Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Dragon’s Pretend Marriage Chapter 5

Milton

The scent of rosemary tickled my nostrils when I opened the door to my penthouse suite. Inside, a fou Brandi inside.

Her eyes were craters of wonder. She peered up at the vaulted ceiling, exposing her delicious skin to t Blue jeans clung to her hips and thighs, tapering toward her ankles. Gray tennis shoes, clearly worn of shoulders, tassels tickling a line around her waist.

Silver-coated eyes hosted layers of emerald that glittered so brightly I could have sworn they were sta But I wouldn't tell her that. Because this was nothing more than an introduction to what she would ha I picked at my thumbnail. "What do you want to do once we're done fooling the world?" "What?"

"Like when we've got everyone under our spell-" I looped my left arm around her waist while claspin to do?"

She nipped her lower lip. A sneak peek of her plush tongue had me reminiscing about last night. And Including my long shower.

I cleared my throat. "There's time to work out the details, but I figured we ought to think about it now. "That's a fair point."

"After all, my parents will be highly disappointed if I don't have an actual mate. They won't give me ev She frowned. "Yeah, I'm..."

She gulped, her brows collapsing over her eyes.

What was she so worried about? "Brandi?"

Her expression cleared instantly. She grinned. "Yes, darling?"

sat in the middle of a marble entryway with asymmetrical cushioned seats positioned near mirror-covered walls. My shoes clapped over the floor as I led light that fell through the skylights.

the point of the soles wearing thin, covered her feet. Which was a damn shame considering she had such darling feet. A tie-dye top hung loosely from her

ey really could have been. They should have been. She was the most angelic and graceful badass I had ever met. te her duties were outlined.

and with my right hand. I spun her around the room in a slow, dizzying waltz. "-when we've impressed the nations with our mated love, what would you like orning.

rop of company ownership without a proper companion."

"What? You don't like that name?" I paused and dipped her low, watching the main artery in her neck jolt a few times. Her heartbeat must be off the charts. "I can do just about anything-sweetheart, pumpkin, moonbeam." She brightened. "Moonbeam?"

"Do you like it?" A gentle smile stole my lips. Being this close was dangerous. We could end up repeating that kiss without having an audience. And why waste all that delicious effort in private when we could be doing it in public? It's worth it considering the servants. My senses expanded, searching the area for any lingering souls. There were plenty. Gossip works just as well as a public performance. Might as well lean into it, right?

But the way my heart thudded in my chest as if it were about to pounce from my throat granted me pause.

Alright, she was gorgeous. She had a hot body. Her skin was warm like she had been basking in the sun all morning. It made sense for my arousal to rise a few notches from her proximity alone.

Not my heart rate, though. Definitely not my heart rate.

Her breath ghosted my lips. The slightest sigh escaped her and laced through my system, sucking me into a pit intimately entwined with her spirit. Primal hunger ascended from an intricate series of tunnels located deep within me. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I popped her upright and released her waist. "Anyway!" I snapped my fingers. "You'll be meeting my parents. It won't be like one of the dive bars you're so fond of. You'll need to wear something-"

"Appropriate?" She snickered. "I get it. You're a Kane. You expect a certain kind of finesse."

"I'm glad you understand. Most women get offended."

As I turned right to head toward my bedroom, I spared her a glance, noticing the dazzling grin on her lips.

I returned it easily. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I get to play dress-up with the richest man in the city. Isn't that fun?"

"I suppose that depends on your idea of fun."

She shrugged. "I've spent most of my life picking up scraps. This is..." She gestured to the gold lamps lining the scarlet wallpaper. Her fingers touched one of the yellow pinstripes splitting the scarlet like a bright flame. "This is practically a gold mine, Milton." I paused at the double doors leading into my bedroom. No one is allowed here. Not even my random hookups.

The lump returned to my throat. I twisted the knobs but took my time pushing open the doors. "It's done up in my style. Do you like it? I thought it would look better than that weird chrome cave my parents decided to buy in the middle of town. It's so loud over there."

The doors swung open at the slightest touch. Ignoring the pile of silk shirts on the bed was difficult. Not because it conveyed messiness, but because it drew attention to the bed.

Creamy tan carpet cushioned my steps. A four-post bed-covered in all those silk shirts-made of dark cedarwood hosted heavy charcoal drapes with tassels that almost matched Brandi's top. Black-out curtains guarded all four massive windows with cherry-stained furniture surrounding the bed in the center. A skylight hung overhead, allowing ample light into the cavernous space.

"It's like a mountain tunnel," Brandi commented. She paused near the dresser, admiring her reflection and poking at her lipstick. "Dark but light. Hard to say." "I'm complicated."

"I know."

The intimate tone of her response was harder to ignore than the silk shirts. Though I managed it quite well and patted myself on the back as I made a beeline to the closet. Rows of clothing launched on either side of me, ranging from darks to lights and organized as such by shade. Brandi wandered into the closet and immediately dropped her satchel. Her jaw went with her bag to the ground. She gaped at the collection of items available-especially the dresses that I'd had flown in right before I collected her from her shabby townhouse. "It's not much on such short notice, but..." I stuck my fingers into the collection of fabrics-silk, cashmere, thick cotton, taffeta-and swam through the more colorful options. "I appreciate when a woman can make a statement with a dress." "They're so bright."

I smirked. "Don't pretend you don't like having attention, dear moonbeam."

"Are they spelled?"

"No, none of them are spelled. They're all just normal dresses."

She whistled while plucking a peacock-inspired dress from the bunch. Sparkling teal sequins shimmered in the light of the electric lanterns. "Milton, this is a runway dress. This hasn't even been released yet."

I arched my right brow. "How do you know that?"

She hugged the dress to her chest, little red clouds exploding on her cheeks. "Well, I...I just..." She swallowed hard. "I've got some magazines at home. I follow a few trends. That's all."

"There's no shame in that."

"I didn't say it was shameful."

I squinted curiously at her while sifting through my options. "You know, if we're going to make a bold statement, we ought to match."

"You have red hair and all your suits are pretty much black. Why are you planning on being bold?"

I shrugged. "You've made me adventurous."

A gray silk shirt with blue pinstripes caught my eye, inspiring me to pluck it from the bunch. With a yellow tie and dark slacks, this outfit would look fine next to Brandi. She was the main attraction, after all. I had to make sure she got more of the spotlight tonight. Part of selling this meant selling her. It sounded odd, but it was the truth. The world of wealth wouldn't accept a girl like Brandi without her being a total knockout.

She had the looks. She just needed the style.

Good thing she had my help. "Put it on. You can use the mirror just over there."

"You want me to change in front of you?"

"I mean, I didn't say that."

A devious grin crossed her lips. God, this was the second time I had witnessed that expression on her face. What was going on in that brain of hers?

She shrugged nonchalantly and touched the waistband of her jeans. "We should talk about why you're a green dragon yet none of your practices are green."

"Beg pardon, dear?" My eyes were hooked on her fingers, how they unwound the button of her jeans and tugged the fabric apart. The sound of the zipper crackled the air. "Green?"

"I've been watching Kane EnTech for a long time, Milton." She slid her jeans from her hips. "You use such archaic sourcing practices. It's killing aquatic animals by the thousands."

My throat tightened. She was moving on to her top, taking her time with the fabric. It wasn't clear whether or not she was going to even get dressed up. She just seemed intent on teasing me with this little private show.

Why would I ever complain?

"You should look into solar energy and more sustainable transportation practices. It would really put you on the map as a company," she recommended. Her clothes piled at her feet, though I hardly had the urge to look at them. While she held up the dress to inspect it, she pursed her lips. "I'm sure having me at your side will help with all that."

"Beg pardon?"

She hummed while spinning around to face the mirror. Her perky ass tugged my attention, decorated with lacy white briefs that hugged her curves perfectly. She could have asked me to kill my entire species and I would have done it.

She had me under her spell. There was no doubt about that.

With my tongue thick in my mouth, I turned back to the outfit I had in mind. Well, if she was going to tease me, then I would do the exact same thing to her. Nothing got my blood pumping quite like a competition. Tanner and I were prone to doing the same. Why would it be any different with Brandi?

Other than the obvious reasons, I thought. I would never kiss Tanner. But his sister...

Excitement fueled my heartbeat. I stripped the blazer from my shoulders and worked at the buttons of my shirt, acutely aware of the sound Brandi had just made. Curious eyes were watching me through the mirror.

Good.

"Your criticism is noted," I commented. "And I'll see what my parents can do about that. I can't make company decisions yet, but I can influence them."

She brightened as she stepped into the peacock dress. "Really? A little skin is all it takes?"

Nope, I wasn't about to agree with that.

But technically, I didn't have to say a word, did I? She seemed to be able to read me. If my fingers weren't already occupied, I would have started picking at my thumbnail again.

Goddamn her perceptive nature.

Who was I kidding? It amazed me. The way her eyes roamed my body and trailed over my tight buttocks, pausing for an instant as her nostrils flared and her pupils blew out. Once I was completely undressed, I flexed a little bit, subtly showing off the way I took care of myself.

"You don't have to change in front of me all the time, moonbeam," I assured her. "It's just..."

"A way to make sure other people think we're sleeping together."

I shrugged. "I mean, we could actually sleep together to make it look authentic."

She clung to the straps of her dress. "What?"

"What?"

I spun around. Even if I had wanted to repeat my statement, it wasn't like I could. My mouth was full of cotton. My tongue was still swollen.

Because of her hips. Because of her body.

Because of her mouth.

Ruby red lips turned up in a smile. She angled her back to me, letting her chin rest on her right shoulder. "Would you zip me up?"

Sweet gods, I would do so much more than that. If she would just let me.

If I would just let me.

My shaky fingers betrayed me as I reached for the zipper. Lucky for me, the mirror didn't reveal my anxiety. Only the heat that bloomed over my forehead and dusted my cheekbones. Soft, supple skin disappeared beneath the sequins as I zipped up the dress. Such a shame to hide that gorgeous skin. I had to think of a way to expose it again.

But I was out of ideas.

And none of my charms were going to work on her.

Why? Because Brandi Snider wasn't like the women who flocked toward me in the clubs. She wasn't reckless. She wasn't disorganized. She wasn't fooled by my ego.

She wasn't deterred by it either.

No, Brandi Snider was the type of woman to take what she wanted. So, if she wanted me, she would have taken me by now.

Who says I'm not already taken?

I cleared my throat a few times, inhaled deeply, and then nodded. "It's perfect."

"We need to see how it looks lined up." She took my arm and yanked me to her side. As she rested her hand on my chest, she tilted her chin and grinned as though posing for a camera. "See?"

She fit perfectly under my wing. I reached for her jaw, enraptured by the scarlet sheen of her lips. They were rubies in my sight, ready to be taken. All I needed to do was turn her chin and bow toward her. All I needed to say was how beautiful she appeared next to

me.

Not because of me. But despite me.

She was a total knockout. She was perfect.

She would most certainly take the world by storm.

Sparkling gems caught my attention. She was looking directly at me through the mirror. Was she waiting for me to make a move? I didn't see why. Brandi would take whatever she wanted. It didn't seem natural for her to wait.

My thumb drifted to her bottom lip. Her mouth slit open, the most delicate of sighs greeting the tip of my thumb. Her eyes disappeared as she arched into me, surrender written in her movements.

A vibration broke the spell. I jumped back from Brandi and spun around, searching the floor for my pants. My phone was ringing off the hook. It was my mother, of course, who was committed to harassing me well before dinner was set to begin. She just wanted to know when we would be ready.

As I spared a glance over my shoulder, I wondered the same thing.

Rather, I wondered if I would be ready for my entire world to shift.

It's a step into the future, I thought while adjusting my tie. A new life waits just around the corner. I just have to seize it.

But could I do it? Could I use her?

Or would she beat me to the punch?