Free The Dragon Circle by Irene Radford Page B

that.
    â€œDon’t worry. Mum won’t hurt you. At least not as long as you stay on this world,” Konner chuckled.
    â€œYour . . . your m-mother? This dragon is your mother?” Her knees knocked together and her face grew pale.
    â€œNothing quite so simple.” Although to describe Mum as a dragon . . . Well, she did pretend to the wisdom of the ages and keep her own counsel. Margaret Kristine O’Hara could be as enigmatic as a dragon. She also defended her offspring with a ferocity reminiscent of a battle between a dragon and a behemoth.
    Somehow Konner’s fingers became entwined with Dalleena’s.
    Her other hand began to glow. And so did the hull beneath it.
    Konner slapped his own hand atop hers, careful not to touch the cerama/metal scales. New warmth permeated his being from his points of contact with the strange woman.
    â€œI expected the glow to be hot,” he muttered. Just flesh. All he felt was soft, warm, feminine flesh beneath his hand.
    He suddenly found Dalleena’s lips very close to his own. She licked her lips. Their gazes met. The world seemed to stand still.
    â€œKonner!” Loki called from the edge of the meadow. “Konner, we need you. Taneeo is missing.”
    â€œSt. Bridget, his timing is perfect as usual.” Konner broke free of the thrall of Dalleena’s luscious mouth.
    â€œGo,” Dalleena whispered. She sounded more than a little breathless . . . and perhaps reluctant. “I will free myself. Somehow. They need you more than I do.”
    With the last statement she stood taller, straighter, and thrust out her chin in stubborn resistance to his charm.
    â€œFine.” Inexplicable anger shot through him. Konner jerked both of his hands away from hers. The moment he was free of her, he regretted the distance between them.
    Without thinking he clamped both hands around her right wrist, braced his feet, and pulled on her arm.
    â€œIf I can levitate a three-ton boulder, I can separate you from my ship and my life.” He shuddered in memory of the disaster that had forced him to use the latent psychic talent in order to rescue Raaskan.
    He should concentrate on separating Dalleena’s flesh from the hull.
    â€œNot so easy a task,” Dalleena chuckled. She remained firmly attached to the shuttle.
    Had she referred to the now famous levitation or to freeing her?
    â€œNot easy, but possible.” Konner shifted his weight and balance a little. With a firmer grim, he concentrated on the line of skin that met cerama/ metal.
    A ripping sound alerted him. He caught her as they tumbled away from the shuttle. She landed atop him on the ground. Again her mouth was a bare breath away from his.
    â€œFree of the dragon, but not free from me,” she said softly. Her gaze seemed concentrated on his own mouth.
    Before he could reply, she brushed his lips with her own. Then she scrambled away from him.
    He rose quickly, brushing grass and debris from his trousers and vest.
    Now what? Clearly the woman wanted him. He could not deny the evidence that he found her very attractive. “St. Bridget and all the angels, I don’t have time for a relationship,” he muttered, hoping she would not hear him. “I have to get off this planet and claim my son. I have to find the beacon and keep the IMPs from finding us. I have to finish too many things before I get serious about a woman.”
    â€œI will meet you here at dawn. We will hunt your lost bee-kan together,” she announced and stalked back toward the village campfire. Not once did she look back over her shoulder.
    Konner pounded his fist into the hull of the Rover . Pain immediately cooled his ardor . . . but not his frustration.

CHAPTER 9
    â€I AM WAITING for an answer, Lieutenant.”
    Commander Leonard drummed her fingers against her screen.
    â€œFor the life of me, Captain, I can find no record, ever, of this space configuration,” First Lieutenant Kohler