EXCERPT FROM DAZZLED BY A DRAGON:

Mystic Bay

Kim Field~

The dragon had been stalking her since the dancing began. After dinner Beryl and Jasper had taken to the dance floor, leaving her to circulate. And Ian to pursue her.

It was easy to keep an eye on Ian Drake. He was significantly taller than most of the men in the room. She could see his dark head moving through the guests like a shark fin cutting through water. All she had to do to avoid him was keep moving.

Unfortunately, evading him was like iron filings trying to evade a magnet. Excitement sparkled in her veins and his presence summoned her spirit. Her feet were unwilling participants in her evasive maneuvers. But her common sense informed her that staying out of his clutches was her wisest course.

Luckily, she knew enough of the guests to make her wanderings seem natural. She performed dozens of air kisses, inquired after kids and parents, chatted for a bit, and moved on.

And all the while, sharkman circled her, drawing ever closer.

Ian Drake was paying his respects to Roger and Pearl Merryman. Wasn’t he going to add a second story to the Crab Hut? He’d need to schmooze with the Mer-King and Queen.

She was safe for a bit. Kim hurried into the inn’s lobby and made her way to the restrooms. Predictably, the women’s room was crowded. But that too was okay. She chatted with the other women waiting to use the facilities.

It was when she left the safety of the restroom that she realized she had underestimated her opponent. Ian Drake was waiting by the front desk, casually admiring the enormous vase of chrysanthemums perched there. His back was turned, as if the floral arrangement had absorbed his entire attention.

But as soon as she moved forward, he glided into her path and blocked her way. His deep blue eyes glittered like jewels. He smiled at her as if he had really shared her dreams.

She meant to ask him to step aside. To assert her right to remain a stranger. But his effect on her was instantaneous. Her lungs seized. Her brain clouded. Her hand was clasped in his before she came to her senses. She was falling down a rabbit hole.

Those lapis lazuli eyes bored into hers. A brilliant smile curved his lips and revealed strong white teeth. Her breath caught in her lungs. Every hair stood on end. The radiance of his smile shot sparks off her. Every cell in her body sat up and took notes. She blinked, but the dazzling glare was all too real.

Normally, Kim could feel just enough of a person’s aura to tweak their sleep and dream currents. But Ian’s sparkling aura was not merely accessible to her sense of touch. It was actually visible to her in its full range. Looking at it was like watching fireworks exploding.

The pulsing force of his aura beat at her senses and the cascading currents transfixed her gaze. As if he were the crystal she had been searching for her whole life. Power flowed in her. She felt strong, invincible, stimulated. If she wasn’t careful, he was going to short out her system.

This is material not previously published. ©Isadora Montrose, 2019