“Michael?” Daniel questioned. He was starting to recover.
Michael mouthed a response, but no sound came out.
“Oh, wait.” Carissa stepped up to him and tipped her head back so he could have his voice.
The soft press of her lips called to that part Michael hadn’t smacked down. Uncontrollably, his arms pulled her in against him, and he deepened the kiss. She melted against him. It took a moment of exploring her mouth for his conscious mind to wrestle control back. Pulling away, he looked into her eyes. They were molten gold with desire. God, he wanted to swipe everything off the desktop and have her right there. Tempting. His blood raced south, and her eyes widened as she noticed the change in his body.
Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed him away slightly.
Was that a blush on her cheeks? It only made him want to follow through with his idea, but he let her go and turned to his flabbergasted boss. He should apologize for that scene, but he didn’t. He was not sorry at all. “Daniel.” Michael acknowledged his boss. Now was probably not a good time to repeat the snarky comment he had mouthed earlier. His inner dragon was screaming at him. He had let Mine! loose, unclaimed, in a room with another virile, male dragon. Although she was better, she had been hurt recently and was missing a scale. A scale he had pulled off. He had to protect her.
Unable to completely deny the instincts pressing on the back of his mind, Michael reached out and pulled Carissa back towards him. He shifted around, so his body was between her and Daniel. The feel of her at his back soothed that inner voice a little. His arm wrapped around to hold her there, protected. Not quite claimed, but it would have to do.
Daniel’s eyebrow crawled nearly to his hairline as he looked at Michael’s positioning. He drew in a deep breath, testing the air. “Brooding?” Concern raced across Daniel’s face as he sampled the musk and hormones Michael was giving off.
There had to be a real cocktail of interesting stuff bouncing around the office by now. “It’s been a long week.” Michael sighed and dropped his hand away from Carissa. He had to get his instincts under control. He trusted Daniel. Daniel was here to help. Daniel had a steady girlfriend and was not interested in Mine!.
And Carissa is not Mine!, so shut the hell up! Michael shook his head, trying to stop the argument going on in his brain. It didn’t work very well.
Daniel considered him for a moment before nodding his acceptance of the situation. “Report, Duncan.”
Now this was the Daniel that Michael knew, the no-nonsense, military man who ran the finest outfit in the world. Michael came to attention and delivered his verbal report.
15
Leaning her cheek against Michael’s back, Carissa felt the rumble of his voice as he laid out his findings for Daniel. There was a tension in him that had nothing to do with the military stance he had assumed. Rubbing her hand down his back, she felt it ease slightly. She should have known. His dragon had claimed her. She let out a long sigh. All the signs were there, but she hadn’t been paying close enough attention.
Carissa thought back over the time they’d spent together. His reactions must be pure instinct. She was pretty sure he hadn’t made any conscious decision to pursue her. Most of the men who came calling were only interested in her for the power and status she could give them. And those that didn’t know who she was, which was rare indeed, skedaddled when they found out who her brother was. Michael didn’t seem like a man hunting for power, nor had that last kiss been something she could have shared with someone afraid of her brother. She had meant for it to be a simple exchange, but wow! She still tingled inside from it. Had Daniel not been watching, things would have definitely ended differently.
And, if that weren’t enough, Michael had provided for her. A roll at Darien’s table. Clothing from his home. Sure, those were either good manners or necessities, but he had also raided Terrence’s refrigerator to make her breakfast. Terrence had grumbled while Michael cooked up the last of the eggs and bacon. Michael even made sure she had eaten her fill before starting in on his plate. Carissa hadn’t considered that move because he had been explaining his plan at the time, but he hadn’t even touched his food until she’d pushed her plate back. Even then, he asked if she’d had enough. Totally missed it. It had been too long since she had been around a mated pair. The male always made sure his lady had enough, was warm enough, and was protected. Michael probably didn’t even realize he was doing it.
If his dragon had claimed her, it made perfect sense why he had gone all protective with Daniel but not Terrence. Terrence was human, and therefore not a threat, while Daniel was a dragon in authority, one that Michael took directions from. The delicacy of the situation washed over her, leaving her stunned. She had to find a way to warn Daniel before he tried to separate them. Things could, potentially, get very ugly.
Carissa peeked around Michael’s shoulder and tried to catch Daniel’s eyes. The man was very intent on Michael’s description of their escape. After a few moments, though, his eyes found her. She implored him to catch the not-so-subtle signs she had missed. She felt Michael tense back up when he realized Daniel was no longer focused solely on him. His hand slipped back to her arm and urged her back behind him again. Carissa held Daniel’s attention for a moment longer before letting Michael hide her away again. Hopefully, he understood. She turned her head and rubbed her other cheek into his back, easing the tension that had built up there.
“That’s very interesting,” Daniel paused while he considered the story, “but that doesn’t explain how you ended up on video kidnapping Carissa.”
Carissa leaned into Michael, giving him her support.
“I honestly don’t know.” Michael let out a deep sigh.
Carissa’s mind had been working on just that thing for a while now. She could only think of one thing. It would explain why their kidnappers had kept Michael alive and not killed him outright. It would have taken a grand mage to do it, but it was not completely impossible. Carissa stepped away from Michael’s back so she could join the conversation. Michael tried to hide her away, but she pushed his hands back.
Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, she slammed into his lips, stealing his voice, and pushed him back before he could deepen the kiss. This was not the time to enjoy that particular exchange.
Michael stumbled back, slightly shocked, as she turned to Daniel.
“Can I see this video?” Carissa ignored Michael as he regained his footing and slipped his hand to her lower back, reinforcing his unspoken claim on her. She should turn around and smack him down, but his touch just felt so good. She would have to deal with him soon, but later.
“Of course.” Daniel shifted his chair closer to the wrong side of his desk and twisted his laptop around so he could access it. “There.” He hit a few buttons and moved the screen so Carissa and Michael could see it. They watched as what was obviously Michael carried Carissa’s limp form out of a door and dropped her in the back of a van.
Anger radiated off Michael as he growled soundlessly. His mouth worked, and he voicelessly protested the video.
Carissa shushed him and restarted the video. She rested her palms on the desk and leaned in so she could see the picture better. There was something about it that bothered her.