The door swung open again. This time a guy with adventure written all over him stepped in. He carried a heavy duffel bag hoisted over his shoulder and had his head down, looking at his watch. Hildy moved to greet him. The ladies stayed back, allowing her to make introductions.
Quinn watched as Hildy made it over to him. Standing next to him, Hildy was at least a half foot shorter. Yep, these were some big dudes. He saw her and swung the duffel off, putting it off and to the side of the passage way.
“Hey Hildy, did you manage to get some rest while we were gone? Or did Jax keep you busy?” He smiled and Quinn could swear she heard Wren’s breath catch.
The guy was gorgeous too. Unlike the first guy Hildy had called Jax, who had the whole tall, dark and handsome going on with the thick, wavy, hair and striking appearance, this one was golden, no more like bronze. His hair was a shade darker than dirty blonde with brown stubble covering his face. And then there were those sparkling blue eyes that seemed to pierce the room. Quinn stood there transfixed by his presence as he opened huge arms to envelop Hildy into them.
“Come here and give me a hug. You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Hildy disappeared into his arms and hugged him with great affection. It appeared these two were more like sister and brother in their warmth for one another. That had to be a good sign. Hildy could warm this Lucien guy up and then introduce them. He didn’t seem to be as cranky as she’d thought he’d be.
Releasing Hildy, the man’s attention drifted over to them. He took in Wren first and then Quinn. Quinn eyed him, quietly waiting for his next move. His eyes went back over to Wren and stayed there, staring at her. Oh shit, this could blow up before Quinn had her chance. Wren wasn’t used to standing her ground. If this guy continued to stare at her like that, there was no telling what her friend might do. Half expecting Wren to run out the door into the cold, Quinn prepared to speak up. She was cut off by Hildy.
“Ladies, this here is my nigh brother, Matthias Griffin. We call him Matt though.”
Deflation at hearing his name drained some of the adrenaline out of Quinn. This wasn’t the owner. With his overwhelming as fuck presence, if he was the nice one, what would happen when this Lucien guy came in?
Hildy spoke, “Matt, I’d like to introduce you to Quinn and Wren.”
The guy released Hildy and made a beeline over to a dumbstruck Wren. When he came close, Wren’s head lifted like a crane to meet his face. He had her by a good foot, or more and Quinn felt a little fear for her friend. This guy was so out of Wren’s league it wasn’t funny. She continued to watch, unable to look away. It was like passing by a car accident as Wren, and the man continued to look at each other.
He extended a large, leather gloved hand out to Wren as he said, “Hello, Wren, is it? I’m Matt. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Wren didn’t extend her hand to take his, instead, continuing to stare up at him like he was some bizarre attraction at an exhibit. Quinn wanted to throw something at her to get Wren to snap out of it. Instead, she watched, praying her friend would pull out of this stupor.
Finally, Wren lifted her hand to shake his. The guy looked amazed that they were shaking hands and Quinn’s relief was audible. If this one was smitten with Wren, that might help to keep them here long enough for her to meet and sway this Lucien fella.
“Pleased to meet you. As Hildy said before, my name is Wren—Wren Douglas. I bake for a living.”
And there it was, Wren’s lack of finesse when interacting with the opposite sex. This would be the perfect time for Quinn to do a face palm, but she wouldn’t. No matter what, this woman was her best friend since first grade. She would stick with her until the embarrassing end.
A loud commotion, full of booming, deep voices approached.
Quinn tuned in to decipher what they said.
“Are they all right? … Jax, I don’t care. I said no visitors.”
“And she was doing a kindness. You know how good she is at discernment. They’re actually little and harmless. I just met them.”
“We’ll discuss this after. I’m not in the mood to be nice. Make this quick and get them out of there.”
Well! To Quinn it sounded like the giant at the end of the beanstalk was about to meet two little Keebler Elves. Instead of fear, a thrill of excitement shot through her. It was time to cut him down a peg. This Lucien fella was about to meet one determined little, “harmless” woman—Ms. Quinn Bradford!
9
Quinn…
Tall figures displaced the light from the door. Quinn stepped back, trying to blend in with the room. Her attempt was futile. Ajax, Hildy’s mate, as she called him, came in. A procession of gruff looking gigantic men followed him. If this had been a movie set, Quinn would have had no problem believing the men were a group of Warriors coming back from a major kick-ass mission.
They were all dressed in various forms of leather, sturdy jeans and wearing… industrial galoshes for shoes. All the men carried in large duffel bags that appeared to be quite heavy. With Ajax and Matt, Quinn counted eight men. All except for Matt and another one resembled him with their variations of dark hair and looks. None of them came deep into the room to greet them. Instead, they filed in, placing the duffel bags by the entrance and going back out.
Releasing a little bit of tension in her shoulders, Quinn searched for Wren. She was by Hildy, watching that one named, Matt, like a hawk. He’d left again to join the others outside. It was no use. There wasn’t any excuse left for her to stick around. Any longer and it would be loitering. She grabbed her jacket and put it on. When she had her purse on her shoulder, Quinn noticed Wren and Hildy still stood there watching the door.
Was there something going on she’d missed? Quinn went over to where the women stood and looked as well. “What are y’all looking at?”
“Oh, I’m giving Wren enough time to catch her breath and composure. It seems Matt made a good impression on her.” Hildy patted the still Wren on the shoulder.
Sure enough, Wren was in some trance. Quinn couldn’t believe her friend. The walking embodiment of Emily Post struck dumb to that degree over a guy. Yeah, he was a sight to behold, but Wren wasn’t usually so smitten. She preferred to geek out over hot guys in private.
“Wren, honey, are you all right?” Quinn asked, moving to her other side.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Matt… he asked me to wait here while he finished unloading the gear.”
“Okay, and is that what you call this?” she asked, amazed at how Wren continued to watch the door. Quinn couldn’t believe it. Wren wasn’t acting anything like herself.
“Yeah, I’m waiting for him to finish. He wanted to ask me something else.”
Hildy said, “Matt has a way with people. He’s like human valium. When you’re around him, everything calms down. It appears Wren needed the time to decompress. This day has taken its toll on her. Matt’s good at sensing that and helping folks to relax.”
“Uh-uh, if you say so.” Quinn wasn’t inclined to believe all that hooey. Instead, she thought her friend was in over her head with that guy. It looked like a good idea to get out of here before Wren offered herself up to him on some altar they might have out back. Thinking to make sure she asked, “Hildy, please don’t tell me y’all are into ritualistic sex.”
Hildy coughed as if she’d swallowed something. “Huh? Why do you ask that?”
Quinn’s radar dinged. Something else the woman wasn’t telling her. “So they are?” That was all she needed to know to get them out of here. “Um, Wren, baby girl, it’s time for us to bounce. Don’t want to get caught in afternoon traffic, right?”
“Right. You got your stuff and are ready to go?” Wren asked, a million miles away.
“Yep. I’m ready when you are.”
“Mkay, just going to wait to say goodbye to Matt and then we can leave.”
What had been a beautiful end to her day was turning into a weird babysitting job of Wren. This wasn’t right. It was a role reve
rsal. Quinn didn’t like having to become the stick in the mud. But, there was something about the way that guy had beelined it to Wren. If he were trying to get her to become one of his fan girls, that wouldn’t happen. Not today. He was gorgeous and all, but there was no way Quinn would allow her friend to be led to the slaughter of a broken heart. Wren was pure. Quinn wasn’t even sure if Wren wasn’t still a virgin, that’s how pure and sweet she was.
“How about we come back tomorrow? It looks like they have a while before he finishes. We’ve got Hildy’s number. She can call us tomorrow after he’s settled in and ready for company.”
This must have broken the spell because Wren rounded on her. “No, he asked me to stay put. I gave him my word I wouldn’t leave before he finished and I’m not going back on it. What’s the matter, Quinn? You’re not the center of attention, so it’s time to go?”
They’d had this run-in on and off throughout the years of their friendship. It had gotten to the point that the accusation no longer hurt Quinn’s feelings. She’d come to realize that at times she might behave a little spoiled but it wasn’t as bad as it had been. She was the baby sister to Liesel Bradford—the academic wunderkind. With their parents deceased, Liesel had raised Quinn from when she was thirteen. Twelve years now and she was still Liesel’s baby sister and Wren’s spoiled friend.
Not taking the bait, Quinn countered, “Yep, something like that. Let’s go and get a plan for when we’re invited back. You were right. Now, it seems like we’re in the way.”
“You’re fine. Matt has most likely talked with Lucien out there. He’s gotten him to settle down enough to be cordial. Hear that?” Hildy asked, patting Quinn on the back. “Like I said, he’s human valium. You notice how quiet it is out there don’t you?”
Quinn couldn’t argue with that. There were no more signs of disruption floating in from outside. Instead, all she heard was the movement of metal against metal Clanging here and there. A span of maybe five more minutes passed before men started to fill the space again. This time a man who looked a lot like Ajax, only bigger, entered the room. He could have easily passed for Conan the Barbarian from where Quinn stood. The way everyone around him behaved, Quinn knew this was Lucien.
This Lucien guy scanned the room, took in a deep breath and then looked over at the women. Something in the way he looked at them made Quinn’s bladder wake up out of possible danger. The best way to describe him was awesome in the way one might when encountering something dangerous, brilliant and powerful. Beneath his handsome exterior lay a hum of superiority that made her want to stand up straighter in defiance.
Lucien’s presence consumed the large space like none of the others. He was big, brooding and gave off a badass vibe. From where she stood across the room, about twenty feet away, Quinn felt the change in the composition of the air that this man produced. It became alive and palpable. This was indeed his building, and she was the interloper.
Something about his smugness and ownership of this space pissed her off. No, he rubbed her wrong in the worst way. The verdict was in. She didn’t like this Lucien guy. He had to be a bully. Quinn could see him running over others who were less intimidating than him.
Look at him standing like he was a damn conquering marauder or something. This wasn’t some ancient land where he was the ruler by force. This was right now in present day U. S. of A. Quinn took in how the others moved around him, like large constellations orbiting around an intense sun star. She wouldn’t get sucked into puffing up his ego. Lucien had another thing coming if he thought she’d cower around him. Quinn wouldn’t be another wimpy woman that he could boss around.
“You need to get over yourself,” she said in a whisper.
Quinn gulped when his attention swiveled back around to rest on her. Had he heard her? If so, she wouldn’t punk out. One thing Quinn hated. That was feeling marginalized by a man who thought he was the most powerful being around. It pissed her off to her core. As a woman and one of color, she’d endured this in the field from the start. That’s why she’d made the crucial decision to start her marketing firm after college. Two summer internships at a large firm were enough for her to know she was nobody’s sweetheart or any other stupid name those men had called her.
Here she was, facing everything in an entitled jerk again. He personified everything that made her blood boil. Quinn knew he probably lorded it over the others too. No wonder everyone was on eggshells when he was around. Well, not her, and not today. Quinn didn’t care if Wren wanted to stay, there was no way she’d stay here with this smug jerk. Instead of disrespecting him on his turf, she’d take her leave.
She’d pulled the shoulder straps of her purse back into place. Quinn prepared to walk out when Hildy grabbed her arm and led her over to where Lucien stood. And, she needed to pee. Great time for her bladder to punk out. Working hard to subdue her urge to retreat to the bathroom, Quinn rummaged through her mental Rolodex of pleasantries to toss at him on her way out the door.
When Hildy deposited her in front of him, the first thing she encountered was his width and height. Lucien towered over her like a football player or ultra athlete would. He had to be over seven feet tall. Even with her full-figure, he easily made her look like a paltry stump in comparison. The next thing that became plain was how muscle-bound he was. The inhale and exhale of his sculpted chest threatened to put her into a hypnotic trance.
Shaking her head to snap out of it, she refocused. Refusing to look up yet, Quinn was face to face with his lower chest area. The rise and fall of his deep breathing continued to tug at her and managed to punctuate her anger. How dare he be so damn fine? She wanted him ruffled, flustered or something. She was giving him her best “ignore you” stance. He remained calm as her bladder screamed for relief. Their postures were totally off if she was going to get to him the way she wanted to. Quinn needed a ladder to face him—and then she’d really ignore him!
Hildy invaded her racing thoughts, saying, “Lucien Drake, I’d like to introduce you to my new friend, Quinn Bradford. She owns a marketing and promotions firm and has some interesting ideas about the space here.”
It was official, Quinn was going to hire a bully to whip the shit out of Hildy. Wasn’t she the one who’d told Quinn to slow her roll with him? Quinn didn’t want to do anything with him, not if he was as much of a privileged brute as he appeared to be. She remained silent. If she said nothing, it might be awkward, but would give her the perfect excuse to leave.
A deep rumble in his chest confronted her. It sounded like a grunt or some other barbaric acknowledgment of her presence. No matter, she was about to go around him and make it to the door. Quinn would pee at a gas station before staying here any longer. Her clean get away was not to be had, though.
To her horror and disbelief, Hildy tilted Quinn’s head to look up at Lucien. Then, she grabbed both their hands, paying attention to her scrapes and formed a loose handshake between them. Even through her bandages and the leather glove he wore, his hand was hot like a consuming fire. That wasn’t so bad since her hands and feet were continually cold. Looking up at him now, she wasn’t prepared for the strikingly handsome face. Nor prepared to meet a keen and complex pair of smoldering green eyes that looked down at her. It disarmed her. Then there were those eyes. They glistened and teased as if he hid a huge mystery that would make him even more enigmatic. She dared to pause to look, deep. What a quick way to make her lose her focus?
“You two, greet one another and stop throwing shade. This isn’t some turf war. Lucien, be the gracious host I know you to be, and Quinn, relax. He doesn’t bite,” Hildy said, standing there more like a mediator than an innocent bystander.
10
Lucien…
There were two rather small but beautiful human women in the Lair.
Unbelievable.
Was that his personal sparring dummy laying on the mat? Hildy knew he didn’t like people touching his personal stuff. Lucien Drake did not share. There were plenty of other things t
hey could have used. It was settled. After the little imps were gone Jax and Hildy’s asses were his.
Not only had Jax ignored his instructions, he’d allowed Hildy to host these little women. Was she teaching them what looked to be an impromptu self-defense class? Then it made sense. They thought this was a working gym! Lucien took a moment to peer into the dimension where his protective wards were visible. To his astonishment, the wards clung to the outlines, cradling all the women, as if protecting them as well.
The intense energy formed a buffer between it and the women as they moved around in the space. If Lucien didn’t know any better, he’d swear Hildy must have done something to altar their effect. He tuned in to inspect the wards again. Strands that made up thick cords of energy and code created a lattice of webs and barriers. Where each of the inhabitants of the room stood, the wards created a buffer of protection between it and them. It was as if an override installed itself to accept the newcomers.
What if he was losing his power on the surface as well? Lucien looked closer at the wards. The answer had to be here. If this were the case, the Lair was vulnerable to anyone who wanted to come in. His fears alleviated when all looked to be in place. Nothing was out of the ordinary or had changed to manipulate the power of his protective force field.
Big questions antagonized him. Was he losing his touch with manipulating the elements on the surface of the Earth? But the bigger question was how were these two not dead or least in severe pain? From what Jax said, they’d been here for more than a few hours.
Then he heard one of them say he needed to get over himself. Her voice was melodic, tugging at him and commanding his attention. Lucien couldn’t help himself and turned toward her to take more in.
Sending out a mental link to Greg, Lucien asked, “What do you make of this… them?”
Lucien: Dragofin Mated: Book 2 (Dragonfin Clan Mated) Page 8
