Smitten by Vivienne Savage

his squad members had accompanied them to the resort island, dressed down in casual wear so as not to draw attention to themselves or their charge. They were eager to enjoy the amenities during their downtime as they rotated on and off duty. According to her dear friend the governor, time-and-a-half, excellent rooms, and a free trip to the beach weren’t enough. He’d paid them each double the salary for the job with a bonus.
    Max was such a handsome man, and an even handsomer dragon, but what she loved most about her dear friend was the kindness in his soul. Power, fame, and fortune never changed him, and unlike most of his fire-breathing kin, he took great pains to control his raging temper. With his ability to befriend anyone, he would have made an amazing silver dragon.
    Ēostre struggled to suppress her anticipation, but once they split to their individual rooms, she found she was brimming with nerves. Nudity had never bothered her. It was natural and normal. Stripping from her clothing to transition to her dragon form was one thing, but wearing a sexy garment to highlight her assets and draw the eye was another. According to Chloe, Ēostre was bound to have the attention of every man on the beach drawn to her.
    Looking at herself in the mirror, she was certain Chloe was right. The silver strips covered barely anything at all yet still managed to support her breasts and push them up.
    “Last chance to back out,” she murmured to herself. The idea was tempting, but the thought of losing the bet spurred her competitive spirit back into gear.
    She pulled on a floral cover-up and stepped from the room to find her travel companion waiting awkwardly in the hall. His bare chest was already bronzed from hours spent poolside at his manor, and every inch of him was sculpted to masculine perfection from his chiseled pecs to his trim waistline. Her eyes scanned downward, skimming the carved indent of hip muscle above the band of his shorts.
    “That isn’t a Speedo.”
    “If it’s good enough for Daniel Craig, it’s good enough for me,” he retorted. “Besides, I think this is, ah—”
    “Much better,” Ēostre agreed, sharing his sentiment after another appreciative look. The black shorts — tiny, tiny shorts — clung to his hips and defined upper thighs like a second skin. So well, in fact, that she thought he looked better than James Bond.
    Ēostre may have been a dragon, but she was also a woman, and she knew a fine human man when she saw one. Between Max and Daniel Craig, there could be no competition, the point proven when a young woman practically salivated over him in passing. The girl, no older than her twenties, stumbled into a wall corner after rubbernecking to keep Maximilian in her view.
    Ēostre giggled into one cupped hand. “The young one clearly agrees. Now come. Let’s abandon your security team and sneak away.”
    “I heard that,” Vincent said. “For his safety, we prefer to keep Governor Emberthorn within our view at all times.”
    “If this is what you call ‘invisible’ you are failing at it terribly,” Ēostre fussed at the young man. Technically, none of the security team members who followed Maximilian for his “safety” were young at all, each of them a shapeshifter in his or her forties with a youthful physical appearance.
    “We promised to be unobtrusive,” the agent said, an irritated edge seeping into his professional tone. “Which is what we’ve done, Ms. Feuersturm.”
    Ēostre blew out an exasperated sigh. “There is nothing you can do for him that I cannot do myself. For the love of the Ancestors, I’m accomplished sorceress. There is no bullet in this world capable of causing Maximilian harm.” Pride surged into Ēostre’s voice, making the words come off in an unintentionally flippant tone. She regretted it at once.
    “We’ve established that, my friend, but they are for looks as much as practicality. Was it not your idea to hire my own private security team