Welcome to Celtic Zodiac Shifters
Celtic Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the thirteen Irish astrology signs.
Birch
Dragonstruck by Kathryn M Hearst
Self-proclaimed science nerd and pharmaceutical botanist, Eilís Blair, finally landed her first field assignment, and not just any old research project—a year on Scotland’s Out Skerries studying plant life and ancient druidic healing practices. However, her nervous excitement is dampened when she’s seated beside a class-A jerk on her flight. Eilís is shocked when said jerk turns up on the same ferry as her and accuses her of stalking him!
Rock-star Harte Lawson has everything a man could want fame, fortune, and swarms of women he knows exactly how to satisfy. He also has a huge scaly secret—he’s a dragon-shifter. Once a year, under the moon of his birth sign, Harte returns to his ancestral home to guard the inhabitants of Draíochtia from outsiders. Especially ones claiming to be scientists.
Harte doesn’t know what to make of the woman who has his dragon rolling over and begging for belly rubs. Eilís is either a Hunter attempting to infiltrate his homeland or worse… his mate. One thing is for certain, he needs to put some distance between them and fast. When the woman falls into the North Sea, he has no choice but to break a sacred law and bring her across the magical boundary protecting Draíochtia. The druids will decide her fate…until then Harte must determine if she’s out to destroy his people or claim his heart.
Excerpt (Sexy)
She was naked again.
She lowered her gaze. “It occurred to me that this time with you might be my last chance at happiness. I should take it.”
Her trembling voice snapped my willpower like a broken guitar string. My dragon rammed against the barriers keeping him inside. He wanted to lay at her feet and do whatever it took to make her smile. For once, I agreed.
I pulled her to my chest, slid my hands to her thighs, and lifted her from the ground.
Eilís made a yelping sound that went straight to my cock. She laced her fingers behind my neck and wrapped her legs around my waist. Before I could say a word, she crushed my lips with hers. This time, there was no contradiction in the kiss—only desire.
I thanked the gods and goddesses for my supernatural strength. A mere human could never have navigated the stairs without dropping the rather distracting woman. Her tongue tangling with mine sent a burst of lust through me that caused my cock to ache.
I hadn’t given much thought to what she wore beneath the bathrobe until my fingers dug into her bare ass. I missed a step, but Eilís didn’t seem to notice. She’d taken full advantage of our aligned bodies to grind against me.
Roaring for me to claim her, my dragon battered against his barrier. I took a step inside and sank to my knees.
Eilís broke the kiss long enough to yank my T-shirt over my head.
I needed to slow things down, to look at her, to savor the moment, but my brain had disconnected from my body. Easing her to the floor, I lowered my mouth to her pale pink nipples and lost myself in the feel of her flesh. The dragon urged me to bite her, to break her skin and mark her as mine, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t do that to either of us.
I shifted my weight and settled between her thighs. Her scent called to not only the dragon but something deep within my soul. I’d never been so damned turned on, so needy that I had to fight myself not to turn her over and slam into her like a fucking animal. Eilís was human, a fragile thing compared to me. I wouldn’t risk hurting her.
The first taste of her sent me spiralling into a crescendo of sensations and emotions. I had to get control of myself or I’d come before she ever touched me, and man, did I need her to touch me.
“Stop!” She curled her fingers in my hair and jerked my head back. “Harte, wait. Something’s wrong.”
I glanced up the long line of her body and met her wide-eyes. “Wrong?”
Her shoulders shook with each laboured breath, but I struggled to keep from staring at her breasts. They were perfect—plush and soft, but not overly large, a little more than a handful, and her nipples…her nipples made my mouth water.
“I can’t explain. My body aches. Not like sex-aches, it hurts. And my thoughts…” She pushed herself to her elbows. “Blood. I was thinking about making you bleed.”
My mouth went dry. I wanted to pull her close, but I didn’t dare touch her. I’d shared Aisling’s, my former mate’s, emotions and thoughts but only when she was in danger. The idea I could share an even deeper bond with another woman made my chest hurt. “You’re reacting to my dragon. Sharing his thoughts and emotions.”
And mine. But I wasn’t ready to share that with anyone. Not yet.
About the Author
Kathryn M. Hearst is a southern girl with a love of the dark and strange. She has been a storyteller her entire life, as a child, she took people watching to new heights by creating back stories of complete strangers. Besides writing, she has a passion for shoes, vintage clothing, antique British cars, music, musicians and all things musical (including theater). Kate lives in central Florida with her chocolate lab, Jolene; and two rescue pups, Jagger and Roxanne. She is a self-proclaimed nerd, raising a nerdling.