Forbidden Dragon (The Bride Hunt Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

  Hillary and Debbie both hugged one another as well.

  “We can’t help it you’re …” Deb looked at her watch, “almost an hour late,” she said as she took her seat.

  “I’m so sorry,” Hillary huffed out a breath. “Miles refused to let me leave without reading him a bedtime story and then insisted that I stay until he fell asleep. What can I say? It’s really hard to negotiate with a three-year-old.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t just leave.”

  “We understand.” Louise reached out and squeezed her hand. “So how are John and the rest of the brood?”

  Hillary flagged down a waiter. “I’ll have what she’s having.” She pointed at Louise’s pink cocktail. It was in a tall, skinny glass with sugar around the rim.

  “All good. Busy as anything but good,” she smiled. “I’m glad to be out for a while. Let’s please talk about something other than school drop-offs, bed-wetting and tantrums.”

  Hillary had three kids. All two years apart. Her oldest was seven. Needless to say, her life was busy, her schedule crammed. Especially considering she owned a coffee shop.

  “I agree whole-heartedly!” Deb nodded her head with such enthusiasm that her ponytail flicked up and down. Her other bestie had two kids. She’d been the first of them to start a family. Her daughter was already nine, her son, five. Deb was a stay-at-home mom and had married her high school sweetheart. She had one of those love-at-first sight relationships that made single people sick. “What’s going on with you? Any hot army guys on your radar?” Her eyes were wide and bright. They had to speak up to hear each other over the music.

  Louise felt a pang of guilt, but shoved it down. As far as her best friends were concerned, she was working on a top secret government project. Her work was strictly classified, so not something she could discuss with them or anyone else for that matter. Also, as far as they were concerned, she was being housed somewhere remote and lived on an army base-camp. It wasn’t a complete lie. Her work was confidential and she did live in a remote place filled with warriors.

  “There are plenty of hot guys.”

  Debbie clapped her hands.

  “Don’t get too excited. I told you I’m not allowed to date any of them. There’s a clause in my contract—”

  “That’s so boring!” Hillary shook her head, pulling a face that showed how disgusted she was. Just then, her drink arrived. She thanked the waiter while taking it from his hand and swallowing a big sip. She sighed, licking the sugar off of her lips. “So good.” She took another sip, smaller this time. “Tell us about all these hot guys. Have you seen any of them without their shirts?” She bobbed her eyebrows up and down.

  “Yeah, tell us all about it.” Debbie pulled her chair closer.

  Louise had to laugh. Both her friends kept their eyes on her. She took a sip of her drink. “Yup,” she nodded. “I’ve seen them shirtless on plenty of occasions.” Like every day. They’re sometimes naked. Her mind wandered to how Granite looked … in the buff. Her cheeks felt hot ‒ actually, her whole body felt hot.

  “Lucky you!” Hillary cocked her head. “What about your boss? You told us last time that he was being a dick.”

  Louise shook her head. “My direct supervisor is great. He isn’t based in the same place though. My base-camp is run by a bit of a jerk. I have to work with him … unfortunately.” A hot jerk. So, so hot.

  “Oh no! That sucks!” Hillary frowned.

  “Yup,” she nodded her head.

  “Is he making life difficult for you? Throwing his weight around?” Debbie asked while taking another sip of her drink.

  Louise nodded again. “He was really bad, but he’s getting better. I guess awkward would be a good way to describe our working relationship … and complicated, really, really complicated.”

  Hillary raised her brows. “It can’t be that complicated. Either he’s a jerk or he isn’t?”

  “Yeah, he is a jerk but at the same time, he feels really strongly about the work we are doing. He’s heavily invested in the project. I think that’s part of it. We don’t get along.” She mentioned some of the interactions between them.

  “He sounds like a real piece of work.” Hillary folded her arms across her chest. “I can’t believe he actually told you you’re stuck up.”

  Louise nodded.

  “You were right, he’s an asshole.” Hillary took a big gulp of her drink.

  “An asshole on steroids,” Debbie chipped in.

  “Actually, he might have had a point about a couple of things.”

  “Like what?” both of her friends asked in unison.

  “I’m not saying that it was right of him to have called me that. I do need to say that I called him an asshole first though.”

  “To his face?” Debbie spluttered.

  “No! You … did … not!” Hillary bounced in her chair.

  “I did.”

  “You? Sweet, kind, get-along-with-everyone Lou? I don’t believe it,” Hillary shook her head.

  Louise played with one of the buttons on her blouse. “This guy knows how to push my buttons. He irritates the hell out of me.” Although that wasn’t entirely true anymore. Ever since she’d asked to keep things cordial and strictly business, they’d done just that. There had been no more arguments. No more bantering. Granite would arrive for his session. He would become violently ill. There would be a recovery time and then he’d be taken to his chamber. No bickering, no squabbling, no chats. No nothing. Maybe she was nuts but she missed it. “Anyway, to make a long story short, he told me I’m stuck up and that I need to get laid.”

  “The nerve,” Hillary swore. “He irritates me too and I don’t even know him.”

  “I know his type.” Debbie put her glass down with a bang. “He probably offered to do the deed himself.”

  They both stared at her. Louise squirmed in her chair.

  “I knew it!” Debbie yelled. “He offered to have sex with you to help you out.” She did air quotes while she spoke.

  “He totally did, didn’t he?” Hillary’s eyes were wide.

  “Look, it’s not like that.”

  “Bullshit. That’s sexual harassment. You should speak to your boss about this. File a complaint. The army doesn’t take this type of behavior lightly.” Hillary frowned.

  “He doesn’t like me in that way. In fact, I don’t think he likes me period. It’s not like that.”

  “How is it then?” Hillary asked. “This is serious,” she said, almost to herself. “He can’t treat you like that.”

  “Things have been fine the last couple of weeks. I told you, it’s complicated. I know for a fact that he doesn’t see me in a sexual way.” Unfortunately. Where did that come from? Any type of relationship was forbidden. Granite wasn’t interested in her in that way anyway, so best she drop it.

  Debbie tapped the table with one of her nails. “I still think you should file charges against him, or at the very least have something put on record. You never know what might happen in the future.”

  Louise shook her head. “Nah! I don’t feel comfortable taking that route.”

  “The guy offered to have sex with you. I’m guessing it happened more than once,” Hillary said.

  Louise didn’t know what to say so she kept quiet.

  “I thought so. This isn’t right. He’s sexually harassing you. He’s a bottom feeder, a predator and—”

  “No he’s not!” There was a firmness to her voice that shocked her. Louise looked from Hillary to Debbie and back again. She realized that she felt protective of Granite. “He’s overbearing, annoying and seriously bossy. He can be a huge asshole at times, but he’s not a sexual predator. Not even close. I think deep down he’s a really good guy with a whole bunch of responsibilities. I also think he is one of the most honest people I’ve ever met and although he can bug the shit out of me, I guess I like him.” No. She. Did. Not. Did she? Sort of … maybe.

  “Like like or like?” Hillary narrowed her eyes at her before picking up her
glass. It was empty, so she put it back down.

  “Oh my god, you like like him!” Debbie grabbed her hand. “You like like this jerk?” Her voice was laced with shock.

  “He’s not a jerk.” Why did she feel the need to defend him? “He acts like one sometimes,” she added. “I’m really attracted to him. Like ridiculously attracted to him. If you saw him, you would know why but I don’t like him in that way. Even if I did, we can’t do anything about it and as I said, he doesn’t see me in that way. Can we please drop it?”

  “No way,” Hillary said, too loudly. A table of suited-up guys turned to look at them. “Wait just a sec—” She flagged down the waiter. Poor guy was run off his feet. “Another round please.” She drew a circle in the air, above the table, with her finger.

  The waiter gave a nod and hurried off in the direction of the bar.

  “So,” Hillary cocked her head, “you like this guy.”

  “I don’t like him. Well, I like him but not in that way. We don’t get along. Like I said, it’s complicated.”

  “It’s all the sexual tension.” Debbie rubbed her hands together. “It makes people nuts.” She pointed at her temple.

  “I told you, I think he’s really hot but he doesn’t feel the same about me.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “I’m not everybody’s cup of tea.”

  “Rubbish!” Debbie gave the side of her arm a slap. “You’re as cute as anything.”

  “I’m barely five foot two with shocking orange hair. My freckles have freckles.”

  “Just because you’re tiny doesn’t mean you’re not sexy. You have an ass that could crack nuts.”

  Louise’s laugh burst out so quickly she snorted. “My ass can do what?”

  “It can crack freaking nuts it’s so damn tight.” Hillary looked at her pointedly. “Your hair is beautiful too. Especially the color. You should leave it loose some time.”

  “It’s loose enough.” Louise had braided her ponytail, which hung down her back. “It’s too wild to—”

  “Rubbish. You have stunning hair. You used to wear it down once in a while.”

  Louise leaned forward. “It’s wild, crazy hair. A person could go missing in there.” They all laughed.

  “In all seriousness, I think you should go for him anyway.” Hillary’s eyes sparkled.

  “I can’t, it’s against the rules. No fraternizing with any of the locals.”

  “Locals?” Deb raised her brows.

  “Army guys. The people who live there,” Louise’s voice was shrill. “You know what I mean.”

  “Mmmmm hmmmm.” Debbie touched a finger to her lower lip. “That is a bit of a problem.”

  Granite was completely out. If she wanted to have sex with him ‒ and she didn’t ‒ she couldn’t. “Granite and I have a strictly business relationship. I’m not going there.”

  “Granite? What kind of a name is that?” Hillary’s eyebrows pulled together in a major frown.

  Flip! She hadn’t just said that had she? “It’s his nickname. He’s really built.”

  “Oh.” Hillary’s brows went up further. “Okay. You call him by his nickname? I thought it was strictly business.”

  “Everyone calls him that,” she stammered. “It’s just how it is. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Our drinks are here!” Debbie yelled.

  The waiter placed a cocktail in front of each of them. Then he put a shot glass next to each of the cocktails.

  “We didn’t order those,” Debbie said.

  “It’s from the gentlemen at the next table,” he pointed to the guys in the suits who lifted their glasses.

  “Thanks, but—” Louise started.

  “That’s great!” Hillary lifted her shot glass and raised it to the guys who all lifted a drink. “What were you saying earlier about needing to get laid?” she whispered under her breath.

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Here’s your chance. They’re cute.”

  Louise lifted the glass and forced herself to smile in their direction. All clean-cut, nice guys. The one was particularly cute, he had sandy blond hair and a wide smile. He was looking straight at her.

  She smiled a bit wider.

  “Cheers!” one of the guys shouted across at them. They all drank. The alcohol that burned down her throat was disgusting. It made her want to gag and took her breath away. She reached for her cocktail, taking a big glug.

  “Not a tequila girl?”

  Oh god! It was the guy. He was there, standing right next to her. Smiling down at her. She shook her head. “No. I’m not much of a drinker. That tasted like battery acid to me.”

  “You’ve tasted battery acid before?” he smiled broadly. His dimpled chin and blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

  She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure it tastes like that though,” she gestured to the empty shot glass in front of her. She noticed that one of the other guys was chatting to Hillary who lifted her hand and pointed at her wedding ring.

  “I’m Todd,” he held his hand out to her, drawing back her attention.

  “Louise.” She shook his hand. It was soft and manicured but his grip was firm. He wore suit pants and a white shirt, top two buttons undone. There were no bulging muscles but he had an athletic build. He also wasn’t very tall. Five seven or five eight. He would tower over her.

  “Do you want to go to the bar. We can grab something more palatable.”

  Louise picked up her drink. “I already—”

  Debbie gave her a kick under the table.

  “Ow!”

  Debbie widened her eyes for a second or two. “She would love to … wouldn’t you Lou?”

  “Sure,” her voice was a little too high-pitched.

  “Great.” Todd stepped to the side. He waited for her to go first, following behind her. He stepped in next to her, his eyes on the barman.

  “I don’t think I can have any more to drink … nothing alcoholic at any rate.”

  He gave her a wide grin. The guy was pretty cute. Definitely her type. “No problem. I can get you a water or a—”

  “A water would be great.” It had been far too long since she last went on a date. Right now it felt like forever.

  The bartender took Todd’s order and got to work getting the drinks. A beer for him and a water for her.

  He insisted on paying.

  “Thanks,” she said, as he handed her the drink.

  “Sure. So, tell me something about yourself.” He leaned up against the bar. Clearly not wanting to head back to the table.

  She racked her brain, trying to come up with something other than what she did for a living but came up short. Her work really was her life. It was sad. “I’m a doctor, an allergist to be precise. What about you?” Although she loved her job, most people found it boring.

  “I’m an accountant. I ‘number crunch’ for a living. I’d tell you all about it but I’d have you yawning in no time.”

  She smiled. They had something in common.

  “Let’s forget about work. What brings you to Rendezvous?”

  Five hours later …

  They got along and he was cute. She had another Death by Pink and was feeling decidedly light-headed.

  “This is it,” she pointed to her apartment block. Louise had decided to keep her place rather than sell it. Her current assignment paid really well and included her accommodations, so she saw no reason to let it go. Especially since she wouldn’t be staying with the dragons indefinitely. She liked her apartment. It was well appointed, airy … Damn, she was shaking like a leaf. It might be the ugliest apartment building on the block but it was in a great part of town. She tried to slow her breathing. Shit, her hands felt damp.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind me coming up for coffee?” Todd had his arm resting on the armrest behind her.

  Her first instinct was to change her mind and pretend to be tired but she couldn’t do it. She needed to grow a pair, she needed to go through with this.
Todd was perfect. He was sweet and well-mannered. He was attractive, dammit. The guy was fun to be around and seemed to enjoy her company too. He was really cute … just her type.

  “I’d like it very much.”

  Todd’s smile widened.

  The cab driver told them what the fare was and she reached for her purse.

  Todd touched the side of her arm. “I got this.”

  “You sure? You’ve paid for everything so far tonight.”

  “What, a water and a cocktail …?” He swiped his forehead. “Hardly going to break the bank.”

  He handed the money to the driver and they got out.

  Louise felt like her legs were made of jello. Her throat felt dry. She knew that she wasn’t in any danger. At least she hoped not. Her best friends knew where she was ‒ or more importantly ‒ who she was with.

  They didn’t have to have sex. Oh god! Why else was he coming up? That’s what having coffee meant. It was code for sex. At least, she thought it was. She was so rusty at this whole dating thing.

  Todd put a hand to her lower back and she jumped.

  “You okay?” he looked concerned. He was so sweet. What was wrong with her?

  “Um … yeah. I guess I’m a bit nervous.”

  “No need,” he shook his head. “We’ve had a good time, haven’t we?”

  She nodded.

  “No reason why we can’t keep having a good time. No pressure, okay?”

  She nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay, thanks.”

  He gave a nod.

  Her hands shook as she tried to get the key in the lock. They fell, clanging against the pavement. Oh hell, she was making a mess of this. “Sorry!”

  They both went down at the same time and almost bashed their heads.

  “I’m so sorry.” Louise felt like an idiot. What was she saying? She was an idiot.

  Todd gave her a kind smile. His eyes had pity written in them.

  “I’m making a mess of this.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes closed for a few moments.

  When she looked up he was smiling. “You’re not making a mess of anything …” he paused, “I like you, Louise. Let’s forget about coffee. Meet me tomorrow for lunch instead.”