Firebreather 2: A Royal Continuum by Marie Harte Page B

Matthias frowned. "And you've seen her. She's damned gorgeous, with a body to kill for. I'd have made a move years ago if she wasn't so young and innocent."
    "Or a councilman's relation."
    "Yeah, that, too," Matthias admitted with a wry grin. "Hard to tell a friend of the family you're lusting after his niece." His eyes sparkled. "But tell me, Tanner. How fucking amazing was it between her thighs? The woman practically sizzles. And it's more than her looks, it's what's inside her heart. " The emphasis on "heart" wasn't lost on Tanner, who flushed at the reminder.
    "I agree, she's special." So special Tanner wouldn't have minded staking a claim if a damned Dracon prince hadn't already mentioned his intentions. "So what the hell do you need me for? You're a prince. Order her to come to you."
    Matthias snorted. "You don't know shit about women, do you?"
    Tanner chuckled. "Okay, that was stupid. I admit. I'm just saying, charm her like you do everyone else."
    "Oh, like I've charmed you?"
    "Cora Venlay didn't seem to mind you. Do to Ava what you did to her."
    Matthias grimaced. "See, that's a problem. I flirted with Cora, and we dated a time or two. But it never went further than a few kisses. Trying to convince Ava of that is an impossibility. She thinks the only reason I came after her was to help her uncle."
    "Wasn't it?"
    Matthias gave him a strange look, one he couldn't quite decipher. "No, not at all. Ava's mine. She just doesn't know it yet. And that's where you come in."
    "Me?" Tanner glanced at the bar. Where the hell was the food? For as much as he liked the idea of interacting with Ava over anything, the notion of doing so to scoop her up for Matthias left him cold, not to mention, out in the cold. Hell, he wanted to be with both of them, not an instrument to bring them together while he looked on from the sidelines.
    "Look, Tanner. Ava likes you. She respects you and she's attracted to you. With you she relaxes. She feels protected. And I like that. That's what she needs. I'm not some asshole who wants to possess Ava. I want what's best for her."
    Tanner stared at Matthias, again wondering just who the prince truly was. Because the selfless act was convincing, and it made Tanner want to be a part of Matthias's future all the more. An impossibility, he knew, but a tantalizing idea all the same.
    "And I'm what's best for her?" he asked gruffly.
    "Yes." Simply put, Matthias's answer puzzled Tanner.
    "So what? You want me to fuck her, love her? Have her fall in love with me?" His pulse sped, and he did his best to remember they spoke about strategies, not an end state or reality.
    "I want her to feel attached to you. I want her to have a reason to stay at Dracon Mount and give me time to work on her."
    But Tanner had no plans to stay there, and he opened his mouth to say so when Matthias forestalled him.
    "Don't say it. I know you want to leave Dracon Mount. I pushed you too hard too fast, and I'm sorry. But this is about Ava, now. And I need you to put aside your issues with me for her sake."
    On the one hand, Tanner was disturbed that Matthias saw to the heart of Tanner's issues with the keep. And on the other, he was offended that Matthias thought him such a chicken-shit that he'd leave because of him.
    "Just get to the point, Matthias," he growled.
    "She likes you, Tanner. So talk to her. Get her to open up to you. And try to nudge her in my direction, too. I want her to stay at Dracon Mount. She can't live in that godforsaken town near Morrow's. She's precious, and she needs to be treated like a queen. Or at the least, like a princess." Matthias grinned, and Tanner had to blink not to stare at Matthias like an infatuated fool. Because he was far from lovestruck. "Help me settle her at the keep, where she'll be treasured and protected for the rest of her life. I can give her that. Stability, love, affection. And I will, if only she'll let me."
    Tanner studied Matthias, taken with his sincerity. And he admitted that Ava