragonwyck, if it pleases you. Turn your head, Lord Dragon, so that I may rise and dress.”
    Dominic’s dark brows rose as he linked his hands behind his head and raked his gaze over her. “Go ahead, wife. Watching you dress gives me pleasure. But,” he added sternly, “my patience will stretch only so far. I would have already bedded your sister had you not interfered. The least you can do is accept the consequences of your hoax. You are extremely fortunate, Rose, that I did not beat you.”
    Her shoulders stiffened. “I prefer a beating to what you want to do to me.”
    “Do not tempt me,” Dominic bit out. “Rest assured that what I have in mind will be much more pleasurable than a beating.”
    He reached for her, but she deftly eluded him. She inched out of bed, trying to drag the linen sheet with her, but Dominic would not release his hold. Her body flushed red from embarrassment and anger, Rose rolled out of bed and reached for her shift.
    Dominic watched through lowered lids as Rose fumbled with her clothing. He had awakened before her this morning and watched her sleep. With her golden hair spread out on the pillow and a