Randy & Jett_Dragon Kisses

by Lynn Stark

No, Randy hadn’t found what he was looking for. That was easy enough to answer. What he had found, however, was a good dose of heartache and disappointment. “No,” he answered. “I decided a bodyguard isn’t what I need.”

  “I don’t think Barker is stupid enough to cause any trouble for you,” Noah said, patting Randy on the forearm. “We all have your back. If he does cause trouble, he’ll be off to jail again.” Noah grinned and leaned closer. In a low voice, he asked, “So, which hunk did you talk to? Pit Bull, Snake, Dragon, or Bear?”

  “Dragon.”

  “You’re smiling.”

  Randy frowned. He was smiling. What was up with that? Why was he smiling? It didn’t matter. He denied it. “I didn’t smile.”

  “You did.” Noah moved closer. “I know he’s single. Why don’t you ask him out?”

  “Why would I do that? You know I don’t date.”

  A gentle hand touched Randy’s. “Because, Randy, you need someone all your own to love.”

  Did he? Randy wasn’t so sure about that. Fuck, he didn’t even know what love was and he doubted that whatever Dragon had wanted from him hadn’t included love. The thought was depressing, but it helped reinforce Randy’s decision to remain celibate and alone.

  A sharp bark brought Randy out of his funk. He laughed and patted his leg as the small dog shot out through the doggie door built into the house’s back door. This was all the love he needed, the love of one small dog with silky copper and white hair and big brown eyes. Leaning down Randy picked her up, hugging her close to his chest as she licked his chin.

  “How’s daddy’s baby?” he asked, grinning as her butt wiggled vigorously. He knew she was dealing with her own insecurity issues. She rarely left her bed in the living room, if he wasn’t home. He knew she would hide out in his bedroom and so he closed her out of it during the day. It was for her own good. All he could do was give her all the love he had and see that she had the very best care he could provide. “Did you miss me?”

  Randy loved animals and one of his dreams was to become a vet technician. He had been excited to learn that the new community college opening in the fall would be offering a program for it, as well as many other animal-related courses. It made sense, considering the farms and ranches in the area. Randy knew that a new veterinarian was coming to Silver, so that meant more jobs would become available. Randy was excited about the prospect. It would give him a goal to work toward, and something he could be proud of.

  “Randy, you know we all love you,” Noah said, once Gemma had settled on Randy’s lap. Obviously Noah wasn’t about to give up on the subject. Randy prepared himself for it. “But you need someone special, someone who will love you, in the most special way possible.”

  Looking at his friend, a person who had helped Randy without asking for anything in return, Randy shook his head. “Noah, I barely love me. Right now I can’t see anyone wanting to love me. I just don’t know what it is, okay? The closest I’ve ever come to love is with Gemma here. I love her and she loves me. Maybe I’ll figure it out later with people. All I want to do is get my life fixed. I want to be proud of who I am and what I am. And then I want to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. That’s all I can handle right now. Sex doesn’t even come into the equation.”

  A nod, a teary face, and a strong hug were what Randy got from Noah. “I’ve got your back, buddy. Whatever you need, I’m here for you. You’ll be okay.”

  Relieved, Randy nodded and hugged Noah. Gemma protested being slightly squished between them. She wriggled free and hopped down. Randy and Noah released each other with a laugh. Randy got up and headed to the back door.

  “I’m going to grill a couple of hot dogs,” Randy announced. “Anyone want one?”

  Food was always a good distraction. Too bad it wasn’t enough of a distraction to prevent Randy from thinking about the man he’d met earlier in the evening. He went inside and to the refrigerator, getting out the three packs of hot dogs on the shelf. By the time he returned outside, the grill had been lit. As he placed the turkey hot dogs on the grill, he found himself thinking about the man he’d met only an hour earlier.

  Dragon had certainly made an impression on him. Of course that didn’t change anything. Randy was nowhere close to wanting a physical relationship with anyone, let alone a man who was obviously so dominant. Randy wanted to be in control, not controlled. He was a drug-free adult, capable of making clear decisions and was finally in charge of his life. He didn’t have to trade his body for what he wanted. He didn’t have to debase himself ever again, and he never wanted to be reminded of what he had done during the worst two years of his life in order to survive, by giving his body to someone else.

  Feeling his emotions being dragged down, Randy was relieved when Gemma barked and hopped up against his leg, reminding him that she was there. When he looked down he saw that she was staring at the package of hot dogs in his hand.

  “If you’re a good girl, I’ll give you a taste.” Gemma barked again and wagged her stumpy little tail excitedly.

  Randy wondered why people couldn’t be more like dogs. They gave everything and asked for nothing in return. Well, except for the promise of a hot dog. Smiling, he grilled all three packages of hot dogs as the others loaded the large picnic table with whatever foods they were craving.

  He had Gemma and he had friends. Randy didn’t believe he needed anything more to have a happy life.

  Chapter Two

  It only took one phone call for Dragon to learn what he wanted. Randy Carr was worried about a man named Brad Barker, who had a long history of violence. He had been raised in Silver, but his family had moved to Maryland when he was a preteen and then moved to Florida after that. Barker had returned to Silver after a twenty-year absence. No one knew why, but Dragon suspected it was about the only place Barker hadn’t screwed up in until recently. Now that had changed and his welcome in Silver was definitely wearing out.

  “The guy sure is a loser,” Snake commented as he looked over the detailed e-mail the sheriff had sent Dragon.

  “Yes, he is and he’s only one step away from becoming a major loser. Because the town of Silver and the land around it is private property, Barker has been given a formal warning to stay out of trouble. If he doesn’t, he won’t be allowed to stay in Silver.”

  “It’ll be a moot point if he does something to get himself sent to prison. So, are you going to watch over the little guy?”

  Dragon laughed. “Randy isn’t all that little. I’m guessing he’s around five-nine or five-ten.”

  “Like I said, he’s little. We’re all six-five and above,” Snake reminded him needlessly. “He’s skinny, too.”

  “Not so skinny. I saw some muscles under his shirt.” Dragon rose from the office chair, and pushed it back up under the desk. “And to answer your question. Yes, I’ll be watching out for him. He won’t know it, though. Not yet, anyway. I want to learn about the guy before I let him know I’m poking around in his life.”

  “With the way he reacted to you, I’m guessing he might not be too thrilled about that,” Snake said as they walked out of the office. “What do you think his story is?”

  Dragon and his three friends continued to work together. They saw no reason to change that since they got along so well and worked together effortlessly. It was almost as if they knew what the other was thinking during the most critical moments. They continued to provide protection for Jade and Stephen, but not as intensely as before. There had been one embarrassing incident when the two men had been shot, but that had only made them more determined to protect Jade and Stephen until the threat had been eliminated. Nothing had happened in months, not since the shootout on the highway, but that didn’t mean the threat was gone. The men they were protecting, however, wanted to live a less restrictive life, which gave Dragon and his partners more time for other endeavors.

  “I don’t know much yet. I do know Randy came here on some sort of Second Chance program, so that means he might have a pas
t he’s not too proud of, which could explain his reaction to me coming on to him.”

  “Maybe he’s not gay.”

  Dragon chuckled over that. “Oh, he’s gay. I wasn’t mistaken about the way he was checking me out. No, something stopped him from accepting what I was offering. I just have to discover what it is. I honestly believe the guy needs more from me than just a bodyguard.”

  Taking the e-mail with Barker’s mug shot on it, Dragon put it on the refrigerator door with a magnet in the shape of a skull. They would have to stop Pit Bull from buying things for their shared house. The man had lousy taste.

  Snake waited until Dragon was finished before opening the refrigerator door. He reached in for a cola. He popped the tab and took a drink as Dragon took his place and began searching for the fixings for a salad. The avocado was missing. “That dumbass ate the avocado again. What do I have to do, put it in the safe with my guns?”

  Snake laughed. “Now, it’s your own fault if you put an avocado in there and didn’t specifically tell Bear not to eat it.”

  “I shouldn’t have to. It’s like the fortieth one he’s eaten since we moved here.”

  “What can I say? I love avocados.” Bear’s booming voice accompanied him as he entered the kitchen. Dragon turned what he hoped was an intimidating look in his friend’s direction. His gaze shifted and fixed on the reusable grocery bags in the man’s huge hands. “There are four avocados in here, so you can stop your fucking whining. I bought chicken breasts, too. Why don’t we grill them to put in a salad?”

  Dragon snagged the avocados. “Just keep your paws off.”

  “You know I’m not really a bear, don’t you?” Bear teased as he began emptying the bags.

  “I don’t know anything of the kind. You sure eat like one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see you out turning over logs for grubs and ants.”

  Snorting, Bear placed the package of chicken near the stove with its built-in grill. “We’ve all eaten our share of grubs. I like mine with pepper and a bit of lime juice squeezed over them.”

  They were best friends and as close as brothers. As luck would have it, they had been together since meeting in boot camp. If there were three men Dragon knew he could count on, no matter what the situation was, it was Snake, Bear, and Pit Bull. They had been through a lot together during the past fifteen years, but Dragon knew he wouldn’t change any of it. Well, he thought, there were a few things—war really sucked.

  “What’s Pit Bull doing?”

  “He’s helping Jade and Stephen move the furniture in the den. Jade wants to paint the walls.”

  While they were home, Jade requested that they not worry so much about protecting them. He was the boss, after all. Jade and Stephen lived in the main house while Dragon, Pit Bull, Snake, and Bear lived in the former bunkhouse, which was now completely refurbished. It was still a bunkhouse, but it was a lot more comfortable than it had been.

  It was a place for them to live for the moment, until they either moved on or found someone to share their lives with. Dragon couldn’t imagine not having the other three men in his life. He glanced at Snake and Bear as he thought this. They were bonded by the events of their collective pasts. For the first time, however, Dragon believed he found someone he could share his life with, but in a very different way than what he shared with his friends.

  “Why don’t you cook the chicken and I’ll go out and take a look around,” Dragon said as he headed for the door. “Jade might not think he and Stephen need to be protected these days, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep an eye out.”

  Snake followed him. “I’ll go with you. Bear can grill the chicken.”

  They left Bear bitching in the kitchen. Laughing, Dragon and Snake headed for the building where the four-wheel ATVs were stored. A few minutes later they were patrolling the area surrounding the house, going as far as the edge of the nature preserve on the northern border of the ranch. On occasion, they would have to ask hikers to return to the preserve when they crossed over. None had proven to be a threat to either Stephen or Jade, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t use the preserve as a way to get onto the ranch and become a threat to their clients.

  Bear was still grumbling when Dragon and Snake returned. Pit Bull was at the table, but had not been fed yet. Dragon and Snake were informed that Bear had been ready to serve their meal twenty minutes before. They washed up and took their places at the table, exchanging amused glances as they did so. Bear had the most controlling nature of all of them. Dragon couldn’t wait to meet the man willing to put up with him.

  “Wow, this chicken is tender,” Dragon complimented, offering an olive branch to their moody chef. “It just melts in your mouth.”

  “Did you marinate the chicken?” Pit Bull asked, examining a piece of chicken on the end of his fork. “Whatever you did, be sure to do it again.”

  Bear was puffing up and relaxing, his bad mood forgotten. “Thanks, guys. What about you,” he said, turning his attention to Snake. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  Snake nodded. “I wouldn’t mind more meat the next time you make this. It really is delicious.”

  Completely appeased, Bear nodded. “More meat it is. But I did buy an apple pie. It’ll help fill in the empty spaces.”

  To keep Bear happy Dragon did the dishes after they finished. As he did so he wondered how so many dishes could be used to make four salads. There seemed to be a hell of a lot of them.

  Once he was finished, Dragon headed outside. Snake had gone over to the house to spend the night. Jade and Stephen would argue with him, but they would eventually accept the fact that they would have the protection they were paying for. Of course there would come a time when the two men would need less protection, if any. Stephen had been in law enforcement for years. He was far from helpless and he had been training with Dragon and the others these past few months, improving his skills with weapons and in hand-to-hand combat. Jade was also practicing with his new pistol and learning how to defend himself.

  Sitting on the bench running along the front of the bunkhouse, Dragon took the opportunity to completely relax. It was nearly dark and the sounds were changing. While some birds slept, others were waking. Insects began their nightly songs. The one thing Dragon still had to get used to was the large predators in the area. Jade had two dogs, but Tug, a French bulldog, and the smaller of the two, would likely end up being a snack. The larger was an Afghan hound named Willow. He was a sight hunter and made a habit of trying to run down rabbits or other small prey animals inhabiting the area. As far as Dragon knew the dog hadn’t caught anything, but he certainly enjoyed trying. It was fun watching the athletic dog run and maneuver, its silky golden coat shifting with each movement. When Willow wasn’t hunting he was a couch potato.

  What was really needed was a dog that would serve the purpose as watchdog, Dragon thought, a breed sturdy enough to be outside. The ten or so acres surrounding the house were fenced. The dog would have plenty of room to run but would not be able to go where it wasn’t allowed. It would be easy enough to make a place for it to escape from any bad weather. There were several buildings on the property into which an insulated house could be incorporated. Yeah, getting a watchdog or two was something that needed to be considered by Stephen and Jade, especially if they continued to insist they didn’t need a twenty-four hour babysitter.

  Chuckling to himself over the possibility of being replaced by a dog, Dragon closed his eyes and soaked up the serenity of the evening. It was something he would never tire of and had decided a few months back that he was in no hurry to leave the area. He was tired of noise, chaos, and of always feeling the need to be on high-alert every moment. He even slept better here. It was getting closer to the time when decisions would have to be made. Dragon was leaning toward staying in Silver.

  The desire was stronger now that he had met Randy. The man was very much Dragon’s type. It had been a while since Dragon had been with anyone. He was very selective. After being in t
he military for so many years, he had learned to curb his needs, as had his friends. They had actually gone through the charade of being married men during the last few years. Two of Bear’s sisters had volunteered to pose as wives, as had one of Dragon’s, and Pit Bull’s only sister. The women had regularly provided photos, letters, and care packages, to make the ruse more convincing, and to avoid suspicion and accusations.

  Dragon acknowledged the fact that Randy had said he wasn’t interested in getting to know each other better. He respected that. Dragon couldn’t possibly know what was preventing the man from wanting to even test the waters. Dragon had seen the pain in the man’s blue eyes. Pain, secrets, and shame. Yes, it had all been there for Dragon to see. Randy was hurting and that part of Dragon that felt the need to protect and heal was surging toward the surface.

  With Brad Barker’s release set to happen in four days, Dragon knew what he had to do. Randy would not have to worry about the bastard hurting him. If a bodyguard was what Randy needed to feel safe then it was a bodyguard he would have. It had been Randy’s attraction to Dragon that had made him change his mind about needing protection. Dragon would have to prove to this beautiful little man that sex was the furthest thing from Dragon’s mind. It was, for now. There were more important things in life, other things needing to be dealt with before Dragon could discover if there was a connection between Randy and him, or if he had just imagined it.

  The first thing Dragon knew he had to do was discuss his plans with the three men with whom he worked. He knew there would be no problem, but some adjustments to their schedules would have to be made. Although Stephen and Jade didn’t feel it was necessary to have full-time bodyguards, Dragon knew that they would continue to be watched over a while longer, if only to reassure them that it was true. Dragon, Snake, Pit Bull, and Bear had become friends with Stephen and Jade during the past few months. Leaving them open to harm would be something Dragon and his team wouldn’t be able to forgive themselves for.