The Imperial Dragon's Secret Treasure

Chapter Three

They stopped for the night at an inn where Tara clearly was a frequent and favored visitor. Normally Rene and his people slept in the open; the hassle of an inn usually

meant wasting time they didn't have.

But even Rene was not going to tell Tara to sleep on the ground or in his carriage. The man was not the spoiled child Rene had half-expected, but neither was Rene always an ass. Time was important, and he might have to be harsher later, but for now Tara could have his fancy inn.

And he wasn't going to deny he was looking forward to the opportunity provided. It was almost a pity they were keeping their affair secret; he'd much prefer to expedite matters by telling his team to make themselves scarce for the evening so he could spend it fucking Tara.

Instead, he made certain they were comfortable in the dining hall they'd overtaken, the table and chairs stacked to one side, his team spread out across the floor.

Though Rene prided himself on not being as much of a spoiled brat as Sarrica and Lesto, he did enjoy the luxury of not having to sleep on a floor whenever possible. He stayed with his team for a couple of hours, though, drinking and talking and sharing what Tara had told him of the various nobles as best he could. Though he'd written it all down in the carriage, still the whole mess was impossible to keep track of. He wasn't even going to try, was simply going to go with the easiest method of arresting everyone even moderately suspicious and sorting the mess out from there.

As his team started to lull, breaking up to find bed or quieter amusements, Rene bid them goodnight and slipped upstairs to his own room-which handily enough shared a door with Tara's room, a suite generally intended for those traveling with children, a common occurrence on such a busy road.

Once the door was safely locked, Rene still made himself take his time. Anticipation had been thrumming all day, a low burn at the back of his mind, keeping him hot and on edge in the best of ways.

Having already discarded his armor when they arrived and settled in, he stripped off the rest of his clothes and used the large basin left for him to wash off the dust of the day. He combed through his hair, which was in sore need of a cut. Toweling off, he pulled on fresh breeches and a shirt, but didn't bother with anything else.

Walking over to the connecting door, he gave it three sharp raps.

Rene heard footsteps, and then the door opened, the scent of spiced wine and sandalwood cologne washing over Rene.

It was for the best he'd had no clever or flirty words prepared, because every thought flew out of his head staring at Tara. His long hair was loose and tumbling about his shoulders, and the thin robe he wore left very little to the imagination.

"Good evening, Captain," Tara murmured.

Rene didn't bother trying to reply. He rested his fingers against Tara's cheek, then dragged them slowly down, relishing the shivers that elicited. He kept going, smoothing down to caress one breast through the sheer fabric, feeling the warmth of Tara's skin.

Tara's breath hitched, and his tongue came out to touch his top lip, a simple but shockingly distracting move. Rene answered the unspoken request and bent to kiss him, dragging his own rough lips against Tara's impossibly soft ones.

Delicate hands fluttered against his chest and finally came to rest, Tara moaning softly as Rene threaded fingers through his hair and kissed him deep, licking into his mouth and sucking on his tongue.

Rene moved them further into the room and kicked the door shut, then hauled Tara in closer and kissed him anew. He wrapped one arm around Tara's waist and pulled him flush against his body, enjoying the heat of him, the press of soft breasts against his hard chest.