Her Dragon Lover

by Roxie Ray

  I wished I’d known that before we went on our first date, but it was done now.

  Laura clamped her lips shut. Nobody agreed with her, but she wasn’t happy about it. Her nostrils flared as she buffed her customer’s nails. The lady jumped. “Easy, Laura. That hurt.”

  I watched out of the corner of my eye as she forced herself to relax. “Well, how does it feel to be a cradle robber?” she asked me without looking up from her work.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. She was beginning to exasperate me, but as she was my boss there was only so far I could go when rebuffing her.

  “Stefan. He’s considerably younger than you, isn’t he?”

  I moved to Elaine’s other side to start her left hand. “Well, even if something was going on between us, six years isn’t exactly robbing the cradle. He’s twenty-two.” I didn’t elaborate on how I knew that. “But it doesn’t matter. Nothing is going on between Stefan and I except what happened last night. He was being chivalrous.”

  A good excuse. I had no idea why he’d done what he did. I’d thought he was uninterested in me with no strong feelings either way.

  Felicity leaned over when Laura took her client to the front to pay. “Don’t mind her. She has a miserable life and doesn’t like to see other people happy.”

  Elaine peeped an eye open. “She’s right.”

  “I don’t know that I’d call it happy,” I said. “There really isn’t anything going on with Stefan.”

  “A man who isn’t interested doesn’t beat the shit out of another man,” Josie said. I swung around to see that one of my nail techs had arrived. I hadn’t heard her come in.

  I smiled at her gratefully. “Thanks, Jo, but it wasn’t quite that bad. No shit was beat, I don’t think.” I was outside, but surely Ava would’ve told me if things got that bad.

  Laura left after that, true to her typical pattern. She’d come in and do the bare minimum, then leave. The rest of the day passed with relative ease. I had to answer a few more questions, but most were well-intended.

  By the time I clocked out, Laura was the only one on team Micah. Everyone else supported a relationship between me and Stefan. Except me and Stefan. Their opinions didn’t matter when we’d tried it and it hadn’t worked.

  Our team lead was scheduled to close tonight, so when I finished my last client and left the shop to her, I washed my hands and left.

  By the time I had driven to the end of the parking lot, I knew I had a problem. The lights on my dash kept flickering on and off. It had started okay, but if I drove it home and it didn’t start back up, I might miss a shift at work. I couldn’t afford to miss a shift, or I would’ve called out today from embarrassment.

  There was only one place in town to take it. “Damn it.” I sighed and stared at my dash. I couldn’t afford car trouble. I was just getting to a place with my finances where I didn’t have to work tons of overtime or pick up odd jobs on the side. Major car repairs would deplete my savings and force me to pick up a few odd jobs again to replenish it.

  I turned toward Stefan’s place of work, a few parking lots down. “Come on, baby,” I whispered to my old beast of a car. She’d been my grandmother’s, and she had owned it for many years before I took it over. “Please be something minor, old gal.”

  She made it to the parking lot, at least. When I got there, the car died, and I coasted toward the big bay door.

  Praying Stefan was off today, I got out of the car and slammed the door. The shop owner, Todd, came sauntering out of the bay, wiping his hands on an oily rag. “Hey, Harley. What brings you here?”

  Plastering a fake smile on my face, I hoped that meant Stefan was off today. “Hey, Todd. The lights flickered, and it died as I pulled in.”

  Todd was a known flirt. He’d slept with every woman in town that would have him. I was so not one of those women. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing worrying about a car?” he asked. “You need you a man to take care of stuff like that for you.”

  Gritting my teeth, I smiled. “Well, Todd, I don’t have one of those, so you’ll have to settle it for me.”

  He leaned on my car and grinned at me. “I’m sure I can get it straightened out for you, Harley. You been doing all right?”

  Before I could answer and try to push him toward hurrying with my car, Stefan interrupted us. When he walked out of the shadowy garage, I realized his jumpsuit was open down to his navel and he wasn’t wearing an undershirt.

  I put the fake smile back on my face and turned to look at him. Never mind that my heart was about to beat out of my chest and those damn zings had started up again.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he told his boss.

  Oh, geez.

  His tan, sweaty, muscly chest nearly undid me. “Uh, I... Uh. The interior lights flickered, and it died as I pulled in.”

  Todd pushed himself off my car and turned to Stefan.

  But Stefan repeated himself firmly before Todd could say anything. “I’ll take care of it.” He gave Todd a similar look to the one he’d given Micah.

  To my surprise, Todd inclined his head, stepped away from me and the car, then turned and nodded at me. “Have a good one, Harley.”

  “You, too,” I said weakly.

  Stefan walked around the car, coming close enough for me to see the small patch of chest hair in the middle of his rounded pecs. Damn it. He dressed in a way that downplayed his muscles. He needed tighter shirts. This was like unwrapping a box at Christmas that I was sure contained a nice piece of costume jewelry, but instead, a big fat diamond was inside.

  He opened the driver’s door and pulled the lever to pop the hood. I watched him lean over the engine, admiring the curve of his butt.

  What was wrong with me? I’d never even had sex, and I was panting over him like a horndog. I’d never realized how intimidating he could be, with his hipster glasses and stubble. He looked like a sweet, sensitive reader. Maybe a math whiz. I didn’t know that he wasn’t also those things, but I knew for sure he was all alpha male.

  And damn, it was hot.

  Within minutes, he straightened up. “Loose battery cable. Give me two minutes.”

  I raised my eyebrows as he sauntered into the shop. He came out with a little brush and a can of soda. “You had some corrosion, so I’m cleaning that off.”

  “With cola?” I watched him pour the brown liquid over the battery.

  “Yep.” He winked at me and my knees nearly buckled. Seriously, what the heck was wrong with me? “The acid in the soda eats the corrosion off. Then I give it a brush...” He used the brush to clean off the post. “And reattach the cable.”

  The hood made a big clang as he dropped it down. “Done.”

  “That’s it?” I asked. This was a miracle. I couldn’t afford car repairs, and he’d just saved me a bundle. Who knew what another mechanic might’ve tried to repair to milk me for more money.

  “That’s it.” He walked to the driver’s door and held it open. “And you’re on your away.”

  “What do I owe you?” I asked. I had a little cash in my purse. I wanted to give him a tip.

  “Not a dime,” he said. “It was my pleasure.”

  “Stefan, I can’t let you not charge me. You took time out of your day to help.”

  He shook his head. “It was nice to see you again. You gave me a break from the carburetor I’m rebuilding.”

  I shook my hair behind my head and realized Todd stood inside the bay door, watching. “I feel bad not paying you back somehow. Let me bring you lunch tomorrow.” It was a last-ditch at something like a date.

  “Really, no. I’m good.” He moved his hand in a gesture that told me he wanted me to get in the car and leave. I couldn’t read his tone of voice, but fucking hell. That would be the last time I tried.

  What was his problem? I wanted to thank him for his help. Was I really that undesirable that he couldn’t even let me make him lunch? I stalked past him, embarrassed that Todd had seen Stefan shoot me down. “You d
idn’t have to be a dick,” I hissed as I slid into the car. I didn’t know if he’d heard me. He slammed the door, and I backed out without looking at him.

  One way or another, I wouldn’t worry myself over Stefan again. Enough was enough.

  4

  Stefan

  “Boy, what in the hell is wrong with you?” Todd walked out of the garage and stood with me to watch Harley drive away. “Have you lost your damn mind?” I hung my head once she was out of sight and couldn’t see me.

  You are a fool.

  I didn’t need Eros agreeing with Todd.

  “Okay, okay. I did what I did.” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

  “She’s about the sweetest girl in town. Her heart is pure, man. What would make you act so cold? She can’t thank you with a sandwich and a bag of chips?” He wasn’t giving up.

  It’s not like I could have explained to him that Harley was my fated mate and if I accepted lunch then it would lead to more than I was able to deal with. The universe had made a mistake. There was no way I was fated to someone so good. She was so far out of my league it wasn’t funny.

  Damn Eros. If I hadn’t had him, I wouldn’t have been going through this torture. Damn him to Hell for putting me through this.

  I’m already there.

  Sometimes I hated not being alone. My own man. My choices, my life, my future. It wasn’t mine alone. There were times I cherished the bond I had with Eros, but this was not one of them.

  “Just don’t worry about me, okay?” I pulled the oil rag out of my back pocket and stalked into the garage to pick up the carburetor I’d been working on.

  The gaze of my boss and coworkers followed me. The guys hadn’t said anything, but the lack of sounds coming from the garage told me they’d all stopped what they were doing to listen to the exchange.

  When nobody moved, I slammed my wrench down on the table. “Get back to work!”

  A rustling behind me told me they were scrambling to do what I said. The air compressor fired up, drowning out anyone’s ability to talk.

  People found me odd in Black Claw. With good reason, I wasn’t friendly. I didn’t go out for drinks with the guys from the shop. I politely declined their invitations to barbecues or bowling nights. If I hung out with anyone, it was a member of the Kingston clan. Even then, I tried to keep them at arm’s length.

  Trust was something that I didn’t have. Everyone betrayed, in the end. Even the best people had darkness in them and the ability to hurt their friends and family. I’d learned that lesson too many times.

  Nothing would make me open myself up for that kind of hurt again.

  I stayed downstairs at the garage until I finished that damn carburetor. It took me all day, but I finally got it. By the time I got it all cleaned and fixed, it would’ve been easier to just buy another one, but I was a dog with a bone.

  The guys were gone. Todd walked into the bay. “I’m heading home. You need me to leave the shop doors open?”

  My tools clanked when I dropped them into their places in the box. “Nah. I’m going upstairs and taking a long shower. If I go out, I’ll use my door.”

  “Okay. Have a good night, Stef.” He put his hand on the door out to the parking lot. “Think about softening up a little. Apologize. She’s a good girl and didn’t deserve you being so harsh.”

  He didn’t look back at me, but I nodded anyway. He was right. She didn’t deserve me at all.

  I sat in the shower until the water ran cold, then got out, trudging across the small apartment to my bureau with a towel wrapped around my waist.

  Dressing only took seconds, as did toweling off my hair. When I was in my pajama pants and a tee, I sat on the sofa and sighed. The silence pounded at my ears. With the shop closed below, I had to have a radio or TV going up here to push the horrible sound of quiet away.

  My mind drifted to when I came to Black Claw. I’d met a couple of friends on the road, Chris and Tanner, but they hadn’t felt a connection to the town like I had. They’d been the closest thing to a friend I’d had in a long time. I hadn’t totally opened up to them, never would have, but it was nice having company that knew what I was. I didn’t have to hide with them.

  Too bad they’d left.

  I sighed and laid my head back on the couch. I did have Jury and Maddox now. They were a little young, but fun to hang out with. It was cool to have guys to fly with, and they liked video games and the same movies I did.

  The sofa folded down into a bed, but I wasn’t tired, not like I normally was. I hadn’t been inside cars all day, up and down, in and out. I’d sat at a table and tinkered with that damn part. With a sigh, I sat up and looked around. I could’ve gone out, but that meant interaction with people that might ask questions about Harley.

  With a grunt, I eyed my TV. Sixty-Five inches. I’d gotten it for a steal at a yard sale because it was an older model.

  It was the only thing I’d purchased for the apartment. Every other piece of furniture and most of the rest of the contents of the apartment were there already. Todd had lived here years ago before he moved into his house. His girlfriend at the time had made him buy new things for the house, so most of his stuff had sat in this apartment, unused. He’d never gotten around to cleaning it out.

  Luckily for me.

  I grabbed my phone from the top of my dresser and pulled up the rarely used group chat with Jury and Maddox.

  Video games and frozen pizza? My place.

  They both replied within minutes, eager to come. Jury offered to bring some snacks and Maddox a few sodas. I grinned, eager for them to come over. We were as close as I’d allowed anyone to get. At least they wouldn’t judge or question me about Harley. They were too focused on being bachelors, wild and free, to care about women. I liked that about them both. I didn’t want a relationship either.

  The studio apartment didn’t give me any privacy, but I didn’t need it. I walked over to the stove and preheated the oven to make a couple of frozen pizzas. Jury and Maddox were still in the first three years of their shifts, babies. Their metabolisms were sky-high, meaning they ate around the clock. All dragons had a higher metabolism and ate a lot, but the younger dragons were like vacuums.

  I heard Maddox’s truck out in the shop parking lot. They knew to walk around the building to the back stairs. We’d hung out and played video games at my place several times. Their footfalls on the back stairs sounded like a herd of wildebeests, not two young men. They were more exuberant than I was. I’d never been that carefree.

  “Come in!” I yelled before they got to the door. I’d already unlocked it and knew they could hear me. They busted in with their arms full of chips and cookies and soda bottles.

  “Hey,” Maddox said. “You had perfect timing. My little sister wanted me to watch some cartoon movie about sisters that are cold or some crap. You saved me.”

  The oven beeped as they put everything down on the kitchen table. I pulled the pizzas out and cut them while they put chips and dip on the tray Todd had left.

  “I brought Big Truck Heist,” Jury said. “And an extra controller.”

  “Excellent,” I said. I’d been excited they were coming, but now that they were here, I was relieved. I’d needed the distraction. We settled in and played for several hours until Jury started to yawn. I was off the next day, so I didn’t care how late they stayed.

  “So,” Maddox said. He grabbed his soda and the bag of chips. “Are you planning to tell us about this rumor about Harley?”

  Groaning, I lay back on the floor. I’d been sitting in front of the couch with my legs stretched out.

  Damn it. I’d hoped they wouldn’t ask. I hadn’t told anyone but Maverick and Axel what Harley was to me. I assumed they’d told Charlotte and Ava, but otherwise, there was no reason for Jury and Maddox to know. I didn’t think they’d understand the relevance. What it meant to have a fated mate.

  “Well, as it turns out, Harley is my fated mate.” I didn’t know how they’d take it, but
there was no sense in lying to them.

  They looked stunned. I hadn’t really expected them to care or know what it truly meant.

  “What are you doing here with us if you have a fated mate?” Jury glanced at Maddox, and they exchanged a significant look.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, careful to choose my words so I didn’t talk about why I wasn’t wooing Harley at this very moment. “I thought you two were dead set on being bachelors, enjoying life?”

  Maddox laughed. “Yeah, we are. But we don’t have fated mates. That would be the only thing to change my mind. Jury?”

  He nodded. “Yep. Same. Why are you ignoring her?”

  I shook my head. “It’s a long story.”

  Maddox looked at Jury, bewildered. “You got somewhere to be?”

  Jury shook his head. “Nope.”

  “I can’t. I’m sorry. It’s a long, complicated explanation that you probably couldn’t relate to. Just drop it, please.” I stood and walked to the refrigerator and got out the bottle of soda.

  “Okay,” Maddox said. “Rematch, then.” They looked skeptical but did as I asked and moved on.

  “Hell, yeah.” Jury switched the console on, and they grabbed their controllers. “You coming?”

  “In a sec.” I sipped my drink and watched them start a new race, but my mind wasn’t on my friends. It was on my past. I couldn’t tell them the reasons for staying away from Harley.

  If my past caught up to me here in Black Claw, I’d have to take off again. I couldn’t let my dark history spill over onto the Kingstons and especially not Harley. She didn’t deserve that stress and danger. At any point, I might have to run from my old pack again if they found me. Harley deserved so much better than me and my past.

  5

  Harley

  Seeing Nana so frail was always hard. I didn’t shy away from it, though, because I didn’t want to miss a moment of this amazing woman’s life. She’d been my rock, my biggest fan for all my life. It had always just been me and her. My dad split when my mom was pregnant with me, then Mom left when I was very young. I’d never met my father and rarely seen my mother.