by Meg Ripley
“Yucky!” the little girl replied.
“Okay, how about some pork steak?”
“Steak?”
“Um, no. It’s a little bit different than the kind we usually have. But there might be some beef steak in here.” That was one thing he did know how to cook. He set Stephanie down so he could dig through the fridge more easily, but couldn’t find it.
The phone rang, so dinner would have to be put off for a few more minutes. He grabbed the cordless off the kitchen counter. “Hello?”
“Well, I hope you’re happy,” seethed a bitter voice from the other end.
A row of shimmering spikes emerged along the back of Damien’s neck. Rubbing his free hand over his forehead, he paused to collect himself before responding, and the spiny projections slowly melded with his human flesh once again. “What do you want, Linda?”
“What do I want? I thought you already knew that, which was exactly why you took it away from me. You don’t think I know, but I do.”
“It would be nice if you were direct for once. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Damien dodged across the kitchen to stop Stephanie from getting into a knife drawer. Instead, he opened a cabinet full of Tupperware and let her have at it.
Linda made a noise of disgust. “Yeah, right. I know the only reason you insisted on taking custody of Stephanie was because you wanted to get your revenge on me. Well, it’s not going to work, Damien. I’m her mother, and she should be with me.”
Damien tipped his eyes up to the ceiling and drew in a deep breath. Linda had only been out of the house for a week. It would have been sooner if he’d had his way, but she refused to leave until the divorce was final. Even so, he had already realized just how peaceful things were around the house without her. The fights they used to have were so intense that it was nearly impossible for them not to shift, and having two dragons thrashing about inside a mansion in Beverly Hills could get a little too expensive, even for them. “We’ve been over this, and I don’t see any point in covering it again. You can say whatever you want, but the judge’s word is final.”
“Only because you paid him off.”
“No, I didn’t!” Stephanie turned her big eyes to him when she heard his raised voice, and Damien paused for a moment to try to calm himself down yet again. Linda was trying to drag him into an argument. It was what she was good at, and it had taken him far too long to figure it out. The knowledge wouldn’t have saved their marriage, but it might have saved him a few years of grief. He couldn’t remember the last time they had actually gotten along. “I’m not arguing with you about this. Be an adult. For once.”
“Oh, trust me, I am. I’m having a blast now that I don’t have your sorry ass dragging me down anymore.” Her voice dripped with venom, even over the phone.
“Good for you, but I’m pretty sure I never stopped you before.” He reached into the fridge for a container of macaroni and cheese, unable to keep the memories from flooding to the forefront of his mind once again. He’d been heartbroken when he discovered Linda’s infidelity and could still feel the surge of anger and jealousy in his chest when he caught her with another man—a human, at that. The saddest part was that he hadn’t been surprised, and at that moment, he’d realized that the two of them hadn’t been in love for a long time.
“You’re right. You haven’t. You were always so nice to me, Damien. There are so many awful people here in Hollywood, but I could always count on you to be there for me. It’s what made me fall in love with you in the first place.”
He recognized the cajoling tone in her voice, and he was thankful that he wasn’t that gullible anymore. Linda had realized that she couldn’t get him riled, so now she was trying a different tactic. “I don’t want to hear this.”
“But Damien, you and I were so good together. You had your music and I had my shows. We never even got a chance to collaborate like we always wanted to, with you finding the perfect opening music for my latest series. I think that’s something we could still do. There are so many things we could still do.”
Damien pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, trying to decide whether or not he should hang up. He was incredibly tempted; after all, Linda had been calling him almost every day. But he also knew what happened when he hung up on her. The last time he did it, she called back incessantly until he’d had to turn off the ringer for the rest of the night. That wasn’t something he really wanted to put up with, considering he still had a few calls he needed to make for work.
“Linda, just stop. You and I are done. We weren’t good together, and that’s okay, but it’s time for both of us to move on. I just want to do my job, take care of Stephanie, and live my life.”
Another snort of disgust came over the receiver. She was back to her original tactics. “You’re pathetic, Damien. You think I can’t see straight through you? You were so bent out of shape about me sleeping around a little, but you just said you’ve moved on. Who are you fucking?”
It wasn’t any of her business, and the question didn’t even deserve an answer, but it was difficult not to defend himself. “I’m not sleeping with anyone, and I never said I was. I’ve got to go.”
“Sure. Take the easy way out. That’s always been the way you’ve done things. But let me tell you something: there is no way you can handle this on your own. You can’t work and take care of Stephanie. You’ll be begging me to come back to you in less than a month; mark my words.”
“Don’t hold your breath on that one. Look, I’ve got to get going.” He clicked the button before any more of her vile words could spill from the receiver. He was so sick of her. Maybe he and Stephanie could take a vacation and just get away from everything for a week. But he had plenty of work to do still, and he wasn’t sure how easy it would be to take a two-year-old out of town.
With a sigh, he set down the phone. Stephanie had pulled all of the plastic containers out of the cabinet and was happily stacking them on top of each other. She was adorable and good-natured, and she was everything Damien needed in his life. But as much as he didn’t want to admit Linda was right, he knew that he couldn’t really do this on his own. Working from home was great when he had the chance, but he still had to get out and scout new talent and attend business meetings. If Stephanie was older, things might have been different. He could have left her with his mother for a few hours a day. But she was still so young, and she needed so much attention. Damien touched one of her curls, hoping he knew the right way to take care of this tender life he was in charge of.
She looked up at him, her attention drawn away from her play for a moment. “Dinner?”
“I’ve got it right here for you, pumpkin.” He picked her up and seated her at the table, placing a plastic Rainbow Brite plate in front of her. While she enjoyed her macaroni, he promised himself he would find a nanny as soon as possible.
* * *
If you enjoyed this preview of Damien’s Nanny, you can now read the entire Beverly Hills Dragons series in one collection!
In the decade of excess, four of Hollywood’s most elite dragons have everything their hearts could desire–except their mates.
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Also Available From Meg Ripley
Daddy Dragon Guardians: The Complete Series Box Set
When a devastating war threatens their planet’s existence, four heroic dragon shifters flee Charok with their slain queen’s eggs to ensure the survival of their race. But will they manage to find their mates in this strange new place called Earth?
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Dragons Of The Darkblood Secret Society Collection
Forever sworn to secrecy and bound by their sacred vows, four powerful dragons find their mates amidst the skyscrapers of Manhattan.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meg Ripley is an author of sizzling shifter romances. A Seattle native, Meg can often be found curled up in a local coffee house with her laptop.
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