Beverly Hills Dragons- The Complete Collection

by Meg Ripley

  But just as she was about to put out her hand and smile, someone called her from the other side of the room.

  “Courtney? You got a pen and a piece of paper?” Blane had poked his head in the door, bringing the deafening sound of the music with him.

  Glancing at the attorney and feeling her heart sink down into her stomach, Courtney obediently turned around to fetch her briefcase. One of these days, she would get a chance to do what she wanted. She just had to endure this for a couple more years until she’d saved up enough money to go to school. Then she could tell Blane where to stick it, and she could bask in the glory of knowing that he’d be lost without her.

  Chapter Two

  Blane rolled over and instantly regretted it. His head was full of concrete, or maybe sand, or both. Either way, it pounded against the inside of his skull with a pain that sent a jolt of nausea to his stomach with every wave. There was too much light coming in through the curtains, and even pulling his 800 thread count sheets over his head didn’t seem to help. Everything hurt, and the entire room seemed to be moving.

  He dared to crack one eyelid, sure that he had fallen asleep somewhere on the boat. The rolling of the ocean underneath him made him wonder just how far away from the shore they had drifted. But he recognized the tall ceiling and dark furniture of his own bedroom and realized he was wrong.

  It was too much work for his brain to figure out how he had gotten there, and he wasn’t entirely sure he cared anyway. He was home, and that was good enough. His mouth and throat were so dry, they felt fuzzy; his stomach churned, and his limbs were so weak that pulling up the sheets had been a monumental task. He risked rolling over in an attempt to find a more comfortable position and tried to get back to sleep.

  That worked for a short amount of time, or at least what seemed like a short amount of time, until a faint sound from the other end of the house woke him up. Blane started to open his eyes again until he remembered just how much it hurt. He didn’t care what the noise was; if someone had broken into his house and was stealing his new television and VCR, they could have them.

  But the noise was growing closer, and soon enough, it had turned into a pounding on his bedroom door. This was accompanied by some shouting, but it hurt too much for him to try to decipher it.

  “Blane!”

  There was no mistaking that sound.

  He opened his eyes to find Courtney standing right over his bed, her hands on her hips. Her dark curly hair had been carefully teased and fluffed. Her pale purple eyeshadow accentuated her dark eyes and she was dressed in a silk button-down dress, cinched in the middle with a wide belt. “What are you all dressed up for?” he mumbled as he pulled an extra pillow over his face. “And why are you up so early?”

  “It’s not early!” Courtney yanked the pillow away. “You should have been up and out of the house an hour ago!” Her forehead was creased with anger, her lips had thinned as she pressed them together, and Blane thought she looked like she might shift at any moment. He had never seen as much as a scale on her, and it was only because of the instinct dragons had for sensing each other that he knew of her dual nature. It would have been amusing, but she was already ticked.

  “Oh.” He swiped his hands over his face, but it didn’t help much. “Why am I still asleep, then?”

  Courtney sighed impatiently. “Probably because you drank way too much last night and you’re too hung over to hear your alarm or your phone ring.” She crossed the room to his closet and began pulling out a few articles of clothing.

  “That’s crazy.” Blane pushed back the covers, glad to see that at least he hadn’t slept in the nude this time. He waved vaguely at the handset on the nightstand. “I would have heard the phone. It’s right here next to my head.”

  “And apparently, that’s not close enough.” Courtney returned from the massive closet with a pale blue polo and gray trousers. “Just throw something on. You’ll have to change once you get to the set, anyway. I’ll be right back.” She bustled out of the room, slamming the door far too loudly behind her.

  Blane did as he was told, but he didn’t want to. It would have been so much easier to just lay back down and forget his obligations for the day. He could tell Courtney he was too sick, maybe ask her to bring him a bottle of water and some crackers, and just make it all up to Cameron another time. But he also knew that Courtney wouldn’t let him get away with it. She took some sort of pride in making sure he was where he was supposed to be and when, and he had already let her down. She wouldn’t leave him alone until he got up and put some clothes on.

  When he was sitting on the side of his bed with his trousers and polo on, Courtney breezed back into the room and shoved a mug of coffee into his hand. “Drink up. The limo will be here in a few minutes, but you can eat a cinnamon roll on the way. You’re lucky Cameron is your friend, or he would probably cut you.” She pulled his loafers out from under the edge of the bed and handed them to him.

  The coffee was piping hot, and it was just what he needed. She had, as always, made it just the way he liked it. “How did I get home?” he asked groggily.

  “How do you think? By the time everyone finally left the party, you were almost too drunk to stand up. I dragged your ass into the limo and got you home.” She made impatient gestures at him to hurry up with his coffee and get his shoes on.

  “But what about you? How are you up and ready to go if you stayed up just as late as I did?” He squinted at her. She hadn’t yet opened the curtains or switched on the overhead light, but it was still far too bright in there.

  His assistant sighed. “Because I have to be, Blane.”

  “Didn’t you at least have a drink?”

  “No, I didn’t. I was too busy making sure everyone else had plenty to drink and writing down the phone numbers of every single girl you met. I honestly don’t know how you can have so many strangers on a boat you own.”

  Blane shrugged, not sure himself. He didn’t remember any women, but that did sound about average for one of his parties. “You know how it is. I invite one person, and they invite their friends. It’s called networking.”

  “I think it’s irresponsible, but no one asked me. Now come on, you might still get to keep your job if you can make it down the stairs.” She turned on her heel toward the door.

  “Courtney?”

  “Yes?” She paused, turning to look at him over his shoulder. She still looked pissed, but that was nothing new. He might be the boss, but she was usually irritated with him. Maybe it was the chill that seeped under his skin from drinking too much, or maybe he just hadn’t had enough coffee yet, but he felt a little guilty about it.

  “Thank you.” He held up the cup of coffee.

  “Oh.” She blinked rapidly, confused. “Well, you’re welcome.” She stopped her nagging for a minute as she headed out into the hall.

  Blane slipped his shoes on and stumbled toward the door. He could probably catch a nap in the limo; maybe another one in the makeup chair. He couldn’t remember what scene he was supposed to shoot that day, but he’d hoped it would be an easy one. This new movie was a mix of action and romance, but neither sounded very appealing at the moment.

  He reached the top of the stairs by the time Courtney was already halfway down. His head reeled, and he gripped the railing tightly. When did these stairs become so steep? Maybe it’s time to quit partying and settle down a little. Blane laughed at the thought. He’d told himself that countless times, and it had yet to happen. He enjoyed hobnobbing with the other celebrities, living it up in a way that most people couldn’t. There was no limit to what he could do. If he decided to hop on a plane and fly to Paris for the weekend without a suitcase, he had that option. There was nothing stopping him, and he wasn’t going to start being careful just because his fun gave him a little headache in the morning. It would go away soon enough.

  Courtney was busy gathering her briefcase in the entryway and looking through her planner. “You should have about five hours on the set to
day. Then, you’ve got a dinner meeting with a rep from Calvin Klein so you can discuss that endorsement deal. Remember not to agree to anything. I’ll forward all the paperwork to Mr. Wiseman so he can look it over.”

  “Sure.” Blane wasn’t ready to think about it all. He just wanted to get through the day and let everyone else handle the boring stuff. He swung open the door, expecting to see the limo waiting for him at the end of the drive.

  Instead, he saw something on the doorstep that he didn’t quite recognize. He paused on the threshold, looking down at the woven basket full of blankets, wondering if he was still drunk after all. The blankets were wiggling, and his stomach churned in a similar motion.

  “Come on, Blane! We’re already late!” Courtney commanded from behind him.

  But he couldn’t take one step. He had a feeling he already knew what was in that basket. It was the kind of thing that only happened in movies, but not the kind of movies he starred in. A piece of paper was pinned to one of the blankets, and it fluttered slightly in the midday breeze. As though he were experiencing it through someone else’s body, Blane bent to retrieve it. He opened it slowly, nervous that he already knew what was happening.

  Blane,

  Her name is Amanda. She’s your daughter, and she’s a shifter, just like you. I can’t take care of her any longer, but I know you will. Please know that I would never do this if I had a choice.

  He flipped the paper over, looking for some indication as to who had written it. There’s no way this could be right. I never had a… He couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

  “Blane! Let’s go!”

  With a jolt, Blane remembered he wasn’t the only one there. Fortunately, Courtney was the kind of person who could handle anything. He stepped aside, opening the door wider so she could see.

  Courtney’s eyes roved down to the threshold. Blane expected her to demand an explanation or maybe even yell at him, but instead, she swooped down and lifted the baby out of the basket.

  Uncovered from her wrappings, Blane had to admit she was beautiful. With a fringe of jet black hair matching his own, and big blue eyes that watched Courtney with confusion, he had never seen such a captivating child.

  Courtney seemed to think so, too. “Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed. “What on Earth are you doing here?” She looked to Blane for an answer.

  He handed her the note. Courtney held the baby with one hand while she read it, her eyes darting as she absorbed the words. “I don’t understand. Who’s the mother?”

  Blane opened his mouth, but he had no words; he only shrugged.

  Overcoming her initial surprise, Courtney stepped forward, swept the basket into the house with her foot, and shut the front door. “Please tell me that’s not true,” she begged. “Please tell me you have at least some idea.”

  But he didn’t. Blane wasn’t sure how to process this, or even if he could. It was like he had woken up in a different dimension. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Courtney turned her face down to look at the child. She stroked a tentative finger down the little girl’s cheek, clearly just as stunned as Blane was. Her face and her eyes softened with concern, but when she looked back up at him, she was back to her business-like self. “Well, it’s not as though we can change it now. We’ll contact the police and child services so they can start an investigation.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” Blane nodded his consent, but it wasn’t as though he knew what else to do. Could he really be a father?

  A car honked outside. Blane glanced out the window to see that the limo had pulled up. Less than half an hour ago, he had been desperate to stay in bed. Now, he wanted nothing more than to get to work and forget about reality for a while. “Looks like my ride’s here. You’ve got this, right?” He reached for the door handle.

  “What?” Courtney curled her free hand at her side. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  He gestured helplessly toward the door. “You said yourself that I’m already late. I’ve gotta go.”

  As many times as he had seen Courtney angry with him, this took the cake. She set the baby gently down in her basket before striding forward, putting her face only a few inches from his. “Blane Vinson, you’ve got to be the most arrogant, self-centered, ignorant person I’ve ever worked for.”

  “But you already know what to do!” he protested. “You were just standing here talking about contacting the police and everything. How is it going to help if I’m here?”

  “Gee, I don’t know,” she fired back. “It might simply be the fact that this is your child and you’re sticking me with the responsibility of caring for her. That’s not in my contract, Blane.”

  He understood now. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll double your salary, and you can be her nanny, too. Or governess, or sitter, or whatever label you want to put on it.”

  The whites of her eyes were threatening, and he swore the tips of her nails were a little sharper than usual. “You seriously think this is all about money?”

  “You can live right here in the house. That’ll make both of your jobs easier, since you’re always having to come over here and drag me out of bed anyway. It’ll just be temporary…until we figure out a better solution,” he pleaded. Blane was feeling desperate. He had to do something about this child, but he couldn’t possibly lose his assistant nor find a sitter in the next five minutes. There was no one more capable than Courtney, and he knew it. “Pick any room you want. It’s not like I use them for anything anyway.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, and a shimmering line of scales had erupted along her cheekbones. Holy shit, she really is mad. But she folded her arms in front of her chest and glared at him. “Double the salary?”

  “Double,” he confirmed.

  “All right. Fine. Now get your ass in that limo and get to work. And if I find out that you’ve missed your dinner reservation, I will track you down and drag you there by your feet.”

  Blane couldn’t help but grin, even though he knew it was only going to piss her off more. “I know you will.” He trotted out the door before she could give the situation more thought and headed to work.

  Chapter Three

  As soon as the door shut behind him, Courtney wondered if she was crazy. There was barely enough time in the day to get her normal job done, and now she had to take care of a baby on top of it. Nobody in their right mind would have accepted such a deal, but that promise of a double salary had done it for her. Courtney didn’t like the fact that she had been persuaded by cash, but deep down, she knew it was so much more. A higher salary meant she would be that much closer to quitting this job and getting to school like she wanted to.

  But then there was also that gorgeous round face that had looked up at her with such hope when she had scooped her off the porch. The baby still gazed at her from the basket on the floor, and Courtney felt compelled to pick her up. “Amanda,” she said softly as she balanced the baby’s weight in her arms and headed into the living room. “That’s a lovely name. And you’re such a darling. How could anyone give you up? More importantly, what am I going to do with you?”

  Courtney looked around. The floor was covered in a lush, pale silver carpet, and the expensive furniture had been custom made. A large porcelain vase sat on a glass coffee table, and several small statues and ornaments had been carefully placed throughout the room. It was definitely not a child-friendly place.

  And of course, Amanda had no answers. She simply looked up at Courtney with those giant blue eyes and made a small gurgling sound.

  “I suppose I should have told Blane that I don’t have any experience with kids before I agreed to work as his nanny, huh?” Courtney was good at her job. She was never afraid to make the phone calls needed or ask people for favors in Blane’s name. She made sure he was taken care of, and she didn’t care how far she had to go or how hard she had to push to get it done. But a baby? Well, that was a completely different story.

  She picked up the phone and called
the first number she could think of. “Hey, Nikki. It’s Courtney.”

  “What? Seriously?” the voice on the other end asked. “That’s weird. I thought my best friend had died or something, because I haven’t heard from her in forever.”

  “I know. I haven’t been very available. My job makes it difficult to find time for myself. But I need your help.” She had known Nikki since junior high, and she didn’t know who else to call.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Courtney looked down at Amanda. She didn’t want to tell anyone about this. A celebrity like Blane having a child with some mysterious woman without knowing it, only to find the baby placed on his doorstep? It was the kind of stuff the tabloids would go crazy for. “You can’t tell anyone, okay? Not anyone.”

  There was a moment of silence before Nikki responded. “Okay, but you’re worrying me.”

  Courtney knew there had to be some way of phrasing the situation so that it didn’t sound as bad as it really was. “I’ve found myself taking care of a baby, but I don’t know how to.”

  Another moment of silence, and then the line was filled with laughter. “What is this, some kind of joke? You stop showing up when I invite you out, you almost never answer my phone calls, and then you want my advice on babysitting?”

  “It’s not a joke,” Courtney said with a sigh. “It’s complicated, and I don’t know who else to ask for help.”

  “Maybe someone who has kids?” Nikki suggested. “I don’t know what to tell you, girl. I’ve never so much as touched a diaper, and I’m not interested in learning.”

  Courtney swallowed a lump in her throat. This wasn’t going well. Her job had enabled her to meet numerous celebrities, including some big names that would make anyone jealous. She’d actually sat next to Patrick Swayze at a charity dinner the week before. But all the name-dropping in the world couldn’t make up for the fact that being a celebrity assistant had cut her off from the rest of the world. Her childhood experiences had made it difficult to make friends in the first place, and now she had been alienated from the one person she thought the most likely to help her.