“Dig in,” he said, smiling. “Not quite as good as Beck’s but hopefully still passable.”
Billie frowned. “Beck?”
“There are three main proprietors of Dragonclaw,” Clancy explained, grabbing a sandwich for her and then one for him. “Harrison, you met him last night. Me, of course.” He shot her a wink. “Then there’s Beck, who handles outside business, trading, that kind of thing.”
“Why haven’t I seen him yet?” Billie asked, taking a bite of the sandwich.
Oh, sweet mercy. It was made from what tasted like only the freshest ingredients. Handpicked vegetables, tasty lunchmeat, and freshly baked bread.
Clancy took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed. “He recently got engaged and has been back and forth between here and his fiancée’s homestead. It’s not far from here.”
“I was gonna say, how do you run a ranch as nice as this with so few people? I ain’t ever seen a more well-kept place with so few workers.”
“We work hard,” Clancy said proudly. “Everyone at Dragonclaw earns their keep. The Old West doesn’t just exist in antiques and old stories; it’s right out our back door, and we plan to keep it that way.”
At that, he slid his chair a little closer, and she blushed at his proximity. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reno cock an eyebrow.
“Is there anything going on between you two?” he asked. “I feel like something’s up.” Reno shot a glance at Dallas. “Is it just me?”
Dallas shook his head, his eyes moving between them.
Clancy shrugged. “It’s strictly professional between us…” He paused. “Just friends on either side of the deal.”
“Great.” Reno grinned boyishly at Billie as he leaned over the table. “It would be a shame for such a pretty lady to be taken.”
Billie laughed at that and inclined her head. “That’s very kind, but I’ve already told Clancy I don’t have time for a boyfriend.”
His eyes glimmered curiously at that, and even Dallas leaned forward almost imperceptibly in his chair.
“Why not?” Reno asked, his tone teasing. “Not found anyone of your caliber?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Billie could have sworn she’d seen the faintest hint of a scowl on Clancy’s face, but he covered it quickly with an easy smile.
“Nope,” Billie said coolly. “I got bigger things in mind, and I’m too busy for things like that.”
She couldn’t help but be flattered that two of the most attractive men she had ever seen seemed interested in her. Reno was definitely very attractive with his disarming charm.
Too bad she could hardly keep her eyes off a certain green-eyed wrangler. He seemed to relax at her easy rebuttal of Reno, but the question was why. He was usually so laidback and easygoing. What had that scowl been about?
Then a thought struck her.
Was he jealous?
There wasn’t any way, was there? Clancy had just said they were friends. There was no way he was jealous of her talking to another man. But there was also no way she had imagined that scowl. She’d seen it, plain as the evening sun shining through the windows.
“Busy then, all right,” Reno said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. “What are your plans for this evening?” He smiled. “If you want, I could take you four-wheeling? It’s almost sunset, and—”
“I’m taking her to see one of Tucker Thompson’s favorite vistas.” Clancy interrupted, narrowing his eyes coolly at Reno.
Billie wanted to question the look in his eyes, the way he was staring at Reno, almost daring him to interfere, but she was too excited.
One of Tucker Thompson’s favorite vistas? She could hardly imagine it. First, one of his descendants, and now, she was seeing one of his favorite locales?
Clancy must really want the dragon talon, she thought.
“Really?” Billie asked eagerly. “Where is it?”
He smiled down at her, his grin white and pearly. “Just a short walk. Here, come with me.” He stood up from his chair and held a hand out to her, and she took it, standing up from her chair. Her heart pounded in her chest at his touch as he led her out of the room.
On their way out, she could have sworn that she saw Clancy shoot a glare at Reno, who just shrugged and went back to his sandwiches.
Yup, Clancy was definitely jealous. Normally, she would have been ambivalent about any male attention. But strangely, seeing Clancy jealous filled her with something like pride.
Even if she knew it shouldn’t.
They were just friends, making a deal for the dragon talon, nothing more. He had said so himself. But now he was getting mad at his own crewmates, supposedly over her.
In spite of that, she could tell that the men were all very closely knit. They’d obviously been working together for a long time.
She was just happy to see and learn more about her idol. And she might have been just the teensiest bit excited to be spending more time with Clancy under the Texas sky.
They strolled out onto the prairie, up onto a hill overlooking Dragonclaw. When they reached the vista, the sun was setting low over the horizon, sending beautiful beams of red, yellow, and pink across the sky.
The whole range basked in the sun’s declining rays, glowing orange beneath puffy cotton candy clouds. She didn’t think she’d ever seen the sky looking bluer against the evening light.
Clancy leaned against a boulder and folded his arms, looking out at the scene thoughtfully. “This is one of Tucker Thompson’s favorite overlooks. Old legends say he would camp here every once in a while.”
“Why here?” she asked.
He thought about it for a second, then shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe some days he got tired of gunslinging and just wanted a peaceful place to rest and a nice view to enjoy.”
Billie listened raptly, suddenly realizing that while she wanted to hear about Tucker Thompson, she found herself much more curious about Clancy himself.
Even after only a couple days of knowing him, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she wanted to know him in every way, physically.
What was beneath those fancy clothes? Rippling muscles? A perfect chest and abs that she would want to run her hands across? Suddenly, she wanted to tear his shirt open and take him in all of his glory.
She shook her head. Thoughts like that were dangerous.
“Speechless?” Clancy said, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “I do tend to have that effect on most women.”
She opened her mouth, then realized that she sure as hell couldn’t tell him the truth.
“I’m sure you do,” she replied. “But I was gawking at the view, not at you, thank you very much.”
“Oh, is that so?” Disbelief was clear in his voice as he took a step closer to her. “Are you sure about that?”
Billie’s throat was drying up. “Quite sure.”
Clancy took another step forward, the hint of an amused smile tugging on the edges of his lips. “So you’re not feeling anything right now?” He took another step.
“Nothing,” she replied, a little too quickly, knowing it was a huge lie. Her heart was beating like a drum, increasing in pace with each step he took toward her.
He was in arm’s reach now, his eyes glowing, pupils dilated against bright-green irises.
“That is a shame,” he said, his voice now a low and breathy whisper.
“Why is that?”
Clancy reached out and took her hand. “Because my heart goes haywire whenever I’m close to you, darlin’.” He pulled her hand up to palm his chest, and she felt his pulse.
It was wild and fast, like an untamed stallion galloping across a meadow.
Even though it was through his shirt, the touch was strangely intimate. It wasn’t just his heart she could feel; it was his whole chest. The muscles and skin were alive under her touch.
Goose bumps spread down her arms in anticipation as he leaned forward and brushed a bright-red curl out of her face and behind her ear.
Good gravy.
The tension was so heavy she could have cut through it with a butter knife. She’d never wanted this before, never wanted to feel the embrace of a man’s kiss, but gosh, did she want it now.
He watched her for a second, face only inches from hers before he looked away and cleared his throat. “Startin’ to get dark. I guess we should probably head back.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess so.” Disappointment coursed through Billie. She watched him as he fiddled with his hat, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. They’d gotten so close. She’d really thought he was going to kiss her.
What happened?
When his eyes did meet hers, it was only for a second. They were no longer glowing, back to their usual shade of emerald.
“This way.” He gestured with his hat and began to walk back down the way they came.
“Right,” Billie muttered, shoving her hands in her pockets and walking after him.
They headed back down the trail from where they had come, down a switchback that led into the valley toward Dragonclaw. As they went around the switchback, Billie eyed the steep drop-off for a second.
With a sigh, she turned to follow Clancy when the ground suddenly began to crumble beneath her.
Oh no.
Her boots scrabbled against loose dirt and rocks as the ground collapsed toward the cliff. She tried to step out of it, but it was to no avail. The ground fell away even more, and to her horror, she began to slide down the hill toward the precipice. She let out a scream for help.
Was this the end?
9
It had all happened so fast. Billie was there, right behind him one second, and then the next, she was screaming, sliding downward as the ground gave way.
Worse, she was falling toward a huge drop-off, so huge that she might not survive if she fell and he didn’t get to her in time.
The dirt tended to be loose around this time of year with all the rain, but Clancy had been up here a few times in the last week and hadn’t seen any issues.
Shit.
But there was no time to think. In the blink of an eye, he threw himself down the hill after her. Right when he was next to her as they both slid downward, he threw himself over her, pressing his chest to hers as her hands clung around him, wrapping his midsection as his hands dug into the dirt at her sides to slow them down. He shoved his boots into the ground, desperate to gain purchase.
But the ground continued to give way, so Clancy growled and felt his talons extending from his fingers, sinking deeply into the dirt.
Any human wouldn’t have been able to find solid enough ground to grab, but he had dragon strength and reflexes and, above all, sharp talons that could latch onto anything.
They were slowing down, but he still couldn’t stop them completely, and adrenaline pumped through his body as they skidded closer and closer to the cliff.
When they finally came to a stop, he whipped around to look over his shoulder, measuring the distance between them and the drop-off.
It couldn’t have been more than 5 feet. Clancy’s heart hammered as his talons retracted. There hadn’t been time to think. Instinct had driven him, and now he was… Now he was…
His face went red as he turned back to look down at Billie. Her eyes were wide, and she was somehow an even deeper shade of red than her hair.
He was… on top of her. Clancy could feel her wonderful, delectable, curvy body beneath him, and his dragon growled with desire. He’d barely been able to pull away earlier, and that had been torture.
This was a disaster.
Their bodies were a perfect fit, and even though they’d been in danger mere moments before, Clancy couldn’t help but be caught up in the closeness of the moment.
No woman had ever affected him like this. No woman had made him feel this deep, burning need inside.
“You okay, darlin’?” His voice, usually so cool and laidback, was filled with emotion, even to his own ears.
Billie blinked, then leaned up slowly toward him, coming closer and closer and closer until her lips touched his.
It was only a quick, soft peck, but it overwhelmed his senses in an explosion of warmth and desire. When she pulled away, he stared down into her eyes, finding hunger there, hunger for more.
Hunger that resonated deep within his soul, hunger that he was tired of holding back.
He lunged down, taking her lips in a long, passionate embrace. She moaned and pushed against him, kissing him back. The sound was music to his ears, a beautiful symphony of her enjoyment only for him.
How he had been able to resist her this long, he wasn’t sure.
Their lips enmeshed, fitting perfectly together for a second longer before he pulled away and breathed shallowly. When he looked down at her, she looked even more flushed and tense than he felt, and all he could think about was taking her lips with his again.
But he couldn’t, not now. He needed to take a step back, think about the feelings coursing through his body. Just earlier that evening, he’d asserted that they were just friends.
And then he had gone and kissed her with every ounce of passion he could muster. This changed things, and he needed time to consider it. It wasn’t fair to her to go any further without getting his head on straight.
He cleared his throat and stood up carefully, offering her a hand. “I guess we should get back, shouldn’t we?”
Billie just nodded and took his hand, still looking dazed from the whole ordeal.
And Clancy couldn’t blame her. The last few minutes had been fueled by instinct and desire, and the adrenaline from the near fall had unlocked all of the pent-up feelings.
They made their way carefully back up the hill until they found the path back to his place, and when they got there, Clancy led her into the kitchen and pulled out his first aid kit.
“Any scratches or anything?” he asked.
She looked herself all over and then shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing. “You caught me when I was sliding down. How? How did you not slide too?”
Clancy paused, unsure of how to answer. “Dug my feet in real good, I guess.”
Billie stared at him for a second, then shrugged like she understood, and he closed the first aid kit, realizing that, thankfully, she seemed to be fine.
Damn, he didn’t know what he would have done if she had fallen.
Probably flown after her as a dragon.
“I’ll walk you up to your room, then,” he said awkwardly.
She followed him up the stairs, and he held the door open for her and told her to let him know if she needed anything to get cleaned up before he headed to his room.
Once there, he ran a hand over his face and paced tensely.
He couldn’t seem to stop thinking of her luscious curves, of the way she felt beneath him. The way her body fit his perfectly. He couldn’t stop pondering the softness of her lips and how she had tasted.
Even now, he could see her sparkling brown eyes staring up at him, full of desire. Clancy wanted to go right back down to her room and kiss her again, but he took a deep breath, restraining himself.
When his dragon had whispered stuff about Billie being his mate, he hadn’t really taken it seriously. But now that they’d kissed, he couldn’t deny it.
She was definitely his mate. Nothing and no one in the world had ever affected him in this way.
This shouldn’t be possible, not for him, not for his dragon. Years ago, he’d made peace with the fact that he would always be alone.
The question was… What did he do now?
10
Despite her close call, Billie still wasn’t tired of being outside under the Texas sky, so Clancy set up a campfire in the field outside his cabin and brought dinner out so they could eat in front of it.
It was simple, some kind of casserole with mashed potatoes and meat, but delicious, and it warmed her from the inside as the fire warmed her on the outside.
And thoughts of her kiss with Clancy warmed her in still another way.<
br />
She’d thought she was done for, but he’d gotten there in time. Their hearts had been racing, bodies pressed together… The kisses had been only natural.
But she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She’d kissed him out of pure instinct, and then, instead of being offended, he’d returned the kiss.
And that had been the hottest moment of her life thus far.
Her hair was still a little damp from the shower, and as she set her plate aside, she shivered and pulled her coat around her, scooting her camp chair a little closer to the fire. Clancy got up and moved his chair over next to hers so they were side by side.
Then, when she continued to shiver, he put his huge, strong arm over the back of her chair.
Her shivering stopped immediately. So did her heart, it felt like.
“Just warming you up, darlin’,” he said. “Let me know if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Uncomfortable was the last thing it made her. She wanted this moment to go on forever. This beautiful man, the firelight dancing in his green eyes, his warm, reassuring strength.
“How are you feeling?” Clancy asked, pulling back but keeping their chairs together.
“Much better, thanks to you,” she said. “I don’t know what would have happened. I guess you’re a hero like Tucker, hm?”
“I just did what anyone would have done,” he said humbly.
“What a superhero would do,” she said. “You jumped down a mountain after someone you barely know.”
He grinned at her, his gorgeous, straight teeth glinting in the firelight, the strands of his hair shining like molten gold. “After kissing you, I wouldn’t say I barely know you.”
She swallowed, feeling her throat go dry as her thoughts returned to it. How hot it had been, his lips on hers, his hard body…
She wanted more. Heaven help her, but she did.
“So what was that kiss for anyway?” Clancy asked.
She gulped again, trying to come up with words to describe the inherent, urgent need to live she’d felt in that moment when she kissed him.
She folded her hands in her lap and kept her eyes on the firelight to stay steady. “I almost died back there. And you know what? I wasn’t thinking of Tucker Thompson and my museum. I was thinking, ‘I won’t get to see Clancy anymore. I won’t get to spend more time with this man who keeps making me feel things I didn’t know I could feel.’” She twisted her hands together. “And I would have died never… never…” She knew her face was so red he could probably tell she was flushing even by firelight. “Done anything like that. I’d have died a virgin. A kiss virgin even.”
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