Mating of Convenience

Chapter 3

Xander Braxon ignored the soft rap. He didn"t have any appointments scheduled and none of the councils were meeting today. Whoever was there would go away eventually.

The knocking continued.

It didn"t get any louder, but it didn"t go away either. He inhaled in an attempt to discern the caller"s emotional state, if nothing else—

Could it be? He stilled and scented the air again. Christ, she was here.

Could it be? Christ, she was here.He bolted from his chair. By the time he reached his office door, Kolz Myx, his dragon pair, was already opening the door to their apartment.

"Come in," Kolz said. Xander detected the smile in his voice.

His other senses hadn"t lied. Calla Price had sought them out… in their home… after hours.

"I… oh…" Her face was bright pink as she ogled Kolz"s bare torso.

Her gaze fluttered over the wide expanse of his dragon pair"s shoulders, then down his chest before lingering on his abs. Xander had no doubt that Kolz was tightening his muscles, just to give her a bit of a show. He"d been working out, so his body glistened with sweat. Most women liked that, and apparently Calla was no different.

"I can come back," she finally blurted out as she stepped back.

No. She wasn"t getting away now.

"But you are here now," Xander said as he shouldered Kolz out of the way. He opened the door wider and invited her inside with a wave of his arm.

Her attention turned to him. A flash of relief crossed her face when she saw he was fully clothed.

"I am interrupting—"

"Nonsense," Xander said. Then he turned to Kolz. "Find a shirt."

Kolz shot a grin at Calla as he departed. Calla"s gaze clung to Kolz"s retreating form, as if she couldn"t get her fill of his body. Xander suppressed his own smile. If she only knew the plans he and Kolz had for her…

He stood to the side of the threshold, giving her plenty of space to enter their home. She clutched a plain manila folder so tightly that her fingers were white. He lifted an eyebrow at the package, but instead of enlightening him, she glanced over her shoulder at the empty public hallway. He and Kolz lived on the top floor of the high-rise. Theirs was the only apartment on this level, but he couldn"t help but feel she was checking to see if they would be overheard by someone.

"We can talk in the living room," he said. "It is straight ahead."

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, some of the tension eased from her shoulders. Very curious. He followed her deeper into the apartment, his gaze dropping to her luscious curves and the way her hips swayed back and forth as she walked. The austere business suit she was so fond of couldn"t hide her form. In the council chambers, he didn"t get the opportunity to watch her move very often. So he savored it now. She was poetry and romance and s*x all rolled into one. Beautiful.

"I"d always suspected you"d have an amazing view up here," she said when she reached the living room. Her wistful tone made him want to give it to her. A chance to enjoy his view was the least he could do for her… Calla… his future mate.

his future mateHe"d been raised to believe that as a Chosen, he would lead a solitary life. Judges needed to be impartial and set apart from the others. His instructors had droned on about that fact endlessly. He grinned. They had been unsettled when Kolz had demanded to be Xander"s dragon pair. Luckily, few of them were still alive now to see him pursue a mate too.

Judges needed to be impartial and set apart from the others. "Would you like to enjoy it from the balcony while we wait for Kolz?"

She glanced at the folder she was still holding, then back at the city sprawling before them. She nodded. A slight smile played at her lips.

He opened the door. Immediately the fresh spring air wrapped around them. It was early evening, so it was cool but not unbearable, even for a human. She turned her face toward the light breeze and gave a quiet hum of appreciation. The soft strands of her long brown hair caught on the air currents and fluttered about her like they were also eager to caress her cheeks and her neck. Then she stepped closer to the railing. Her gaze swept across the expanse of the city. Before them, glittering lights sparked to life like the birth of a million stars as dusk claimed the day. His eyes never left her. Watching her discover something of his life, even if it was a view that he had come to take for granted, was a treat.

"Do you like it?" She turned to him. "Up here. Does it remind you of flying?"

He laughed at the unexpected question. "I will take you flying one day and you can tell me what you think."

"It must be amazing." She smiled longingly as she shivered, but she didn"t move to return inside. Instead she cast her gaze toward the western horizon, where the last fingers of sunlight were making the clouds glow like burning embers in a dying fire. He stepped closer to her, his chest a mere inch from her back. He knew the moment she felt his dragon heat. She grew very still.

Then, almost imperceptibly, she leaned ever so slightly toward him.

He bridged the distance between them, letting their bodies meet. She didn"t shrink or tell him to go to hell. He smiled at this surprising development.

"You are cold." His lips brushed against her soft, fragrant hair as he spoke. "Let me keep you warm."

She swallowed and her breath quickened.

Most single females would have run for the door, shrieking the entire way, if a dragon presumed to invade their personal space like this. But not Calla. His beautiful brave Calla.

The sound of the door opening announced Kolz"s arrival. She tensed and Xander stepped away. The sudden absence of her vibrant energy punched through him like a physical force. Her cheeks were rosy as she avoided meeting his gaze.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me," she said quickly. Then she paused to take a deep breath. "I came because I know you helped resolve the incident with Jasmine Gordon last fall. I believe you led the investigation, correct?"

Kolz and Xander exchanged a look, but his pair didn"t know where this conversation was going any more than he did.

"Is something wrong with Kylan and Dillon"s mate?" Xander asked.

"No." The little bridge between her eyebrows wrinkled. "But because of the way you treated that situation, I think you are the only ones I can trust…"

She trusted them. It was more than he could have hoped at this early stage. He wanted to hear her say it again, just for the sake of his ego. Instead, he waited.

Something was bothering her. It was obvious. She never would have come to them otherwise. Kolz"s fingers twitched, the only sign of his impatience for her to share her worries.

"I think Councillor Quick is corrupt… in the worst way," she said, "and I need your help to prove it."

As soon as the words burst from her, a noise from one of the balconies below scraped through the air. Calla"s mouth dropped open and that lovely rosy color on her cheeks faded until they were obscenely pale. Damn it, they should never have talked out here on the balcony.

Had someone else heard her suspicions? Suspicions that he could easily believe.

Kolz ushered her inside without saying a word.

If all that was true, she would need their help and protection now more than ever…