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over a thousand years,” he said, shaking his head. “You must’ve hit your head a bit too hard.”
    “My head’s fine,” she grumbled.
    He snorted. “Right, sure it is. You say you’re from Earth. That’s not fine, that’s delusional.”
    “I just got the wind knocked out of me. Come on,” she marched to the middle of the stream bed, flicking her fingers toward the large open space, “change. If you’re a drag…” Her sarcastic demand stuttered to a halt.
    In less time than it took to blink, his golden tan disappeared and his human body morphed into a huge black dragon.
    Black scales covered his body. Thick hind legs bulged with muscles. A single forearm landed in front of Emma’s feet, causing the ground to tremble. Even though his leathery-wings folded above his back, his body seemed poised to take flight. He lowered his long, curved neck, twisting around to meet her eyes. The dragon’s rattlesnake shaped head tilted toward her, two long, black horns curved up, and along the top of his head. His snout, filled with very sharp teeth, paused in mid-air.
    After a moment of hesitation, he leaned in close, moving slowly. The tip of his snout, which had a slight upward point, halted a few inches from her.
     She inhaled, enjoying the same spicy scent as earlier. Only this time, it seemed richer, more vibrant. How could a person smell like hot summer sunshine?
    Hesitantly, she reached to touch him. The forward momentum of her slender hand froze in mid-air as if she hit an invisible barrier. Belatedly, she remembered the creature in front of her was not human, not in the normal definition of the word. Shaking her head in disbelief, she swallowed. She wasn’t sure if she should be terrified or excited. The whole experience was so unreal.
    Hand half poised, she asked the obvious question, “You’re not going to bite me or anything are you?”
    He growled, gently nudging her suspended hand with his muzzle.
    Startled, she jumped, but didn’t jerk her hand away. His muzzle was soft. The scales covering his head were thimble-sized, much smaller than those covering his body were. She rubbed his warm snout, enjoying the surge of dangerous excitement that flooded through her.
    “You can’t read my thoughts or anything can you?” she asked, tilting her head in question.
    He snorted and shook his head no.
    Well, that was a relief. She didn’t want him to realize how attracted she was to him, and she definitely thought he was hot. She mentally overheated just thinking about his gorgeous bedroom eyes and sexy body. He’d been dressed in midnight, from his tight black pants and knee-high boots to a silk shirt and belted sash. She couldn’t seem to move past the fact he fulfilled every girl’s hidden dream, especially hers.
    He was a temptation beyond anything she’d ever encountered; a sinfully dark temptation like a bowl of ice cream drenched in dark fudge and whipped cream.
    She wanted to drown herself in him. Snorting silently, she didn’t dare give into her urge. There was no way he would ever look at her that way.
    She knew a lost cause when it crossed her path. Talk about a major case of instant infatuation. She hoped he never became aware of it. She’d be mortified. No way did she want Mr. Dark and Dangerous to realize how besotted she was with him.
    “Well, that’s good. I don’t like the idea of someone rummaging around in my head,” she said with a smile. Rubbing the top of his muzzle, she focused on enjoying the moment, not wishing for a pipe dream. She continued up between his eyes, relishing the feel of his scales. “The scales are so warm. I thought they would be cold, but they feel almost like sun-warmed coins.”
    His rumbling chuckle brought another grin to her face. She pulled her hand away just as he changed to his human shape. “Dragons have multiple layers of scales. The under layers are much thicker and stronger. The top layers are much softer. I’m only seventeen so I’ll grow more