Stop Dragon My Heart Around

  “And what?” Tee shook her head. “You’re all talk.”

  Not anymore. He smiled to himself at the surety of what was to come. He just needed to be patient, give her a chance to accept that he was different.

  That he was a dragon.

  Pulling off the road, he stopped near one of his favorite spots on the west side of the reservation. Sandstone cliffs hid caves and hot springs, and nearby there was a small, freshwater basin. “Wait here a minute,” he said. “Let me check it out.”

  He got out, shuffling his feet along the ground to alert the many waking nocturnal animals to his presence. Near the bluff, he sucked a breath of crisp evening air into his lungs. The desert stretched out, wide open and vast. Overhead, the stars twinkled in a purple-dusk sky. Orion chased big game with his bow, and the Big Dipper poured its mythical spring water over the dry earth.

  Worry filled him over the coming conversation with Tee. What would she do when he showed her his dragon form? Would she be scared? He’d never even considered she might not want to be with him once she knew about his dragon. Surely, she’d be able to see that it was still him inside?

  What if his dragon form repulsed her?

  His heart clenched with uncertainty. Doubt crept in and the forgone conclusion, the culmination of their relationship, the hot sex under the stars he had imagined, slipped away.

  “You like it here?” Tee came to stand next to him, and the gathering night chill dissipated with her closeness.

  He should have known she wouldn’t wait in the truck.

  “It reminds me of Australia.” He tucked his hands in his jeans pockets. “It’s harsh and beautiful at the same time, with a killing edge if you don’t pay attention.”

  “Do you have someone special there? In Australia.”

  Leo frowned. “My family’s there. My sister and my mother.”

  “Your sister?” Her voice lifted with curiosity.

  “Gretchen’s younger than me.”

  “Do you miss them?”

  “All the time.” He paused. How much should he tell her? Everything. “I can’t return until I’ve settled some things. My future affects theirs because I’m the last male in my line.”

  Leo inhaled, realizing his family would never in a million years understand him choosing Tee. His mother and sister were fiercely protective of his dragon form. They would see his choice of Tee as the suicide it was.

  “Aren’t you successful enough now to return?” she asked.

  “Success with my people is about more than just money. It’s creating a future and continuing the family.” He waited to see if she’d react to the phrase “my people”.

  “The stars are different there though, right? In the southern hemisphere?”

  He nodded. “Everything is different there.”

  “What does the Southern Cross look like?”

  “Like a cross.” He walked to the back of his truck, opened the tailgate, and started removing bags.

  “Duh. I figured that much.”

  “Maybe one day, I’ll show you. I’d like for you to meet my Mom and Gretchen.”

  “Really?” She stopped in her tracks.

  “Really.” Switching on his headlights, he let the artificial light bathe the plateau. The sandstone cliff edge looked prehistoric, all black shadows and white light. He set down his bags next to the cliff and went back to the truck to pull out a five-gallon water cooler, followed by a huge white rectangular cooler.

  Tee stood on the edge of the headlight beams. “Can I help?”

  “Have you ever camped?” He carried a canvas bag to the bluff, unzipped it and pulled out the folded carcass of a tent.

  “Are you serious?” She laughed. “Only every other month until I went away to college.”

  “With the Chief?”

  “And my Mom…” Tee rubbed her forearms and looked at the stars. “I miss her so much.” Her voice broke. “We believe that the Milky Way is the road of the dead to the spirit world. She’s up there somewhere, watching me. She wouldn’t approve of me camping out here alone with you.”

  “Yes, she would.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I’ll protect you. She must know I won’t let anything harm you. Ever.”

  Tee gave him a level stare. “You seem really different tonight.”

  Leo stopped what he was doing. “Let’s get the camp set up and a fire going so you don’t get cold. Then we need to talk.”

  “All right. But you need to know, I can camp circles around you. I don’t need your help out here.”

  He laughed and handed her a bundle of rods. “All right, Miss Expert, see what you can do with those.”

  Stepping forward, she took the package, opened it and put the stretchy-corded rods together with practiced ease.

  “Why do you think your mother wouldn’t approve of me?” Leo squatted and brushed rocks to the side, making a smooth surface, before laying out the tent. He reached back and Tee put the first rod in his hands.

  “Mom believed that the outside world only wants to use us.”

  “Did she have a lot of experience with other worlds?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What other creatures had she encountered?” Leo knew the questions might sound odd, but he wanted to know how rigid her mindset was against non-human beings. The Chief had led him to believe that the Native Americans were open to the idea of shifters.

  “Creatures?”

  “Like dragons?”

  “Are you serious?” Tee stretched out the rods on the ground even as her laugh bounced around the canyon. “Dragons? Like in Asia?”

  “Like in everywhere.”

  “Ah gee.” Her tone was mocking. “Mom and I never covered dragons. I guess it would depend if they wanted to eat me or not.” She was still joking, but her light response triggered his dragon’s protective instincts.

  She will not be eaten! his dragon screamed in his head. She will not be hurt.

  Easy, Leo soothed. She’s safe.

  He finished assembling the tent and looked at his handiwork. He’d chosen the smaller tent from his gear that morning to dissuade Tee from crashing his sleeping quarters, before he’d decided he’d want her inside with him.

  Bloody Hell.

  In the tent, they would have to lie side by side all night. The thought of her pressed against him from her toes to her head made him straighten and adjust his rigid manhood. Need drew his balls to his body and heat wound up his lower spine.

  His dragon pounded through his blood to snatch her up and fly into the night.

  No way could he keep his hands off her in that very small tent.

  They needed to talk before he took things to a physical level. He wanted her to feel like she had a choice so she wouldn’t be resentful, like Mei. He glanced at her, and she gave him a coy look.

  “It looks cozy.”

  “Cozy?” He took refuge in the shadows, looking for the inflatable mattress. Cozy was a fun night by a fireplace with marshmallows. Cozy was a grandmother knitting Christmas sweaters. Cozy was new puppies in a litter. Cozy was not what he had in mind to do in that tent with Tee.

  This wasn’t going to work. He needed to get his dragon better under control if he was going to explain things to her. He wanted to be honest with her, but if he was out of control, he would just scare her, ruin things forever between them. He’d almost lost it at the powwow. His dragon’s wings had broken the surface of his skin.

  “I need some air.” He handed her the mattress and walked away from temptation. “I’ll be back.”

  …

  He needed some air?

  What the hell?

  Tee watched Leo stomp into the dark shadow of the sandstone cliffs and disappear. Even exasperated with him, she had to admit he looked as good in his casual clothing as he did in his casino suits. His faded jeans fit tight across his rear, and his dark T-shirt swooped up his lower back and spread to a T over his shoulder muscles. He had those hot t
ricep muscles thingys too. They poked out from under his shirtsleeve, all bulgy and strong.

  She heaved a sigh and inflated the mattress to keep busy. Why did she let him lead her through the same endless maze? She wanted to be pursued. She wanted to be persuaded. By a dude who could make up his mind.

  She shouldn’t be surprised he’d stomped off. What was this, the thirteenth time he’d been down this “I want you,” “I don’t want you” craptastic road? She was moving on, she reminded herself.

  It was that thing in the truck, when he said he’d pull over if she didn’t quit looking at him. It had her right back to square one in the space of a heartbeat. Stupid. So stupid to let herself hope again.

  She was sick of it.

  She snapped closed the mattress valve with a hard turn of her wrist.

  Sick. Of. It.

  Let him sleep outside. She was done with his half-interest and innuendos.

  Done.

  It didn’t matter that they were alone under the stars, and he was so freakin’ hot. She would not act interested in him again if it killed her. He would have to crawl on his hands and knees before she gave him another chance.

  And he would have to beg.

  A lot.

  The earth’s dissipating warmth seeped up her legs and reminded her the night would be cold. She had no other clothes than her powwow regalia, which while beautiful wasn’t warm.

  She went to check out a good spot for a fire. A short distance downwind from the tent was a good flat area, sheltered by a sandstone cliff. Watching for snakes and other desert creatures, she cleared the area of debris.

  The work was familiar and the fire ring soon took form. A collection of smaller twigs went into the middle for kindling. Then, she stood back and said a silent prayer to thank the ancestors for the gifts of fire and wood. There were places in the desert where neither were available.

  Leo finally returned from the darkness, carrying an armload of mesquite limbs and a large sitting log which he rolled next to her feet. He glanced at her fire ring before giving her a smile. “Nice job.”

  “You get enough air?”

  “I did.” He avoided her eyes.

  Aggravation flared through Tee all over again. “We left all my clothes at the ceremony.”

  “I’ve got plenty of stuff.” He picked up the mesquite limbs and broke them into pieces.

  She laughed. “I don’t know if you noticed, big guy, but I’m a bit smaller than you.”

  The four-inch wide branch in Leo’s hand snapped in two like a twig. Tee frowned. She knew he was strong, but being able to break wood that size, with his bare hands? That was seriously strong.

  “I noticed.” He met her gaze from across the fire.

  Tee inhaled, frozen to the ground, feeling the familiar pull of attraction. Her feet started to walk forward of their own volition. NO. She looked away from the temptation of him.

  He was going to have to crawl. And beg.

  “Have a seat,” he said. “I’ve got this.”

  Tee found her voice. “You sure?” She struggled for the right non-interested, but still friendly tone. “I can work on our water and food situation.”

  “I’ve got everything we need in the coolers.” Leo pointed behind her, and she followed his movement with her eyes. When she turned back, the logs were lit, crackling with yellow and orange flames.

  “How did you get that going so fast?”

  “Just relax.” He gave her a smile. “I know you can do it all yourself, but I’ve got it under control.”

  Shrugging, she sat on the log adjacent to him and leaned toward the flames. They were warm on her chilled fingers and the scent of the wood soothed her frayed nerves.

  “We need to talk about a few things.” Leo sat on a rock next to her. The fire leaped to life, sending red sparks into the sky, obscuring both darkness and chill.

  “Okay.” Tee prepared herself for another speech about why they couldn’t be together. Except this time, she was going to agree with him. See how he liked that.

  “My situation is a little complicated.” He stood and walked to the truck, his movements aggressive and almost angry. After rummaging around for a minute, he returned with cooking tools that he set between them like a moat.

  His angry body language just pissed her off more. She’d done nothing wrong. She didn’t deserve or want another rejection speech.

  She opened the lid on the cooler. Big, fat ribeyes, eggs, bacon, and three different kinds of frozen potatoes lay on top of Fosters beer and a bottle of red wine. “How long are you planning on camping?”

  “Until the end of the powwow.” He went to the other side of the fire and raked down the coals.

  “I thought you were only staying one night?”

  “I’m staying until you leave.”

  “That isn’t necessary. I have a date. Remember? He’ll keep me company. I’m sure he’s wondering what happened to me. I need to get back to him.”

  Leo’s mouth gaped open slightly, and he shook his head. A muscle twitched at his jaw line. Tee’s heart paused at the intense stare he gave her, but then he looked back into the fire.

  “I’m trying to talk to you.”

  “I’m listening.”

  He cleared his throat. Smoke caught the night air and streamed between them. “Would you open a beer for me?”

  She reached into the cooler and found a cold Fosters in the ice, popped the lid, and took a sip. It had a nice mellow, hoppy taste. Like you could drink it in some serious heat. She handed it across to him and he met her eyes again as he took a sip.

  “My people are from Australia,” Leo trailed off, as though the news was difficult to impart.

  “You don’t say?” If he was going to drag this out and treat her like an idiot, she was going to make it as hard on him as possible. She reached into the cooler, pulled out a beer for herself, and popped the lid.

  Apparently annoyed by her flippancy, Leo retrieved a large iron pan from the cooking tools and put it in the coals. Good. He could yap-yap all he wanted. He wasn’t going to affect her anymore.

  Resolve went by the wayside when he crouched over the fire. God, he was sexy, with his fire-building, beer-drinking, ribeye-cooking-ness. He was about the hottest thing she’d ever seen.

  Not helping.

  “So, since we’re just friends and all,” she asked, “how soon do you think I should let things go to the next level with James?”

  “What?” Leo stood straight up, aluminum-foil wrapped potatoes in either hand.

  “You know the next level.” She lifted her brows in innocent camaraderie. “Even though I’ve known him forever, we probably need to get to know each other as adults first. What do you think, three dates, four dates?”

  She watched expectantly as he put the potatoes in the coals next to the iron pan, waiting for his reaction, but he just pulled out the rib eyes and set them on the pan in the fire. The steaks sizzled, and the smell of the prime cuts filled the air.

  “I’ve got to admit, James has gotten seriously hot.” She tried to egg him into interacting—anything but this stony, cooking-man silence. “So maybe I shouldn’t wait.”

  In one fluid motion, Leo stood and stalked toward her until he towered over her. The blaze behind his back cast his face into shadow. Anger radiated from him, and she had one precious moment of satisfaction.

  “That isn’t funny,” he said, clenching and unclenching his hands.

  “I’m not trying to be funny. I’m serious.”

  “Quit playing around.”

  “No. You quit playing around.” She stood straight up in his shadow. “I’m done with you. I’m done with you wanting me—then you don’t. You’d have to crawl through poison ants, on your belly naked, before I’d be with you again.”

  Chapter Twelve

  In the pup tent, Tee’s mind wavered between sleep and wakefulness. She’d been dreaming about Leo again—kissing her, telling her he loved everything about her. Telling her she was made for
him. No words—in dream or reality—had ever seemed so true.

  Obviously, her emotional compass had lost its needle.

  She tried to go back to sleep, but her hip bones ached from sleeping on the hard ground, and her feet were cold. A sharp rock dug into her butt through the sleeping mat, and no matter how much she repositioned herself, she couldn’t get comfortable.

  Sitting up, she unzipped her sleeping bag and wrapped it around her shoulders. After their tense dinner, Leo had given her one of his shirts and his too big sweatpants and pointed her toward the tent.

  She buried her nose in the white material at her chest. His T-shirt smelled like the casino. She’d expected his clothes to smell like him, sexy man, not the casino linen room. The shirt was way too bleachy and sterile for Leo.

  Unzipping the tent, Tee stepped outside and slipped on her moccasins. The cold air hit her lungs and constricted her chest. She sucked the air through her nose to warm it but her body still shivered in the cold desert night. The stars were bright, clustered around the full moon, whose position in the sky told her it was somewhere after midnight.

  A short distance away, the flames in the fire pit smoldered to red coals. Sticking to the shadows, she inched around the sandstone cliff to the fire ring. Leo slept on the other side of the fire, stretched out on top of his sleeping bag, with only a light wool blanket over his hips.

  His chest was bare, lightly dusted with dark blond hair. A tiny trail of hair started at his belly button and disappeared under the blanket. Tee let herself look, memorizing the sight of him at rest. The banked fire flared next to him, casting his chest muscles into shadows and ridges. His breath puffed the cold night air in a slow and steady sleeping cadence.

  “Tee.” His one word stopped her ogling. His eyes fixed on hers. “What’re you doing?”

  “I needed to go to the bathroom,” she improvised.

  He sat up and the blanket slid to the ground. She saw he still wore his jeans. “I’ll go with you.” He stood in a fluid motion and walked past her into the night.

  Tee followed.

  “There’s a good spot over there. Don’t turn over any rocks.” His constant reminders about desert safety amused her.

  “Aye, aye, captain.” She went into the dark. When she was done, she returned to where he waited, but he stood away from her, seeming to avoid her eyes. The distance between them was vast, as if they were strangers, so impersonal was their connection. The artifice made her angry all over again. They weren’t strangers. They were friends, and they coulda-woulda-shoulda been inside the tent together.