Free The Island Of Dragons: A Paranormal Shifter Romance by Amira Rain

you and the chief will have privacy for whatever kind of, um... ah, for whatever kind of discussion the two of you might want to have.”
    Already heading to the front door, I thanked him with my face a bit hot, though not from the still-warm sun. I knew exactly what Hugh had meant, but I had no intention of having that kind of a “discussion” with Warren. This was a business visit. It would be barely civil, and no more. I knew this for sure, even though I still had no clue of what I intended to say.
    Warren answered the door right away, wordlessly ushered me inside, and shut the heavy wooden door behind us.
    Standing mere inches from him and his lightly-tanned, strong-jawed face, I spoke first. “I just came here to say thank you for the ballet shoes. Nothing more. That’s it. Just thank you.”
    It was only then that I realized that if that was really all I’d wanted to say to him, I surely could have texted that message.
    With his muscular arms folded across his chest, Warren dipped his head in a nod, making his dark hair glint in a shaft of sunlight slanting across the stone-floored foyer. “You’re welcome.”
    There was a long pause, and we both just stood, looking into each other’s eyes. The act had the effect of making my pulse pound, and the next words out of my mouth just tumbled right out.
    “Look. I know you have some issues from being betrayed in the past. But why can’t you just believe me? Why can’t you just accept that I’m not a spy? Why do you have to keep on being such a... well, such an asshole about it?”
    Warren lifted his dark brows just a degree. “Can I ask you something? Where did you ever get such a rude, naughty little mouth?”
    I stood sputtering briefly. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is swearing in this village illegal now?”
    “Actually, yes, because I just made it so. And now you must be punished.”
    Heart hammering in my ears, I suddenly couldn’t even sputter anymore.
    I stood speechless for a second before responding. “Excuse me?”
    Warren spoke in a calm, commanding voice. “I think you heard me just fine. Now you must be punished.”
     
    *
    At least two seconds went by before I found my voice.
    “What do you mean by ‘punished?’ What are you going to do to me?”
    Still standing mere inches away from me, close enough that I could detect a hint of his masculine, woodsy scent, Warren lifted his strong shoulders in a shrug. “Well, that’s up to you. See, you have two different choices for your punishment.”
    With butterflies suddenly rioting in my stomach, I spoke in a barely-audible voice. “What are they?”
    “Choice one is being locked in the dungeon beneath my castle for a period no shorter than twenty-four hours. Choice two is a punishment lasting not nearly as long.”
    I spoke in a near-whisper once again. “And that would be?”
    “Choice two would be you letting me take you in my arms and kiss your soft, sweet lips, like I’ve been wanting to do since the very first time we spoke. You submit to this punishment for a full minute, and after that, your punishment will be over, and you’ll be free to walk away, fully punished for having such a rude little mouth. That’s punishment two.”
    Warren paused, and I noticed that his breathing was becoming a little fast.
    “So, which will it be, Miss Eleanor Christine Elizabeth O’Brien, esquire? Do you choose to spend the next night and day locked in my dungeon, or do you choose to submit to being held and kissed by me for one full minute?”
    My brain, mouth, and vocal cords seemed to work completely on their own.
    “I choose punishment two. Just because I know it won’t faze me at all, and the minute will be over quick enough.”
    Truthfully, of course, I had serious, serious doubts that a minute in his arms wouldn’t faze me, but my mouth had still said what it had.
    With his dark eyes glassy, Warren suddenly pulled me into his strong arms and spoke in a voice low and husky. “All right, then. Your