Kiss of the Dragon (25 page)

“Very well, show him to the garden. I will meet him here.”

Untying the wide-brimmed sunbonnet she had been wearing,
Bianca threw it onto the stone bench beside her. She was in no hurry to keep
her appointment. Making her way to a natural pond situated behind the bench,
Bianca used the smooth surface as a mirror. Clear water surged up from an
underground spring to fill the rock natatorium her father had had erected to
amuse her mother when they first got married. It was a beautiful, secluded
place she had always loved, and it usually provided solitude.

“Do you want me to stay?” Modesta queried behind her.

“Yes, if you would not mind. I could use your support in
this matter.”

It was not long before they heard several people approaching
them, one voice in particular loud and whining. A moment passed before, through
an opening in hedgerow, stepped the strangest sight Bianca had ever seen. A
very short man dressed in the latest fashion to the hilt came toward her with a
wide, friendly smile on his round face. Though the round little nobleman was
dressed from head to foot in several shades of green, it was his unusual shape
that had the two women staring at him with incredulity.

There was only one way to describe the spectacle walking
toward them. Toady. He was short in stature with a large, rotund belly, which
made his arms and legs appear to unusually thin and angular by comparison.
Below his feathered green velvet cap, pendulous jowls jiggled as he moved and
his eyes protruded above his fat, rounded cheeks, rounding out his olive-toned
face. His broad nose and wide, flat lipless mouth combined to give the
unfortunate man a somewhat amphibious aspect.

As he drew closer, every detail of his countenance became
more apparent. As she rudely stared at him, Bianca hoped that the object that
caught her immediate attention was not what it appeared to be, but when he
finally stopped a short distance away, it was obvious that it was what she
suspected.

God preserve her if it was not a great hairy wart sitting
there most predominate upon his flat nose. The sound that gurgled in her throat
Bianca fought to keep there. But her lips twitched suspiciously as she glanced
surreptitiously at her cousin to determine her reaction to the sight that stood
before them. Modesta held her breath! Her hands were clenched at her breast,
but it was obvious that she fought the urge to burst out in laughter. This was
not a good thing, not good at all. If one of them lost control, they would both
be lost. Bianca gave Modesta a warning shake of her head.

The herald that proceeded the toady little aristocrat
announced his presence in his best stage voice.

“Lady Bianca, Lady Modesta, presenting the benevolent, the
compassionate, Count Friedrich der Froschfuerst.”

Bianca dared not look at Modesta, she dare not. She could hear
the snort and then the snigger before her cousin covered her mouth with a
dainty handkerchief and pretended to sneeze. It came out suspiciously like a
giggle however. Bianca held herself stiff and managed to maintain her dignity.
The little, round nobleman was worthy of such a ridiculous name. Holding on to
her composure by a mere thread, Bianca extended her hand in greeting. “My
lord.”

Before the German count could take her proffered hand, a
gust of wind snatched her hat from the bench beside her and, before she could
catch it, the hat was swept across the distance and deposited into the pond. As
she stood there watching the straw bonnet float on the water, the newly arrived
noble clicked the heels of his stiff leather boots sharply together and bowed over
her hand.

“Do not fret, my dear, it is frankly a focus of finding a
fashion to fix the fiasco.”

With their mouths dropping open in unison at the peculiar
way the little frog-man spoke, Bianca and Modesta did not realize his intent
until he stepped to the edge of the pond and leaned over the edge reaching out
as far as he could to try to retrieve the now ruined hat.

“Do not worry overly, my lord. It is merely an old
sunbonnet.”

“Fear not, my dear. Your fedora is a fragment of your
fascinating person and I would find myself a frightful fiend if I failed to
fade your flagitious fret by not fetching your favor.”

Bianca looked at Modesta, who had turned an alarming shade
of deep red as she fought to hold back her merriment at the ridiculous
dissertation they were hearing. A very unladylike snort wafted out from behind
the handkerchief still covering her mouth and she turned abruptly away, her
shoulders convulsing in silent laughter.

It was the large splash that brought Bianca’s attention back
to the toady nobleman and the sight the met her startled eyes was too, too
much. She could no longer hold back her mirth. Gales of laughter filled the air
as everyone in the garden stood watching the little herald who had accompanied
the German nobleman run to the edge of the pond and attempt to reach his liege
without falling in the water as well.

The sight was something right out of a fractured fairytale.
There sitting very ignobly in the center of the cold pond was the little count,
his green vestments thoroughly soaked and wilted. His knobby knees protruded
from the water, and to top things off, a fat green toad sat atop his dripping
feathered velvet cap, as wide-eyed in its astonishment as the wet nobleman.

“Oh, ha ha ha. Oh, God, for…give me, my…lord for…laughing.
But you have only to see…what…I see and you c-could not h-help yourself
e-either. Ha ha ha.” Bianca had not laughed so hard in her entire life. And she
could not stop. “Please, my lord, forgive me.” She swallowed hard and took
several deep, shuddering breaths. When she finally regained some of her
dignity, she addressed the little green garbed nobleman who was being helped
from the pond.

“I thank you for your consideration, Count Friedrich. But I
must decline any offer that you were proposing to make me. I have already
decided on a suitor for a match. It was very good of you to come all this
distance, but I must decline. I hope you can frogive…forgive me, but I must be
about my duties. Good day.”

Grabbing Modesta by the hand, the two cousins picked up the
hems of their gowns and fled from the garden, their peals of laughter drifting
up into the air.

* * * * *

“Where do you go?” The deep resonance of the now familiar
voice washed over Bianca causing shivers of delight to race through her body.
Draco had come up behind her as she stood just inside the stable doors waiting
for her mare to be saddled.

“I am going out for a morning ride.” A slight quaking
colored her voice as she responded. She did not dare turn around to face him
for fear she would do something outrageously scandalous like throw herself into
his arms and kiss him ardently in full view of several stableboys who had
stopped their tasks to stare curiously at the great Black Dragon. Even now, her
face flamed at the memory of his hands moving possessively over her body.

And his lips, his delicious kisses. She wanted his lips
moving over hers even as she gripped her quirt fiercely to keep her hands from
trembling, fighting to regain her strength of will. But it was not an easy
task. His nearness, the smell of his very maleness disturbed her in ways she
had never known she could feel before she met him. It seemed that her body came
alive and tingled just having him close.

As if he could read her thoughts, Draco grasped her by the
arm and pulled her into an empty stall out of the sight of prying eyes. He did
not give her chance to protest as he crowded her against the back wall,
pressing his large body fully to her small, soft one. He held her prisoner at
his mercy.

“What do you think to do, my lord?” Her whispered protest
was cut short when his mouth covered her soft, trembling lips in a hot,
passionate kiss that left her clutching at him, pressing her breast fully
against his hard chest as her arms moved up to encircle his neck. All thoughts
of where they were or who might see them flew from her mind as her body
responded to his kiss.

After a few moments of thoroughly ravishing her sweet mouth,
Draco slowly drew away, tugging her lower lip with his teeth as he did so,
reluctantly relinquishing it at the very last.

“Now what is this nonsense about you leaving the protection
of the castle? Do you forget so quickly what happened only yesterday? It is
unsafe for you to venture beyond your father’s walls.”

Her state of euphoria evaporated instantly and her temper
flared at his words. Bianca put her small hands against his broad chest and
shoved with all her strength. “You dare to instruct me on where I may or may
not ride my palfrey? It is none of your concern, my lord. I do as I wish. I
always have.”

Draco stiffened and stepped back from her as if she had just
turned to flame and burned him. Hurt and betrayal flickered briefly in his eyes
before those emotions were quickly replaced with cold distance. His suddenly
harsh features could have been hewn from stone and Bianca felt as if a blast of
cold wind hit her when his icy black eyes swept over her, taking in her
appearance head to toe.

“Pardon, my lady. It seems that I have overstepped myself.”

Too late, Bianca realized she had insulted him. For a brief
moment, panic welled up inside her. She had just made a bit of headway in her
pursuit of this magnificent knight, and now to lose him because his sudden
appearance had thrown her totally off balance would be a tragedy.

Holding her breath, Bianca awaited his ensuing rejection of
her. But even as she watched for his condemnation, his eyes warmed with
amusement and her temper flared anew. Apparently, her hot outburst had amused
him. The great fool had the audacity to laugh at what she considered
justifiable ire on her part. He treated her outburst as he would have done if
she were a child.

“Does my nearness disturb you, Bianca?”

“Oh, yes, you’re a bother.” She was not yet ready to forgive
him for finding amusement at her expense. She moved to sidestep around him
trying to put some distance between them. “Just as all men are.” She made it as
far as the stall gate when his next words stopped her.

“I have my doubts about that. What I think, nay, what I know
for a fact, is that you are afraid of your own passionate nature and you have a
habit of throwing up barriers to keep out the one person capable of bringing
that passion to the surface. I am the only man who has ever been able to reach
you and you know it. Admit it, Bianca. You want me, just as badly as I want
you.”

Whirling around to face him, her eyes blazing murderously
Bianca raised her hand to slap his face, but he caught her hand and held it
tight.

“How would you know such a thing?”

When Bianca realized that her voice had risen to a shout she
glanced around to find several stable boys who happened to be walking by had
stopped to stare at them. But the glare that the great dragon aimed in their
direction sent them on their way. Bianca tried to pull free but Draco was not
ready to let her go. He pulled her resisting body close once again. In a
lowered voice, Bianca challenged Draco. “What do you know of me to make such
assumptions?”

“I know your passion is new to you and that you are
uncertain of how to handle it.” His soft words were low and hummed over her
nerves like warm honey causing her traitorous body to respond even if she
wanted to deny it. His gaze dropped to her breasts and her nipples responded by
pushing wantonly through the soft fabric of her gown. “Your heart and body want
me, even as your words deny it.” As she noticed where his gaze had dropped,
Bianca quickly covered her breasts with her arm and lifted her chin in
defiance.

His understanding shook Bianca. To have this large,
war-hardened man know exactly how his desire affected her was very
disconcerting. She vowed then and there that he would never know just how much,
at least not until she was sure of him.

“I will admit that you have awakened my desire. But perhaps
I have a passionate nature, and who is to say if you are the only man who can
satisfy my needs?” She couldn’t believe she had actually spoken so wantonly,
but the words were out and she had to back them up with a look of confidence.

Formidable was the only word to describe Draco as her words
sank in. His massive shoulders squared, his broad chest expanded as his body
moved into a menacing stance, his strong, muscular legs braced apart, his
thick, corded arms bent as his fist balled against his hips. He looked to be a
man on a dangerous mission and he meant to see it done and nothing would
dissuade him from it.

“Is that so, Bianca?” His words were soft and menacing.

Unable to find her voice at that moment, she could do no
more than nod her head.

“Then perhaps you would be willing to accept a small
challenge.” His voice was silky smooth as he approached her, moving like a huge
cat, stalking its small prey. He stopped not a breath’s distance from her,
almost touching her. She had to tilt her head back to look up into his gleaming
black eyes and she nearly swallowed her tongue at the hot desire she saw there.
No matter that she had momentarily angered him, he still wanted her. A deep red
flush covered her face and neck and her heartbeat galloped as she stood there
barely breathing while he stared down at her as if she were the only woman in
the world.

“What would you have me do?” Her body betrayed her even as
she asked the question in a voice that was a mere whisper. Her gaze settled on
his mouth and the tip of her tongue flickered out to wet her suddenly dry lips.
She hoped he would kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her in that totally
possessive manner that left her breathless and dizzy.

Ever so slowly, Draco dipped his head lower as if he sought
the same thing she did. But when he stopped just short of touching his lips to
hers, he spoke the words she would never have expected to hear from him.
“You…must…kiss…the next man who comes into the stables.”