Denying the Alpha Read online

  “Oh, I say.” Barbara, too, looked up. “I do believe that was thunder. I heard it too this time. What odd weather we’re having. Anyway, think on it. As for the summer fete, there are the Dragoons, I suppose.”

  Annie’s scowl grew deeper and she shook her head.

  “A bunch of leather-clad Neanderthal bikers is not our local attraction, dammit. Even if they do seem loaded.”

  I swallowed another growl at her assessment of my clan. While it was true that the Alpha before my father had been into all sorts of nefarious dealings which had earned the Dragoons their reputation as troublemakers, that’d been eons ago. When that fucker had been successfully outed, after my father challenged him to a duel in the skies over Cumbria—a battle that had gone down in human history as an epic thunderstorm—the Dragoons had stopped their criminal ways.

  There was little left of the feared MC of old. We mainly got together to ride for pleasure and our charity work in Carlisle had taken off big time. Not that the news appeared to have traveled down to sleepy Rabbenstall. One of the worst hit during the Dragoon-inflicted terrors, and the locals were slow to forget the history.

  I was keen to change that, and this fete would prove just the right venture for that. Something to discuss at our next meeting, if I ever managed to get my head out of my pants.

  “Well, think on it, dear. Their leader did cough up for that rather large invoice you sent him.”

  Another bone of contention I would have to take up with my stubborn mate once she was mine, and mine she would be, come what may. She just didn’t know it yet.

  Chapter Three

  Annie

  Strange weather indeed. That rumble I kept hearing was no thunder. It was an animalistic sound that made my heart skip a beat. Not in fear but excitement, which made no sense at all. Then again neither did that feeling of being watched. I shaded my eyes from the sun and looked up the tower again, certain that something or someone had to be there, yet all I saw were bricks and mortar.

  I was losing the plot because I swear I could smell him. That unique combination of smoke and virility that was Gideon, the proverbial pain in my butt. Ever since he’d shown up in my library, he’d robbed me of my much-earned peace, my sanity, and my sleep. No wonder this toothache was getting to me. Everything seemed worse when you didn’t get enough sleep, and mine was disrupted night after night by erotic fantasies of the leader of these damn Dragoons taking me any which way you could think of and plenty that should be and probably were illegal. I’d worn out my favorite dildo, for pity’s sake, and still was as horny as a cat in heat.

  Why now and why him was utterly beyond me, and the man wasn’t playing fair. I had deliberately set the fine at the rather ridiculous amount of three hundred quid, expecting him to show up and dispute it. That would have given me the chance to tell him what for, but instead, the infuriating man had paid it by bank transfer almost the minute I’d emailed him the information.

  Barbara had been as gobsmacked as me, and I did have to listen to a lecture of how unethical my behavior had been. Charges were usually capped at a maximum of seven pounds, which was what we kept in the end. The rest we donated to the Rabbenstall Restoration fund. I had stated as much in my follow up e-mail to which I had yet to receive a reply. He was rude as well as infuriating, and far too damn handsome than any man had a right to be. It didn’t help, either, that he was indeed a library member and his record showed the variety of books he’d borrowed over the years. The man’s reading tastes were eclectic and varied, and he and I had several favorite authors in common.

  I was beginning to realize I may well have misjudged him, and that grated. Still, if the man didn’t show up, I could hardly apologize, could I?

  A shooting pain from my tooth took my breath away, and I tried and failed to hide my wince.

  “Really, now, my dear, enough is enough.” Barbara grabbed me by the elbow and steered me back inside the library. Before I knew what she was doing, she’d ripped a card off the noticeboard and shoved it at me.

  “Here, these are the details for that dental practice. I suggest you get in your car now and drive over there. They’re open until six tonight and if you hurry, you’ll just catch them. I don’t want to see you back here until you’ve got that tooth seen to, and before you say you can’t turn up without an appointment, think again. You’re an emergency, so just park yourself on their doorstep. From what I’ve heard, he always takes on emergencies. Now, shoo, be off with you. Don’t make me pull my trump card and remind you that I’m your superior here.”

  Barbara put her hands on her hips and glared at me. I had to give it to her. As silly and annoying as she could be, she was technically my supervisor, and I didn’t want to get into trouble and lose my job.

  “Okay, okay, I’m going. No need to be so damn bossy, but if I die of a heart attack in that dentist chair, it will be all your fault.”

  “Oh, balderdash. Scoot.” She gave me a shove back out of the revolving door for good measure and the full heat of the relentless sun hit me in the face when I looked up the tower. Strange, I didn’t sense anything there now. I was going loopy, that was what.

  In truth, I knew deep down Barbara was right. I didn’t feel at all well, pretty certain I ran a fever rather than simply being hot due to the heatwave, and that couldn’t be good. It took me several attempts to start my car, and by the time I finally pulled out, I was sure I was melting. I briefly considered stopping at home to change into shorts and a strappy top to attempt to cool down, but if I did that, I knew full well that I would pop some more painkillers and avoid going to the dentist.

  So, I set off for the neighboring village and with every twist in the road, my stomach churned until I thought I was going to throw up. I didn’t, though Lord only knew how not, and managed to pull into the last available parking space outside Daring Smiles. The place was tiny, if welcoming, and I forced a smile on my face for the young woman who came out with her daughter in tow. The little girl held a big lollypop and was wearing a sticker pronouncing how brave she had been.

  Well, well, well, a dentist who still gave out lollypops to kids. Hardly encouraging good dental hygiene. What the hell was I letting myself in for?

  Taking a deep breath in, I pushed open the door and came face to face, or rather face to chest, as I’d swapped my high heels for my comfortable flats for the drive, with the nemesis of my dreams. None other than Gideon Jackson the third. What an utterly absurd name that was. The third what? Robber of women’s sleep? Dentists? Hang on… What?

  “You’re the dentist?” I croaked my question even as the white coat and name tag confirmed who he was as clearly as the certificates on the wall.

  “Madam, we’re about to close, and you haven’t got an appointment, so…” A pert blonde appeared from behind his massive shoulders like a jack in the box and gestured for me to leave. Something I gladly would have done could I have got my feet to follow the commands of my brain. They didn’t seem to want to catch on, however. Rather, the room spun and I was dimly aware of the blonde’s gasp, before Gideon, the freaking dentist, scooped me up against his chest as though I was a child. How strong was this guy? I was no lightweight, let me tell you that, yet he didn’t seem to strain at all as he carried me off to goodness only knew where.

  “She does. Sorry, Glenda, I forgot to tell you. I took the call earlier.”

  I opened my mouth to protest but one look at his forbidding expression and the fire swirling in his amazing eyes stopped my protests. His gaze softened when I sagged against him, and the strangest feeling of rightness settled over me.

  I didn’t catch the details of what he and this Glenda woman discussed next, and I may have well have zoned out there for a bit. I really did feel like shit and it felt so damn good to be taken care of. I’d find my feminist side again when I was feeling better. Leaning my sore cheek into the heat which poured out of Gideon’s skin—the man was a walking furnace—soothed the intense waves of pain somewhat. Anything to make it stop,
really. A door opened and shut, and then we were on our own. I barely had time to register that he lowered me into a dentist chair before his face filled my vision.

  “Right, that’s Glenda gone, so let’s have a look at what you’ve done to yourself, little goose.”

  Goose? Oh no, he did not just say that. I opened my mouth to give him what for and promptly screamed in pain as he touched my inflamed tooth with whatever he had in his hand.

  “Easy there, I’ve got you. Oh, fuck it.”

  My eyes widened at the growled exclamation uttered in that deep, gravelly voice and then heat engulfed my face, the likes of which I’d never experienced before. Pain followed, so intense and all-consuming that I couldn’t even scream, or perhaps I was, in my head anyway. Whatever was happening to me wasn’t normal, that was for sure, because Gideon’s gaze drew me into the swirling fire he created between us. He murmured words in an ancient-sounding language I didn’t understand and then it was over.

  I shook my head to clear it and glared at the man who was still towering over me.

  “What in the hell did you just do to me?”

  He at least had the good grace to look uncomfortable at my question and when I pushed myself up, he moved out of my way.

  “Get away from me, you, you…”

  “How’s the tooth, Annie?”

  That question threw me off balance completely. How was my tooth?

  ****

  Gideon

  She really did have the most expressive face and I suppressed a smirk, which no doubt would earn me a slap to the face if she saw it. My dragon had no such compunctions. He was positively strutting under my skin, eager to come out and show himself completely to our mate but I feared that would send sweet little Annie screaming from the room. Not exactly good for business if that happened. I was painfully aware I’d broken more rules than I cared to remember, both human and dragon, but I couldn’t leave my mate in pain like that if I had the power to heal her. If I needed any more proof that this little human spitfire was my mate, I had it right here. It shouldn’t have been possible for me to heal her completely otherwise, not with the deep infection that had set in. Had I used traditional methods, she would’ve had to have taken ten days of strong antibiotics, for sure, and might still have lost the tooth. At the very least, it would have meant root canal treatment and a crown, and as my little goose was clearly terrified of dentists, she’d never have agreed to that.

  Annie poked her tongue at her teeth, judging by the cute little bulge she was creating in her cheek, and I hid my smile at the astonishment on her face.

  “It doesn’t hurt anymore? How is that?” Astonishment turned to suspicion. Her eyes narrowed and I was utterly fascinated by the frown line which appeared between her eyes. Man, I had it bad. Then again for a shifter, it was easy. When we found our mates, we were biologically programmed to fall head over heels in love. And it was love I felt, mixed in with a healthy dose of lust, of course, but the foremost emotion tightening my chest with longing was the need to protect this woman. I would literally kill for her if I had to, die even, and I finally understood why my father had retired from his duties after my mother’s death. As infuriating as Annie Taylor was, the world seemed brighter with her in it and my life would never be dull. Regardless of what she felt or didn’t feel for me, she was the only woman for me until the day I died. And as dragon, lifespans lasted centuries. Yeah, that was one hell of a long time. How to explain all that to a human.

  “Stop staring at me as though I’m dessert and answer the question, you, you, impossible man. What did you do to me?” She touched her cheek and then studied her hand. “There was fire and shit.”

  The speed which with she jumped off the chair would have done any shifter proud. She studied herself in the mirror on the wall, waves of anxiety pouring off her as she checked herself over.

  “How is that even possible? I’m not burned, but there was fire.” Her gaze connected with mine in the mirror and her confusion hit me in the gut with the full force of a speed train. “Dammit, talk to me. Tell me I’m not going mad, please.”

  “You’re not going mad.”

  Annie spun around, hands on hips, and glared at me. I swallowed hard and fisted my hands by my sides to hide my emerging claws. Her fury batted against my dragon’s fire, and I could barely hold him back. I knew she stared into his flames reflected in my eyes, felt myself grow an inch, especially as it wasn’t fear I sensed from her. Astonishment, curiosity, and above all annoyance, as confirmed by the way she stepped right into my personal space. So close that her breasts brushed my chest. She groaned, my dragon growled, and I shoved my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. Anything to stop myself from touching her, because if I did, there was no way I could stop the shift, and that wouldn’t end well. My dragon stood at well over twelve feet and with his wings fully extended you could easily triple the width. My practice would be torn to shreds.

  Mercifully, she seemed as affected as I was by our close proximity, as she scowled, stepped back, and wrapped her arms around herself, as though she too had trouble keeping her hands off of me.

  If only.

  “That’s all you’ve got by way of an explanation, Mr. ‘You’re not going mad’?” She mimed quotation marks around that sentence and the sarcastic spin to her voice only served to make me harder. I so needed to shift, or fuck, and neither seemed on my cards in the near future, dammit.

  She looked me up and down slowly, and heat rose in her cheeks when her gaze lingered on my groin. The short white coat I wore at work did nothing to hide my boner and the way she bit her lip…

  “Jesus, woman, don’t do that. Makes me want to kiss you and as I value my gonads, I don’t think any such move on my part would end well for either of us.” Try as I might, I couldn’t keep my dragon’s growl out of my voice. Annie blanched and tore her gaze away from my dick.

  “Damn right, big boy. I don’t know what the fuck is happening here, and that”—she gestured to my groin and made a sound somewhere between a moan and grunt—“is not coming anywhere near me.” She shook her head. “I won’t sleep with you, so you can just stop all this mumbo jumbo and take those contacts out. It’s pathetic. Are you a dentist or some form of wannabe magician? I should report you for—”

  “For what?” My furious snarl interrupted her as I took a step toward her and she stepped back. I took another step and so on, a game we continued until her back hit the mirror and she was forced to crane her neck to look up at me. While I was careful not to touch her, this close to her, her scent wrapped itself around me, soothed the savage needs of my dragon, and he became a little easier to manage. The same couldn’t be said for my unruly cock. I’d have zipper marks along its length at this rate, especially as she grew wet for me. She might fight her attraction to me, but she wanted me. Thank you, Gaia.

  I forced my mind off imagining how sweet she would taste or the sounds she’d make as she came under my tongue and got back on subject.

  “Tell me, little goose, what would you report me for? The fact that I saved your tooth, and you’re now healed? Yes, saved.” I dropped my voice on that last word because she looked all set to argue with me some more. “You left it so late to seek treatment you’d have needed a shitload of antibiotics and might still have lost that tooth. At the very least, painful and invasive procedures to fix it.” Tears shimmered in her eyes, as it no doubt dawned on her that I was right, and dammit, my anger fled seeing those. I gentled my voice and stepped back to give her room. “I get the whole being afraid of the dentist thing, but, Jesus, woman, don’t jeopardize your health like that. You have no idea how ill you were or could have become. You need to take care better of yourself or so help me, I’ll tan that backside of yours until you listen to me.”

  That earned me a shove to the chest like I’d hoped it would. Not that she achieved to move me at all, but my little speech had worked. The gut-wrenching tears were replaced by fury as she glared up at me.

  “You lay one f
inger on me without my consent and I’ll have you arrested for assault.”

  I couldn’t help my smirk at the slight distinction she made without seeming to have realized it.

  “Who says I wouldn’t have your consent, little goose?”

  That shut her up momentarily. Seeing her speechless gave me a secret thrill and I knew I was grinning like a loon when she finally found her voice.

  “You’re so full of yourself, aren’t you? If you think for one minute that I’ll submit to any man, let alone you, then you’re even more deluded than your stupid stunts.”

  “You just haven’t met the right man to submit to yet, my sweet goose.” I stepped back further and sure enough, she erupted.

  Arms flailing in her agitation, she stamped her foot and growled. The cutest, most ineffective little growl, but nonetheless it made my dragon insanely happy to hear it. Our children would sound like that. The thought of her round and heavy with my child made my grin deepen. We seemed light years away from that, but a man can dream.

  “How fucking dare you, and stop grinning at me.” She poked her index finger into my chest repeatedly as she spoke. “And do not call me a goose.”

  “Why not?” I asked. “You remind me of one, after all.”

  For the second time today, she appeared lost for words.

  “That’s… You’re so rude. I know I’m not some stick-thin model type, but I’m not round and I neither waddle nor quack or whatever the hell geese do, so how dare you.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked an eyebrow at her which only seemed to infuriate her further.

  “Wrong again, little goose. I call you that because geese are fierce little warriors when the need arises. Romans used them as guards after all, and your spirit sure matches that. As for your curves…” I paused and deliberately let my gaze wander over her figure. “I love your body, and I can’t wait to mark it when you finally stop fighting us. I want to suck on those tits and bury my cock between them. Can’t wait to see them bounce while I fuck you so hard I’ll ruin you for any other man. I love flesh to hold on to while I torture my woman with pleasure, and make no mistake about it, Annie Taylor, you are mine. Every delectable, wobbly inch of you is mine.”