Free The Dragon Lord by Connie Mason Page A

fetching half-smile on her face, she looked like an angel instead of the prickly harridan he knew her to be. It had taken considerable willpower to keep from pulling her beneath him and taking her virginity before she awakened.
    When she’d burrowed her bottom against his loins, his cock had stiffened and he’d sought to arouse her so that she would want him in the same way he wanted her. But Rose was either too stubborn or too frightened to let him pleasure her. How long did she think she could deny him? He did not want to force her, but his patience was wearing thin.
    Dominic’s dark eyes glittered with renewed desire as he watched Rose struggle into her shift. Her breasts were magnificent, high and firm and just the right size to fit his rather large hands. He had already taken measure of her tiny waist and gently rounded hips, but this was the first time he had glimpsed what his hands had discovered, and he wasn’t disappointed.
    Dominic groaned aloud when her shift slid into place, hiding her considerable charms from his avid gaze. He had half a notion to leap from bed and pull her beneath him before she finished dressing, and he might have done so had he not been interrupted by a knock at the door.
    Rose scrambled into her tunic, adjusted it about her body and looked askance at Dominic. “Go ahead and open it,” Dominic said. ” Tis probably Raj. He is the only one brave enough to invade the Dragon’s lair.”
    Rose opened the door. Raj stepped inside and peered around her at Dominic. “Is the master ready to rise? Petitioners from the villages have gathered in the inner bailey, waiting for you to begin the manor court. Their old lord has been gone a long time, and they want their new lord to rule on their grievances and mete out punishment.”
    Dominic rose from bed with easy grace, his powerful muscles rippling beneath the skin of his nude body as he reached for his clothing. Rose took one look at him and ran out the door.
    “What did you do to frighten your new wife?” Raj asked with a hint of amusement.
    “Not what I’d like to do to her, my friend,” Dominic retorted. “She’s as skittish as a newborn colt.”
    Raj looked at him in astonishment. “You left her untouched?”
    “You ask too many questions,” Dominic said with ill-disguised rancor.
    A chuckle rumbled from Raj’s massive chest. “I have never known a lady you could not charm into your bed.”
    ” Tis obvious you have never known a woman of Rose’s ilk. She is no Veronica.”
    “Mayhap one day you will be glad she is not,” Raj observed.
    “What the hell is that supposed to mean? You know I planned to marry Veronica.”
    Raj assumed a subservient demeanor that fooled no one, least of all Dominic.“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, master. Shall I inform the petitioners that you will hold court after you have broken your fast?”
    Dominic waved Raj away. “Aye, I will hear their petitions. Tis my duty as their new lord. Tell the steward to fetch his quill and ink to record my rulings.”
    Dominic washed and dressed, momentarily forgetting the vassals waiting for him below. His head spun with thoughts of Rose. Her soft breasts, her slim figure, the lush curve of her lips, the tight furrow between her legs he hoped to plow very soon. His cock jerked in response to his erotic imaginings, and he quickly stifled the excitement bubbling up inside him. It would not do for the people of Dragonwyck to see the Dragon Lord lusting after his own wife.
    Rose was nowhere about as Dominic broke his fast, so he joined a group of knights at one of the trestle tables and was soon caught up in their conversation. After Dominic had eaten, Braden, the steward, joined him with a fresh supply of parchment, sharpened quills and ink. While Dominic presided over the manor court, Braden was to record the resolution of the cases. Before he began the court, Dominic asked Raj to summon Rose. She appeared a few minutes later, obviously surprised by the