by Anna Lowe
Within the space of a heartbeat, Jenna dragged her last scrap of willpower out of hiding and scowled at Draig.
“And aren’t you rude,” she snipped.
The redhead at Draig’s side looked up in shock. Draig’s eyes narrowed. Connor growled, a prelude to imminent attack.
“Goodbye,” Jenna barked, dragging Connor forward, praying he wouldn’t snap. She hated walking away from a challenge, but someone had to defuse this simmering confrontation — or else.
Miraculously, Connor followed. Mostly to cover her back, she sensed, but that was fine too. She forced herself to stride along at a normal pace instead of running as Draig’s eyes bored into her back. She felt the heat of them — the brand, almost — every time she got out of step with Connor. It was only when she’d put three blocks between her and that beast with the piercing gaze that the feeling eased.
“Jenna,” Connor murmured.
She plowed right along, looking forward to getting into the Ferrari, slamming the door, and racing away.
“Jenna,” Connor insisted, slowing her down.
She stopped and faced him, angry that her fury turned on Connor instead of Draig, but angry nonetheless. “Yeah?”
He took both her hands in his and pressed them to her cheeks, shrinking the world down to just him and her.
“You’re amazing, and I love you for that.” He shook his head and went a step further, blowing her away. “No — I love you for a lot of things. But you have to be careful around dragons like Draig.”
Yeah, she got that now. “Assholes like Draig,” she muttered. His type was bad enough as plain old humans. But a dragon that arrogant was truly bad news.
Then she caught herself. Whoa. Wait. What else had Connor said? “You love me for…?”
He covered her lips with a touch so gentle, it melted her. “Just that part. I love you. I tried really hard not to, but I can’t help it.”
She stared. “Why would you try not to?” A dozen ugly thoughts ran through her mind. Was there someone else? Had all her idiosyncrasies and shortcomings annoyed him? Worse still… “Am I not good enough?”
Connor’s eyes bugged out, and he clutched her shoulders. “I’m the one who’s not good enough. Can’t you see that?”
She blinked wordlessly for a while. “No, I do not see that. Are you nuts?”
The lottery bowl of emotions roiling inside her spun a few more times, and pity popped out next. God, what struggles had Connor been through as a kid?
Sorrow was next, and she cupped his cheeks the way he had with her. “I know who you are. And if anyone, I’m the one who’s not good enough. A part-blood mermaid. What good is that?”
“Don’t you knock it,” he said fiercely.
She looked him straight in the eye. “Then don’t knock who you are.”
He stared at her for a good long while. Long enough for a group of partygoers to crowd past on the sidewalk and bump them a few times.
“Whatever she’s saying, listen to her, brah,” a young man called out with a laugh. “The woman is always right.”
And zip — somehow, those casual words transported Jenna from the terrifying world of shifters back into the realm of humor, heart, and hope. The world she knew and loved.
“Yeah. Listen to me, mister,” she said, shaking her finger at Connor like a child.
The faintest possible smile ghosted across his face. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. The car’s not far now, and when we get there, all of this will disappear. I mean, the bad parts. I’m throwing those out and keeping the rest. Like dancing.” She started walking again, piecing together her confidence with every step. “And dinner. Dinner was great. And walking. And, oh, kissing.”
Connor made a soft sound. “I liked that part too.”
She nodded like that was a given, even though her soul swelled. “Perfect, because I have a few more planned.”
He raised her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Like here?”
She snorted. “Okay for when I’m driving, but once we get home, no.”
“No?”
She shook her head firmly. “You promised, mister. Lots of other things. And I intend to hold you to that.”
He stopped her — for a nice little hug, she assumed. But man, was she was wrong. Connor took her by the shoulders and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss that had every nerve in her body panting, Yes! Yes! More!
Then he slowly released her, making sure she was steady on her feet before letting her go.
“Wow. What was that?” she mumbled.
His eyes went through every possible shade of green like blinkers going on and off. Angry jade. Determined, forest green. Aroused emerald. All that was in this man, and it was up to her to bring out the best parts.
“A promise,” he growled, making her toes curl.
Chapter Nineteen
For the first part of the drive, Connor sat quietly, ordering his raging dragon to calm the hell down. But the beast was spitting fire and roaring, intent on setting off on a rampage. His dragon didn’t even specify what it wanted to destroy — Draig? His deadbeat father? The entire dragon world?
Anger was nothing new, and neither was frustration. Yearning was often part of that testy cocktail too. But having them mixed with hope and desire — that was totally new. New and dangerous, because he could not — would not — get any closer to Jenna without getting himself under control.
If only it were as easy as she had said. To make the bad parts disappear and hang on to the rest.
“Not far now,” Jenna murmured, shifting into fourth gear.
Connor put his hand over hers on the gearshift and closed his eyes, focusing on her smooth, warm skin, trying to calm down.
“Hang on,” Jenna said, slipping her hand out from under his and placing it on top. “How about this?” She massaged his fingers with her thumb.
“Nice,” Connor whispered.
Her contact had a way of pulling the plug on his dragon’s rage. Instead of vowing death and destruction to all the evil in the world, his dragon slowly shifted its focus to positive thoughts. Jenna…love…kiss…
“Driveway coming up,” she said quietly, as if to check whether he needed more time.
He took a deep breath. How was it possible to be that tuned in to someone in such a short time?
Destiny, an earthy voice rumbled in the back of his mind.
Which was all well and good, but did destiny have something good in store for him, or just a miserable, crashing end?
Good or bad is for you to decide, the voice rumbled. For you to deserve.
He scowled. What was the point of destiny, then?
The voice growled ominously. Destiny steered your mate onto your life’s path. Shall I take her away again?
Connor just about thrust his hands up in surrender. God, no. He didn’t want that. I just have no clue how this works, he wanted to plead. No one ever explained.
The voice laughed remorselessly. All the better. You can learn for yourself.
The hard way, he figured. But okay. He was a master at that.
Just don’t let her get hurt, he pleaded. Please.
The deep voice snorted. She must do her part as well. Perhaps even more than you.
Connor raked his fingers through his hair at the warning in those words. No, no, no! He was supposed to keep Jenna out of danger, not drag her down.
He waited for an answer. Even a cryptic hint would do. But destiny had wandered away again, off to torture some other soul.
“Koa Point,” Jenna said softly, tapping his hand as she waited for the gate to open. “Hey. Time to reboot.”
Connor blinked a couple of times. “Reboot?”
“Yep.” She motioned around. “A clear, starry night. Peace and quiet. And just smell those flowers.”
He sniffed, tentatively at first, then more deeply. He didn’t care about the flowers, but Jenna’s sweet fragrance brought the last bit of calm to his soul.
She shifted into fi
rst gear, moving his hand with hers, and rolled down the drive. “Yep. You and I are coming back from our very nice night out. We’re in a very nice car.” She patted the sleek dashboard. “In a very nice place.”
The woman was a master of shedding the bad and hoarding the good.
And a master of distraction, his dragon cooed in its first intelligible words of the evening when she moved her hand to his thigh. Not too high, not too low. Just right. When she parked the car in a bay of the estate’s long garage, she set the hand brake and leaned over for a kiss, all in the same move. As if they had a weekly evening out that always ended in a kiss.
Not ending yet, his dragon rumbled. And not just with a kiss.
Her tongue swept over his, assuring him it wouldn’t end there. Then she pulled back, smiled, and nodded to the door. “It is a nice car, but considering our options…”
He broke into a smile and followed her out, then met her at the threshold to the garage, where he backed her gently against the wall. Her arms slid right into place around his waist, and she raised her chin for a kiss. He squeezed closer, pressing every inch of his body against her.
“And what exactly are our options?” he growled between kisses. The good kind of growl for a change.
She tipped her head up, cooing while he kissed his way down her neck.
“Lots of options…” Her voice was light and dreamy, like she wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere fast. “There’s the guesthouse…the beach…and your place.”
He worked his way back up to her mouth, delving deeper, holding her tighter. “My place.”
His dragon gave a firm nod, like he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jenna smiled into his kiss, then slowly pushed him away and took his hand. “Then show me the way, mister, before I strip you naked right here.” She giggled, and the sound was as soothing as that of the ocean in the distance. “Not sure I can wait that long.”
Connor didn’t think he could wait either, and he nearly detoured to the guesthouse. But the long walk along the beach worked wonders for clearing the last clouds from his mind. It was only when they walked past the fish pond where Jenna had been spooked earlier that his muscles tensed.
“Up there, right?” Jenna whispered, a woman on a mission.
He nodded, leading the way, sniffing as he went. His brother Timber had been by recently, patrolling the grounds. Cynthia had done a quick flyover too, it seemed, before settling down to watch over the area from the top floor of the plantation house. He could tell as much from the tiny zephyrs of lavender scent she left in the air. But Jenna’s saltwater-and-sunshine scent filled his senses and emptied his mind. The closer they got to his clifftop house, the harder his heart beat. Would she like the place?
“It’s kind of a work in progress,” he warned. Like me, he nearly sighed.
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said, swinging his hand as they went.
The sea breeze increased as they climbed, tossing her hair with each light step she took. When they crested the hill, Jenna stopped in her tracks.
“Wow.”
Connor looked out too. The view was amazing, encompassing everything from the dark silhouettes of neighboring islands to the lights of the West Maui coast. The ocean sparkled with moonlight, and the swell dashed against rocks far, far below.
“Perfect place for a dragon,” she whispered.
Connor nodded and gulped. That Timber had suggested the location to him made sense because his brother knew him better than anyone else. But Jenna immediately understood too. His need for a high lookout, a place to perch after a long night flight.
It was perfect, but he was painfully aware of how rough the actual living quarters were. All fine for a bachelor to make do with, but for Jenna?
But her hands waved in excitement, and her voice rose high. “Oh my gosh, this is amazing. You get to live here?”
He grinned and pushed open the unlocked door. “It needs a lot of work, but…”
His eyes jumped from the unfinished cabinets and the tattered couch to Jenna, who went right to the wooden table he’d rescued from the barn the day before. She ran her hand over the surface, following the grain of the wood. “This is gorgeous.”
He exhaled a little. Maybe she wouldn’t mind the rough edges of his place, after all.
“This part of the house only has two rooms. The kitchen and a living room.” Both were laid out in a straight line, one after the other, with a roof that slanted upward toward the sea. He rolled open the patio doors, hoping she’d focus on the ocean view instead of the lack of curtains or the fact that one of the doors needed a good shove to move. The house opened onto a natural stone patio that hugged the edge of the cliff.
“Oh my God. You could dive right in from here,” Jenna said, stepping straight to the edge.
He snorted. “Not sure I’d recommend that.”
Jenna pointed out a spot amidst the frothy surf below. “I think if you hit that spot just right…”
He gaped, because she meant it. Maybe her mermaid side was closer to the surface than she knew.
“You mean, if you were nuts.”
“The old Hawaiian kings jumped off cliffs, you know. To prove themselves.” Her eyes sparkled.
“I’ll make a mental note of that for the next time I have to prove myself.”
It was a joke, but his soul grabbed hold of the idea and stored it in his personal library of just-in-case files. A big, messy place all the way in the back of his mind, because a guy like him had learned over time that just in case happened more often than he wished.
Jenna breezed back inside and flopped down on the couch. “Wow. Inside is like being outside.” A second later, she bounced up and explored the kitchen. “Amazing.”
“Well, it would be amazing if the cabinets were all in.”
“It will be amazing.” She nodded firmly, looking around.
He couldn’t tell what she was picturing, but clearly, she saw the promise of the place. The way she saw the promise in him — or so he hoped.
“Does the couch pull out?” she asked, looking around.
He laughed, loving that she seemed to have no problem with that at all. Maybe destiny knew what it was doing in bringing them together, after all.
“I think if you pulled on it, it would fall apart.” He motioned to the far side of the room. The roof extended a little farther, sheltering a set of outdoor stairs. “Keep going. We’re getting to the best part.”
“This isn’t the best part?” Jenna squeaked.
He hit a light and descended the set of spiral stairs. “This cliff was created by an ancient lava flow, and whoever set up this place used the old lava tubes for a series of cellars. This is the first one.” He motioned around the small space the stairs opened on to, then to a tunnel branching off to one side. “Check this out…”
Jenna followed right on his heels, not the least bit fazed by wandering through a low, narrow cave. The footing was good, with a smooth layer of cement laid over the raw rock underfoot, while the tunnel walls were rough.
“Watch your head,” he murmured, tapping an outcrop.
“You mean I can’t watch your ass?”
He laughed, and it echoed through the room they stepped into next.
“Oh…my…God…” Jenna stammered, looking up and around.
“It was a lava bubble, but it makes a pretty cool room, don’t you think? Skylight and everything.” He pointed up.
The room was perfectly round, and enough of the rocky roof and one wall had collapsed to create two openings — a wide skylight and a window to the ocean, filling the space with fresh air and light.
“Right now, it’s just shelves around the edges…” he started.
“But you could build a circular couch to fit right in. Put a table there… Use it at the hottest parts of the day…” Jenna filled in, describing exactly what he had pictured creating someday.
Hope welled up in him. Hope he didn’t dare hold on to too tightly, because who k
new what the future could bring?
“What’s through there?” she asked, indicating the next tunnel.
“Have a look,” he said, hanging back to watch her discover it for herself. His heart thumped even harder than when he’d first explored the place for himself and saw how perfect it could be. If Jenna liked it then maybe…
“Holy shit,” she said, stepping out into the open.
“Cool, huh?” He grinned.
“This is beyond cool.” She turned in a slow circle.
They’d stepped out onto a scooped-out step in the cliff — a huge, open area with a natural ceiling that ranged halfway out to the ledge, offering shelter from the elements as well as an open space.
“Oh my gosh. You can barbecue here. You could throw a massive party here. God, you could just about run laps here,” Jenna gushed.
I can take off and land here too, his dragon rumbled, showing off.
The space was that big — big enough for him to spread his wings. Big enough for two dragons to spread their wings, in fact, which only got his heart beating faster.
She motioned to an alcove off to one side. “Let me guess. That’s your lair.”
He laughed. “That’s the bathroom.”
“Ha. So, no treasure?” Her voice was a tease.
Just one, his dragon murmured, looking straight at her.
He shook his head. “No gold or silver, if that’s what you mean.”
Jenna looked around, not showing the slightest disappointment. On the contrary, her eyes shone with wonder. “So in the mornings, you can sit up in the kitchen and enjoy the light…”
He could picture it exactly. Her sipping coffee from a mug on the couch, her hair mussed from sleep, wearing nothing but one of his shirts.
“… and in the middle of the day, you can cool off on the couch there…” Jenna pointed to the lava bubble living room he had planned.