Claiming Julia by Charisma Knight Read Free Book Online Page B

regret as she sat down on the side of the bed. For the first time in her life, she realized just how lonely she really was.
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Angus arrived at work a round seven o’ clock to try and take his mind off Julia. His senses were dulled from her rejection, so he hadn’t realized Bjorn was in the office.
    “Hey, look what the cat dragged in,” Bjorn said with a chuckle as he stepped out of his office—until Angus turned and looked him in the eye.
    “You okay, man?”
    “I’m in no mood for jokes today. I feel like shit, so back off,” Angus muttered while unlocking his office door. He entered quickly. “No one else is here, right?”
    Bjorn followed him, closing the door behind them. “No, I’m the only one.” He paused for a few moments to allow his old friend to speak his mind. “What’s happening?”
    “I’m tired, old friend. For the first time in my existence, I don’t know what to do. Perhaps I should return to Pyreer by myself after I turn the company over to you.”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’ll be a miserable bastard. Worse off than you are now.” He crossed his arms. “What about Julia?”
    Angus smiled flatly and shrugged. “What about her?”
    “Don’t tell me you’re giving up. Not after all this time.”
    “She’s like no other woman I’ve ever encountered. Oh yeah, and she threw me out of her house this morning.”
    “The mighty Angus allowed a woman to throw him into the streets?” Bjorn chuckled before taking a swig of his coffee. “C’mon, man, I know you better than that. You come from a long line of powerful dragon lords. Where’s your fight? The dragons my ancestors accompanied would never take no for an answer.”
    Angus snorted his disapproval before pounding his fist on his desk. “They never met Julia. She doesn’t appear to have a submissive bone in her body.”
    Bjorn shoved a hand in his pants pocket while shifting his weight from one foot to another. “Ah, so that’s where the problem lies. You and Julia don’t see eye to eye. You wanted a feisty Fire Mate; now you’ve got her. Only thing is, you don’t know what to do with her.”
    “Of course I know what to do with her, smart ass! We’re just not compatible like I thought we were.” In agitation, Angus whipped his laptop from a black leather bag and attached it to the docking station. “There’s nothing between us—except sex.”
    Bjorn sat down in the black leather chair in front of Angus’s desk. “Are you quite certain?”
    “I can get sex anywhere, anytime I want, only I choose not to,” Angus admitted while propping both elbows on his desk and holding his head in the palms of his hands. “She wanted me. She’s in heat, and I’ve caught glimpses of her thoughts.” He shook his head and glanced over at Bjorn. “I’m in her head, she’s in mine, and it’s driving me fucking crazy!”
    Bjorn raked his hands through his hair. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what else did you do?”
    “I went to her house last night, extremely late.” Angus admitted with a scowl. “The urge—so strong. Couldn’t fight it any longer. Don’t know how I’ve gotten through all this time.”
    “Uh-huh.” Bjorn crossed his arms. “How late was it? Did you bring her flowers?”
    Angus’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? Um, it was sometime after midnight, and, no, I didn’t bring flowers.”
    “Dude, you just committed the ultimate sin. Has it ever occurred to you that while your mate is indeed a dragon, she was born and raised in the human realm her entire life?”
    Angus blinked before staring at Bjorn like a deer caught in headlights. “Huh?”
    Bjorn’s hand connected to his forehead. “Oh, bloody fucking hell, man! Really, Angus?”
    “What? What the hell did I do now?”
    “That’s my point. You did absolutely nothing. Have you tried asking her out to dinner?” Bjorn put his coffee cup down and paced back and forth. “You know, a little music and some