by Roxie Ray
Her Dragon Destiny
Black Claw Dragons: Book 5
Roxie Ray
Contents
1. Bethany
2. Maddox
3. Bethany
4. Maddox
5. Bethany
6. Maddox
7. Bethany
8. Maddox
9. Bethany
10. Maddox
11. Bethany
12. Maddox
13. Bethany
14. Maddox
15. Bethany
16. Maddox
17. Bethany
18. Maddox
19. Bethany
20. Maddox
21. Bethany
22. Maddox
23. Bethany
24. Maddox
25. Rico
Her Dragon Rebel
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Her Dragon Destiny
1
Bethany
Not for the first time, or even the second or third, I wished Kyle was here to help me make this decision. These houses were little goldmines, but it wasn’t easy to know which ones were worth the time and energy.
Kyle always knew. From the first house we flipped, left to me by my grandparents, he’d had a knack for knowing which ones had strong bones and which ones would be more trouble than they were worth.
This one had been abandoned long ago. The longer a house went empty, the harder it was to bring back to life. Kyle had taught me that. He’d taught me so many things.
When my grandparents died and left me their swath of land—and the aging rental properties on them—my best friend Kyle had helped me figure out how to turn it into a thriving business. He’d been by my side, my closest confidante and advisor, since we were both kids.
But he was gone, and I still had a business to run. The rental properties were great income, but I didn’t want to stop flipping. I’d been very lucky to find a contractor that I trusted to give me a fair, honest rate, as well as her opinions, without inflating numbers or padding her pockets.
But this morning, Kara had to go to one of the rentals to fix a leaking dishwasher and hadn’t been able to come to look at the property. Instead, I took lots of pictures and notes, trying to remember everything Kyle had taught me, as well as filling out a checklist Kara had made for me and measuring everything. Then I measured it twice. Cut once, measure twice. Another lesson from Kyle.
If Kara liked my notes, we’d schedule a time with the property owner to get even more in-depth with the inspection.
I loved this part of the job. It was dusty and dirty and usually stinky. There were bugs and mud and mold. And yet, finding a house that was all of the above, yet could be brought back and rented to someone who needed a nice place to live at a fair price, or sold to someone who wanted an updated home without going through renovations themselves... That was truly the best part of the job.
Hopefully, Kara would be at the office when I returned so we could go over this data together. I had to make an offer on the house in a hurry. I wasn’t the only flipper in the area, and it was a pretty stiff competition. The house had only been on the market for a day, so I hoped to seal the deal before the other guys even saw it.
It was hard enough to be the only female flipper in the area. Nobody trusted me to do the job right. Nobody’d ever questioned Kyle about his expertise, of course. Part of the knocks of being a woman in a world that was largely dominated by men.
But I’d maximized the potential of the property my grandparents left me. It was time to branch out.
After slipping the key back into the hiding spot, I hurried to my car once I was sure I had all the info I needed. The owner had trusted me to inspect the property on my own, which was nice. That was one of the few perks about being a woman. They didn’t trust me to do a good job, but they didn’t suspect me of duplicity, either.
Not that I would’ve ever cheated anyone. I’d been trying to build a reputation of being fair and honest. So far, so good. All it took was being fair and honest. Funny how that worked.
The property was just a few minutes from my home and office, so I beat Kara there. But I hadn’t even had time to get my computer fired up when she walked in the door. My office was my favorite part of the house. It was full of plants and had a small fountain. I had my desk there, seats for anyone that I might need to have a meeting with, and a small area in the corner for my daughter to play in so she didn’t get all up in Mommy’s biz.
Kara sauntered in with a big smile on her face. “I got something for you.”
Her body language was way too excited, so I sat up tall in my chair. “I love presents,” I said. “What’d you get me?”
She pulled out a wooden sign with “Mom--Boss--CEO” hand-lettered on it.
I squealed and jumped up. “I love it!”
Kara had a hammer and nail in her hand, brought from her truck and ready to hang my new sign. I looked around and pointed to the spot I wanted it and beamed as she hung it. “That’s amazing,” I said. “Thank you.”
She winked and plopped down in the plush chair across from my desk. “How was your date?”
My jaw dropped. I’d forgotten all about it. It had been such a weird experience that I’d brushed it off and hadn’t given it another thought. Even when my mind drifted to it, I’d pushed it away and ignored it, purposefully not thinking about the date.
“I don’t even know how to describe it. It was the most bizarre thing ever,” I explained. “Harry, my date, and I had a nice time at the restaurant. So nice, we decided to go for ice cream.”
Kara nodded eagerly. “Did he eat it off of your belly?”
What was it with my friends? My other friend, Abby, had said something of the same ilk. “No,” I exclaimed. “Though, I did consider it. I wasn’t ready for that. Not on the first date.”
“So, what happened? Why do you look exasperated instead of satisfied?” Kara dangled her leg over the side of the chair and kicked her foot up and down as she waited for my story.
“Do you know Maddox Kingston?” I asked.
Kara arched one eyebrow. “Are you kidding? I helped build his brother’s house up in the mountains. Those Kingston men.” She closed her eyes as she sucked in a deep breath. “Hot doesn’t begin to describe them. Even the dad is sexy as hell. He barely looks older than his sons.”
I nodded. “Agreed, though I’ve only seen most of them in passing, except for Jury. So, we’d just sat down at the ice cream shop. Hadn’t even had time to order. And Maddox comes barging in and growled at Harry.”
Kara’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking.”
“Not in the least. And the worst part was that Harry just sort of gulped, then he got up without another word and left!” Kara had the good sense to look completely shocked, at the time, I was completely shocked. “I haven’t heard from him since, either.”
It’d been several days since the horrible date. And I hadn’t been thinking about it. Nope.
“So, Maddox then offers to drive me home, since my date abandoned me.” I dropped my head onto the desk and banged it against my hand there. “I told him to shove it and walked home.”
Her jaw dropped. “Why didn’t you call me?”
I waved my hand at her. “I was wearing comfortable sandals and it’s not a long walk at all.”
“Wow.” She stared at me. “I have no idea what to say.”
“Neither did Abby,” I said. I wasn’t sure that Kara and Abby had met, but I’d mentioned my new friend to my old friend several times. “Except she said Maddox comes on strong but is a good guy.” I rolled my eyes. “Good guys don’t growl.”
Kara shrugged. “I don’t know. If one of the Kingston men turned their attentio
n my way like that, they’d probably have to drive me home in a bucket.” Her expression went soft. “‘Cause I woulda melted.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I get that.” We both burst out laughing.
“Too bad they’re all taken.” She continued giggling. “Except Maddox, but it sounds like he’s got a boner for ya.” That caused even more laughter.
“Hey,” I said when we’d calmed down. “If nothing else, it’s flattering, right?”
She straightened up in her chair and wiped her eyes. “Yeah. Definitely. Are you going to see him again?”
That was a negatory. “Heck, no,” I said with a frown which cemented my thoughts.
Kara laughed again at my vehemence. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“Well, can you blame me?” I rolled back in my chair and crossed my arms. “He came across like a lunatic. I’m not planning to give him the time of day.” Something about his behavior—the insanity of it, perhaps—rubbed me the wrong way. “No.” He had to be nuts. Probably had an explosive temper, too. “Definitely not.”
“You’re saying no in a lot of different ways.” Kara narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to convince yourself?”
My jaw dropped. “No, of course not. I’m just saying how I feel, which is that Maddox Kingston is a wild card.”
Kara cocked her head and grunted. I didn’t respond, and she raised one eyebrow.
“Really!” I exclaimed. “I’m not convincing myself. I mean, sure, he’s super hot. One of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen, actually.” I hung my head back. “Certainly the hottest guy to ever be interested in me.”
Kara grunted again, in a higher pitch.
“Stop that,” I yelled. “Hot does not equal good for me or especially for my daughter.”
Her face softened. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop giving you a hard time about it. You’re of course going to be extra protective of Tiffany.”
My daughter was my priority. Always. There was never anything more important than keeping Tiffany safe. And someone who would be that irrational over someone they barely knew would surely get even more passionate with someone they knew and cared about. Like a child being super annoying. Or when she was older, disrespectful.
Best to not even go there.
“Tell me about this house.” She sat up and we got serious. The next two hours were spent going over my measurements and pictures. All my notes ended up spread all over the desk as we discussed the potential investment versus the possible gain.
“I think this property would be a good one to flip and sell,” she said. “Instead of rent.”
“Why?” I asked.
She pulled my notes back out and pointed out a few places that were potential problems. “I have a bad feeling about the grade of the land in the listing.” She pointed to the information on the printout from the realtor’s website.
In the end, we decided this wasn’t the best investment for my business. “It would be unethical to flip the house and not warn the new buyer about the potential problems that would be costly to fix.”
Kara nodded. “You’re a good person. It’s refreshing to work with someone that values the right thing over the almighty dollar.”
I neatened the papers and tried not to be proud of myself. “I just try to think about what my grandparents would’ve wanted with the opportunity they gave me. Screwing people over wouldn’t have been a part of their plan.”
My watch beeped and I tapped the screen. It was my mom. Working late?
“Oh, crap,” I said. “I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. Fill me in on the repair.”
Kara ran over what she’d done at the tenant’s house and we parted ways.
My parents kept Tiffany most days, though I was fortunate I could take her with me for many of my duties and responsibilities relating to my business. I’d asked Mom to keep her today because I wasn’t sure of the condition of the property. Sometimes these homes listed so cheaply for flipping were very dirty or in bad enough shape it would’ve been dangerous for Tiffany.
My parents lived about twenty minutes away. I swung through a drive-through and grabbed dinner for me and Tiff. That way I didn’t have to stop with my sweet girl in the car.
“Mom,” I called. My father waved from his spot on the recliner. “Hey, Daddy.”
“Pumpkin,” he said without turning from the game. He’d become a couch potato since retiring. “Find a new house?”
I joined him in the living room for a minute, dropping a kiss on his half-bald head. “Nope. It’s not in great shape.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll get another soon.” He patted my hand, but his attention was already taken by the game again.
“Mom!”
“In here,” she called.
I followed the sound of her voice to the bathroom in her bedroom. She had Tiff in the tub. “Hey, babe. Bath time?”
“I had chocolate!” she exclaimed.
Mom gave me a sheepish grin from her spot beside the tub. “She had spaghetti for dinner, then chocolate ice cream. Her clothes are in the wash.”
I laughed and shook my head. I should’ve asked before grabbing food. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Well, you worked late again.” She got that look on her face that told me she was about to scold me. “You work too much.”
“Mom, I do not. Most of the time I take Tiff with me. I spend a lot of time with her.”
Her exasperated sigh made my skin crawl. “I’m not talking about your parenting. You’re a wonderful mother. I’m talking about dating. And you time. You need to carve out time to just be with yourself. And time to socialize.”
“Mom. We’ve been over this a hundred times.”
She waved her hand and grabbed the hand shower to rinse Tiff.
It didn’t take long to get Tiff in a pair of pajamas—my parents loved buying clothes for her. She had an entire wardrobe at their house and her clothes constantly were in rotation between the two homes and two washing machines. I didn’t mind. They loved doting on her. We said lots of goodbyes and gave lots of kisses. My father even managed to unglue himself from the game long enough to say goodbye to his sweet Tiff. A modern miracle.
“How was your day?” I asked as I drove us home.
My mini-me grinned at me in the rearview mirror. “Good!” She scratched her nose and a bit of her father shined through, a stab to my heart. I still missed him every single day. “We colored. And Nana let me play in the pool.”
Mom always had a baby pool full of water and ready to play in the warmer months. “That sounds fun,” I said with fake excitement.
As she rattled on about her day with her Nana and Papaw, I listened and encouraged her to talk and be expressive.
My heart pounded with love. Her father wasn’t here to give her his, so I tried to show her twice as much affection. The car wreck that killed Kyle had taken my best friend from me. He’d only known I was pregnant with his child, the result of a drunken one-night stand between two lifelong friends, for a few weeks. I’d told him the moment I found out.
But he was gone, and she was here. And she was all I needed.
2
Maddox
“You guys can leave, you know,” I grumbled.
Jury, Stefan, and Rico laughed, though Rico was subdued. He’d been quiet since coming to stay in Black Claw.
Jury and Stefan, not so much. They’d appeared at my doorstep a few hours before with a new racing game we’d all talked about wanting, as well as beer and pizza.
And there had been a lot of razzing me about my date. I was surprised it had taken them this long to get around to it, honestly. Especially with Jury’s mate being Bethany’s friend.
Jury looked around my living room. “When are you going to decorate?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Why? It’s just a rental property.”
Stefan handed me a fresh beer. “I have to agree with Jury. If you ever hope to change Bethany’s mind, you’re going to have to have a real place to take her, not this b
arely-even-a-bachelor pad.”
Rico just shrugged when I looked at him to see his opinion. “I wouldn’t decorate a rental either. But then, I would’ve just stayed with your grandparents. They’re pretty chill.”
Rico had Jury’s old room at the big house. For the most part, they let him come and go, but nobody really ever forgot that the reason he was here was that he kept getting into trouble back with his clan. My great-grandfather’s clan.
There were too many alphas in this family. Another reason I hadn’t decorated. I wasn’t sure I’d be staying in Black Claw, not that I’d told anyone that. There was no such thing as privacy in this small town. Even telling Jury, who was my best friend, was no guarantee that the secret would be kept.
The Kingstons were like royalty in Black Claw. It had been cool, at first. All the parties, all the girls. But it got old. I had a serious plan for my future, and it didn’t include acting like a frat boy for the rest of my life. It had gotten worse since Jury was officially off the market.
“You know better than anyone what it’s like to see your mate.” I tried to defend myself. “And things might’ve been worse, because I could smell the desire coming off that creep.”
Stefan sat back on my sofa and grinned. “I can sympathize. But I gotta go soon. Daddy-duties call.”
I grinned at him. He hadn’t stopped smiling since the baby was born.
Rico shook his head. “Hey,” I said. “Don’t be like that. As soon as these women figure out that you’re here, you’re a Kingston, and you’re single, they’re going to swarm. Maybe get the heat off of me.”