by Amelia Jade
Then there was the preposterous claim by his roommate that they were both dragon shifters with boatloads of treasure that they’d used to buy the penthouse suite. The only thing that kept her from immediately dismissing it as a joke was the fact that it was such an outrageous lie in the first place. Who came up with such an excuse, and spoke it so easily?
There was something fishy going on, and despite her confused and growing feelings for Corde—could she truly be confused if she knew that she was developing feelings for the protective giant?—Kylie swore she wasn’t going to get too involved. Already it was insane and so against the rules it wasn’t even funny.
She could get fired for this. All her efforts to help the others down the drain. For a man she barely even knew.
That wasn’t entirely true. She didn’t know much about him personally. But she knew he was kind, caring, generous, polite, chivalrous, giving, protective, understanding, and a criminal.
“Oh boy. You were supposed to keep it uncomplicated, Kylie. I think you’ve done just about the exact opposite. You let him kiss you on the head, and you didn’t even tell him not to do it after the fact!”
She hadn’t? A quick replay of the events told her that no, she hadn’t. She’d not really said anything. Instead all she’d done is stare at him through the warm glow that had infused her body after he’d pressed his lips to her forehead. That wasn’t good, not at all. It meant that on some level she wasn’t ready to acknowledge, she was okay with what he’d done.
It had to end there, though. Kylie was doing him no favors by letting her physical desire interfere with her responsibilities. She was supposed to show Corde the errors of his ways, and help keep him off the streets so that he didn’t reoffend. That was her job, and that was what she needed to do. Not give in to fantasies of being swept off her feet by his powerful arms. Arms which had felt oh so nice when they were holding her, gentle and caring, and yet could easily defend her from those that would seek to do her wrong.
“I’m in so much trouble,” she said, falling back onto the bed.
If she let herself get involved with Corde, it would mean that he wasn’t truly learning his lesson. Instead he was just bending the system to his will. Kylie opened her eyes and looked all around the spare bedroom suite. On second thought, with all this money, he was probably used to bending the system already.
There was just so much that was unexplained. Corde had been charged as a criminal, but she couldn’t shake the fact that maybe, just maybe in his case, there was a shred of truth to his claim that ‘it had been a misunderstanding.” It was a dangerous thought path for her to follow, but too much about him didn’t add up.
On top of that, there was his money, and his giant size. Come to think of it, she thought, Vanek was also a massive muscular giant. He was attractive as well, his long black hair and soulful brown eyes definitely noticeable, but he didn’t hold her attention the way Corde did.
Corde, who had moved with a speed and grace that seemed almost…inhuman…when he’d fought off Jose and his group. She hadn’t really thought about that too much until now, but the more she did, the more she wondered just who he was. A dragon was absurd of course; they didn’t exist. But he was obviously some sort of…of…hell, she didn’t even know! All Kylie knew was that there was more to him than met the eye.
In the end though, he’s still a criminal. If a judge ever saw you like this, or found out, you’d be fired immediately! You’re breaking every damn rule of the job, not to mention every one of your own rules. Rules you put in place after Rich. You’re going to get yourself hurt if you keep going down this path.
There was a knock on her door. “Kylie, time to get up. Breakfast will be ready shortly.”
But he’s making me breakfast. Rich never made me breakfast.
Rich had also not done a lot of things Corde had. But he was still a criminal with good looks that she’d decided could be saved if she just loved him hard enough. Or married him. Or tried to bear children with him. Yet it had never quite been enough, now had it?
“Coming,” she called, feeling more confused than the night before right after he’d kissed her.
Why was life so contorted? Why couldn’t it just tell her what to do so she could do it properly, without the hurt and heartbreak that came with learning lessons?
Because then the end wouldn’t be worth it. You need to keep your distance from him. Don’t give in.
But it would be so easy to let herself be seduced by him.
***
Corde climbed into the cab behind her and pulled the door shut. She sat back into the seat and relaxed. Being around him had that effect on her. She felt secure in his presence.
She watched as he adjusted his muscular bulk to put the seatbelt on. In the process his knee rested against hers. Finding the buckle, he clicked it in and settled back into his seat.
His knee didn’t move.
Neither did hers.
Chapter Eleven
Corde
The day passed uneventfully. They were at a brand-new location, this one on the outskirts of the city. Corde kept up his guard all day, constantly looking over his shoulder and watching out for anyone who didn’t belong. Thankfully the area was rather remote, a rundown old industrial area of sorts. He wasn’t sure why they were assigned to clean it, but he wasn’t going to complain. It made keeping an eye on Kylie easy.
He needed to figure out another way to keep her safe though. The gang situation needed to be handled, and soon. Already he was wondering when the Outsider was going to make another appearance. Corde hadn’t felt like he was being watched after that first night, but that morning he’d had a premonition that it wasn’t over.
Staying near Kylie twenty-four-seven wasn’t an option, much as he wished it were. He needed to be free to go after the Outsider and not worry that while he was gone some hoodlums would find her and hurt her. Why did she have to complicate things by being so against violence? All he needed was a ten-minute pass. That was it, and then they’d never bother her or anyone else ever again, he was sure of it.
“It’s nice to see you still working hard, Corde.”
He looked over his shoulder to see Kylie walking in his direction, clipboard in hand. She’d been doing that all day. The industrial sight had plenty of nooks and crannies, and if she didn’t constantly walk around, the others would most certainly be slacking off in their efforts to clean up the garbage or remove graffiti from the walls. It seemed like a pointless exercise, because overnight it would just get spray-painted again, but who was he to argue?
“Did you think that I would slack off like the others?” he teased, knowing full well she had initially held that thought of him, and for good reason.
She laughed gaily. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The pen in her hand twirled around as she fidgeted with it. “Listen, I was thinking…”
He went cold. Here it was. The rejection. She was pushing him away, telling him that he wasn’t fit for her. Corde steeled himself for the inevitable, knowing he should have seen it coming. No matter where he went, it seemed, or when he went, there was always something wrong with him.
“I understand,” he said, turning back to his picker and stabbing it through a piece of paper.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
He shrugged, his back still to her. “Don’t need to. It’s never a good thing when someone says ‘I was thinking,’ trust me, I know.”
“I was going to say that I want to go back to my house.”
Straightening, he faced her again. “You can’t be serious. It’s in shambles.”
Kylie set her face stubbornly. “I can’t be staying with you either, Corde.”
“Why not?” he dropped the picker and crossed his arms.
“Because, it’s against the rules here. You’re in my care.” She was refusing to meet his eyes, and suddenly he knew she wasn’t telling the truth.
“Is it? What rule? You’re just suppos
ed to supervise me and sign off on my hours sheet. Nothing more.”
Kylie bit her lip, and he could see her dig in. “I just can’t.”
“Then let me put you up in a hotel again,” he countered. “You can’t stay there. It’s not safe.”
“All my stuff is there! It’s mine!”
Now he understood. “You’re scared.”
She looked away.
“I understand. I’ve…been without a home before too,” he told her, surprising himself with the admission. “It’s tough. But I promise, it’s going to be okay. With all this other crap going on, just let yourself enjoy this one little bit. You need some happiness in your life. I know you aren’t used to the wealth and money, but nobody is going to hate you for taking advantage of it when it’s offered to you.”
Kylie seemed on the verge of tears, but she held herself together. “I have some happiness in my life, Corde.”
His heart skipped a beat as she looked up at him after she finished speaking. At that moment he would have given anything in the world, fought any enemy or given up all his treasure, just to hear her add one last three-letter word. He held his breath, so that he wouldn’t miss even the softest whisper if she said it.
You.
The word was visible in her eyes, but try as he might, wish as he would, she never spoke it.
“I’m…glad,” he said awkwardly, not sure how to proceed. “But that doesn’t mean you need to feel guilty about accepting my hospitality. It’s partially my fault anyway.”
Kylie started to protest, but he held up a hand. “I’m not going to argue with you over it. But we can go back to your house if you want, and get some more of your stuff to put in the room, so that it feels more like home to you. How’s that?”
As far as compromises went, it really wasn’t much of one on his part, but Corde wasn’t willing to budge on this issue. She was staying with him, or in a hotel, though the former was definitely the preferable option. The real issue though wasn’t the wealth. It was accepting charity…from anyone. Kylie was an independent woman, and she obviously prided herself on that. He didn’t want to take that away from her, but just then she was out of options.
She caved at last. “Fine. I’ll stay…for now. Maybe I can keep you on the straight and narrow outside of work as well, so that you don’t go and break any more laws.”
Corde’s lips compressed into a flat line. “I think I should be hurt by that comment. I promise you, I’m not a lowlife criminal. There was a big misunderstanding.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “A misunderstanding where you just so happened to threaten a whole bunch of people in public. I get a brief report on what crime you committed, Corde. I know you pulled a weapon on them.”
“Well, not exactly,” he tried to explain. “You see, I already had it out, and then…”
Kylie’s face was so unimpressed that he just stopped talking.
“I promise, I’m not going to screw up again.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
He smiled at her. “Trust me, it’ll be pretty easy not to be that stupid again. Let’s just say that you aren’t the first person to lay into me for being a reckless idiot.”
“I don’t recall ever calling you an idiot before.” Kylie winked at him and he nearly fell over at the open flirtation. “But I might now. I’ll see you after work is over, Corde.”
She walked away before his stunned brain could get itself back together.
Whatever he’d just did or said, it had been the right thing. Kylie had come to him wanting to distance herself from him, and in the end she’d left after acknowledging
the growing bond between them. Knowing that maybe, just maybe, his feelings weren’t one-sided buoyed him up more than anything else.
With a smile on his face and an old sailor’s tune whistling on his lips, he resumed his work, knowing that the rest of the day would practically flash by. How could it not?
His mate liked him!
***
“I wish I had a flashlight.” He lifted the police tape that surrounded her house, letting her inside before lowering it back down.
“I’ve got the one on my phone, but it’s nothing great. I know where most of the stuff is. Just watch your step.”
“Oh, I can see just fine. I meant for you.”
Kylie looked over at him, the beautiful hue of her purplish-blue eyes invisible in the evening’s shadows, but he could imagine just how puzzled they would be.
“You can see fine in this?”
“I have excellent night vision.”
“Right. Well, try not to break anything.”
Corde looked around at the destroyed house. Walls were scraped and had objects jammed through them, couch cushions had been ripped and thrown everywhere. Even the carpet had been sliced. Glass littered the place, from windows, lights, and a few mirrors. Furniture was in shambles, more suited to firewood now than anything.
“That…was a joke, right?” he asked. “I feel like I sometimes don’t get humor.”
“It was a dark joke, yes. Trying to make light of the situation, so that I don’t get all down and sad about the state of affairs in my life right now.”
“Right. Got it. Well, I’ll try not to break anything into smaller pieces then.”
Kylie laughed once. “Good enough.”
He picked his way across the floor after her, easily avoiding the worst of the debris. “What, exactly, are you hoping to find in here? I thought we grabbed most of your stuff the other day?”
“I’m not sure. Just anything that will make your place feel more like…mine. You know?”
“Sure.”
He had no idea.
They wandered the house, circling the main floor. She didn’t go downstairs, but apparently it was unfinished anyway. Corde had scouted the property out before letting her inside both the other day and just now, to ensure nobody had come and set any traps or some such. It was clear, and so now he let her wander freely.
That may have been a mistake, he really wasn’t sure. The longer they stayed, the more shaken she seemed to get. After her latest pass, he noticed that she still hadn’t found a single thing that was in an okay enough condition to bring to his place.
“Hey,” he said, reaching out to snag her arm as she meandered past him. “It’s okay.”
Kylie looked up, and in the growing darkness he spotted a single tear tracking down her cheek. Pulling her closer, he reached up without thinking and brushed it away. She froze as he touched her, and Corde realized he may have just pushed things too far. But instead of backing away, she ended up leaning into him, wrapping both arms around his ribs.
“Thank you, Corde.”
“Uh, for what? You’re welcome, of course,” he added lamely.
“Just being there for me when nobody else has. From the start you’ve been willing to just help me out, without asking for a damn thing in return. It’s refreshing, and really quite pleasant to be honest.” She sniffled slightly and straightened, rolling her shoulders. “I’m so used to dealing with jerkoffs and tough-guys, that it’s a nice change to have someone be genuine.”
“Oh. That. Well, you’re welcome, as I said. It really isn’t an imposition to me. I, uh, don’t have much of a social life, so you aren’t really keeping me from anything. Except Vanek I suppose, and some nights I consider that a blessing.”
She laughed, her body shaking against his, making him very, very aware of the press of her flesh, the curves that seemed to mold themselves to him even now while they were fully clothed. He longed to take her to bed, to explore every inch of her intoxicating body, every swell, hump, curve, and line. It called to him, his desire so strong it had to be filling the air around them. How she couldn’t smell it, he didn’t know, but Corde was having a hard time holding back as she continued to stay tight to him.
“Vanek seems like a nice guy.”
“He is. Like the rest of us, he’s got some issues, but he’s nice enough.�
�
“Of us?”
“Um. Yeah. Long story.”
Kylie nodded and fell silent, lost in thought.
“You know,” he said several minutes later, breaking the silence. “I want to be sorry for what I did, but it’s hard.”
She started to pull away but he held her tight.
“What do you mean? You aren’t sorry?”
“I am. But at the same time, it introduced me to you, Kylie Johnson. And for that, I am so very thankful.”
The hiss of breath was audible as she reacted, leaning back and looking up at him. “Corde.”
He smiled down at her, using one hand to push some wayward strands of beige-gold hair out of the way. “Yes?”
“I…”
Any further words were lost when his lips found hers at long last. Sparks exploded inside his head, lighting up the backs of his eyelids as she didn’t resist, but instead melted into the moment. Her mouth parted slightly and he softly explored the inside.
Fingers dug into his back. His hand pushed up through her hair to cup the back of her head as he shared the very first kiss with the very last woman he would ever kiss. Triumph roared through his body. She was his!
Whatever hardships they were going to go through, he felt now that they could do so together. Parting for air, he slipped one hand up her side and along her arm, until he could tug it from his back and slide his fingers through hers.
“Kylie,” he said hesitantly. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Kylie smiled and twisted it around so she could kiss the back of his hand, while he did the same. She opened her mouth to respond when the sound of footsteps outside the house caught his attention.
Spinning around, he placed his body between her and the window a moment before the gun went off, launching a bullet square into his back. The force of it staggered him forward as he struggled to keep his own balance and Kylie’s. His mate was freaking out, screaming in terror, likely fearing the worst for him. She had no way of knowing that his dragonbone armor would protect him.