Alicia raised an eyebrow, giving her an obvious once-over. “So some news you want to share?”
“Not really.”
Alicia looked hurt by her short reply.
“Sorry. Okay, that website you sent me was all right. I can’t believe how quickly I was asked on a date.”
“Oh God, that was a joke, Jamie. Don’t let some creepo lock you in his basement or something. I’m so sorry.”
Now it was Jamie’s turn to feel hurt. “So only crazy basement-locking-serial-killer-guys would date me, is that what you’re saying, Alicia?”
“Oh no, that’s not what I meant. This isn’t going well. I saw the site and thought it was cute. I had no idea it was a real dating site. I sent the link as a joke because last week you texted about the boob brusher and said only guys into dark and morbid wanted you. I’m so sorry. So this guy is he…ah…normal.”
“This is why I didn’t want to say anything until after I’d been out with him. He has a weird job, like me, but he looks hot if his picture is real.”
“Hot is good.” Alicia paused and a dubious look crossed her face. “How weird is his job?”
“Weird, but who am I to judge?”
“Mortician isn’t a weird job. It just makes people think about death. What does this guy actually do?” Alicia’s eyes seemed to shine with curiosity. Jamie realized she was making it worse by prolonging her confession.
“Don’t freak out. He’s a performer.”
Alicia titled her head to the side slightly and frowned. “Like he acts? What do you mean?”
“He’s a variety act.”
“What’s that?” Alicia looked very concerned.
“Just keep this between us. He eats fire at that club, Images of Imagination. Don’t look at me like that, stop it, Alicia!”
Alicia looked like she was going to pass out. She wasn’t normally judgmental, but clearly, fire-eating exceeded her consideration tolerances.
“Really? You’re so straight laced and responsible, this just doesn’t sound like a good match. Maybe you should just cancel?”
“I’m not canceling. I’ll text you tomorrow.” She took the nozzle out of her car and tightened the gas cap. She was glad she’d swiped her card to pay at the pump during the awkward conversation, because she was mad now. Alicia was her best friend and knew how much she wanted to find someone special. She didn’t even look back at the red-faced blonde. She’d let Alicia apologize later, but right now she was too mad.
The conversation had taken away the minutes she thought she’d have to be early, so instead of being thirty minutes early she was five minutes late. She walked inside the restaurant and a cute teen greeted her.
“Welcome to Rodeo Steak House, I’m Melinda the hostess, table for one?”
“I’m meeting someone, Melinda.”
“Wonderful, are you Jamie?”
Surprised she gave the young woman a strange look. “Your date let me know to expect you. He’s already ordered an appetizer for you. He’s a regular here, so trust his choice. I’ve seated you both by the fountain, it’s pretty and quiet.” Jamie followed the girl through the restaurant. It smelled like beef and onions everywhere. Her stomach growled as she inhaled the smell of cooking meat. She hadn’t bothered to eat today. Now she regretted it. She didn’t want to inhale her food on a first date.
He hadn’t lied about his looks. Darrick was the hottest man she’d ever gone on a date with, and it made her nervous. She almost wished he’d sent a different man’s picture because looking at him only made her feel more self-conscious about her plain brown hair, plain brown eyes, and the thirty pounds too much she carried mostly on her backside. She doubted Darrick ever felt like the “ugly” one on a first date. Sitting down she took the menu Melinda offered. Then, she noticed the woman ogling her date. Annoyance instantly roared up inside of her. The woman knew he was on a date. The blonde server was gorgeous. It didn’t help Jamie’s feelings of inadequacy dissipate.
“I’m so glad you came,” Darrick said, and Jamie felt his genuine interest all the way to the tips of her toes. She grinned.
“I’m so glad you asked.”
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Melinda interrupted, sounded strangely put out.
“I’ll take a cola please, whatever brand you serve,” Jamie answered without looking at the woman. Her focus was entirely on Darrick. His eyes were beautiful, grey, and she couldn’t make herself stop staring. She heard the sound of Melinda leaving.
“So Melinda said you ordered an appetizer and you’re a regular here. What do you recommend?” Jamie decided to open the conversation with something safe and neutral.
“Steak, rare, but if you need to destroy yours by burning it I guess I’ll have to accept it,” he teased.
She chuckled and looked at the menu. When she put it down, he was still staring at her in a way that made her feel like the only one in the room. The feeling wasn’t one she’d ever experienced before. Normally, her dates would’ve been the ones giving the pretty waitress an appreciative once-over.
“I like the atmosphere here. Did you see the line dancers by the door? How fun is that?” She felt overwhelmed by just how intently he was staring at her and was trying to distract him. He smiled at her. A smile like his should be a crime. He was just too hot for reality.
She wished he’d say something. Damn it, he’s looking at me as if he wants to eat me up. He chuckled as she thought her fleeting thought, but he did pull his eyes away and she let out a sigh of relief. He was just too intense, and she didn’t know how to deal with that. “I haven’t been out on a date in a very long time.” His voice was sad as he made the confession.
“That’s surprising. You’re very attractive, and with your exotic occupation I’d imagine you’d have fans lined up down the block to spend time with you,” Jamie replied candidly. She felt the heat of her flush warm her cheeks as she realized how terrible her words sounded. “I mean, you’re the kind of man many women would want.” That sounded even worse. Oh, God, what’s he probably thinking of me?
“You’re delightful. I have been without companionship for far too long. I made this choice after I lost my mate—wife. She died, and I did all I could, but nature won and I was helpless to defeat death and keep her with me.”
In her line of work, she’d heard many people speak of death, but she’d never heard it put quite like this. “I’m sorry. You’re so young. Her death must have come as a real shock. There’s never anything someone else can say to take away your pain, and it’s a suffering you’d never want to just give away, but I’m sure she knew you loved her.” With his intense eyes, how could any woman not see this man’s emotions? She liked open people.
“We hide in different ways, Jamie. Expressing one’s self openly doesn’t mean we are without our secrets.”
Whoa, this guy is perceptive. Maybe I’m eye-talking my impressions. He chuckled again and she did all she could to wipe any trace of her shock from her face. She wanted to ask how his wife died, but she didn’t want to be rude.
“My wife wasn’t strong enough to…” He trailed off and looked unsure. Once again, his words were eerily mind reader accurate.
“What wasn’t she strong enough for?” Jamie’s voice was sympathetic.
“It doesn’t matter now, she’s gone.”
“How long has it been?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer. She hoped he’d given himself proper time to grieve or this wasn’t going to go anywhere.
Darrick gave her an ironic smile, and she could see he was amused with her, but she had no idea why that simple question could be funny.
“Let’s just say it’s been a very long time,” he replied cryptically.
The man couldn’t be over thirty-five. She wondered if very long was six months or six years. Vague didn’t sit well with her.
Melinda returned with Jamie’s drink and the appetizer. The platter of deep fried delights looked delicious. She could see it was an assortment of jalapenos, pick
les, and a couple of other deep fried vegetables. Batter rendered some of them almost unrecognizable. He picked up one and dipped it in sauce. She did the same thing. When he glanced up at her and grinned, she bit her lip to keep from sighing.
“Are you ready to order?” Melinda asked the question directly to Darrick. Her focus was so intently on him that Jamie had the urge to wave her hand in front of the woman’s face.
“Yes, I’ll have your Rancher’s steak platter, no potatoes just bring me the steak as rare as your chef will allow,” he ordered then turned to Jamie. “You would like this as well, only with your meat ruined?”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “I’ll take the smaller steak, the six ounce please, well done. I’ll have the Rancher Fries please, but leave the chili sauce off please.”
Melinda didn’t look at Jamie at all, but nodded. “I’ll get that right in for you. Is there anything, anything else I can do for you?” The server pressed her breasts so close to Darrick Jamie worried the poor man might lose an eye. Is it my imagination or is the woman getting more ridiculous as the night goes on?
Darrick glanced at her and snorted a quick laugh. Jamie realized he knew the woman was practically offering herself as the meal too. The man was too hot for her own good. It would never work. She should just leave before she really started to like him.
“That would be a shame,” he said frowning. Melinda walked away, but kept looking back over her shoulder at Darrick.
Now she was freaking out. Not a single word had left her lips, and yet he knew exactly what she was thinking. Something felt off with him, but she’d been ignoring the nagging sensation of twilight-zone-welcome-sign she’d been experiencing since she’d sat down. It was no longer ignorable.
“Are you reading my mind?”
“If I said yes, would you leave?”
This question made her pause. Would she leave? Clearly, he was doing something nefarious, or at least creepy, but she still felt intrigued. She’d always suffered unquenchable curiosity.
“Probably not.”
“How can I turn that probably into a definitely not, Jamie?” Those pearly-white-dentist-envy teeth flashed at her again and she relaxed a little in her seat. She should run instead of settling back.
Jamie picked up another tasty morsel and popped it into her mouth. “Well, you could tell me how you know what I’m thinking. Is it some kind of good guess thing, or do you have some special skill they only teach fire-eaters at fire-eating 101?”
He laughed and the amusement made the corners of his eyes crinkle. He sat back and looked at her for a moment silently.
“You don’t know me. I don’t know you. However, I have a—talent for reading people, knowing them far more quickly than other people can. I like you, Jamie, a lot. I think you’re just the woman I’ve been hoping to find.”
She frowned. “Wow, that’s got to be the worse pick up line ever. I bet you say that to all your dates.”
“I don’t date, Jamie, I mate.”
What an odd thing to say. At least he’s honest. All guys want to get naked on the first date; they just don’t have the courage to say it.
“No, Jamie, not sex. I have sex with women. I’m not a monk. I just don’t date. I’m looking for my mate. If I wanted sex we’d have been doing that already.”
Offensive much? Too Hot Darrick really needs to get over himself. I’m not that kind of girl.
She prepared to stand, but he reached out and put his hand on her arm. “I want you to stay.” It wasn’t a request, it was an order and she felt completely irritated now. He’d just have to eat her well-done steak, because she was leaving. Things were getting too damn crazy.
Two young women came over to the table interrupting the tense moment. “Hi,” they said to him in unison. Staring at him with adoration, they giggled. Jamie’s mouth fell open a bit. Melinda’s behavior was bad enough, but she could easily chalk that up to the desire for a good tip, but these random women really seemed strange. They just kept staring at Darrick as if he was a movie star. Oh duh, they probably saw one of his shows. Well, now a groupie can just keep him company. I’m out of here.
He still held her arm. She didn’t want to make a scene so she decided to wait until the giggling twenty-somethings left.
“Can I help you, ladies?” he asked quietly, sounding a bit agitated.
“We want you to know if you want some company. We’re both single,” the taller woman said, blushing, while her companion just giggled.
“No, thank you, I have the company I desire this evening,” he told them a bit gruffly.
Another woman came up behind them. She craned her neck to see around the first two women. This was getting out of hand. Jamie tried to shake off his hold subtly. She didn’t want to sit here to watch an autograph session. The third woman pushed the shorter one and began sliding into the booth on Jamie’s side, trapping her. She helplessly slid over for the bizarre newcomer.
“Hi, I’m Pam. I’m single, twenty-nine, I have a dog and a bird, I like the beach, and I don’t snore. Can I go home with you tonight?” There was a strange overly bright look in her eyes. Jamie wondered if she was on drugs. She gaped at the woman, shocked by the proposition.
“Am I invisible?” she asked Darrick helplessly. She was ready to go, but the odd spectacle intrigued her and just as she’d watched When Bears Attack without meaning to on cable, she couldn’t stop watching this.
“I’m sorry, Jamie, I will dampen it,” he apologized, confusing her further. She didn’t know what he meant by “dampen”.
A moment later, the first two women turned wordlessly and walked away as if they were in a trance. The woman sitting next to Jamie did a double take in her direction and jumped a bit in her seat. “Oh, yikes,” she muttered, quickly sliding out of the booth and rushing away.
“What the hell was that?” Jamie asked Darrick, raising her eyebrow and staring at him.
“I like that you have a strong will, Jamie. I believe you are strong enough.”
Whatever he thought she was strong enough for he didn’t elaborate on. Jamie grabbed her purse and rushed away from him and the insanity that was their date. She was almost to her car when he caught up to her. When he gripped her upper arm, she was ready to scream for help.
“Calm yourself. I won’t do anything to you that you do not request. I was testing you inside and I’m amazed at your level of resistance. I’ve never met a woman who could so quickly acclimate to me. I do not want you to walk away.”
“What’s really going on? Were you using hypnosis in there? Did you use a skill like that to make all the women go wacko? I noticed Melinda became more and more attentive to you, and I felt something at first too. What did you do to us, Darrick?”
She almost asked him what he was, but that question just sounded nutty. He had to have learned some kind of mind tricks. Given his job as a performer this explanation made the most sense.
“I don’t play tricks, Jamie, and asking me what I am is the correct question.”
She didn’t reply. He smiled at her with a kind understanding that irritated her already angry mind.
“I’m not human. I’m the last of my kind. Once I had a wife—mate—who was as I am, but she died along with our children and the rest of our people, a thousand years ago. I have been searching for a woman with an open mind and heart who has inner strength for many years. My most recent mate was human, but she didn’t have the strength to resist my natural radiance, and in the end, she became like those women in the restaurant, a mindless slave to my body. She died from her obsession with me. I don’t want to watch that happen again. It’s been fifty years since I’ve had a mate and I’m lonely. Jamie, I think you’re the woman I’ve sought.”
She gaped at him. She’d expected many things to go wrong tonight, but inhuman wasn’t even on her radar. She should’ve listened to Alicia. “You’re crazy. You need help.” She started to pull away but his face morphed into something terrifying for an instant and then he was the unus
ually handsome Darrick again.
“What are you?” she breathed, unable to leave without knowing the truth.
“I’m the last Dragon Lord. There are many legends, filled with half truths, but I am a dragon.”
She didn’t know what to say. Oh, why did I sign up for that cyber dating site?
“I require a mate. You too require a mate. Please, give me tonight to prove that I am what you seek as well. I will not harm you, and if you do not feel as I hope you will, you may go in the morning and I will not pursue you against your will. Please give me one night. This is a unique opportunity. I am the last of my kind.”
She wasn’t into anything freaky. Maybe he was pushing his mojo at her, but she felt her heart beating faster. “How do I know you aren’t going to throw me in some kind of pit and force me to be your sex slave or something?”
He threw his head back and laughed. She scowled at him and he cut off his humor, giving her a serious look. “I do not lie. You have my promise of security. Give me one night.”
She’d never done anything reckless in her life. This was her chance to bungee jump, sky dive, and eats-a-reality-game-show-dare all in one sexy package. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. It had been so long since she’d had sex. Her eyes popped open. “Yes.”
He smiled a sinfully sexy smile. “You will not regret this.”
She hoped he was right.
Part Two
Darrick’s drove her out of town. Panic welled in her chest. She didn’t say a word as the car wove through the hills out into the rural area about twenty miles from town. They drove off the main highway onto a gravel driveway.
“Where are we going?” she asked tensely.
“My home. I promise you I have no dungeon to lock you away from the world. I will keep my word.”
At the end of the drive, a unique a frame exterior came into view. Jamie was surprised to see it was an earth home. From the outside, it looked beautiful. He parked the car and opened her door. He offered her his hand and she stood. Without a word, he led her inside. She followed him anxiously. Running was still an option. Someone on the highway would stop for her.
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