Dragon Ugly (Dragon New Year) by Selena Illyria Read Free Book Online Page A

Her wolf lifted its head, lazily surveying the situation, as a dense heat filled her body, starting at the center of her torso and extending outward to slip down her legs and along her arms.
    She remained silent, taking in the knowledge that she’d found him without even looking for him. The fact that he was a server at her favorite celebration spot was a bonus, she guessed he’d only started working there recently. She’d never seen him before and Louisa had never really discussed her new servers with her. He was probably part of the trio that Louisa had mentioned over a lunch last week. She had had some sort of naughty New Year’s party with three sexy dragon shifters. Dragons . The word set off a bell as she inhaled deeply, taking in the soft scent he’d left behind.
    The water aroma made sense now. He was a water dragon and a damn gorgeous one. It didn’t bother her in the least that he’d spent some time with Louisa. Louisa was with Tor now, in a serious relationship. Which meant that Brent could be all hers. But did she want him to be hers? That was a question for later.
    Her wolf didn’t care in the least. It was just happy about having no competition. She went over the information that Louisa had given her on the men. Louisa had said they were flirty and very popular with the female customers, and Carissa could see why. He was handsome, for one thing, and there was a sense of confidence in him that she was drawn to, a stability that she couldn’t identify. It wasn’t associated with earth. That was her element. Most of the men Carissa saw around town were bulky, as if they spent more time at the gym than doing outdoor work, but Brent’s body was athletic and lean. He was quite young, but that didn’t matter to Carissa.
    She couldn’t help but wonder about his tan. Did it go all the way down, or did it stop at his waist and start somewhere above his knees? Desire flared in her stomach, increasing the temperature of her skin. A breeze did nothing to cool her down. Sweat beads formed at her hairline as she thought of stripping him out of his clothes and exploring every inch of him. Instead she took a sip of water and prayed that the drinks would get here. She didn’t understand what was going on with her.
    Louisa appeared, as if summoned, with a tray of beverages. “Sorry about the wait. It’s been a madhouse. Brent’s good. I’ll be back later to check in.”
    She dropped off her glasses and left, disappearing into the crowd before anyone could say anything. Carissa took a sip and sighed at the sweetness before the alcoholic burn hit and slid down her throat. The heat filled her stomach and lit a match under her already growing desire. A few more pulls on her drink and she was in a nice, safe, warm bliss. Once it was half-empty, she wasn’t hungry anymore; she wanted to sleep, to curl up around Brent and feel all that strength against her. A small smile curled on her lips when Brent returned carrying a tray of their appetizers. Her reserve drifted away as the alcohol took its course.
    Her stomach rumbled again but she ignored it. All that mattered was that he was back. She gave him her best smile as he set her plate down in front of her. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
    He’d also given her a plate of fries, which made her grin even more. “How’d you know?” she asked.
    “Lucky guess. Enjoy your meal. I’ll be back.” He took back the platter and wandered off, much to her annoyance.
    This time Jez did comment. “Cute, but too young for me. A bit stringy. And a server? No.”
    Carissa rolled her eyes and dived into her plate of mozzarella sticks. Jezebel and Anna were both from well-to-do families, Jezebel from the vampire community and Anna from the witches. They both dealt with men who wore suits worth more than Carissa’s car and made more in a year than she could in a lifetime. Carissa’s parents, on the other hand, always lived with what they could afford. Carissa made do with what she