Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

  I nod, turning sober. “Yes. Her answer was…it was unexpected…that’s all.”

  “I think you’d better hire her,” Night says. “Looks like she might be good for you.”

  Good for me? No fucking way! It’s been three and a half months since a harpy injected me with poison. It muddled my brain. Tainted my soul. I know I’m being dramatic here, but it’s the truth. She made me fall in love with her. Made me crave her, even though I didn’t know anything about her. What I am feeling isn’t real. I’m a rational man. I know that what I feel is a lie, and yet I can’t will myself to stop feeling what I do.

  The harpy is dead, which means I’m in love with a ghost. I crave something I can never have. Someone I can never have. At least I thought so, until Miss Shaw walked into my life. Now I’m confused as fuck. It’s a strange thing to feel, since I’m never confused. I’ve always known what I wanted. I’ve always been good at making decisions, and they’re usually the right ones. Right now, I’m torn. I want closure where the harpy is concerned but using Miss Shaw to get it would be wrong. It would be messed up in every way.

  I read her email a second time and make a decision. I send back a short reply.

  “What?” Night asks.

  “Nothing,” I say. “I’m here to visit you and—”

  “Did you two miss me?” Shannon asks.

  Night’s face lights up. My best friend is completely and totally in love. So deep it’s scary. I’m happy for him. I was worried about us having half-blood offspring. We’re half god and half dragon shifter. We were never fully accepted by the shifters. I’ve never met my father. He clearly couldn’t give a shit about me. Even though we live amongst the humans, we’re not even close to being one of them. It’s hard not fitting in anywhere. We were worried about the same happening with our young, but after meeting Harley…seeing this family, I know everything will work out. It’s the same for Forge. I think we’re going to be okay. Make that, my brothers will be okay. I fear that the same is not in the cards for me…which is fine. I never imagined myself with a family. In fact, the thought is absurd. It’s even more absurd since the harpy fucked with my head.

  “Of course we missed you.” Night winks at his wife, drawing me back from my thoughts.

  “Let’s go have dinner before it gets cold.” Shannon looks from Night to me and back.

  “Shall I open some wine?” Night asks me.

  I nod. “Sounds good.” I already feel better. I’m doing the right thing. I have a plan.

  8

  Ashley

  I check the choux pastries, and they’ve cooled enough to start filling. Using a teaspoon, I taste the vanilla pastry cream I just made, and it’s delicious. I put the teaspoon in the sink and start filling a piping bag.

  “How’s your wife?” I ask Simon, who’s making up biscuit dough for our famous sugar cookies.

  His face lights up. I hope someone gets that look when they’re thinking about me one day. I also feel bad because this man is going to lose his job if I can’t find something else. “Helen is as well as can be expected.” He makes a face. “She gets terrible morning sickness. Only, she gets it at any time of the day. If this pregnancy is like the others, it will be a few weeks before she starts to feel better.”

  “Oh no, that’s horrible. How are you feeling about it? Five kids.” I widen my eyes. “I bet you’re hoping for a girl.” They have four boys.

  “Nope.” He shakes his head. “I’m not sure about a girl.” He looks worried. “I wouldn’t know the first thing about raising a daughter.” He looks slightly green. “This is just so unexpected. Helen was on birth control.”

  “As you know, it’s not foolproof.”

  “Don’t I know it. We were so sure we were done after Josh that we gave away all of our baby things.”

  “Everything?” Oh no!

  “Every last thing. From the crib to the stroller. All the clothes and toys… All of it. I’m trying to save, and we’re keeping an eye out for second-hand items. Please let me know if you hear of any for sale.”

  I force a smile, feeling worse than ever. Simon doesn’t know yet that his job might be on the line. I told my parents to wait before telling him. I told them I have an idea about how to fix things. I haven’t told them what that idea is. I’m not sure how my dad will take it. My fake smile gets wider as panic sets in.

  “If I hear of anything, I’ll let you know.” This is worse than I thought. Simon needs this job more than I do. I might even move back home and work at Buns for free. I have a small amount of savings. I need to think of something and fast.

  I wish I hadn’t been so adamant about Mr. Steven Bolt not hiring me. I ultimately said that he would regret hiring me and he answered with:

  Job Offer: Personal Assistant to the CEO

  From: Bolt

  No, I wouldn’t.

  Stupid me sent back a reply.

  Job Offer: Personal Assistant to the CEO

  From: A. Shaw

  I type with two fingers. Did I mention that I’m clumsy? My best friend calls me butterfingers, and it has nothing to do with me being a pastry chef. You really would regret it.

  That was it. The last I heard from him. Now I’m regretting warning him off. I should have at least tried to make it work. Maybe I could have worked for him. Maybe my attraction was fleeting. I’ve just inserted the nozzle into the first choux to start filling them with the vanilla pastry cream, when my mom sticks her head around the door.

  “How you doing there, hon’?”

  “All good,” I say. “Give me fifteen minutes and the eclairs will be ready to go. Is Mrs. Thomas here already?” She’s one of our regulars. Always buys a freshly baked eclair on a Tuesday at eight, and a Saturday morning at ten. I check the clock and see that I still have half an hour to get these done.

  I frown, and my mother gives me this strange look. “Um…no…it’s not Mrs. Thomas. There is someone here to see you.”

  “Oh?” Why me specifically? Our regulars know my mom really well, on account of her running the counter most days. “Who is it?”

  She frowns. “I’m not sure. He says he wants cupcakes but wouldn’t let me help him. He specifically wanted your cupcakes and wants you to sell them to him.” Her cheeks go red, and she gets a strange expression. “He’s not bad looking.” She wipes her hands on her apron. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone.” She smiles.

  “I’m not!” I haven’t so much as dated since Sean and I broke up almost a year ago. I guess my confidence took a knock. We’d been together for three years. Lived together for two and a half of those. I thought he was ‘the one’. The break-up came out of nowhere. It is time to get back in the game…I guess. I wonder who it could be, since it isn’t someone I’m dating.

  The first thing that comes to mind is that it might be… No…it can’t be him. Maybe someone I served when my parents were on vacation two months ago. I wrack my brain and come up blank. “I’ll be right there,” I tell my mom.

  “Thanks, hon’.” She visibly relaxes.

  I set the piping bag down and walk to a wash area at the front of the bakery. I wash my hands with soap and dry them. Then I take off my chef’s coat and hairnet, hanging them up on a hook. I would normally have headed out just like this, but I have a strange feeling inside me. My stomach is wound up in knots. I’m sure my hair is a mess, but there’s not much I can do about it. I didn’t put on any makeup. I’m wearing a pair of black slacks and an old t-shirt. It’s not like I have to dress up for work or anything. It will have to do. My heart is in my throat as I push through the door leading to the front-of-house. I’m being silly. It isn’t him! Of course, it isn’t him! It can’t be him!

  Holy shit!

  It’s him.

  He’s here.

  Mr. Bolt is standing on the other side of the counter. He’s wearing a three-piece suit. Pinstripes with a pink tie. His hands are in his pockets in a casual manner, and yet there is nothing casual about this man.

  My
mouth has fallen open. I’m standing in the middle of the doorway. He turns his gray eyes on me, and my insides turn to mush. “Um…ah…um…” This feels like déjà vu. I can’t seem to get one word out.

  “Ashley…hon’,” my mother cocks her head, “are you okay?” She frowns. The question breaks me out of my stupor.

  “Um…yes…I’m good.” I plaster a smile on my face.

  Mr. Bolt isn’t smiling back at me. He’s completely serious. He takes his hands out of his pockets and folds his arms across his wide chest.

  “Cupcakes,” I blurt. “We have a whole array of flavors. There’s Double Chocolate, Very Berry, Coconut. The green ones,” I point at the section where the cupcakes are displayed in all their glory, “are Peppermint. The pink ones with the sprinkles are called Strawberry Delight.” We have plenty more flavors, but I force myself to stop there.

  His mouth twitches.

  I swallow thickly. I feel like a deer in the headlights. “Sprinkles?” He quirks a brow.

  “You’re not here for cupcakes, are you?”

  He shakes his head slowly. “Can we talk outside?”

  The bakery is small and there are a couple of people waiting to be served. We may have lost a whole lot of our corporate clients, but we still have some regulars. Mornings are our busiest time. “Sure.” I turn to my mom, who, even though she’s serving a customer, has an eye trained in our direction. “I’ll be right back,” I say to her.

  “Take your time, Ashley.” She eyes Mr. Bolt, and I swear her cheeks turn pink.

  He walks to the door and then holds it open for me. I find myself wishing I’d worn something else this morning. Something newer…more fitting…better. I wish even harder that I’d worn even the lightest touch of makeup. I glance at my reflection in the window and my hair is a mess, just as I suspected.

  Crud buckets!

  Firstly, I’m a hot mess and secondly, I care. I care far more than I should. Thirdly, he’s here to try to talk me into working for him. I need the job. Simon needs this to happen. I turn and look into his eyes. Lord help me, but he’s beautiful. His eyes are…they’re…I’m drowning in them. I feel stupid even thinking that thought, and yet it’s true. His mouth…I want to climb him like a pole and devour it.

  I think I might want him more standing here in the cold light of day. It is actually quite cold, I suddenly realize. The sky is dark. It looks like it might not just rain but storm. I know one thing. I can’t work for this man. I can’t! He’s here to try to talk me into it, and I can’t let him.

  My scales are rubbing. My dragon prowling just beneath the surface. I need to head to the farm this weekend. I need to shift and to spread my wings and fly until I’m exhausted. It’s one of the things I don’t do enough. I take in the woman in front of me.

  Even in a faded Pearl Jam t-shirt that looks to be a few sizes too big, she’s a fucking revelation. I thought that I might have embellished just how much she looks like the harpy did. I didn’t embellish a thing. I breathe through my mouth because she smells delicious. Like whipped cream and vanilla…and those sprinkles she was trying to sell me earlier.

  The more I think about it, the more I know this is a good idea. I just need to be smart about how I handle it.

  “Thank you for the very generous offer,” she speaks quickly, “but…I…as much as I would love to take it…” she winces, “I can’t!”

  “Have you accepted another job offer then?” I know she hasn’t. I can tell. I think she’s afraid of failing. Of disappointing me. Little does she know, but Ashley Shaw could not possibly disappoint me.

  She shakes her head. “No…it’s just that…I…um…” she stumbles over her words, finally biting down on her bottom lip.

  I would normally find all clumsy behavior annoying, but of course, when it comes to her, I don’t. On her, it’s even endearing. I’ve never found anything endearing before in my life. That annoys me. It fucking infuriates me. I’m a complete mess. That’s why I need this. “You’re not personal assistant material…is that what you’re trying to say?”

  She nods, her cheeks turning pink. She hugs herself; gooseflesh has broken out on her arms. “I’m not. I’m so sorry I wasted your time. I should never have applied for the position in the first place.”

  “Can you answer a phone?” I unbutton and slide out of my suit-jacket.

  She nods.

  “Make coffee?” I hand it to her. “You’re cold,” I add when she hesitates, her eyes on the garment.

  “Thank you, and…yes, I can make coffee, even though I prefer tea.” She pulls my jacket on and drowns in it, looking vulnerable. Looking adorable. Another word that I never use. I need to get back to normal. My normal. I need to put this whole harpy incident behind me. Ashley Shaw is going to help me do that. I’ll find a way to make it worth her while. This can be a win-win situation for both of us.

  “I know you can email since we have been emailing back and forth. Can you drive a car? Make dinner reservations? Pick up my laundry?” I watch as she nods for each of my questions.

  She frowns. “You’re going to pay me that much money to…” She shrugs.

  “Wipe my ass,” I use Night’s words. “I need someone willing to wipe my ass, Miss Shaw. Typing isn’t on top of the list, not for me.”

  Her eyes widen. Her skin pales.

  “Wiping my ass would not be literal, Miss Shaw.”

  She pushes out a sigh of relief, and I feel my mouth twitch for the second time since seeing her this morning. This woman makes me want to smile. Go fucking figure. “I travel frequently, I would require my assistant to travel with me. Would that be a problem?”

  She just looks up at me. Her big blue eyes are wide…so fucking innocent. For just a moment, I’m tempted to let her walk away, but that would be the nice thing to do, and I’m not nice. Not even close.

  Then I have a thought that turns my blood cold. My whole body tightens. “Would that be a problem, Miss Shaw?” My voice has turned gruff. “Are you single? Do you have kids? Is there any reason why you wouldn’t be able to drop everything for work?” For me! I want her to drop everything for me.

  “Um…I…I guess not, and…um…I’m single. I don’t have kids.”

  Good! I feel the tension drain from me. It wasn’t something I’d considered. I couldn’t scent a man on her, but I suddenly wasn’t sure. “Bottom line, I’m difficult to work for. I can be an asshole. I have a short temper. I’m impatient. I’m demanding. You would need to be able to travel. To possibly attend events…dinners. You would often need to organize those events and dinners. Make travel arrangements. Are you up for it? I’ll challenge you in ways you never thought possible. You’ll have days where you wished you hadn’t accepted this role, but you’ll also learn and grow. You said you wanted to try something new, well here’s your chance.”

  “Why me?”

  I like her. This is one hell of a good question. One I’m not sure I can answer without lying. I’ll do my best. “You’re nice…you have a big heart, Miss Shaw, and yet you also have steel in you. I suspect you wouldn’t put up with my crap. It’ll be a fine line between keeping me in line and keeping your job. One you’ll have to navigate every day.”

  I watch her delicate throat work. “I’m not that person. I don’t navigate…I blunder and stumble. I have a feeling you’d walk all over me, and that I’d let you.”

  “Really?” I lift my brows. “That’s why you accepted my first offer as soon as it hit your inbox?”

  She frowns.

  “Exactly. You’re making me work harder than I care to.” I look at my watch. “You’re making me seriously late for a meeting. I’m jumping through hoops, and that doesn’t happen often. You’d be perfect. All I’m asking is that you give it a try.”

  I watch as she pulls her shoulders back. I see determination in her eyes. “There’s one last problem. I’m afraid it’s a doozy.”

  “What?” I snap. “Tell me. I’m sure I can fix it.”

  She goes from c
onfident to timid and insecure in a heartbeat. I watch as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. Her eyes dart to the floor.

  I wait a full ten seconds, which is a fucking lifetime for me. “Spit it out, Miss Shaw.”

  “I…” She clears her throat and finally looks me in the eyes. Her face has gone blood red. “I’m attracted to you, Mr. Bolt. I can’t work for you because I…I just can’t. It wouldn’t work.”

  I bellow out a laugh that shocks me. It feels good. It feels fucking amazing. I feel like I can breathe, even though it only lasts for three seconds. “I have that effect on women,” I say, in a matter of fact manner. “It’s normal. I don’t think it’s a problem. Bring an extra pair of panties to work and you’ll be just fine.”

  This is perfect. She’s perfect. This is going to work. I just know it.

  I watch as Miss Shaw’s eyes widen. They get bigger and bigger. Then she starts choking. I don’t know what it is she’s choking on. She clutches her chest with one hand and covers her mouth with the other, bending over her middle. It takes her a while to recover. I just stand there. I’m not sure what to do, so I wait it out since she isn’t in any real trouble.

  “Oh god!” she finally pushes out. “I couldn’t breathe there for a second. I can’t believe you just said that.” She shrugs out of my jacket and hands it back to me.

  I’m sure she’s going to turn me down. I don’t want to take the jacket for fear that she’ll walk away as soon as I do. She looks up at the sky. “Sun’s out.”

  I look up, surprised to see blue skies. “So it is.”

  “The weather has been crazy lately.” She breathes out. “I must be crazy.” She shakes her head. “I’ll take the position. I’ll give it a try.”

  I take the jacket and put it over my arm. “Welcome aboard.”

  “Thank you for talking me into this.” She smiles. “I’ll see you in the morning.”