Alex laughed good-naturedly. “I don’t doubt it at all. I can see why Harlan wanted to outnumber you females. We don’t stand a chance.”
They reached Sapphi’s home and entered the house to find Harlan sitting on the floor with the two boys climbing over him. “How did it go?” Harlan asked as he wrestled Harlan Jr. to the floor, and tickled him until he laughed so hard his cheeks turned red.
“Neil said he would help if he could, but won’t give us any names. He says it’s to protect undercover cops.” Sapphi set out four mugs and poured the coffee.
“Thanks.” Alex took a mug and sat down on the sofa. Archie squealed happily to see him and stood up, using Harlan as support. With an intense concentration, he reached out for Alex. “He’s going to take his first step.”
They all watched in silence as Archie lifted his foot, overbalanced and landed on Harlan, half sitting, before sliding to the floor. “Not this time.” Harlan hugged Archie. “You need to hang on until we find your mommy.”
Alex got up. “I’ll make those calls.”
It was all too easy to forget that he wasn’t here for pleasure. He had a job to do.
“Use my office,” Harlan offered.
“I’ll show you.” Sapphi guided him to a small room, where a desk sat in the corner, neatly organized papers covering it, along with family photographs. And a painting of a dragon.
“That’s Fiona. Harlan commissioned a portrait from one of the local shifter artists.” Sapphi picked it up and showed it to him.
“She is formidable.” He took in her burnished scales, and the size of her talons.
“You would not want to mess with her.” Sapphi set the photograph down on the desk.
“There’s one thing I need to do before I make those calls.” Alex put his coffee cup down on a coaster on the desk.
“Which is?” Sapphi tilted her head to one side, a soft smile playing across her lips. Lips he intended to kiss. Right now.
Alex reached out and grabbed hold of her sleeve, pulling her close. She came to him, her soft curves melting around his hard-toned muscles. He groaned as he kissed her, remembering her hand caressing his cock last night. The need to mate with her became a burning obsession in his brain that could not be silenced.
He lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the desk, easing his body between her thighs. While their lips were locked together, he slid his hand along her thigh, sending trembles through her body. With soft strokes, he moved his hand higher, until he touched her mound through her jeans. Stroking, rubbing, he ignited her desire, and she writhed against his fingers.
With dexterous hands, he unbuckled her belt, undid the buttons of her jeans and slipped his hand inside. Pushing her panties aside, he rubbed her clit lightly and Sapphi dug her fingers into his upper arms as she pressed her eager body forward, wanting more.
And damn, he wanted to give her more. He wanted to give her everything.
She was wet, and Alex wanted to explore her inner heat. Lifting her knee, he angled her thigh to allow his fingers to probe deeper. Inserting one finger into her aching sex, he grazed her inner walls. She was tight, her body responding to his touch as if it were a new experience, but one that was as natural as breathing. He pushed her T-shirt up with his free hand, and eased her bra over her breasts, tweaking the taut bud of her nipple, while his finger probed her, his thumb stimulating her clit.
He swallowed her mewling cries as they kissed. Her excitement building, her orgasm close. Gently, he brought her to the edge of her climax, and finally pushed a second finger inside her, and stretched her inner walls. Sapphi placed a hand over his and guided him in the rhythm that took her over the edge. Small cries were drowned out as she buried her head in his chest, biting down on his shirt as she came.
Her sex tightened around his fingers, and he wished his cock was buried inside her, experiencing the pulsing, throbbing inner walls gripping him. He wished he was pumping his seed inside her, creating a new life, a new dragon. Soon. He would have to be content with soon.
She leaned against him, her breathing ragged as her orgasm subsided. Alex hated to pull his fingers out of her, he wanted to wait for her to recover and then make her come all over again. He wanted to strip her naked and spread her thighs wide, and kneel before her, kissing and licking every inch of her intimate places.
Then he wanted to fuck her. Soft and gentle, breaking her as he claimed her.
“Are you all right?” he asked, slipping his hand out of her jeans and easing her panties back into place.
“Uh-huh.” She avoided his eyes as she slid off the desk and fastened her jeans.
“Hey, Sapphi.” He tucked his finger under her chin and made her look at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Her clear innocent eyes wanted to avoid his, but he wasn’t going to let her run or hide from him.
“I know you’re a virgin.”
“It’s that obvious?” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“It bothers you?” Alex asked.
“You’re so experienced. In everything. And I’m so plain and boring.” A shuddering breath rattled through her chest.
“There is nothing plain, or boring, about you.” He kissed her lips lightly. “I have never wanted anything as much as I want you. And I have never seen anything as magnificent as your dragon streaking across the lake in the moonlight.”
She smiled shyly. “You have a silver tongue, Alex.”
“We have the whole world to explore, together. Our bodies are part of that world. We have the rest of our lives to learn exactly what the other likes.” He stroked her cheek. “I can promise you one thing.”
“What’s that?” she asked quizzically.
“You won’t be a virgin for long. I don’t think I have enough self-control.” Alex shook his head. “I mean that in a totally non-lecherous kind of a way.”
“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.” She kissed him on the cheek as she walked toward the door, straightening her hair and clothes. “I’ll make fresh coffee, while you make your calls.”
“Hey.” He caught her by the arm and pulled her back toward him. “Even if we didn’t have this bond between us, I’d still want you more than all the jewels in my treasure collection.”
Sapphi’s eyes misted over with tears. “I never thought I’d find a man who understood me.” She stroked his cheek, his skin tingled from her touch. “But I believe we do understand each other, Alex.”
“We do.” He took hold of her hand and kissed her fingers. “I like not being alone in the world anymore. It used to scare me, that when my mom passed, I’d be the last dragon. Now, I can’t imagine not being part of a family. And it gives me hope that one day, we will find others.”
“We will.” Sapphi smiled up at him, and then slipped away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
When this was over, when Archie was reunited with his mom, and hopefully his dad, then he would ask Sapphi to come with him to meet his parents and show her his dragon’s hoard. Such jewels faded in comparison to his mate’s smile, but they were beautiful nonetheless, and he would present it all to Sapphi as a wedding gift if it made her happy.
Taking his cell phone from his pocket, he sat down in Harlan’s chair and made the call to the owner of the apartment building. “Hello, Mr. Schimel? This is Alex Brenton.”
“Hello, Alex, how can I help you?” Mr. Schimel asked politely.
“I am friends with Kim two floors down from me and I wanted to send her a package. But I don’t know her last name. Do you have it?” Alex asked, playing dumb to check Kim hadn’t deceived him in a bid to conceal her identity.
“Kim…apartment 702?” Mr. Schimel paused. “Kimberly Goren. Does that help?”
“Yes, it does. Thank you.” Alex looked at the ceiling, searching for inspiration. “No other name? Her partner’s?”
“No, she was the one who took the lease out. I know she had a man hanging around for a few weeks, but I figured he was a passing boyfriend and she accide
ntally got pregnant.”
“You’re probably right.”
Alex was about to hang up, when Mr. Schimel added, “I haven’t seen her for a few days. But there was some noise coming from there this morning. I knocked, but no one answered. Maybe when you come past later today, you could check in on her?”
“I’m out of town,” Alex replied.
“Oh.” Mr. Schimel sounded confused. “I saw you leave this morning as usual. I didn’t realize you were going out of town, you must be traveling light. When my wife goes out of town, she takes two suitcases, I have no idea what she has in them.”
“Traveling light. Yes, I’ll be back in a couple of days.” Alex paused. “If not sooner. I have some business to finish up here.”
“Ah, so that’s why you want to send the package to Kimberly.” Someone called out in the background and Mr. Schimel answered, the words muffled as if he covered the receiver. “Have a good trip, Alex.”
“Goodbye.” Alex ended the call, confused by the conversation.
Had someone been back to search Kim’s apartment again? And who had Mr. Schimel mistaken for Alex?
As he left Harlan’s office, he knew one thing. He couldn’t stay here in Bear Creek. He had to go back and find out what happened to Kim, even if that meant confronting the people who wanted to hurt her.
Chapter Eleven – Sapphi
“You’re going back to your apartment?” Sapphi asked, when Alex told them the new information he’d gleaned from his landlord.
“Yes. If I can leave Archie here with you.” Alex searched the faces of the people in the room.
“Of course,” Harlan answered.
“Dad!” Sapphi shook her head at Harlan. “Alex can’t just leave. What about waiting for Kim?”
“I don’t think she’s coming. Whoever was after Kim, followed me, I’m certain. That’s why I left my car and came here on wings.”
“That’s why you were hiding out in Carter’s cabin.” Sapphi asked. “Why didn’t you say?”
“Because I wasn’t sure.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Part of me wondered if Kim had a breakdown of some kind. I left because she asked me to keep Archie safe. I believed they were in danger. I was certain I was followed, but then when I arrived here…”
“You slipped back into the normal world, and figured you had imagined the whole thing?” Harlan finished.
“Yes. Things like this don’t happen to ordinary people.” He stalked around the kitchen, beating himself up for not taking this more seriously, for not trying harder to get Kim to safety, too. “But since talking to Mr. Schimel, I’m convinced the answer is back in Kim’s apartment. If I don’t do this, I’m going to spend my whole life with this hanging over me.”
“When do we leave?” Sapphi asked, nursing a cup of coffee between her hands.
“No, I’m going alone,” Alex insisted.
“I don’t think so!” Sapphi told him firmly. “And don’t you try to talk me out of it either, Dad.”
“Oh, I won’t. I know that look. You might not have the same blood as Fiona running through your veins, but you are every inch her daughter.” Harlan glanced at Ruby, who giggled. “Don’t tell Fiona I said that.”
“I won’t,” Ruby replied. “Your cooking is better than Mom’s. And I don’t want to see one of the last remaining dragons roasted over a fire.”
“She’d skin you alive first,” Sapphi agreed, a secret smile hidden from the others.
“It looks as if I don’t have a choice,” Alex said. “Will you be ready to leave tonight?”
“We could leave right now,” Sapphi insisted.
“I planned to fly, not drive. If we fly, we could be there by morning.”
“Fly.” A new thrill of excitement coursed through her veins. Sapphi had never flown further than the top of the mountains, and down toward Wolf Valley. “How long a flight is it?”
Alex made the mental calculation. “Approximately three hundred miles. We’ll have to fly a more circular route to avoid the most populated areas. But we should easily make it in five or six hours, with a stop or two along the way.”
“Right. I’ll pack an overnight bag,” Sapphi said. “Or will we be staying longer?”
“A couple of nights, maybe more. But we can travel light and buy what we need once we’re there.” Alex took his car keys from his pocket. “I’ll drive back into Bear Creek and collect what I need from the hotel and inform them I’ll be out of town for a couple of days.” He turned to speak to Harlan. “If Kim comes to Bear Creek while we’re gone, can I direct her here?”
“Of course. This is where her son will be staying, so she’s more than welcome,” Harlan agreed.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Alex began. “To help people you don’t know…”
“You are family, and I know Archie means a lot to you, and I guess Kim does, too.” Harlan strode across the room and patted Alex on the back. “You just bring our daughter back in one piece, or I won’t be the only one skinned alive and roasted over a fire.”
“Understood.” Alex nodded, his eyes resting on Sapphi. “She’s more important to me than life itself.”
“You don’t need to prove that, either,” Harlan said. “We want you both back here. In one piece.”
“Let the man go, Dad, or we’ll never be ready in time.” Sapphi ushered Alex out of the house and walked him to the car.
“Are you sure you want to come with me?” Alex asked.
“Absolutely.” Sapphi planned to always be at Alex’s side, whatever life threw at them. “Kim and Archie’s dad might have been stronger if they’d stayed together.”
Alex stroked her arm absently. “I don’t think I could ever go a year without seeing you, without touching you, or breathing in your scent.”
“Does that make you believe he is dead?” Sapphi asked. “And you plan to persuade Kim to come back to Bear Creek, whether we find out the truth or not?”
“I do.” Alex nodded, sadness in his eyes. “I have no idea what’s going on anymore. But I do have an idea.”
“Which is?” Sapphi asked.
“Mr. Schimel thought he saw me this morning. What if someone is staying in my apartment? Wearing my clothes?”
Sapphi frowned. “You think Archie’s dad is in your apartment?” She shook her head. “But why? Why hide out there, and where is Kim?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.” Alex kissed her quickly, and then opened the car door. “Be ready and let me know what Fiona finds out.”
“The birth certificate. I will.” Sapphi waved as he drove off and then walked back to the house, deep in thought. What if Alex was being played? He said he’d made a new fortune, what if he was being targeted, and Archie had been a ploy to get him to leave his apartment. For what? So they could access his computer, get information, bank codes.
No one would do that. Not risk the life of their baby for money. Would they?
Entering the house, she went to speak to Harlan, who was making lunch for the two young boys. “Butternut squash and broccoli.” He glanced up at Sapphi. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Have you changed your mind about going with Alex?”
“No. I think he needs me more than he thinks he does.” Sapphi pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’ll help you feed these two rascals.”
“What do you mean?” Harlan set two bowls of food down on the table.
“Before you met Fiona, you were rich and single. Did anyone ever date you for your money?” Sapphi asked.
“A gold digger?” Harlan passed one of the bowls to Harlan Jr. “Of course. But don’t tell Fiona. She might go and burn them to a crisp.”
“What if that’s what’s happened to Alex?” Sapphi spoon-fed Archie, who pulled a face at the taste of the broccoli.
“How do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Something feels off about this whole thing. What shifter in their right mind could stay away from their mate for a year or more?” Sapphi studied Archie while she though
t it over. “He’s eight months old. Then there’s the pregnancy. His dad walked away from his mate and his child.”
Harlan made a sound Sapphi took as agreement. “Or he could be dead.”
Sapphi nodded sadly. “Or he could be dead. Which is the most likely scenario.”
“And you are making up a different chain of events because you don’t want to face that fact.” Harlan’s voice was gentle as he spoke. “Because you lost your parents.”
Sapphi sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes. “You truly are a wise old dragon.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m so lucky to have you as my dad.”
Harlan kissed the top of her head. “Not as lucky as I am to have you and Ruby as my daughters. And Chrysi. I’ve been blessed to have all three of you in my life.”
“I guess I need to hang on to the belief that there are happy ever afters, even if they don’t come in the way you expect.” She fed Archie the last of the food. “See, it wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Archie smacked his lips together and grinned.
“He’s got a tooth coming.” Harlan rubbed his gums with his clean finger.
“And what about you, Harlan Jr.? How do you feel about our family expanding?” Sapphi asked her brother.
“Spanding. Sapph. Rube.” Harlan Jr. clapped his hands. “Dadda.”
“He makes as much sense as his father,” Fiona said, surprising Sapphi as she entered the kitchen, but Harlan was already out of his chair, kissing her in welcome and hugging her close.
“Coffee, honeybunch?” Harlan asked, and received a scowl.
“We weren’t expecting you home,” Sapphi said as she scooted over for Fiona to sit down next to Harlan Jr.
“I was passing through Bear Creek on my way to visit Dean and Elizabeth. They have two new foster children who are a bit of a handful.”
“I didn’t know they are fostering again.” Harlan poured a mug of coffee for Fiona. “Do you want lunch, too? Butternut squash and broccoli are the vegetables of choice.”
Fiona pulled a face. “A chicken salad sandwich would be lovely.” Fiona sipped her coffee. “I persuaded them to give the two siblings a temporary home. They’re shifters, and the boy is particularly volatile. I know it’s because he’s had to protect his sister, but it’s a fine line between disciplining him and supporting him. Dean always was one of the best foster parents I’ve ever met.”
Single Daddy Dragon Page 7
