by Dena Christy
“Someone broke into the shop last night.”
“My God, were you hurt? Was anything taken?” He reached out and clasped her hand in his, and there was no way for her to remove it without causing a scene.
“I’m fine, and nothing was taken. They knocked over a pile of books by the door and I think the notion that someone had heard them frightened them away. Everything is fine and once the new security system is in place things will be much better.” Her smile was firmly in place when she tugged her hand but he didn’t let it go.
“Why didn’t you call me when it happened? I could’ve been there at a moment's notice. Dealing with the police and setting up someone to come in to do your security wasn’t something you had to go through alone. I would’ve helped you out, why didn’t you ask me?”
A funny look crossed his face, and Elle wasn’t sure what it meant. He seemed to be confused as to why he wasn’t the first person she’d thought of to call, but why would he think he was at the forefront of her mind? She hadn’t seen him in years and he wasn’t a regular part of her life anymore. There should be no reason for him to think he would be the first one she would contact when trouble arose in her life.
“It doesn’t really matter now, does it? I had a friend come over and stay with me and as you can see I’m none the worse for wear. And I should get going.” She tugged at her hand again, and for a moment his fingers tightened in a painful grip. Before she had the chance to protest though, he loosened his fingers and let go of her hand. A dark look crossed over his face and sent a chill skating down her spine. “You can’t be angry that I didn’t call you?”
“Of course not. I don’t like the thought of you and your friend all alone after a break-in. What would two women have been able to do if the perpetrators had come back?”
He assumed her friend was female, and she didn’t bother to correct him. The fact that she had a new man in her life was none of his business, and with the way he was acting she wanted to get out of here and move on.
“Well, as you can see we made it through the evening. And I really need to go now.” Elle stood up, unhooked her purse from where she’d slung the strap along the back of the chair and put it over her shoulder. “It was nice seeing you again, Gabriel.”
She moved to the side of the table to go by him and his hand snaked out and he put it on her forearm. She stopped and looked down at him.
“I’d like to see you again. Why don’t you have dinner with me tonight?”
There was no way she wanted to go with him, and for the first time since seeing him again she wished that he hadn’t come to her shop. He was definitely a part of her past and she moved beyond their friendship. But her mother had raised her to have manners, and to handle the male ego with kid gloves.
“As nice as that sounds, I know I will be too tired by the time dinner rolls around tonight. I had a late night last night and once I get everything sorted with this security system, I know I will be exhausted. I definitely won’t be good dinner company. Maybe another time.” She moved over to the side a little and his hand fell away. She smiled to soften her rejection.
“Yeah, maybe another time.” He turned his face away and stared down at his cup of coffee. “See you soon, Elle.”
She tightened her fingers on her purse as she made her way back to the front of the shop. She may have put him off for now, but she had a feeling that this would not be the last time she saw Gabriel Nash.
8
Finally, the work was done. The security consultant did a walk through with Elle until she was comfortable that she knew how to use the system, and that it would keep her safe. Then the workmen and consultant left, and Rickman went outside to wait for Gregor to say his goodbyes.
He wished he didn’t have to. With the new system in place she was safe and there was no reason for him to linger. Except that he wanted to. But he didn’t have an excuse to stay and with the way she had fled this morning under the guise of getting coffee, it told him that perhaps his company wasn’t what she wanted.
“I should take my leave of you. After the night you had last night, you must be exhausted.” Gregor looked down at her and the desire to kiss her was so strong that he could feel himself leaning forward. Her head tipped back and her eyes fluttered shut, and it was all the invitation he needed.
He slid gentle hands around her waist and pulled her to him. Her arms drifted up around his neck and he leaned into her. He lowered his head slowly down to give her time to change her mind but hoped that she wouldn’t. His mouth came down on hers with a soft kiss that surprised him considering how much he wanted her. He had been separated from her for centuries, now she was in his arms again.
He wanted to touch her, taste her, to know her in the most intimate way possible. But as his mouth moved on hers he knew he had to temper his desire. It was difficult, with her scent filling his head and her warm soft body pressed against him, but he knew he had to do it. She was unaware of the history they shared and as far she was concerned they'd only just met a few days ago. Now he finally had his chance to be with her, he didn’t want to mess it up by frightening her by moving too fast. So he would take his cue from her and move at a pace she was comfortable with.
Her mouth moved under his and a growl rumbled in his chest as he tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer. God she felt so good in his arms, and if there had been any lingering doubts in his mind that she was not the woman he knew centuries ago, holding her laid those doubts to rest. This was his Elle, and he wanted and needed her as much as he needed air to breathe.
He drew back and looked at her. As her eyes fluttered open, he could see the longing inside them, but something else. There was caution there which reminded him of all the reasons he should go slow with her.
“I should go now and let you get your rest.” Even as the words came out of his mouth, a part of him wanted to stay. It was a selfish part that knew she was his mate. The curse hanging over his head would not go away, and with each day that passed, the closer it loomed.
His arms fell away, he took a step back. Thoughts of his curse reminded him he was not the ordinary man she thought he was. He was a dragon, and he'd revealed his true self to her once with disastrous results. He had been a different man then, young, selfish and impatient. His impetuous action in taking her to his home and revealing what he was after such a short acquaintance had been a mistake. A mistake that had cost her life and had brought down a curse upon all his kind. He would not make the same mistake again. There was still time before the curse became a pressing matter. He would give her that time to know him, to know he would not hurt her once the time came to reveal his true nature.
He turned and walked towards the door. His feet felt like they were made of lead and the last thing he wanted to do was leave, but he would let her dictate the pace and she had not indicated that she wanted him to stay.
“Gregor, wait.” Her voice stopped him in his tracks, with his hand poised over the door handle and he waited for her to speak. “I’m not so tired that I will fall into bed immediately. I’d like to make you dinner, as a way to say thank you.”
Disappointment lanced through him. He didn’t want her to ask him to stay out of gratitude. And inside his head he called himself a fool because what did he think she would say. That she wanted him to stay so she could drag him upstairs and have her way with him? And the stupid part was that he wanted to say yes. He was so desperate to be around her, to be near her, that he would take whatever he could get. But if they were going to proceed, if she was going to see him as a man she could be with, she needed to know gratitude was not the emotion he needed from her.
“I told you before it’s unnecessary to thank me. I did all this to keep you safe and you don’t have to repay me.” And he did the hardest thing he’d had to do since he woke up from his centuries long slumber. He turned around and walked toward the door again. His hand was on the handle and he prayed inside his head she would that say stop, please don’t go. And
called himself an even bigger fool because he knew those words would not come.
“Stop, please don’t go.”
Gregor’s heart slammed against his rib cage, and for a moment he thought his mind was playing a trick on him. He could not have heard her say exactly what he wanted her to say. He turned around and looked at her.
“What did you say?”
“I said stop, please don’t go. What I said before about wanting you to have dinner with me so I could thank you wasn’t entirely true. Please, I am grateful for all the help you’ve given me, but that isn’t the real reason I want you to stay.”
Gregor held his breath for a second as he waited for what she would say next. She looked up at him, her eyes big and he knew she wouldn’t say anymore unless he gave her some encouragement. So he stepped closer to her and reached out to cup her soft cheek in his large palm.
“Why do you want me to stay?”
It was an encouraging sign when she leaned her face into his hand but he needed her to say the words. He needed to know what was going on inside him was not all one-sided, was not because he had loved her so long ago. He had to know there was hope that maybe she could return those feelings. Maybe not tonight, and maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon she would grow to know him and if fate smiled upon him, to love him.
“I could lie to myself and you and say it’s because I don’t want to be alone, that even after getting the new security system I’m still afraid to be by myself. That wouldn’t be the truth. Ever since I met you that first night, I can’t stop thinking about you. There’s something about you that feels so familiar, like I’ve known you a lot longer than two days. I want my head to catch up with that feeling. I want to spend time with you to get to know you, not because you’re here and hurt or because I’m alone and frightened. I want to know what it’s like to sit and talk to you. I want to know you, I want you to know me. So please, will you stay and have dinner with me?”
Gregor felt humbled by her words and a small blossom of hope unfurled inside him. It took all his willpower to keep him where he was, with his hand resting on her cheek and standing so close to her he could smell the sweet scent of her shampoo. He wanted her so much, but he needed to temper that desire. She was giving him an opportunity to ease into her life, and he would not mess that up. Tonight would be about dinner and only dinner. And once it was over, he would take his leave and hope she wanted to see him again.
“I would love to stay and have dinner with you.” A soft smile spread across her mouth, and he could not resist lowering his mouth to hers and kissing her. It was a soft, gentle kiss, and one where he kept a tight rein on his desire for her. He would not rush her. Until she showed him she was ready to go further, he would continue to hold himself back, even if it killed him. He drew back and put a space between them. “I need a few moments to tell Rickman that I’m staying here for a while. You will excuse me.”
“I’ll just go get dinner started, it won’t be anything fancy I’m afraid.”
“I don’t want fancy food, Elle. I want time with you.”
A blush colored her cheeks, and a smile spread across her face. “I’ll just go get dinner started then.”
She turned away and went quickly toward the back of the shop to the door of her apartment. He waited until he saw her go inside before he turned back to the front door of the shop and went outside to speak with Rickman.
“Finally. Thought I would be standing here forever. Took you long enough to say goodbye.” Rickman made a show of looking down at his watch before looking up at him and giving him a cheeky grin.
“I’m not leaving. I’m staying here for dinner, so you may go home.”
“And are you spending the night?” Rickman wiggled his eyebrows at him, and Gregor took a step closer. He knew his minion was only teasing him, but he didn’t like it. What happened between him and Elle was private and he wanted no speculation about her from anyone, not even Rickman.
“I am not spending the night. I am having dinner with her and that is all that is happening. I will text you when I need to be picked up.”
“Okay, I’ll pick you up later. No need to get so hostile.” With a shake of his head, Rickman turned away and walked down the street toward where he’d parked the car.
With a frown Gregor turned away and went back into the shop. He hadn’t been hostile, had he? It was almost like he was trying to convince himself as much as Rickman that nothing would happen tonight other than dinner.
He stepped over the threshold of the shop and locked the door and pulled down the shade over the window. Everything Elle had said about wanting to know him echoed how he felt inside. He wanted to know the woman she was now. There was so much about her he didn’t know and he didn’t want the emotions of the past clouding his present with her.
So tonight would only be about having dinner with her and getting to know the woman she was now. He desired her, but there was so much about her he didn’t know. And there was a hell of a lot about him she didn’t know. Tonight was too soon to reveal his true nature but it would be a tiny step toward getting her comfortable enough with him so when the time came to reveal he was a dragon she would accept it.
Elle was grateful that she had taken a casserole out of the freezer and put it in the fridge last night before going to bed. When she invited Greg or to stay for dinner, her only thought had been to get him to stay, not what she would serve him.
The sight of him walking toward the door of the shop, and with her not knowing when she would see him again, had made the words come flying out of her mouth. Maybe if he hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t been so gentle in doing so, maybe she would have let him leave. But he had, and now he was in her living room waiting for her to come out of the kitchen to join him.
With the casserole heating in the oven, she poured two glasses of wine, and took a deep breath. Tonight would be about getting to know him, but it didn’t stop the nervous butterflies from coming alive in her stomach.
“Do you need any help in there?”
Elle jumped at the suddenness of his voice as he called her from the living room. With a quiet laugh she picked up the two glasses of wine and carried them towards the living room. She would never get to know him better if she spent all night hiding in the kitchen on the pretext of getting dinner ready.
“No need to help. Dinner is heating in the oven.” She walked toward him and extended a glass of wine. “I forgot to ask, but I hope you like wine.”
“I do.” He took the glass and raised it to his lips for a sip, never breaking eye contact with her.
The smoky depth of his eyes caught her, and she could not tear her eyes away. For what felt like an eternity, she stood there staring at him. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and she could feel her cheeks heating.
“It will be a long boring evening if we spend it looking at each other.” Elle gave a nervous laugh as she looked away. “Why don’t we go sit and talk.”
She turned away and went over to the sofa. He came over to join her, and thankfully he had put enough distance between them that she wasn’t too distracted by his presence.
“What do you want to know?” He smiled at her over the rim of his wineglass before taking a sip.
There was so much about him she wanted to know it was difficult to decide where to begin. Perhaps it would be best to ask simple questions first and see where the conversation would lead.
“How long have you been in Waldron Valley?” Elle took a sip of her wine and her body relaxed into the sofa.
“I came here recently. My brothers live here with their partners and I thought it seemed like a nice place to put down roots.” He raised his glass to his lips and took a sip. “And you? How long have you been here?”
“Almost four years now. I needed to make a fresh start after…” Elle hesitated. She didn’t want the evening to turn maudlin, by revealing why she’d come to Waldron Valley. Tonight was about getting to know each other but how much should she reveal about herself
? “I needed a change.”
Her explanation sounded lame to her, and she jumped when he put a hand on her arm.
“That change have anything to do with the man in the picture?” Gregor inclined his head toward Ian’s picture and slowly caressed her arm.
She looked up at him and his eyes were as soft as the touch of his hand was comforting. She wanted to tell him what had brought her here.
“Yes, he’s the reason I came here. But I’m sure it’s not what you think. He was my husband, I loved him deeply, and he died.” Elle set her glass to one side and wrapped her arms around her middle. “We’d settle down in the same town we grew up in and living there after he was… gone was too much for me. Everywhere I looked reminded me of him, and I knew I could never get over it unless I left.”
“But the hole in your heart he left never truly went away, did it?” A look crossed his face, one of sadness and it made her think perhaps he knew a little about what she had gone through the loss of her husband.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I lost someone too. A long time ago.” He looked away and the urge to reach out to him and offer comfort was so strong that she couldn’t stop herself from putting her hand on his arm and touching him. He placed his hand on hers and looked into her eyes.
“How did it happen?” For a second her curiosity got the better of her and she wasn’t watching her words. She knew from personal experience how hard it was to discuss losing a loved one, and she couldn’t believe she’d asked him such a painful question. It was just that she wanted to know more about him, and he was the one person she’d met who truly understood what she had gone through when she’d lost Ian. But perhaps he didn’t want to talk about it. “You don’t have to tell me if it is too painful for you.”
“Like I said, it happened a long time ago, at least in years. Sometimes it feels like it was much sooner than that. It was an accident, one that could have been prevented. She was out walking on a cliff side and perhaps wasn’t being as careful as she should have and she fell to her death.”