Dragos Takes A Holiday [6.50] Elder Races by Thea Harrison Read Free Book Online Page B

of his mouth. He cut into his steak. “What a talent you have for asking loaded questions. You made a political chore very enjoyable. It’s important to present a united front and to demonstrate to everyone that we are a team.”
    “You don’t have a romantic bone in your body, do you?” She grinned and thought about teasing him some more, but he had been so responsive about taking a vacation, she decided to take pity on him and relent. “Never mind. I’ll just have to enjoy those waltzes enough for the both of us.”
    They talked more about plans for moving upstate, and the decision became more real with conversation. While they had made the decision because it was best for Liam, by the end of the meal Pia started to look forward to the change.
    After all, young parents move to the ’burbs all the time, for all kinds of reasons. To get away from crime, to get away from the noise and crowdedness of the city. To raise their children in greater peace and safety, and to give them greater freedom to roam.
    Raising a magic baby dragon wasn’t so very different.
    She thought of the long, lone flights Dragos took periodically to relieve the stresses of city life.
    She said, “This is going to be good for all of us.”
    “I think it will too. I’m starting to look forward to it.” He took the last bite of his lobster and set his fork down. “Do you want dessert or coffee?”
    While Dragos didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, she did, and he often chose to have a cheese plate and port to keep her company. She shrugged. “I could take it or leave it.”
    “Then come on.” He stood and held out a hand.
    Obligingly, she slid out of her seat and slipped her fingers into his grasp. “We haven’t paid yet. What are we doing?”
    He slanted a black eyebrow at her. “We’re dancing.”
    She went into delighted shock. He led her onto the dance floor.
     

Chapter Five
    No, Dragos didn’t have a romantic bone in his body, but Pia made it easy for him. Whenever he did something for her, she lit up with pleasure. Her midnight-violet eyes sparkled, and joy glowed from her skin. Canny businessman that he was, he invested in her happiness and reaped the returns in bright laughter, soft smiles, gentle touches and impulsive hugs.
    His world turned grim when she was unhappy, and his thoughts became aggressive and bladelike. He grew intolerant and quick to slash out. He did not trust a world that had the audacity to hurt his mate. Her happiness filled him with contentment.
    What was a little dancing compared to that?
    They reached the crowded floor. Without the discipline and structure of a waltz, he wasn’t sure what he should do. He stood, hands on his hips, as he studied the movements of the other dancers. Some of them looked like they had been tasered and were shuddering just before they collapsed.
    That, he would not do. Could not.
    Pia touched his biceps. When he looked down at her, her face brimmed with… Okay, that was more than just joy. That was laughter, too.
    “Just move.” She put her hands on his hips. “Don’t overthink it. Listen to the music, do what you want and be natural.”
    Do what you want. Those instructions were easy enough to follow.
    He tugged her close, and she came readily to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. However, she did more than just hug him. She rubbed her slender, curvy body against his rhythmically, twisting and swaying in time to the music, and Dragos’s opinion about dancing underwent a drastic change.
    He stared at the sinfully gorgeous woman in his arms. She slid along his body with such sensuous grace she set his skin smoldering.
    “You know, Dragos,” she said with an upward glance and a twinkle, “when two people are dancing, it usually requires both of them to do something.”
    At her words, his attention snapped to the music. The song was a popular one, bright, quirky and with a strong, tribal beat. He caught the rhythm of it and began to move, and it wiped the