Hot Piece of Ash (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 28) Read online

  He stopped and turned toward her, getting even closer, so that her scent was stronger to his senses. He reached his fingers out to gently slide down her jawline. She licked her bottom lip and he couldn’t stop himself from gliding his index finger over it. “You’re so beautiful.”

  “Why do you say that?” She frowned. “I’ve never been called beautiful. Look at me closer. I’m an overweight, typical nerdy, thirty-one year old woman. I’ve been told often enough that I’m too much of a wallflower to be anything but a plain Jane.” She frowned. “So, where do you get the whole beautiful thing from?”

  He sucked in his breath. Who in their right mind would say that she wasn’t beautiful? He knew she was being honest. She really had been told that, and she believed it. It was a crime. Who would do that to a woman? Who would make her so insecure and have such a low self-image that she would argue being told she was beautiful. “Who told you that?”

  She laughed, and he realized she was amused by his serious tone.

  “Well, my ex-husband for one, and then I guess the few guys I dated since my divorce. Before that, my family. You hear if often enough, you start to believe it, I guess.” There was resignation in her tone.

  “I won’t hear you say anything like that again about yourself. I’ll not accept you feeling that way while you’re on this island. I’ll make it my mission to prove to you otherwise.”

  She sighed deeply. “It’s really sweet of you to say that. Makes me feel…protected.”

  He was about to answer when he noticed she was staring at his eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded slowly, taking a step toward him. “It’s the most fascinating thing.”

  “What is?”

  “Your eyes,” she said softly. “They keep changing colors.”

  He took the opportunity offered and lowered his face to hers. He didn’t hesitate, but took his time in reaching her lips. Her breath hitched at the same moment he claimed her lips. He didn’t want to scare her, so he kept things light. Soft. Gentle. His mate needed handling like royalty. Like the queen she was.

  The longer he kissed her, the bolder her tongue became stroking his. She moaned and sighed into the kiss. When he didn’t think he could control himself any longer, she pressed herself to him. His dragon roared. Her body shuddered. He had to pull back or risk taking her then and there. His beautiful, shy, but bold mate.

  He smelled her increasing arousal and couldn’t help but want to do more than just kiss her. He’d have to wait until after he told Smoke that he’d found their mate.

  They reluctantly separated from each other, both gasping. Both tried catching their breaths. Turning to face down the beach, an orange glow caught their attention.

  Valentina pointed down the shoreline to the bonfire with many people gathered around. “What’s that?”

  “That’s one of the events we have. It’s a history play about the most famous female pirates,” he answered.

  “Lady pirates?”

  “Yeah, you want to watch? It hasn’t started yet.”

  Her smile grew wide. “Really? That sounds so great. Let’s go.” She blew out a breath. “Too bad it’s so far down.”

  He stepped in front of her and crouched. “Get on,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Get on my back. I’ll carry you down there.” Man, he really hoped she went along with it. He’d get to feel her against him. The thought of her pussy pressed to his back was almost too much for him.

  “Are you for real? I mean, look at me,” she said. “I’m not tiny, and I weigh quite a bit.”

  He glanced over his shoulder, putting a knee in the sand. His eyes traveled from her head to toes and back up. Fuck, he was hard as a damn rock. The scent of her embarrassmentfilled the air.

  “You’re beautiful, Valentina.” His voice cracked at the end. She cocked her head and stared at him for a moment. “What?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. All right. I guess I’ll let you carry me. I might break your back, but since you insist, let’s go.” She pushed against his back, arms around his neck.

  With a squeal from her, he lifted onto his feet. He was in heaven surrounded by her. She was light and soft and perfectly womanly. Perhaps she would allow him to carry her everywhere she needed to go. That didn’t seem likely though.

  When they reached the bonfire, he noted several of the guests gathered, sitting a safe distance from the flames. Several couples, and a few families with younger children. He let her down, and she sat, patting the sand next to her. Possessive fire flowed through him. Their mate wanted him.

  He sat down, his thigh touching hers. Her lips tilted into a soft grin. From behind the group, the old pirate actor walked through the folks. In his pirate voice, telling them to move, to get out of his way or he’d make them walk the plank.

  It’d been a long time since he’d seen this play. He’d forgotten how much fun it was. He slid his hand over in the sand to touch hers. When she didn’t pull away, he intertwined their fingers. She glanced at him, holding his gaze for a breath.

  “Aye, maties,” the character said, gaining his mate’s attention. The actor was twenty feet from the fire, unfolding a chair and TV tray, beer mug in hand. After taking a long chug, he slammed the stein on the tray and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in an exaggerated movement, earning a few chuckles.

  He turned to the audience and looked them over. He wore an eyepatch and baggy, worn clothes—the stereotypical pirate look. “Ahoy, me hearties. Are ye ready for a story about lost treasure, pirates, and ghosts?”

  A few in the crowd, including him, said yes. Valentina didn’t say anything.

  The actor grimaced. “Ye landlubbers are a bunch of scallywags. I said, are ye ready for a tale?” Several in the audience replied. Ash squeezed his mate’s hand with a smile. The pirate insulted the audience for a second time, and everyone screamed yes. Even his girl. She smiled, barely glancing at him.

  She was so shy and endearing. His protective instincts roared forward, and his body jerked, his dragon wanting to make sure there were no dangers around. He hid the unexpected jostle by scooting closer, so when he leaned back, his arm was behind her. To his surprise, she leaned her shoulder against his.

  The pirate sat in his chair and lifted his mug for another long drink. “All right, maties.” He leaned forward, using the silence to draw out the suspense. “A long, long, time ago, before these islands became tourist traps—” Hmm. Ash didn’t remember that part in the dialogue. Perhaps after so many repeated performances, the actor had taken some liberties with the lines.

  “—pirates roamed these here seas, plundering and pillaging the ships coming in from across the ocean. And no one was better at all that than Bonnie and Read.” He put a hand behind his ear as if listening to something. “Who’s Bonnie and Read, you ask? Well, they were the most famous women buccaneers ever. Anne Bonnie and Mary Read…”

  He snuck a peek at his mate. She was completely enthralled with the story. He couldn’t help but smile. If she liked this, she would love the history of the island. Later he would share that with her. Hopefully, after a couple of rounds of dancing in the sheets.

  The legend continued with two more actors coming “on stage.” The female pirates, no doubt. The duo battled other pirates with metal prop swords to make the clanging sound effects. Valentina leaned forward, elbows on her knees as she sat cross-legged.

  Suddenly she jerked up and gasped along with the rest of the crowd, her hand landing on his thigh and squeezing. His hand snapped around her waist, ready to snatch her to him if danger presented itself. Eyes snapping forward to see one of the actors with blood pouring from his arm where a piece of flesh hung down, sliced to the bone. He was pretty sure that was not in the previous play. The blood smelled real, not fake.

  The character hollered some pirate words, then he ran off into the darkness. Without missing a beat, the show went on. But he worried about Tom. The jerk was his brother-in-law,
and he had to care for his sister’s sake. Otherwise, he wouldn’t give a damn.

  Valentina turned to him and whispered, “That was too cool. It looked so real.” She shivered.

  He smiled and felt emboldened with her fingers still on his thigh. Hand on her waist, he maneuvered her over his leg and set her in front of him, encasing her body with his. Oh fuck, with her this close, her back pressed against his chest and cock, there was no way he would keep from getting hard. He was in protective mode, his dragon sighed in contentment.

  After a moment of her body being stiff, she reclined into him, softening. Damn. Her in his arms was absolutely perfect. Her scent was of hot sand and cool breezes. She smelled a little embarrassed, but mostly she was turned on. And damn if her arousal wasn’t making a hard situation even harder.

  The beach stage had cleared, and the pirate stood in front of the audience. “Legend says that Bonnie and Read parked their ship right there in the cove behind Fire Mountain.” He pointed with the cigar between his fingers. “They tossed everything overboard to keep the boat from sinking. Everything—including all the treasure. But to no avail.” He shook his head and sat on his folding chair.

  “The ship was too fer gone to save ‘er, and she sank right there where she sits today. The whole sea mourned the death by turning that cove into stunning blue water in remembrance. I’ve heard landlubbers say that late at night, they could hear Bonnie’s ghost wandering the forest, looking to kill those who would steal her treasure. You better watch yourselves if you’re out alone in the woods.”

  He chugged the last of his beer then stared at the crowd. A small voice in the audience said something, and the old man jumped up from his seat. “What ‘appened to the treasure, ye ask? What ‘appened to the treasure?” His arms lifted into the air, and he took a dramatic pause before leaning forward and stage whispering, “Nobody knows.”

  “Treasure hunters have been scouting this island for hundreds of years, only finding a gold coin here and there. It disappeared. Poof. Gone. Some say the volcano ate it. Sucked it up so no one would ever find it. Some say dragons carried it away to their coffers.” He shrugged.

  The pirate smiled, showing missing teeth. “Dragons, you say? Oh, yes. What’s a treasure without a dragon nearby? But that, maties, is another story for another day.” He folded his chair and TV tray and walked back through the crowd to disappear in the night.

  Ash scrambled to his feet, lifting his mate also, giving a standing ovation. She looked astonished.

  “That was amazing,” she gushed. “Is the story real?”

  Good question. “Some of it is. You could say this was inspired by a true story.”

  “So, there is a treasure?” Her jaw hung open in disbelief.

  He snuggled her to him and laughed. “The likelihood of there being treasure is about the same as dragons being here.” He winked at her. If she only knew. Which she would. He needed to talk to his beta about this. And maybe Isadora. The old woman seemed to know more about dragons than he did.

  The couples and families around the bonfire gathered their things and headed back toward their resorts. Which left just them.

  He rocked back on his heels, staring down at his loafers. “So, can I walk you home?” And stay the night in your bed and…Ash mentally growled at his dragon for putting that thought in his head. He’d gladly do that, but his mate was human and had to make that decision when she was ready. In the meantime, she wouldn’t be far from him.

  Her shy smile set his heart thumping. “I’d like that.” He grabbed her hand in his, mixing their fingers around each other. “That was definitely fun,” she said. “Are there other plays?”

  “No,” he replied, “but maybe that’s something you can take on.”

  “Me?” She laughed. “I’m not the ‘get in front of people’ kind of person.” Her head tilted. “Well, usually. I did this thing for the animal shelter, but I try to avoid that as much as possible.”

  He could understand that. Many people hated speaking to a room full of critics. “We don’t have much like that here, so you’re safe.” He winked again.

  She smiled shyly again as they reached the back of her bungalow. The light above the door wasn’t on, which didn’t make him happy for her security, but it made him giddy with the thought of stealing a kiss with no one seeing.

  “So, here we are,” he said, feeling as awkward as a teen on his first date. He hadn’t let go of her hand. He lifted it to his lips and watched her eyes light up. Goddess, she was so beautiful.

  “Yes, here we are.” Her eyes lingered on his lips. That was all the confirmation he needed to swoop in and kiss her. Suddenly, he was devouring her. His tongue prying her lips apart. She moaned, a low throaty sound that tore him up inside.

  She shuddered in his arms again, the sensation moving from her body to his. He deepened the kiss and trailed his hands up her body. His lips became more demanding as he backed her against the wall, taking all that he wanted. His tongue plunged farther into her mouth, trying to fully possess her whole being. He wanted her to feel exactly what he thought of her sexy, beautiful body.

  He and his dragon could not get enough of this luscious woman. He would never get enough of her. He continued exploring her mouth, her lips, and stroking her tongue with his. She was their mate, now he just had to convince her of that fact.

  Her arousal only made his mouth press harder, deeper, more demanding. She gave back to him with all the passion he desperately wanted and it only made it that much more difficult for him to control the dragon.

  Finally, they broke apart.

  “Holy wow,” she exclaimed. “I can honestly say that’s a first. I’ve never been kissed like that.”

  “That’s because no one else was your mate.” He sucked in his breath when he realized what he’d said. He watched her face for a reaction. Waiting for any sign, his finger raised her chin so he could look into her eyes. Her heart beat double time and her face was a lovely shade of red. There was confusion in her eyes but she only licked her lips and stared at him.

  “I guess I better go in. You probably have a lot to do tomorrow and need rest.” He realized she was calling it a night.

  “Actually, tomorrow may be busy.” He had to talk to Smoke, let him know their mate was here. Everything would get better now that she’d arrived.

  Chapter Ten

  Valentina laid in bed as the sun came up, a laptop on her legs. She’d found it hard to concentrate after her impromptu date with Ash the previous night. And damn, that makeup moment. To say she’d never been devoured like that before would be an understatement. She’d felt its all the way to her toes. Her whole body had responded to his attention.

  His demanding possession of her lips went on forever, but that couldn’t be right, could it? Never had a kiss gone from her lips to her pussy, causing her panties to go completely wet. Her breasts ached, pressing tighter into her bra. Even her nipples ached. Was this what she had been missing out on all these years?

  She lay there, her mind on the amazing way his lips devoured hers. Her body heated again. She imagined it all again, brushing over her jaw, then moving to her neck. His tongue slowly sliding down her throat to her chest. She could almost feel his hands squeezing her breasts as he pulled her shirt open and slid his big warm fingers inside to grasp her aching nipple, pinching it to show she was alive and could feel the pleasure he wanted to give to her.

  Shaking her head, she tried once again to concentrate on her laptop at the notes about the island she’d been compiling. It was no use. After only a few minutes, she was up and going to shower. It needed to be a cold one this morning, her mind wouldn’t clear of the reaction her body had.

  Could she even think about a relationship? She wasn’t good at them, that was for sure. Besides, what about Smoke? What if he was also looking for something long term? Wouldn’t that be a bitch? She was genuinely interested in two men at the same time. On a regular day, she was not a slut, but this island brought out the who
re in her. She’d never seen herself as one, but maybe she was a slut. She laughed. Nah. She wasn’t. Still, the idea of keeping both men did appeal to her in some kind of primitive way.

  After her cold shower, she grabbed some fruit for breakfast and then decided she truly needed to get some work done.

  Focusing on her research, she scrolled down the webpage on Anne Bonnie and Mary Read. She was surprised to see they were real people. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Ash when he said the female pirates were real; she just didn’t think they would have so much known history. She wondered if the islanders knew more stories that weren’t going to be found online.

  After dressing, she headed for the trail which would take her to the employee cafeteria. Normally, she would have stayed home and eaten cereal, but she needed to see everything about the island, including the employee-side of things, to do her job to the best of her ability.

  Rounding the corner around a closed cabana, she heard voices and then saw a lot of people dressed in similar outfits milling about outside a building. Umbrella-covered tables in front were filled with employees eating and talking. She followed a woman through the entrance, who was dressed more professionally with her hair piled on her head and flats.

  As soon as she stepped in, she was met with the smell of pancakes and bacon. This was the way to have breakfast. Separate stations were spread out along the walls with tables in the center.

  There were counters with waffle makers, pancake flippers, omelets—and was that prime rib being sliced? Boxes of every cereal she’d ever seen, fruit displays, cheese, and meat platters. Not to mention the items she’d never seen before. Incredible. How could anyone not want to work there?

  “Valentina?” She turned to see Kristin with a waffle and a glass of juice walking through the tables. Valentina barely recognized her with her hair up and full makeup. She was stunning without it, but now…Tom must’ve been an idiot if he didn’t love this beautiful, sweet woman.