Once Upon A Dragon

by Selena Kitt

  “I’m just wondering if maybe you’re not over... something else?” He didn’t look away when she glared at him, anticipating where this was going. “Or someone else.”

  “You don’t know me.” She got up, turning her back on him to wash her hands at the sink. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “I know you got a booty call last night from your ‘friend’, Stuart. I know he left you this note.” Kai pointed at the piece of paper still sitting on the kitchen table as Jules dried her hands on a dish towel. She felt her cheeks redden. In all the early morning chaos, she’d completely forgotten about the note. “I know he’s using you, even if you consider him a friend. And I have a feeling you’re hung up on him. Am I wrong?”

  “Okay, I think it’s time for you to go,” Jules said brusquely, tossing the dish towel on the counter. “Thanks for playing delivery boy.”

  Both Kai’s eyebrows went up, but he stood, a head taller than her. She barely met most men eye to eye—her mother used to call her model-tall, at five-foot-ten—even when she wasn’t wearing heels or cowboy boots.

  Jules began gathering up kittens by the scruff of the neck, putting them back into the cardboard box. She’d take them out to the barn when she escorted Mr. Know-It-All to his car. She’d have to pick up kitten food later, but milk would have to do for now.

  A knock on the door made them both look up, but Kai reached it before she did—her arms were full of kittens-in-a-box. Inwardly, Jules groaned. She had a feeling it was Stuart, come to ask for his favor, which would involve a checkbook on her part and a lot of promises to pay her back on his. After Kai’s remark, it was the last thing she needed, to have Stuart show up now.

  Jules was surprised to see one of her clients and his mother standing in the doorway. She didn’t have any appointments today.

  “Carolyn?” Jules put the cardboard box of kittens on the kitchen table and took a step toward the door. She glanced down at the little boy at his mother’s side. His eyes were big, blue saucers behind his glasses, which made him look a little fish-eyed. His bright, red hair was a ginger mop, and golden freckles dotted his nose and cheeks. He looked up and gave her a gap-toothed smile. He was missing the top front two.

  “My mom said we could come see Francis Bacon.” The little boy spoke up without hesitation. It was hard to believe this was the reticent, timid child she had met just six months earlier.

  “We didn’t have an appointment?” Jules tilted her head at Carolyn, who gave a helpless shrug.

  “I know.” The woman ran a hand over her own mane of red hair, pulled back into a mommy-ponytail, looking down at her son. “I was just hoping you’d let him see the horse. He kind of insisted. All night long.”

  “You been giving your mom a tough time, Evan?” Jules put her hands on her hips and looked mock-sternly at the boy. Evan had a penchant for temper tantrums, something they’d been working on.

  “Pwease, Jewel?” Evan never added the “s” to her nickname. As if Down’s Syndrome wasn’t enough, the universe had given him a cleft palate at birth, which had left him with a speech impediment, even after it had been corrected. “I pwomise I just want to pet him.”

  “I think you should come back when you have an appointment,” Kai said, surprising her. Jules had almost forgotten he was there.

  She gave him a disapproving side-eye. “Of course, you can pet him. Let me get my boots on. I’ll meet you in the barn.”

  “Thank you so much.” Carolyn’s shoulders sagged with relief. “He just wouldn’t stop asking.”

  Jules headed to the bedroom, leaving Kai in the kitchen. She was sitting on her bed, pulling on socks, when he appeared in the doorway.

  “Well, I can see why you’re not making any money.” He leaned against the door frame, his body filling it, arms crossed over his chest. Those tattoos peeked out underneath the sleeves of his t-shirt, a hint of what lay underneath.

  “That’s none of your business.” Jules yanked on one of her riding boots and zipped it. “Didn’t I ask you to leave?”

  “What do you want me to do with the kittens?” Kai changed the subject.

  “I’ll take them out to the barn.” Jules pulled on her other riding boot and zipped it. “I’ll call Cass and thank her. Don’t worry about it.”

  She stood and headed out of the bedroom, but he was in the way. He didn’t move, even when she nudged him with her hip. He just stood there, looking down at her.

  “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re particularly stubborn?”

  “No.” She lied. The phrase her mother had most often said to her had been, don’t cut your nose off to spite your face. “Can you move, please?”

  Kai stepped back, making a sweeping gesture with his arm, with a slight bow. Jules rolled her eyes but went past him into the kitchen.

  She found the orange kitten out of the box already, padding around the kitchen table like it was Pride Rock and it was good to be the king. She swept him up into the box and hefted it in her arms.

  At the door, she struggled with the knob, nearly dropping the box, and catching it at the last moment. The door was stuck again.

  “What would it take for you to ask for help?” Kai stepped around her and leaned against the wall, not moving to open the door or take the box. “Kerosene and a match, maybe?”

  “I don’t need your help.” She gritted her teeth and tried the door again. No luck. The box wobbled in her arms, kittens mewling with alarm.

  “You keep saying that.” Kai wrapped one long arm around the box, taking it from her, and pulling the door open with the other. “But I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

  She went past him without a word, going down the stairs of the wrap-around front porch and heading quickly toward the barn.

  To Jules, the smell of manure and horses was the most familiar and comforting one in the world. She suppressed a snort of laughter when she heard Kai gag as he entered the barn with his box full of kittens.

  Evan was already petting the chestnut stallion he usually rode. Most of her horses were mares, but Francis Bacon was gentle and obedient, making him perfect for equine therapy. Evan had climbed up the stall door, so he could rest his cheek against Francis Bacon’s long neck and hug him. The horse didn’t seem to mind at all.

  “Thank you, Miss Jewel.” Evan said this without even opening his eyes. “I missed him.”

  “Yes, thank you.” Carolyn blinked fast, looking away, but not before Jules saw they were moist with brimming tears. Carolyn couldn’t afford her regular fee and even with the sliding-scale discount, was almost two months behind in making payments. But Jules hadn’t stopped their sessions, not wanting Evan to lose any hard-won progress he’d already made. And he’d made quite a bit.

  “Okay, Evan. Can we go now?” his mother called. “I promise, we’ll stop at the K-Mart, so you can ride the horsey out front.”

  “Noooo,” the little boy wailed, his thin arms tightening around the horse’s neck. “I want to ride Francis Bacon!”

  Jules looked at Carolyn and they both knew a tantrum was coming. She probably should have just turned them away at her front door, but it was hard to have any resolve when you looked at Evan’s swimming blue eyes in his little round face.

  “Hey.” Kai spoke up, putting the cardboard box of kittens on the ground. “Hey Evan, want to see what I have in this box?”

  Evan opened his eyes and turned to look at Kai where he was now squatting in front of the box of kittens. Curious, Evan climbed down from the stall door and edged toward the box. Evan wasn’t good with strangers or new people. His anxiety level was apparent in the shift of his eyes from Kai to his mother and back again, but his curiosity got the better of him.

  “Kittens!” The little boy reached into the box, suddenly unmindful of Kai watching him. Meowing and scrambling for attention, eight kittens tried to claw their way out.

  “Sit down.” Kai nodded at the little boy, who did as he was told, planting his butt on the dirt floor. Th
en Kai tipped the box toward him and a flood of fur poured out.

  Evan squealed with delight as eight curious kittens crawled everywhere on him. He fell to his back, giggling, trying to pet them all at once.

  Kai glanced up at Jules, a devilish smirk on his face, eyes bright with amusement. She couldn’t help smiling back, at least a little. He’d made Evan blissfully happy and had effectively turned the boy’s attention from his beloved horse to this new, delightful distraction.

  “Do you want to take one home?” Kai looked questioningly up at Carolyn. “They’re free.”

  “Can we? Pwease, Mom?” Evan sat up, kittens pooling on his lap.

  Poor Carolyn looked trapped, but when she looked at her son’s happy face, she relented.

  “Okay, I guess.” Carolyn pursed her lips for a moment, considering. “But you have to feed him and clean up after him.”

  “I pwomise!” Evan exclaimed, trying to hug all the kittens at once.

  “Which one do you want?” Carolyn asked her son, scooping up the white kitten at her feet and scratching it behind the ears. “This one’s cute.”

  “If it were me, I’d pick the orange one,” Kai advised with a sage nod.

  Evan frowned at him, then looked at the orange kitten already getting into mischief among the riding crops and saddles. All those straps and loops were clearly overwhelmingly appealing to felines.

  “Okay,” the little boy said agreeably, hopping up and retrieving the orange kitten from his perch. “Can we stop and get him food? And a collar? And toys?”

  Carolyn suddenly looked like she regretted saying ‘yes’—she clearly hadn’t anticipated all those kitten-needs.

  “Sure you can,” Kai said, standing, and reaching into his back pocket. The little boy was engrossed with his new pet as Kai slipped a fifty out of his wallet and held it out to Carolyn.

  “No...” She looked up at him in shock, shaking her head. “I can’t...”

  “What is it with women who can’t accept a little help now and then?” Kai scowled and reached over, slipping the bill into the front pocket of Carolyn’s hoodie. “Now go buy that cat some toys to play with. And don’t forget a scratching post.”

  Jules hid a smile at this remark as Carolyn thanked him and Evan proudly carried his new pet out to their waiting car.

  “Thank you for that.” Jules didn’t look at Kai as they stood side by side, watching Carolyn turn the rusty Dodge Shadow around and head back down the long driveway. Evan twisted around in his seatbelt to wave and Jules waved back.

  “You mean paying her to take it?” Kai asked as he lifted a hand to wave at the disappearing car. “That was the cat that bit me.”

  Jules tried hard not to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself. “So much for altruism.”

  “I never do anything selfless.” Kai turned to look down at her. She kind of liked the way she had to tilt her face up to see his eyes. They were even lighter in the morning sun. It was so early, dew still dotted the grass and she saw a few of the kittens walking tentatively on it.

  “Never?” She raised her eyebrows. “You should never say never.”

  “Not anymore.” There was steel in his voice and Jules thought there was a story behind those words. One she sensed he wouldn’t tell her, even if she asked. “So—that said—are you ready to accept my help?”

  “You mean, as long as there’s something in it for you?”

  “Exactly.” A slow smile spread across Kai’s face. She hated to admit it, but while his smoldering scowl was sexy, he was even hotter when he smiled. Maybe because he did it so rarely. “Then it’s not charity, right? It’s just... a mutually beneficial arrangement. Like me paying them to take Kittenzilla out of here.”

  “Okay, fine.” She laughed again at that, shaking her head, but relenting, at least a little. “Tell me what you have in mind.”

  “Go to dinner with me tonight and I will.”

  Jules started to protest but he put a finger to her lips. His touch was gentle, his eyes dancing with light.

  “I told you—no selfless acts. You want my help. We meet on neutral ground and negotiate the terms.”

  Negotiate the terms. It was all very businesslike, but for some reason, the phrase made her feel suddenly warm despite the cool morning air.

  Instead of answering—she suddenly didn’t trust her voice—she just nodded.

  “I’ll send a car for you at seven.” Kai brushed something off her shoulder—grass or hay or lint, she had no idea. “And uhhh—as much as I like the look of you in these riding boots, maybe you could wear heels?”

  She nodded again, dumbly, wondering why in the world she was agreeing to this “date.” It’s not a date. We’re negotiating terms. For what, she had no idea. She told herself she’d go, hear him out, and politely decline. It was perfect, really. She’d kill two birds with one stone. She could tell Cass she’d gone out with Kai, but they didn’t click—and she could tell this persistent man ‘no’, for the last time, to whatever propositions he had in mind, business or otherwise.

  Kai turned and headed toward his car. It was a BMW, and she thought it had likely been spotless before he drove it down her driveway. Now it was covered with dirt and dust.

  “About last night.” Kai stopped at the driver’s side door, looking at her over the car’s navy-blue roof. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  She stared at him, blankly.

  “Your song,” he went on. “When I said I’d never heard anything like it before?”

  “Oh. That.” She willed herself not to blush. The memory of his reaction still burned in her, something she didn’t quite understand.

  “It must mean something to you?” It was a question, a far too personal one she told herself not to answer.

  But she found herself answering anyway. “It was my parents’ song. The song they were playing when they met, when they got married.”

  “Ah.” He gave a little nod and she saw the ghost of a smile play on his lips. “Well, it was beautiful. You have a rare gift.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing.

  “I didn’t pick it,” she called as he started to get into the car. She didn’t know why she felt it was so important for him to know that.

  “No?” Kai leaned an elbow on the car roof.

  “Cass did. Ms. Matchmaker.” Jules rolled her eyes, twirling a finger around her ear. “Probably thought it could be our song. Yours and mine. If... you know, if her crazy scheme worked. Then we’d have this story to tell our grandkids someday or something...”

  “Our grandkids.” The corner of his mouth twitched.

  “Not that we’re ever having any grandkids,” she protested, back pedaling. “Or kids for that matter.”

  “Well, like you said...” Kai said smoothly. “Never say never.”

  Jules refused to give him the satisfaction of watching him drive away, so she slipped inside and watched from the kitchen window, her heart beating so fast it was like a hummingbird trapped in her chest.

  The man was arrogant and insufferable. And she was going to tell him that tonight as soon as she got the chance.

  But first, she had to find something to wear.

  CHAPTER THREE—Kai

  Rescuing damsels in distress wasn’t his thing. Kai left that to the knights in shining armor. Granted, there weren’t many of those left in the world, armor or not. But that wasn’t his problem. That’s what he kept telling himself, every time Cass Wilde insisted he had to meet Julianna Monroe. According to Cass, the girl needed his help. She was going to lose her ranch if someone didn’t step in, and the poor thing had lost her parents at such an early age—just eighteen.

  Kai listened, nodded, told Cass to have Jules call him. He wasn’t averse to having her as a client and giving her financial advice. That’s what he did “for a living.” At least, that’s what he told people, but Kai didn’t really need to make a living. He had so much money hoarded away in various accounts around the globe, it
would make the Rockefellers drool with envy. He offered financial advice to people he liked and trusted—mostly because he was good at making money grow and it was fun—and in his mind, he thought all the members of the Wilde clan resided in both of those camps.

  But despite Cass’s mention of Jules nearly every time he saw her, even just casually, the phone didn’t ring. So, he didn’t worry about it. Clearly, the woman didn’t want his help. The damsel might be in distress, but she obviously didn’t need rescuing. Or she thought she could rescue herself. And, who knew, maybe she could. Either way...

  She’s not my problem.

  And then he’d heard her sing.

  He didn’t know what had come over him, but the minute she opened her mouth and sang the first note, he’d been utterly captivated. He was still bewildered by it, even now, and had been cursing himself since for going to the Full Moon the night before with Zach. Jules had rebuffed him at the bar and refused his offer of help. Her prerogative. He figured he’d just have a few drinks, talk to the Wildes for a while, and head home.

  But then she’d gotten up onto that stage, and somehow, he forgot all about her rejection. She’d been a beautiful woman before she went up there—long, chestnut hair that fell in ringlets halfway down her back, chocolate brown eyes with little gold flecks that seemed to flicker when she was mad, which was all the time—but her voice had transformed her into something unearthly, almost angelic. It had disarmed him completely. Kai found himself drawn to the stage like steel to a magnet.

  Cass and her kittens had provided him with an excuse to see her again, but as he sat in his living room waiting for Jules to arrive for dinner, he had to admit he would have found another reason if one hadn’t presented itself.

  He didn’t just want to see her again—he had to see her again.

  And he couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out why.

  “The car is here, Sir.”

  Kai glanced up to see Sebastian standing in the doorway, announcing Jules’s arrival. The old man quirked a quizzical eyebrow at him when Kai didn’t move or speak at his announcement. His valet—well, Sebastian was far more than that, a sort of jack-of-all-trades manservant, if such a thing could be said to exist in the twenty-first century—had already been intrigued by Kai’s insistence on a formal dinner, which required Sebastian to shop and cook a gourmet meal before donning a coat and tails to serve them.