Burning Desire by Donna Grant

shadows darkened everything, and yet the smallest sliver of moonlight found her, illuminating her in a pale blue glow.
    No longer could he deny what he wanted. Perhaps it was her confession. Maybe it was because he hadn’t taken to the skies in weeks. Whatever it was, all he knew was that he had to have her or go up in flames.
    “Then seduce me.”
    That halted her. She held her ground as he drew closer. He bit back a smile when he saw the pulse at her throat beat erratically. She wasn’t immune to him. It was a victory, though a small one. She was as dangerous as her mission, perhaps more so. And yet it didn’t matter. There was no turning back for him. He knew it with a calmness that he had only felt once before—when he had taken over as King to his dragons.
    He looked into her eyes, hating that her glamour prevented him from seeing her as he wanted because of the faint but unmistakable flicker of her magic. “First, drop the glamour.”
    Her lips lifted slightly in the corners. The shimmer he had seen around her, indicating the glamour, vanished.
    “Better,” he stated.
    His cock swelled. Her beauty was so astonishing that it held him dumbstruck, immobile to do anything but drink in her splendor.
    She tugged at the silver lock of her hair. “This? And these?” she asked as she pointed to her red eyes. “This is better?”
    “Aye, lass.” For once, he wasn’t going to lie to himself or to her.
    Her gaze lowered for a moment, and the next second she closed the small space between them and laid her hands upon his chest.
    Kiril had to stop himself from grabbing her. His breath came faster, his blood pounding in his ears. Saying he wanted her didn’t come close to describing the utter craving, the absolute necessity that hounded him, drove him to claim her. There was no running away from it or denying it. She had gotten into his blood, and he would have a taste of her if it were the last thing he did.
    Shara knew she was walking on dangerous ground. It wasn’t Kiril she feared, but her own reaction to him. He sent her careening toward desire and passion at a speed that was bound to destroy one of them.
    And he would be the one left standing when it was all over.
    Not even that knowledge could make her leave. She didn’t remain because it was her duty to her family or her mission. She remained because of him—the Dragon King who had seen through her glamour and still wanted her.
    She slipped her hands under the edge of his navy jacket. Even through his shirt she could feel the heat of him. It made her stomach flutter in anticipation. With her palms flat against his taut stomach, she slid her hands upward over hard sinew. Her mouth went dry as she imagined what he would look like naked. Her hands were shaking by the time she reached his thick shoulders and pushed the jacket off. He loosened his arms and let it fall unheeded to the floor.
    Her gaze snagged on something on the left side of his neck just peeking past the collar of his light blue shirt. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before, but then again, her eyes had been on that incredible face of his.
    His green eyes were hooded as he watched her, and yet he let desire flare in his depths for her to see. It made chills rush over her. Chills and … longing.
    Moving slowly, Shara undid the buttons of his shirt one by one until she reached the waist of his slacks. She was breathless by the time she slid her hand inside his shirt and rested her palms against his warm flesh. His stomach clenched and she felt all the hard muscles move beneath her hand.
    Shara could no longer wait to see his body. She pulled his shirt out of his pants and jerked it open, the last two buttons flying to bounce along the wood floor. Her lips parted as she took in the spectacular display of hard sinew and the dragon tattoo. Unable to help herself, she traced the tat, startled by the black and red ink mixed together.
    But it was the dragon design itself that made her skin