by Anna Lowe
“I got this.” Connor whipped out his wallet to pay the cover charge before Jenna could protest.
“I owe you,” she insisted over the classic rock tune playing in the background.
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.”
Connor couldn’t help smiling. Who knew he liked stubborn, independent types? Or that he liked fun, flouncy types. Jenna was both. Of course, he’d never had a type until meeting her.
“Like I said, I owe you. And also, this place is awesome,” Jenna chirped, motioning around.
The bar managed to combine pirate and devil themes without being too kitsch, even with the waitstaff sporting Hawaiian shirts and the occasional pair of fake devil horns. Fishnets and tattered signal flags hung in the rafters, and black-and-white photos of old Lahaina in dusty black frames decorated the walls. A pair of silver swords hung above the bar, along with a couple of antique glass fishing floats.
“Not bad,” Connor murmured, impressed. The crowd was a cut above what he’d pictured. A few grizzled locals clustered around the bar, while the tables were mostly occupied by sunburned tourists. Dell had a way of pulling off small miracles like landing a job at a decent place instead of a dive on his first try.
“Wow. He’s good.” Jenna pointed behind the bar to Dell.
Connor had seen his friend in action before, but, man. Dell was pulling out all the stops tonight, flashing his winning smile and making a show of mixing drinks. Two men leaned their chins on their hands, studying his technique. A gaggle of young women in a bachelorette party squeaked, clapped, and fluttered their eyelids. Dell tossed one bottle behind his back while flipping a tumbler in one hand, then poured the drink in midair and cut off the last drop with a flourish.
A round of applause broke out from the bachelorette party, and Dell winked.
“I don’t think he needs our help,” Jenna declared.
“Not a bad start,” Connor agreed.
Dell would pour the local guys extra big shots, making sure he turned his best sources of local knowledge into repeat customers. Meanwhile, the tourists would keep coming thanks to Dell’s showmanship and good looks.
Which meant all Connor had to do was find a table and enjoy his night out. A waitress led them to a table on the open patio facing the sea, and Jenna sighed as she slid into a chair.
“Wow. This is perfect.”
Connor tried counting back to the last time he’d gone out for a nice, normal, civilian night on the town and came up blank. He tipped his head up to the stars and took a deep breath. This was a whole new life. A whole new planet, in a way. Not only did he get a night out with Jenna, he got it in a place like this. Sun. Surf. Laid-back attitudes. No mortars whizzing overhead, no land mines to avoid. No we might get shipped out tomorrow, or we might wait another six weeks. No wonder he’d goofed around and avoided thinking about the future in his former career. But now…
He looked at Jenna, and it hit him all over again — how amazing the future could be. Even better than the present, because in one version of the future, he got nights like this, knowing Jenna was his. Forever.
He swallowed the bubble in his throat and took his seat.
“I’ll take a Big Swell IPA,” Jenna said, beaming at the waitress then at him. “What about you?”
Even the simple task of ordering a drink was a little beyond him just then, so he nodded to the card on the table. “You choose.”
“Southern Cross?”
He nodded. Whatever it was, Jenna had picked it, so it had to be good.
The waitress whirled away, leaving them alone. Jenna’s incredible blue eyes locked on his, and he never wanted to pull away.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
Connor couldn’t exactly say, How to make you my mate without fucking up everything else, so he settled for “You.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and her eyes shone. “Me, huh?”
He nodded.
“Seriously,” she said when he didn’t reply. “Why me?”
Destiny, he nearly said. Instead, he turned the question around.
“I was kind of thinking the same thing.” He pointed at his chest. “I mean, why me?”
She grinned and leaned in to whisper. “Maybe I have a thing for mysterious dragon types.”
He studied her, wondering if he dared come clean. Jenna was new to the dragon world. Did she understand what an outcast he really was?
“You know how I told you there are dragons and there are dragons? I was talking about good guys and bad guys. But there are other kinds too.”
He expected his words to scare her, but Jenna nodded, showing utter confidence in whatever type he revealed himself to be. Which scared the bejesus out of him, because what if he ever let her down?
He took a deep breath and went on. “Mostly, there are the old clans, like the one Kai and Silas come from.”
“Llewellyn.” She nodded, listening closely.
“Exactly. Baird is another, and Draig is another.” He nodded out in the direction of the megayacht.
Jenna’s eyes wandered out then back, looking blank. Totally unaware of what he was about to tell her.
I’m a nothing, Jenna. A dragon, but not one of those classy ones.
“Those are all old, purebred lines with lots of class and incredible wealth. They’re born with it.” Connor tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice but didn’t really succeed. “They run their world with a thousand unwritten, archaic rules that don’t make any sense.”
He stalled out there, and eventually, Jenna tapped his hand. “And the other kind?”
He snorted. “That would be me. No family name, no inheritance. Not even real dragon lineage. My father was a myriad shifter.”
She tilted her head.
“He could change into different forms. That’s why Timber is a bear and Chase is a wolf,” he whispered. Given the noise level of the bar, he had no fear of anyone listening in.
“Cool,” she said. “Kind of like me. I’m part mermaid.”
He did a double take. “Part what?”
She shrugged. “Not like that part does me much good. Well, I can hold my breath for a really long time. Go, me.” She gave herself an unenthusiastic cheer. “Other than that, I’m just the little sister of the Monroe gang.” She put air quotes around little.
He studied her. So that explained the surfing and the wistful way she looked out at the ocean. Maybe it explained those amazingly clear eyes and the determination to prove herself, too.
“Anyway,” she went on, all breezy as if his big revelation meant nothing to her at all. “Who cares about part this or that? We are who we are, right?”
He stared at her for a second, fishing for words. But, hell. What if she was right?
Her foot brushed his, reminding him of her knife, and suddenly, his thoughts took a sharp turn, making everything click into place. Her questions about vampires, the way she’d been spooked on the plane. He stiffened and scanned the room one more time.
“Nope, none of that,” Jenna said, taking his hand. “I’m having a very nice night out with a very nice guy, and no one is going to ruin it. Plus, Dell and Chase are here, right?”
He nodded but kept his senses on high alert.
“Jenna, there are lots of people who wouldn’t consider me a very nice anything. I’m kind of a mutt. A mongrel. The illegitimate cousin no one wants to know about.”
Jenna shrugged. “Their loss.”
He stared at her. “You don’t understand. The dragon world is all based on who’s who.”
She shrugged. “Fine. Let them stick their noses up their asses. You know who you are and what you can do. Why does it matter?”
It shouldn’t, but it did. From the time he’d been old enough to understand what being an outsider meant, it had eaten away at him. No matter how much he tried or how hard he fought, he’d never belong. Which still rubbed him the wrong way. Not around guys like Kai, who were okay, but around Draig and, to an ext
ent, Cynthia not-Brown. Maybe that was why he’d never bothered to prove himself a good man.
Until now. Suddenly, he wanted to prove that more than anything. But how?
Jenna’s hand tightened around his, speaking volumes without uttering a word. The soft rub of her thumb over his hand made his muscles go loose, and her unwavering gaze said she believed in him — him, not the rest of the dragon world. The leg she’d left wedged comfortably against his said she trusted him, and her eyes—
He held his breath. Those eyes were thinking love.
Connor blinked a couple of times. Damn it, if he weren’t careful, his eyes would fill with the telltale glow of shifter attraction.
“One IPA, one Southern Cross.” The waitress thumped two frothy glasses down, making them jump apart. “What can I get you to eat?”
Connor squinted at the glasses. Where was he again?
Jenna, of course, had herself together enough to order a burger. Connor jabbed blindly at the menu, willing the waitress to disappear. The second she did, Jenna raised her glass.
“To rebel dragons.” She grinned. “Let ’em prove the assholes wrong.”
Connor broke into a smile and tapped his glass against hers. “To the little sisters, all grown-up. Watch out, world.”
The clink of their glasses was like a bell heralding some significant event. Which was funny, because people toasted all the time, so it didn’t have to mean anything, right?
The shine in Jenna’s eye said, Maybe so. Maybe not.
They drank, never breaking their gaze. The cool beer slid down his throat, and the froth tickled his lip.
A second later, Jenna licked the foam off her lips, waking up a whole new part of his body. And then she was off, talking in that singsong tone of hers — another mermaid holdover, he figured. He talked too. Lots more than he usually did. Asking questions. Answering others. Dodging a few, taking others full on. Innocent topics like pets and flowers and high school teams. Heavy stuff like family troubles and making ends meet. All kinds of stuff he’d never really tried putting into words before. Like how getting sent to the principal’s office turned into getting sent to the commanding officer’s desk. How he’d saved his ass with a couple of well-timed accomplishments then set himself back all over again. Why it felt so important to stick together with Tim, Chase, and Dell.
His whole life story, narrated for the very first time, because someone cared. Someone believed.
Jenna covered his hands with hers, hanging on every word.
“So,” she chuckled, going for a lighter tone. “Now I know why Kai and Cruz are keeping an eye on you.”
Only Jenna could say that and make it sound really grave and really funny at the same time.
He sighed. “What about you?”
She paused as if wondering where to start. Then she held up her wrists, showing him her bangles. “These were my mom’s…”
Her voice was hushed for some parts of her story, bold at others, laughing outright at times. She talked about her parents taking her surfing before she was old enough to walk or talk. Then she moved on to losing her mom to cancer and how everyone had pulled together to get through that. How she’d stepped up to help her dad when her two older sisters moved out, even though they always stayed close. Why she’d put off college and decided against giving the pro surf circuit a try.
“You know.” She shrugged. “All those snobs. Who needs them?”
He laughed outright, then nodded slowly. “So that’s why your sister and Cruz are keeping an eye on you.”
She raised what was left of her drink. “See? We’re birds of a feather, you and I.”
The crowd roared at Dell’s latest, greatest trick, but Connor barely heard. Forget the busy bar and the breathtaking view — all he saw was Jenna’s bright blue eyes. All he registered was her voice, despite the hubbub in the background. All he smelled was her flowery scent, filled with hope and tinged with arousal.
And all I want, his dragon growled inside, is her.
Chapter Eighteen
Jenna forced herself to take long, steady breaths. Everything about Connor fascinated and enticed her. His low, growly voice. The glow in his eyes that waxed and waned with his moods. The hidden wounds he’d revealed when he’d talked about the past.
“Do dragons know magic?” she asked out of the blue.
His eyes went wide. “Magic? No.”
Then what was this mysterious force acting on her? Love seemed too simple for something that powerful. She nearly asked, too, but just as she opened her mouth, the waitress whirled by with their meals.
“One hula burger, one falafel salad.”
Connor stared. “Falafel what?”
“It’s what you ordered.” The waitress leaned over to treat him to a view down her low-cut blouse. Connor didn’t appear to notice. He’d barely looked the woman’s way all night.
Just in case, Jenna took a page from Connor’s playbook and cleared her throat in a growl. No woman was poaching on her turf tonight. The waitress glanced at her, then backed away quickly.
Ha. Maybe you didn’t have to be a dragon to give off dragon vibes.
When another customer waved for the waitress’s attention, she scurried off. Jenna hid a triumphant smile and picked up her burger. But Connor was still staring at his meal, so she paused.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
He poked at his plate, and she laughed. “Want to trade?”
Connor happily accepted and wolfed down the burger in about three bites. She asked about how he’d come to Maui and ended up in his new job, and conversation started flowing again. But, damn it, every time she got to the brink of another huge question or revelation, the waitress would interrupt.
“Everything okay here? More ketchup?”
“We’re fine,” Jenna said, trying not to scream.
Some of the attention, Jenna suspected, stemmed from her broad-shouldered date. The waitress definitely had the hots for him — poor girl, because Connor didn’t seem to notice her at all.
“Can I get you another drink?” the waitress tried.
“We’re fine,” Jenna finally barked.
A fatal error, because when they both finished and Jenna was dying to leave, the waitress was nowhere to be found. It was only when Connor signaled that the waitress cantered over.
“Check, please.”
The waitress’s face fell. “Sure.”
Connor insisted on paying, but Jenna insisted on leaving the tip and even found it in herself to round way up.
“Was she that good?” Connor looked on dubiously.
No, and the woman had made eyes at Jenna’s man all night. But still, she was trying to be gracious. “Have you ever worked as a waiter?”
Connor shook his head.
“Well, I’ve waitressed. And believe me, it’s a lot of work.”
She waved goodbye to Dell as she and Connor left, barely catching his eye in the midst of some kind of intricate setup of drink dominoes that took up the entire length of the bar. When Dell did spot them leaving, he gave a naughty wink.
“Have fun, kids.”
Oh, Jenna was ready to have some fun, all right. However, she did stop to fill out a customer satisfaction slip with The bouncers are awesome. Especially the cute new guy.
Connor looked at it and laughed.
“Well, we have to support Chase and Dell, right? Plus, he is cute.”
“Hey. That’s my kid brother.”
She smacked his shoulder. A good thing her feet were braced, because Connor didn’t budge, but she nearly had to take a step back.
“You know how much it sucks to be the baby of the family?”
“Uh…no. I guess not,” he said. Then he scratched his chin and took his own feedback form. She peeked as he wrote in slanted block letters. Security appeared fully alert and checked IDs carefully.
She laughed. Leave it to a security guy to comment on that. She took the pen back and added another note to her card. Bartender (Dal
e?) was awesome. Mixes the best drinks in Hawaii.
“Which you would know because…?” Connor murmured.
She elbowed him in the ribs.
Connor took the pen from her and appended his card. Excellent drinks delivered quickly. Suggest the bartender gets a better haircut.
Jenna chortled, pointing at the appreciative flock of females crowded around one end of the bar. “Oh, I think the ladies would disagree.”
Connor gave her a sharp look and stuck out his elbow. She looped her arm through it and nestled close to his side as they descended the creaky steps back to the street. She’d never felt taller, more beautiful, or freer in her life than just then.
Except when they stepped onto the street, waved goodbye to Chase, and turned — running smack into Jody and Cruz.
Jody was her usual easygoing self, but Cruz looked furious. In other words, his usual grumpy-except-for-loving-Jody self.
“Hi,” Jody said, chipper as can be.
“Hi,” Jenna said, trying not to look at Cruz nervously. He was a tiger shifter, and tigers could pick up on fear, right?
It was only when Jody nudged Cruz that he growled, “Hi.”
After ten wordless seconds of glancing back and forth between Jenna and Connor, Cruz crossed his arms and frowned. The air pressure rose by a factor of a hundred, like a thundercloud was about to erupt.
“How did you like the place?” Jody asked, taking no notice.
“It was nice,” Jenna murmured, putting a hand on Connor’s arm. He was doing that stiff, hackles-rising thing, staring Cruz down.
The tiger shifter didn’t relent. Finally, he grabbed Connor and dragged him to the street corner. “Need to talk to you, man.”
Jenna nearly went after them, but Jody held her back with a low, “Uh-oh.”
Uh-oh was right. “What is Cruz doing?” Jenna demanded.
Jody weighed her words carefully before replying. “Look, it’s obvious what’s going on between you two. And Connor seems like a really nice guy…”
“But?” Jenna demanded, slamming her hands on her hips.