Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne) Read Online Free PDF Page A

want this
position. She just wanted inside the Lair—most likely to find the items she
couldn’t locate in the workroom.
    What was so important about that box and jewelry that she’d
come here? There was a significance to those items that he didn’t yet know—but
he would.
    If his suspicions were right, and she was working with the
Learneds, he couldn’t risk slipping into her conscious mind for answers. Not
yet. Not until he knew for certain who she really was and her connection to
Nathan.
    The Learneds would easily be able to detect his lingering
presence in her thoughts. He didn’t want them to have any warning that he knew
they were once again plotting his family’s deaths. It was imperative that he
catch them unaware.
    It took less than the space of one heartbeat for him to make
the decision to offer her the job. Having her at the Lair under surveillance
would be safer for him and his family.
    However, it took a few more heartbeats to calm the now fully
awakened beast. His heightened senses, along with her uncontrolled flare of
lust, had alerted the dragon sleeping inside him. And for some odd reason, the
beast found Ms. Johnson—enticing.
    The last thing he needed was to be drawn to a woman who worked
with their enemy. Although, he was well aware that logic held little sway when
it came to his darker desires.
    Cam tapped the folder that was still open on his desk. “I see
here that you did the greenery for the convention center in—” He leaned forward,
acting as if he needed to look up the name of the town and inhaled her scent
slowly.
    While he wouldn’t risk intruding on her thoughts, there was no
hesitation to use his other—more than human—senses.
    The smells of soap and floral shampoo did little to hide her
nervousness. While her scent of fear was as tangy as a freshly peeled lemon,
beneath it lay something far from bitter. He frowned to hide his surprise.
    Her nervousness hadn’t caught him off guard, but the
still-lingering exotic spiced aroma of desire did. Whether Ms. Johnson was ready
to admit it to herself or not, she was attracted to him on a basic level. Even
though the attraction might be dangerous to both of them, it could also prove
useful in the future.
    Cam leaned back against his chair and finished his sentence.
“Detroit…Michigan.”
    “Yes.” She nodded. “They were pleased with my work.”
    Pleased? He’d been amazed that the
letter of recommendation from them hadn’t suggested Ms. Johnson be ordained. “I
gathered that much from their letter.”
    She blushed and looked down at her lap. “They were a
little…overwhelming with their praise, weren’t they?”
    “That depends.” Cam asked, “Is it true?”
    Ariel hated lying. She seemed to be getting better at it of
late, but she still hated it. In this case, as in so many cases the past few
weeks, there really wasn’t any other choice. “Most of it’s true. The manager and
I were friends, so he embellished a bit.”
    From the way her pulse raced against her neck, Cam doubted if
anything in the letter was true. It was more likely that the letter, the friend
and her employment history were nothing more than complete fabrications.
    “Actually, I think there is a request for sainthood in here
somewhere.” Cameron Drake closed the folder and slid it into his desk drawer.
“Why don’t you just tell me why you want this job and what your ideas are for
the resort.”
    Ariel wanted to scream that she didn’t want the job. Renalde
had given her no choice. He’d sent in her application, résumé and references.
All produced at his expense. It was only after the appointment was set when
she’d been made aware of what had taken place and given copies of the paperwork
to memorize.
    Even knowing that the family who owned Mirabilus also owned
this resort, she had to proceed as ordered, praying that she didn’t run into any
dragons other than the pendant Renalde wanted. Ariel glanced back at the
amethyst beast in the corner