“You’re tired,” he said. “We should go wash the chemicals off of you.”
“I know,” she said. “But I want to stay here.”
He stroked her back, loving the feel of every part of her body. Wondering how it was possible that someone as perfect as her could be for him.
“Okay,” he said. “We’ll stay here a few moments longer. And then we should get some rest. Sorry there weren’t more.”
“Orgasms?” she asked. She let out a huff. “I don’t think I could do more. Heck, I’ve had more sex in two days than… Well, I don’t want to think about it.”
Good, because he didn’t want to hear about it. He couldn’t stand the thought of another man. He knew there had been one, but as far as he was concerned, that was over and done with and didn’t need to be discussed.
“Anyway, I’m just glad we made up and we’re honest with each other, and now we can figure things out,” she said.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m glad I could be honest with you.”
“Good,” she said. “Now hold me with that big dragon body of yours and let’s just relax a while.”
13
When Kate’s alarm went off the next morning, Liam was still in bed with her. He’d woken with the dawn, as usual, but he hadn’t wanted to get out of bed and leave her there alone after everything that had happened.
After the awesome night in the hot tub, they’d showered, sat on the couch together watching a movie, and with all the modern conveniences and a mate nearby, Liam was starting to think his ship had sunk for a purpose.
He was in the right time and place after all.
She stirred, reaching around drowsily for the phone, which he picked up and turned off.
“Hey,” she said, sitting up and brushing mussed brown hair out of her face. Her hazel eyes were a warm brownish-green in the light streaming between the blinds. “I need that.”
“No,” he said. “Because you’re not going to work today. Not with what just happened yesterday. You need to be here where I can keep an eye on you.”
Her full lips pursed as she pinned him with a glare. “Liam, you can’t tell me when I go to work or not. You’re not my mate, or whatever it’s called.”
“What am I, then?”
She thought about it. “If we’re not exclusive, then we’re just dating. If we are exclusive, then you’re my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, then,” he said firmly, folding his arms. “And why can’t I tell you not to go to work? It’s safest for you to stay here.”
She got up and began to get dressed. “Work is my life, Liam. It has been for a long time. I’m willing to explore things with you, take it slow. But I’m not willing to let everything else fall apart around me just because you’re paranoid.”
“But what if he comes to your work?” he asked.
“You really think he’s dangerous? We were just talking until you came over and pulled out your sword.” The flush on her face said she knew she was downplaying it, though.
“I wouldn’t put anything past that person,” Liam said. “He is obviously not right in the head. He’s been that way for a long time.”
“So you do know him?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Liam said. “I want to talk about why you are insisting on going to work when it might not be safe and when you deserve a break because you rarely, if ever, get time off. I mean, is it usual for humans to get only one day off a week?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’m salaried, and it’s the end of the quarter for sales and things are just really frantic. When they calm down—”
“Do they ever calm down, really?” He stood and came behind her, putting his arms around her as she buttoned up her dress shirt. He kissed her shoulder, and she gave a little shudder. Then she turned to place a kiss on his lips.
He could just imagine domestic bliss like this. As soon as he got rid of her awful job.
“Liam,” she said, pulling back and touching his cheek. “I’m not living in the world of the dragons. At least not yet. I don’t have a trove of treasure, and life has taught me I have to work for what I have. If I stop working, I lose it.”
He nodded reluctantly as he realized he wasn’t going to win this one. Frankly, she should be safe enough with people around—and if he asked Titus to follow her and keep an eye on things. He had sort of a unique ability.
As she got ready and grabbed a quick breakfast, he followed her, slightly concerned.
She pointed at him with the bagel she was holding. “And don’t think you can slack off on the yard work just because we are dating. I still need it done.”
He sighed. Of course she would still be stressing about that, even if he had no intention of slacking off. He’d work on the yard all right, but that was because he cared about her, not because he needed work to feel worthwhile somehow.
He wondered how to get across to her that it wasn’t the most important thing in her life. That she wasn’t really living while she was working so much and putting everything else aside for it.
Or was he just jealous because she would pick work over spending time with him, whereas he would put spending time with her over anything else?
Even if she’d stayed home, he would have worked twice as hard whenever he wasn’t with her to get things done. He considered that his job as mate and protector. Her job was to enjoy her life and be happy.
He was starting to realize that convincing her of that was going to be hard.
As she pulled away, he sat on the porch, waved to her, and then spoke in his mind to Titus.
You there?
Yes, Titus replied.
I need you to do me a favor. I need you to do surveillance on my mate, but not let her know about it. If you know what I mean.
I see. I can do it.
Thank you. I’ll send you the coordinates.
I can scent her. She has your scent on her.
Titus was an excellent tracker. Still…
I’d prefer you drive straight to her address than come here and have to track her.
Fine. I am excited to see your mate.
He grunted. Sure. As long as you don’t let her see you.
I can do that. Can I ask why the surveillance?
Yeah, why the professional stalking? That was Magnus.
Liam sighed. I need you to keep this between us, so put the guard up in your mind against Aegis, but I saw Dante last night.
The Dante? As in from our world?
Yes.
With your mate? Shit.
He came to her house because I would have usually left by then. He probably couldn’t scent I was around the corner because my scent was already so strong around the place. We may have fought.
Did he try anything? Titus’s growl was a low rumble.
No.
Good. Otherwise, I’d have to track his shiny ass down and kill him.
No. I don’t know what he is up to. But I don’t want him or his crew around my mate.
I get it, Titus answered. I’ll take care of it.
What about me?
You’ve done enough, Liam said.
Fine, Magnus retorted. But win her over and come home soon. It’s getting boring around there.
With Aegis? I doubt it.
You sure you don’t want to tell him about the other dragons?
I’m sure, Liam responded. I don’t want him to know yet. Not until we know more about what’s going on.
I understand, Titus said.
Yeah. Magnus agreed.
All right, Liam said. I’ll see you two later.
It was time to get back to work so he could surprise his mate when she got home.
Kate felt a little guilty about being so tough with Liam that morning when she’d been getting ready for work. Truthfully, maybe she was a little unhealthy in her relationship with work, but in the past, it was all she had to keep her going.
And besides, in her view, men only worked hard until they got you, and then they g
ot lazy, staying home, watching football, making excuses even as bills piled up and she had to provide for them, working harder and harder. That’s what had happened with her friends.
Would Liam be pouting at home? Was he thinking now that they were together, he could relax? She’d liked that he was a hard worker like she was. Someone she could trust as a teammate and partner. She didn’t want things to change again.
When she pulled up to her home, she realized all her worries were for nothing. If anything, he seemed to have worked even harder today. Somehow, in one day, he’d gotten all the sod laid, and the whole area in front of her house was full of beautiful squares of grass that were neatly fitted together. Liam was out watering the sod by hand, wearing no shirt, which was enough to almost cause her to hit her own mailbox.
She pulled into her drive carefully, and Liam gave her a wave as she got out of the car and looked around. There were still curves where there was rich soil and no grass, where Liam planned to do flower beds probably.
It was amazing seeing the change in her life reflected in the way he’d beautified her yard and removed the garbage and fixed everything that was broken.
Slowly but surely, Liam was showing her the promise of a better life. The way to happiness.
And it scared her.
She realized it was easier to go to work, to make herself busy, than to really think about where this was going. What a relationship meant.
It meant putting herself out there, hoping someone else put in the same effort and never gave up. It meant trusting, and hoping, and happiness that always started good but could go very bad if they both didn’t work at it.
He set down the hose, turned it off, and grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his shoulders as he walked over to her. Tank bounded past her, rolling over the grass joyfully even though he was getting totally soaked.
Liam smiled. “I think he likes it.”
She nodded.
“What do you think?”
“I love it,” she said, walking forward and taking her first step onto soft, clean grass. Grass that was hers. Oddly, against her will, tears bit at the corners of her eyes, and Liam looked stricken.
He took her hands. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just so happy. It’s overwhelming. Things have gotten so good so fast. I’m just afraid to accept it.”
“Just accept it,” he said. “Because I’m here to stay. Things are only going to get better from here.”
She leaned in against him, inhaling clean sweat and grass and pure summer air. “Okay. I’ll try.”
Now that she was getting used to the beautiful new yard and feeling safe in Liam’s arms again, she remembered the one thing that had bugged her that day and wondered whether she should tell him.
His arms were over her back, and she decided maybe she wouldn’t. It was just odd, but she’d felt as if she were followed and wasn’t sure what to make of it. She hadn’t felt threatened exactly, but just the feeling someone was watching. That there was something paranormal around.
Then again, she was probably just paranoid because she was learning there was a whole other world around her that she hadn’t known about. She wanted to know more about shifters, more about his world and history, but she knew it was fair enough for him to say he couldn’t tell her more until she was truly committed to him.
And she couldn’t say she was ready for that, as much as she wanted to.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling back and stroking her hair.
“Nothing,” she said.
“I haven’t told you this yet, but we dragons can read minds. Some, like Aegis, do it more flagrantly. But my kind would rather not do it against someone’s will. We would rather they tell us their thoughts on their own.”
She sighed. “I’m still not used to this whole dragon thing.” She wagged a finger at him. “And no reading my thoughts.”
His teal eyes were patient, amused. “All right. Tell me what’s bothering you, then.”
She looked up at him regretfully. “I can’t. I just… I’m not ready.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod, taking her hand in his and leading her over the lawn. “Let me show you what I did today and tell you what I have planned.”
She followed him as he showed her around, telling her what he’d done, talking about the extra water needed while the sod was taking root, and then taking her from bed to bed while telling her what plants or flowers he would like to put there.
She could see neighbors come out through the night, and a few actually waved.
She flushed, thinking it was probably rare for anyone to see her out here because she was usually either resting or staying in her home. Now, with a yard that didn’t look like a bunch of junk and with actual time enjoying the evening air, she felt she was actually living like a normal person.
He looked up at her. “You okay? You’re zoning off again.”
She shook her head with a smile. “No. Sorry. I was just thinking that it’s so odd. I’m learning how to finally live a normal life, and I’m being shown by a medieval dragon.”
He scratched the back of his head. “Not exactly medieval.”
“Wherever you’re from, it isn’t here, yet you seem better at living here than I am.”
He put his arms around her waist and squeezed her tight, grinning down at her. “I just want to give you the best life possible. I wasn’t living like this before I met you.”
“What were you doing?”
“Sailing, exploring the world, trying to find a place where I belonged. Where I could have a home. A mate.”
“And you found one?” she asked, wonderingly.
“Yeah, and her yard was a piece of crap.”
She laughed and jokingly pounded him in the shoulder. “Shut up! Stop it.”
He laughed and ran away from her, and she chased him into the backyard, where she stopped when she saw all the beautiful sod laid there, too.
He walked back to stand beside her with folded arms. “You like it?”
It was hard not to get emotional again, seeing how beautiful her land looked, how big it looked properly landscaped and taken care of.
She escaped a bad relationship, but she’d really only been escaping, not living. Dealing with angry neighbors, letting the land around her practically rot in mess while she barely survived.
It was just like he’d brought some beauty into her life. Showed her there was more than just getting by.
She actually looked forward to coming home from work now. Not just because of the yard, but seeing him and how happy Tank was. Just in general, he hadn’t only landscaped her yard. He’d landscaped her life.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said, putting an arm around her.
She leaned in. “How much would this usually cost me?”
“I have no idea in human money,” he said. “But I know that for me, your happiness is payment enough.”
“You’re silly,” she said, feeling a blush burn over her cheeks. “Come on inside. The least I can do is give you dinner.”
He grinned and walked inside with her, patting his leg for Tank to follow them in.
14
In the middle of the night, Kate awoke from a pleasant dream somewhat startled, as if she’d heard something while still asleep.
She looked around, heart pounding, and heard an unfamiliar, sudden sound coming from outside her bedroom door. Immediately, she felt gooseflesh rise up and down her arms.
Her house had its fair share of creaks and groans at times, but there was something eerie in the air around them, permeating the entire room.
She put a hand on the bed next to her in the darkness, checking for Liam, wondering if she should wake him, when she realized he was already up, standing at the foot of the bed between her and whatever was making the noise at the door.
“Shh,” he said quietly, brows furrowed, body rigid as he seemed to be taking in everything around them.
Another creak soun
ded, and Tank began barking. Not his friendly, look-there’s-a-person bark, but a worried, frantic barking she rarely ever heard. He was safely downstairs in his kennel, so hopefully he wouldn’t be anywhere near the intruder, but she still worried about what was going on.
All the lights were off, and with the moon waning, she could barely make out Liam’s huge, shirtless shape as he made his way to the bedroom door.
And then the door opened, and horror flooded through Kate as she made out the darkened silhouette of someone standing there in the doorway, obscured by the unlit hallway so she saw less of the form of the person and more the absence of hallway where the shape stood.
Liam leapt through the doorway, tackling the figure that was almost nearly as large as he was, and she heard a loud thump rock the house as they hit the floor. For a moment, Kate panicked, unsure if she should call the police.
Outside, Tank’s barking doubled.
Loud thumps and crashes, punctuated by the sounds of punching and grunting, echoed throughout the house, and for a moment, she feared the house might crumble the shaking was so intense from the struggle.
But summoning her courage, Kate jumped out of bed, grabbing her robe and throwing it on as she ran to the door. She flicked on the hallway light and illuminated the upper floor.
Just as she did, she caught the glimpse of someone running for the spare bedroom opposite hers, long golden hair flying behind him as Liam gave chase. A split second later, she heard a loud crash as the intruder leapt through the window, disappearing into the dark night as Liam stopped at the window, looking out.
Kate rushed to his side, not wanting to be more than a few feet from him right then. As she did, she too looked outside but saw nothing. Just quiet neighborhood shrouded in blackness.
“Damn, he got away,” Liam cursed.
“Was that…?”
“Yes, it was the same guy. At least I think so. It’s hard to say. There was something different about him, something wrong. I never thought he was the type to do something like this. Sneaking around in the darkness,” Liam said, eyes focused outside.
Steel (Rent-A-Dragon Book 1) Page 9