His Fiery Kiss: Real Men of Wildridge

by Kyle, Celia

  “Allon, I want you touching base with all of your underworld contacts,” Charlie said. “See if you can find out if this was a professional job or a personal vendetta. Elektra, floor plans of the Bradford house are included in your packet. The burglars figured out how to get past our security measures. We need to find that weakness and close it. Thrett, you’ll obviously be scouring the security videos, as well as assessing if we need to upgrade Mr. Bradford’s system.”

  Charlie ran a leathery hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “It goes without saying that we’ll eat the bill if an upgrade is necessary. Wyntir, you are now assigned to Blaise Bradford. Mr. Bradford doesn’t seem overly concerned with his own safety, so I want you watching the boy’s every move. But keep your distance. We don’t want them panicking. This is purely a cover-your-ass situation. Got it? Dyrk, you’ll follow the money, as usual. Talk to Stark’s financial team and find out if the thieves made off with more than just physical goods.”

  While Charlie handed out assignments, Ragan thumbed through his own folder to find some clue as to what his role would be in the investigation. Charlie had prepared all of the files early that morning and left them on Ragan’s desk to pass out, as was his job as the new guy, so he was surprised to find only a dossier on an online news site for shifters.

  “Rawr News?” Ragan mumbled, frowning at the sheet of paper.

  “Ah yes, glad to see you’re reading ahead, Ragan,” Charlie said, his demeanor brightening. “Since this was a physical burglary, your cybersecurity expertise isn’t something we’ll need at this point.”

  Ragan’s stomach clenched. “Um, okay. So…what? You want me checking out the background of whoever runs this fake news site? Are they suspects or something?”

  Charlie chuckled. “No, nothing like that. Although I can’t stress enough how important your assignment is to Wildridge, Ragan. You’ll be the point man for a reporter from Rawr News.”

  Ragan stared at his boss, not caring that his mouth was hanging open. “But…but you said…”

  “I know,” Charlie said with a slight grimace, “but trust me, this is every bit as important as anyone else’s assignment. You see, the publisher is an old friend of mine and he owes me a favor. A big one. This reporter will be doing a spotlight on us as a company, showing us in a positive light. I’m hoping it will keep anyone else from sniffing around about the Bradford case. PR is vital to our work, Ragan. You know that.”

  Ragan couldn’t look at his boss for a second longer. He studied the dossier, such as it was, without really reading it. He just needed to bide some time so he could calm down. Once again, he’d been denied field time.

  “So you want me emailing all of our marketing material to this guy, huh?”

  “Well, that would certainly be the easiest—” Charlie paused when Wyntir made a face at him but then jerked her head pointedly at Ragan. “Um, well, I suppose you could take the reporter out to canvass the Bradfords’ neighborhood to see if anyone saw anything suspicious. They rarely do, but it would get you out into the field and it might impress the reporter. How does that sound?”

  Ragan shrugged, knowing perfectly well he looked like a petulant child. But he couldn’t help it because that’s exactly how he felt. He’d paid his damn dues. He deserved time in the field with his cohort, but Charlie seemed determined to keep him in the office. He was tired of it. Canvassing the neighborhood was something, but only just.

  “It’s busy work,” Ragan shrugged, unable to hold his tongue any longer. “We both know that, Charlie. We also both know I’m ready to get out there and do something, and I don’t think babysitting some hack who couldn’t land a real journalism job counts.”

  A loud knock at the open conference room door jerked them all to attention. A tall, voluptuous woman with long black hair and striking violet eyes stood in the doorway dressed in a well-tailored dress suit that hugged every curve in the most spectacular manner imaginable. She was beautiful, gorgeous, stunning—and she was glaring directly at him.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said, her rich voice oozing sarcasm. “I was just writing a thank you email to my last babysitter.”

  “Good morning,” Charlie said, smiling at the new arrival. “Ms. Elissa Malkin, I’d like to introduce you to the specialists of Wildridge Security, specifically Ragan DeFever. You’ll be shadowing him today and I guarantee he will be delighted to answer any and all questions you might have.”

  Bellicent snickered on one side of Ragan while Thrett jabbed an elbow into his ribs. Allon and Wyntir seemed highly amused too, and though Dyrk and Elektra didn’t show it outwardly, he caught the sparkle of glee in their eyes.

  Ragan resisted the urge to roll his own, mainly because he couldn’t keep them off the reporter’s delicious form. Even if it was a lame assignment and the others would tease him mercilessly for his faux pas, at least he’d have a better view than his computer screen.

  Chapter Two

  After growing up the way she had, Elissa had learned how to keep her true emotions locked up deep inside. Outbursts of temper had never served her well, especially during her time at Aunt Sanne’s. The woman was moody and unpredictable, with an even worse temper than Elissa’s.

  She’d often thought Sanne and her father were two halves of the same person, that if they could somehow merge, they might form one functional human being. Where her father was often too stony-faced for Elissa to read any genuine emotion in him, Sanne wore her heart on her sleeve. Her ever-present glass of wine didn’t help matters. While she never physically abused Elissa, her mercurial nature certainly caused its share of trauma.

  At least Sanne had managed to stay above the law and keep her life trajectory mostly in the clear, unlike Cray who seemed almost diametrically opposed to a life in the light. He fell into schemes so easily and willingly, almost tripping into new crimes and ventures without even having to sniff them out. Trouble seemed to follow him like a loyal dog, always dragging him back in, even as he claimed to want out.

  If Elissa had learned one lesson in her twenty-six years, it was that life was full of surprises, most of them some degree of bad. Misfortune lurked behind every corner, waiting to nip at her heels and pull her down, no matter how passionately she longed to move up the ladder of success. A skilled writer and talented interviewer, Elissa knew how to use her articles as an outlet for personal expression in the tiniest, most imperceptible ways. No matter the subject, she possessed a gift for imbuing every piece of writing with an iota of her own soul.

  Whether a turn of phrase = sounded especially lyrical or simply an infusion of dark humor suited her mood at the moment, she always found ways to insert herself into her work. It was something she did without even trying, as though every article was an opportunity to offer up another tiny chunk of herself to the reader. It wasn’t intentional, but it was impactful, not to mention one of the reasons she’d landed her job at Rawr News in the first place. People enjoyed her style of storytelling, even when the subject matter was as dry and meaningless as a new shifter-owned business opening downtown.

  Still, Elissa felt trapped in her position as the “Community Happenings” columnist. If only her boss could see she was so much better than that and had more potential than he knew. If only someone would give her the chance to stretch her writing muscles, she knew she could spread her wings and really fly. But her boss insisted she needed to pay her dues, and that meant writing the pieces he assigned her.

  Like the profile on Wildridge Security, which she really didn’t want to do, for so many reasons. Not the least of which was the startlingly handsome and outright rude specialist walking beside her. Good thing she’d learned to keep her emotions in check so long ago because she was pissed as hell at the guy’s snarky comment about her. Hack? She was no hack, and she would prove it to him. To all of them.

  Assuming they didn’t arrest her first.

  Elissa tensed at the thought and shot a wary glance up at Ragan, who stood a few inches taller than her five-foot-
nine. His lean swimmer’s build hinted that he wasn’t a bodyguard type, but after their initial introduction, they’d barely exchanged two words, so she had no idea what his specialty was. It must be something that didn’t require a lot of brute strength, at least in his human form. As a dragon, he could probably match up against just about any shifter out there.

  Without a word, he held open the front door of the building, as if he hadn’t just insulted her. As she passed, he caught her gaze with his warm hazel eyes and smiled a little. She quickly averted her gaze, less because she was still irritated with him and more because she was afraid he might incinerate her with his hotness.

  He was that handsome. Ridiculously, annoyingly handsome, in fact.

  The California sun beat down on the pair as they crossed the parking lot to Ragan’s SUV. The creak and whine of the office’s front door followed them and she glanced back to see the other specialists of Wildridge Security leaving too, as if on some kind of mission.

  The wind picked up, a billowing gust buffeting them, and she swore she spied a glimmer of scales on Ragan’s neck. As if the wind called to his inner-beast.

  Elissa dropped her voice so she wouldn’t be overheard by any nearby humans. “Wishing you could fly?”

  The man beside her quirked an eyebrow. “That depends. Can you fly?”

  Elissa sighed and shook her head. “No. I’m not a dragon shifter.”

  “What are you, then? If you don’t mind my asking,” Ragan added quickly.

  “I don’t,” she replied, straightening, proud of her inner animal. “I’m a panther. I may not have wings but I do have…other talents.”

  “I have no doubt that’s true,” he said smoothly, his tone suggesting more than she’d intended. “But if those talents don’t include levitation, wishing I could fly is pointless. Looks like we’ll be driving. Unless, of course, you want to ride me.”

  He gave her a rather unprofessional wink that sent a delicious shiver down her spine. Was he flirting with her? Right after flat-out insulting her back in the office? Ballsy!

  Elissa’s lips twitched in the reflex of a smile, but she stomped it out. She needed to remain focused and keep her wits about her. Ragan was sexy as hell, no doubt, but he was also her assignment, and she took her job seriously. And then there was the little matter of her new and totally unintentional status as a criminal. As tempting as his offer was—not that she’d ever admit it—flirting with him was out of the question.

  “Hard pass,” she said, adding some ice to her tone.

  Ragan sighed and then hurried forward to open the passenger door to his SUV for her. Like a gentleman. She blinked at him in confusion for a second before climbing inside. “Um, thanks.”

  When he slid behind the wheel, he turned to her. She didn’t care for the way he looked at her, as if he was about to say something nice. Or maybe horrible. Probably the latter, knowing her luck.

  “What? Do I have something on my face?”

  His expression softened. “No, nothing. I was just hoping… I dunno, could we maybe…you know…reboot?”

  “Reboot?”

  “Yeah, I’d like to start over, if we could. I’m sorry about what I said upstairs, Ms. Malkin. And not just because you heard me. That’s not really who I am. I was just…upset about something that had nothing to do with you. Mind if we try again?”

  Elissa bit back a smile, she was so tickled by his change of tone. She decided she might as well lean in. If he wanted to be a good guy, she was game. She held out a hand for him to shake, and her heart fluttered like a butterfly’s wings when his warm and slightly rough fingers closed around hers.

  She swallowed hard and managed to croak out, “Hi, I’m Elissa. Nice to meet you, Mr. DeFever.”

  His brilliant smile nearly knocked her out. “Call me Ragan, and the pleasure’s all mine.”

  Her heart hammered wildly, adrenaline pumping through her veins at his simple touch. And judging by the flash in his eyes, he felt something similar for her. Suddenly, Elissa found herself rather liking this guy she’d hated a minute ago.

  “So…” she said, giving him a teasing smile. “Reboot?”

  He laughed and turned to the task of driving. The moment his hand left hers, she felt inexplicably lonely. “Sorry, I guess that’s why most people think I’m a computer nerd. I’m the cybersecurity specialist at Wildridge.”

  “I see,” she said, staring at his profile, unable to look away.

  His long, aquiline nose suited his face, accenting his chiseled cheekbones and strong chin. Light brown hair ruffled in the breeze of the air conditioning as he pulled out of the parking lot, heading in a direction Elissa couldn’t care less about. He could drive her to hell and back—and any time you got on the freeway, it was likely to feel like hell—but as long as she could look at him, she’d be a happy camper.

  “Mind if I ask what you were upset about back there?” she ventured, not really expecting an answer but curious nonetheless. “I mean, you have one of the most coveted jobs in all of dragondom.”

  He shot her wary look and held it. “Off the record?”

  “Absolutely.”

  He shrugged and returned his attention to the road. “This will probably sound stupid but I really want to get some field work. My job has me sitting behind a computer all day and I’m itching to see some real action. You know?”

  “Boy, do I.” Elissa couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

  She never would have guessed they’d have so much in common. Settling back in her seat, she faced forward while watching him discreetly from her peripheral vision. Big cats had excellent eyesight, which partially transferred to their human forms. Perfect for tracking prey…or cute boys.

  “So what’s first on the babysitting agenda for the day?” she asked, trying to keep a straight face and failing.

  “Nice. So much for starting over, huh?” he teased back. “Actually, Charlie did finally give me a field assignment, though don’t get your hopes up for much of a scoop. You’ll tag along as I canvass a neighborhood for witnesses to a crime. It’s going to be a lot of walking, knocking, and talking, I’m afraid. Not very exciting, but it’s better than sitting at the computer while everyone else gets all the fun.”

  Ooh, she thought, excited at the prospect of covering a Wildridge investigation. “A crime? Murder?”

  Ragan chuckled. “Like I said, don’t get your hopes up. First, we need to find a witness, which will be a needle in a haystack, trust me. Regardless, it should be good fodder for your article. Have you always wanted to be a journalist?”

  Elissa could tell when someone was deflecting, so she let it go. She’d get answers to all of her questions eventually. She always did.

  “Well, how far back are we talking? When I was six, my only aspiration was to be a ballerina princess, which isn’t even a thing. But once I started college, I knew.”

  “So you like your job.”

  She shrugged and pretended to look at the scenery passing by. “I’m paying my dues by writing the “Community Happenings” column. Boring stuff, like shifter mixers and business profiles.”

  Realizing what she’d just said, she clamped her lips shut. As much as she wanted to move up in her job, she had to keep said job to do it. Admitting to the subject of an article that she couldn’t care less about writing a profile on him wasn’t the best way to do that.

  But Ragan surprised her. “So you’re a lot like me.”

  Elissa couldn’t stop herself from letting her gaze rake down the full length of his body before answering. “So it would seem.”

  The SUV slowed to a stop and Ragan turned a smile on her. Was he going to kiss her? Would she let him? Her heart raced as she tried to figure out the answers. But neither happened. Instead, he opened his door.

  “We’re here,” he announced as he jumped out and hurried around the front of the rig.

  That gave Elissa enough time to take in her surroundings for the first time. The quiet, tony neighborhood looked vaguel
y familiar. Then it hit her. Ragan had parked in almost the exact spot she had the night before!

  * * *

  Ragan was on cloud nine by the time he reached Elissa’s door. He smiled as he looked around Stark Bradford’s ridiculously upscale neighborhood. This was it! He was actually out in the field investigating a crime. And not only that, but he had the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on joining him. Better yet, she didn’t seem to hate his guts anymore.

  Bonus!

  His days usually didn’t turn around on a hairpin like that, but he wasn’t about to question it. Pulling open her door, he smiled up at her, but she didn’t so much as glance his way. She seemed preoccupied with looking at all the mansions, not that he could blame her. It was a pretty grand area.

  “Coming?” he asked.

  She jerked as if he’d startled her but then turned a blank look at him. “Huh?”

  Ragan offered his hand to help her down and she stared at it for a long moment, blinking rapidly like she wasn’t sure what the thing even was. Finally slipping her fingers into his, he experienced another spark of awareness at the touch of her flesh against his. Only it didn’t feel like the same jolt of mutual attraction as before.

  Ragan furrowed his brow as she stepped down and avoided eye contact with him, her gaze constantly scanning the area. Strange, her demeanor had changed dramatically in the time it took him to walk around the front of his rig. Crap, had he unintentionally insulted her again? He racked his memory but couldn’t think of anything that might have hurt her feelings. Maybe she was just nervous about shadowing him while he canvassed.

  “You sure this is the right place?” she asked, her voice tight. “Seems too nice for crime.”

  “Positive. Hey, are you okay, Elissa? Processors chugging a little slow?” he joked, hoping she’d get this one. And indeed, she gave a faint smile and a nervous laugh, but Ragan wasn’t fooled. Something was off.