by KD Jones
“I’ll think about it.”
*****
Valorie had suggested that she take a vacation, and now Callie wished she had. A break-in and a home invasion was not the excitement she was looking for. She finished with her shower then put on jogging pants and a red T-shirt that said, “Books are Sexy. So am I.”
She went to her compact kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. Valorie had given her a small Keurig one year for Christmas, but Callie preferred the coffeemaker her aunt and uncle used for years. She also enjoyed being able to have multiple cups of coffee throughout the day. Callie put the Keurig in the downstairs library for customers to use, and it made her feel better that Valorie would see it used every time she visited the library. Waste not, want not, her aunt would always say.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she never had dinner last night. She had hoped to share dinner with Viper, but then things got weird with the whole stranger jacking off in her bed situation. That killed any appetite they had. Now, she was feeling hungry.
From her refrigerator, she pulled out eggs, milk, bell peppers, onions and sausage. She also had a can of biscuits she popped in the oven. She made two large omelets then baked the biscuits.
Just as she was pulling the biscuits out of the oven, the library doorbell went off. It startled her so much she almost dropped the entire pan of biscuits. Quickly, she placed the pan on the counter and turned off the stove and oven. She slipped on some sandals and hurried down the stairs.
Callie glanced out the side windows before she opened the door to the library. Viper stood with a box in his arms. “Didn’t we just do this yesterday?” she asked jokingly.
He looked at her, confused.
She pointed to the box. “You were here last night with a box too.”
He smiled, and then chuckled. “Yes, but this doesn’t have books. I know I’m here early, but I wanted to change the locks on your upstairs door.”
“Come one in. I was just making breakfast. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please. I don’t think I had anything to eat since yesterday morning.”
“Follow me.”
Chapter 9
Viper fought the urge to reach out and touch Callie. When she opened the door, her hair was still damp from a shower and she hadn’t put on a bra. Her nipples were hard beneath the red T-shirt and the jogging pants were not loose but hugged her perfectly shaped ass.
He followed her up the narrow staircase. Her backside was at just the right height for him to appreciate. Her long dark blond hair was hanging down her back, hitting her butt every so often. His own body responded, growing warm, and he became a little more uncomfortable in the front of his pants. By the time they reached the landing at the top, he had to keep the box in front of his lower region.
“I made two large omelets and biscuits. Way more than I can eat. I guess my eyes are bigger than my stomach this morning.”
The scent of the food hit him, and his stomach rumbled. They both laughed at the sound. “It smells delicious.”
He placed the box on the coffee table and followed her into the compact kitchen. “Can I help you with anything?”
“Grab a plate from the cabinet next to the fridge and silverware from the drawer below it. Do you want coffee or orange juice?”
“Coffee would be great.”
“Sugar and cream?”
“Black please.”
He grabbed the plate and silverware, and then sat. The kitchen wasn’t big, but there was room enough for a small round kitchen table and four chairs. Cozy. He watched as Callie placed a plate in front of him. Her own scent was fresh and sweet. The most enticing scent he had ever come across. He wanted to spread her across the table and nibble every inch of her.
Viper cleared his throat. “This looks wonderful.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. It made her look innocent and sweet. “Thanks. I’m actually a good cook. My aunt taught me, and she was amazing. I just don’t have anyone to cook for. She placed a bowl overflowing with biscuits in the middle of the table before she took a seat.
“Well, I appreciate it.”
“I owe you a meal after last night.”
“You owe me nothing. Anyone would have done the same to help you.”
“Maybe.”
“The sheriff seemed concerned over you.”
“Marvin? He was good friends with my uncle. My uncle asked him to look out for me when he was gone.”
“What about the younger male? He seemed eager to take care of you.”
Callie snorted, her coffee coming out of her nose. She reached for a napkin. “Deputy Jerk face JJ Dawson? The only thing he’s concerned about it is getting drunk and passing out.”
“So you haven’t dated him?”
“I don’t know if you know about JJ and Valorie’s past. But I can safely tell you I have never dated JJ and I never will.”
“He’s interested in you. I can tell in the way he watches you all the time.”
“The only thing he is interested in is getting back at Valorie for dumping his ass.”
“If he’s not a good person, why does the sheriff keep him on as deputy?”
“Good question. Marv has his limits and is getting fed up with giving JJ second chances. I think he feels sorry for him, but he can only overlook so many times. JJ didn’t start out as an ass. When he first became deputy, he was honest and hardworking. Over time, he became bored with his position. If you haven’t noticed, Dragoon is nothing like the big cities. Not a lot of excitement around here. Anyway, JJ started drinking. That’s when things went sour between him and Valorie. When she broke it off with him, his drinking increased and so did his inappropriate behavior.”
“If he was one of the ranch hands on King R Ranch, we would have made him pack up his bags and leave immediately.”
“I remember when he was good at his job. I miss that about him. Maybe he needs tough love or one of those scare-you-straight tactics.”
He felt jealous over her history with another male. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
“Me either.”
“I noticed the sheet and pillow on the couch.” He noticed dark circles under her eyes.
She took a sip of her coffee. “I couldn’t sleep in my bed and tried to lie on the couch. I might have gotten two hours of sleep. The library opens at nine-thirty this morning, but I’m thinking of keeping it closed today so the security company will come in and fix everything.”
“That’s a good idea. When they are done, maybe you can lie down and take a nap.”
“Truth is I don’t think I can sleep on that mattress after…”
“I’ll call the ranch to see if there is a spare mattress. It’s a queen, right?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to do that. I already owe you for the security setup and the locks.”
“You owe us nothing. Consider it donations to the library.”
“I should fix a big dinner for the entire ranch. I make a mean lasagna.”
“I love lasagna, but you don’t have to do that.”
“Consider it my donation to the ranch,” she told him with a wink.
She smiled, and he couldn’t help but return it. When had he smiled this much? Probably not since he was a young dragonlet and he and mother were out having fun in the sun. Wow, he hadn’t thought of his mother in centuries. Listening to Callie, seeing her smile and hearing her sweet laughter made him ache for those simpler times. Just him and his mother against the world. He always had a hard time looking back on his past because he only remembered his brute of a father. But now, he could remember the good times with his mother. Callie did this for him without even knowing it.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked him, taking a bite of a biscuit.
“Your smile and laughter remind me of my mother.”
“Oh, I would love to meet her.”
“She died many years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, reaching out and placing a hand on
top of his.
That simple touch meant to offer sympathy and comfort ignited a spark, a sizzle that raked from her hand to his, through his entire body. She must have felt it too because she looked surprised and jerked her hand away. His dragon was now fully alert.
“Mate, claim mate now!” his dragon demanded.
Not now, it’s too soon. He stood, needing to put space between them. “Do you need help to clean? I’d like to get some locks up.”
She looked a little disappointed. “I can clean up. I thought the security would bring their own locks.”
“These are some locks they will be using. Since I helped them install the ones at the ranch, I thought I would get a start on it so they would not have to be here interrupting your day for a long period.”
“That’s thoughtful. Thank you. What do you need me to do? Where should I be when all of this is happening?”
“We will put sensors on all the windows, replace the French doors and the broken window. Locks will go on your entrance doors, door to your master bedroom and your bathroom. Is that an office?”
“Yes, I turned my spare bedroom into a personal office. I could work in there since they will only need to add a sensor in there.”
“It’s your home. Work where you feel most comfortable.”
“I have a few things to do in my office. Honestly, I may stay downstairs when they get here to make sure that none of the books are disturbed. I also have antiques donated over the years that I will need to watch over.”
“I’ll start on the locks up here and will let you know when the crew arrives.”
“Thanks again, Viper.”
He nodded before leaving the kitchen. Viper should have had Valorie or one of the other females from the ranch come and take her out of the library while everything was happening. From what he could see, Callie liked to keep things organized. The way the contents of her cabinets were ordered and lined up according to size made that clear. Having others in her space moving things around was sure to upset her.
Taking out his cell phone, he texted Valorie’s mate Markus.
“Send Valorie to get Callie out of the house while the security team is here.”
“Why?” Markus texted back.
“Just do it,” he responded a little sharply.
“She’s on her way.”
Markus was a good guy, but his journey to Earth had been a great deal different. He hadn’t come through the mage portal as the rest of them. Instead, he traveled with a small crew via one of the few Drakonian spaceships left intact. The portal inadvertently sent the Drakonians to Earth during a more primitive time where they lived for hundreds of years. Markus’s trip, with the help of a mage-infused amulet and several wormholes, brought them to Earth in ten years’ time. Therefore, many of his people felt that Markus and the crew on the spaceship took the shortcut while the rest of them had to battle it out the long way around.
Marcus’s arrival on Earth brought something unexpected. Markus could bond with a human female—Valorie. A Drakonian and human mating was something that had never seemed possible. Then, Reichardt found his bond mate in Gema, another human female. Then another and another mating pairs were discovered. Maybe some mage magic that came with Markus ignited the bond mate senses. They weren’t sure yet and most of his people didn’t care since it meant that the Drakonians would once again be able to bear offspring and ensure the survival of their race.
What they needed to do was find out what happened to the mage. Mage were Drakonians born with powers but could not shift into their dragon form. Some of them had to have survived and would know some answers to their questions. The one thing they were all sure of was that Drakonia, their beloved home world, was destroyed. Earth became their home and they would fight to protect it and its inhabitants, even the humans.
Chapter 10
“I can’t believe that Viper called for you to come to get me. Was I in the way or something?” Callie asked, a little hurt. Valorie had popped up unexpectedly and told her she was taking her out to shop a few of the local shops and buying her lunch. It wasn’t until they sat at the local diner that Valorie admitted that Viper had told Markus to send her over there.
“Of course not. I’m sure he just wanted to distract you from everything. You can spend time with me, we’ll have some girl talk, and then we’ll come back when the menfolk are all done with their security stuff. I can’t imagine how scary it must have been to find out someone broke into your home.”
“It was scary and it bothers me to know there were strangers in my home, touching my things. But Viper was with me and I felt safe with him.”
“Viper would annihilate anyone who looked at your property the wrong way. He seems to have become protective over you.”
Callie shrugged. “He’s just being nice.”
“He stayed most of the night watching over you and the library. Reichardt had sent another person to relieve him and force him to get some amount of sleep.”
That made Callie’s sour mood brighten. “He stayed?”
“He fought Reichardt when it was time for him to leave. Viper didn’t want to go that far, so he slept in the back of the pickup.”
“Really? But he changed clothes.”
“He came to the ranch to shower and change, then headed right back to you.”
Callie didn’t know what to make of that. What she overheard him say to his friend last night told her one thing, that he wasn’t interested, but his actions made her think he might care about her. She changed the topic of Viper and tried to ignore the confusing feelings she had about him.
“So, JJ came with the sheriff last night.”
Valorie groaned. “Was he an ass? Do I need to hunt him down and beat the shit out of him?”
“He’s always an ass, but there’s no need for you to get all violent. I think seeing Viper pissed him off because he’s from the King R Ranch like Markus.”
“JJ needs to grow a pair and get over himself. He used to be decent. If he straightened up, he could have almost any girl in town, get married and have a few kids. He’s throwing it all away for nothing.”
“The problem is you’re the only girl he ever wanted.”
“Please, he never loved me. Not really. He loved the idea of me as his woman.”
“Was it the drinking that made you finally leave him?”
“That and I just wasn’t in love with him. I didn’t feel for him what I felt for…”
“Markus?”
“Yeah,” she said on a breath. Her eyes clouded over a little.
Oh boy. The mentioning of Valorie’s husband had the other woman drift off into some happy thoughts. A smile played at her lips. Callie looked away, but not before a bout of envy struck her. She had been engaged to someone years ago, but he never made her feel like Markus made Valorie feel—genuine love and contentment.
“Sorry, just thinking about Markus makes me lose brain cells,” Valorie admitted.
“I don’t blame you. The man is sexy and devoted to you.”
“I know I’m lucky to have him.”
“You’re both very lucky to have each other. You’re gorgeous, smart, and dedicated. Markus couldn’t do any better than you.”
“Thanks for that. We just need to find the perfect knight in shining armor to sweep you off your feet. What do you really think of Viper?”
Ugh! They were right back to the topic she was trying to avoid. Wait, she could turn this to her advantage.
“He’s very handsome. How long has he been at the ranch? Does he have a girlfriend? Where exactly does he live on the ranch?”
“Whoa, girl. I guess you are interested if you have so many questions.”
“I’m just curious.”
“Well, let start with the first question. From what I know, he has always been on the ranch. He’s one of Reichardt’s best friends. I have never seen him with any girlfriend, but he prefers to keep his own company. Most of the ranch hands have their own private cabin spread out ove
r the thousands of acres.”
“I’ve always wondered, how does the ranch make money? Is it a cattle ranch?” Callie tried not to sound like she was grilling her friend about Viper, but she was extremely curious and wanted to find out everything. She kept her questions vague, more about the ranch than about Viper.
“It is cattle, but it also has chickens and other livestock. They also grow and sell produce to supermarkets. It’s very successful.”
“How many ranch hands are there? I’ve only seen a few.”
“I’m not sure. I think there’s at least a hundred, but there could be fewer or could be more. To be honest, I do little with the running of the ranch. Markus works with Viper and a few others on security for the ranch.”
“Why would a ranch need security?”
“Well, there are cattle thieves for one. Thieves stealing farming equipment as another example. I heard once that in Mexico, the cartel tried to buy out a farmer who refused. The cartel came in guns blazing, killing off the farmer, his entire family and workers. Then they just took it over.”
“Really? People do that kind of thing?”
“Um, well, it might have been in a movie I saw once. But that doesn’t mean things like that don’t happen for real.”
“Is it safe for you to even be out there?”
Valorie waved her hand in the air and laughed. “There’s no danger, really. Markus would kill anyone who even thought about hurting me or his people out there.”
“It must be nice being part of an enormous ranch. It’s like its own little town.”
“It can be. But like all small communities, it has its downsides.”
“Like what?”
“Everyone knows your business. Everyone has their opinions and feels free to share. Those types of things.”
