Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“Almost there, Mate. Just let me open the secret passage.”
Rimi tilted her head up. Maybe she could peek under the edge of the blindfold. Shoot. Nothing.
“Are you being naughty, Little Mate?”
She shook her head immediately. Rimi knew the consequence for naughtiness. “I thought I heard something,” she made up quickly.
A gust of cool air drew her attention. She turned to scent the air. It smelled like earth and slightly stale. He jostled her slightly in his arms and she heard the sizzle of what she guessed was a torch igniting from the flash of heat and the burning smell. As Keres advanced, she listened closely for any clues. She could only hear Keres’s footsteps and their breathing along with flickering and spitting of torches along the way.
Just as she’d decided they must be in a cave free of water and animals, Keres set her feet on the ground. When she was steady, he untied the blindfold, letting it fall away. “There you go, Rimi. Welcome to my hoard.”
Rimi’s mouth fell open as she scanned the area. The large cavern they stood in wasn’t a man-made cave but a chamber she bet he’d carved out of stone himself from the gouges in the walls. She dismissed those facts as her gaze landed on an immense pile of gold coins.
They drew her forward until she stood at the edge of the collection. Some shiny, some tarnished, the coins appeared to be from many different countries and time periods. The gathering reached above her head and extended in all directions.
“How much is all this money worth?” she asked, mesmerized.
“A lot,” Keres admitted. “Depending on the gold market, I could buy a small country or a large one. Of course, everything can be bargained for now.”
“I’ve never seen so many coins.” Rimi poked her toe into the inches-deep puddle at her feet. She reached down to scoop up a handful. Spreading her fingers, she slowly let the money tumble to the ground. The metallic sound as they hit made her smile.
He thinks I’m naughty. I’ll show him naughty. Concealing the last few coins in her hands, Rimi turned to distract Keres.
“Daddy? Coins are boring. Do I see something over there that sparkles?” she asked as she pointed with one hand and slipped the stolen money into her pockets when he turned to look.
“Of course. I should have suspected the jewelry would interest my sparkling mate.”
Keres took her hand and led Rimi away from the overwhelming pile. He stopped just past the edge as he examined the wall. Following his glance, Rimi spotted white numbers glinting from a nearby ledge.
“Hmmm. It appears a few coins have evaporated,” Keres noted.
“Evaporated?” Rimi asked as she furiously tried to figure out how to get rid of the coins in her pocket without him seeing.
“Metal doesn’t do that normally on its own. Do you have any idea what happened?”
She shook her head automatically and stopped herself from putting her hand in her pocket. That would be a dead giveaway. “There’s a scale under the pile?”
“Yes.”
“I bet I kicked a few off the weighing area when I walked over there,” she suggested.
“I don’t think that’s what happened.” Keres ran his hands down her sides and stopped when he found bulges in her pockets. “I think I have a magician for a mate.” He unfastened her jeans and unzipped the fly.
“Wait!” Rimi said. “Maybe a few filled my pockets when I dropped them.”
“Just jumped into your jeans?”
“The pockets stick out a bit. It might happen.”
Keres lifted one eyebrow as he stared at her. Rimi held her breath as he considered that for a few long seconds. “Those coins could be sneaky. I guess I’ll have to check everywhere now.”
His hands slid into her open jeans and cupped her bottom, drawing her flush against him. She squirmed, trying to get away, and felt his thick cock respond to her movements. Snapping her head up, she met his gaze once again. Sexual desire shone from his eyes instantly, sparking her arousal as well.
Inhaling Keres’s masculine scent, Rimi savored her mate’s attractiveness. Everything about Keres drew her in. She leaned forward to press her lips against his. Immediately, Keres took control, cupping the back of her head to hold her steady as he explored her mouth.
Rimi threaded her fingers through Keres’s hair and tugged. When he lifted his head, she whispered, “I think I dropped some down my shirt, too.”
“I’m an excellent treasure hunter,” he assured her.
Taking a reluctant step away, Keres knelt on one knee before her to strip off her shoes and jeans. He stood to turn her pockets inside out, clicking his tongue reprovingly when coins tumbled to the ground. “So naughty.”
He tossed away the denim and stepped closer. “Let’s see what else I can find.” Keres tugged her T-shirt over her head and paused for a long second as he scanned her now nude curves. “Damn, I’m a lucky dragon.”