Dragonborn (The Jade Lee Romantic Fantasies, Book 1) by Jade Lee Read Free Book Online

nothing outside of dancing except sleep and eat, alone in her room in this boardinghouse.
    He banged on the door again, cursing under his breath as the spiced sauce dripped through his fingers.
    Then he stopped. Had he heard something? It was hard to tell; there were so many noises in this decrepit building. D'greth, he swore he could hear every crying child, every screeching fishwife, even every netted fish as the morning's catch dropped onto the dock. But he couldn't hear if Natiya was inside her room.
    He thought about kicking the door in. The boards were certainly flimsy enough. Then he caught himself, cursing again the strange fascination that gripped him. He had never, ever lost his reason over a woman, certainly not a dockside dancer, no matter how skilled. He needed her for an entirely different purpose—one that didn't currently involve kicking down her door and scaring her half to death.
    Certainly that method had its place. Indeed, that was the threat part of this morning's work. But for the moment, he intended to catch the dragonfly with honey, not vinegar. Assuming his charm worked, he wouldn't even need his threat. And if this morning's work found
    him climbing into bed with the delectable dancer, then it was all in service to his king.
    Or it would be if she ever opened her door.
    He banged again. Then did it once more for good measure, his fist making loud echoes in the tenant house despite his intention to remain unobtrusive. And then, dragon's egg of miracles, he heard it. Her voice. It came as a low sound he barely understood: "I'm coming."
    He leaned forward and shamelessly pressed his ear to the door, fearing he would hear a man's voice inside with her. He heard nothing but her and some banging, followed by the very same curses he'd just used. My, the woman had a warrior's vocabulary.
    Suddenly the door hauled open and a tiny fist flew out at him, barely missing the pokoti.
    "Here, you bloodsucking worm. Take it and let me sleep."
    Kiril looked down to see a small pile of coins clutched in a tiny fist. "I assure you," he drawled, "no payment is required." Then he used his shoulder to push the door open wide enough for him to see Natiya, her hair in a wild tangle about her head, her lithe body shrouded in a ragged sleep shirt that ended just above her knees. He grinned, knowing now that she was definitely alone. No woman dressed like that when she took a lover to bed—though, perverse man that he was, he found her attire especially sexy, as it would take less than a moment for him to rip the thin fabric from her body. Or it would if he didn't have a dripping pokoti in his hands.
    He felt his hand clench slightly as he fought the urge to toss the hot item away. Fortunately, he remembered his purpose and his gentlemanly upbringing, even if he'd rarely had cause to use it. He extended the hot pie to her, noting how her nose seemed to twitch with the scent, her drowsy eyes widening.
    "I'm sorry if I woke you," he lied. Indeed, he had specifically planned to catch her before she was awake and could marshal sharp wits to her defense. "But I brought breakfast as a way to atone."
    Her clenched fist slowly dropped to her side. "I thought you were my landlord."
    "A little behind on the rent?"
    She shrugged as she carefully dropped her coins back into a tiny purse she held by her side. But even as she handled her money, he noticed that her eyes never left the food extended toward her. In fact, she looked like she might even be leaning a little closer to him.
    But even though she stared at his offering like a starving dog, she shook her head, slowly inching backward. "Please. It's bad for me to be seen with you. Thank you..." She almost choked on that part. "But no."
    Fortunately for him, her shuffles backward gave him room to step fully into her tiny room, quietly shutting the door behind him. "No one knows who I am," he said, keeping his voice low and soothing. Then, before she could object further, he pressed the