“It was my pleasure,” he said.
The waitress arrived at the table, notebook outstretched. “Oh, I, er …” Melissa glanced at the menu. “Salmon.”
The girl turned to Lee. “Top loin steak, double portion, rare, no vegetables,” he said. “And a bottle of Melbec.” Melissa stared at him in shock. “What? Don’t you drink wine?”
“No vegetables?”
“They don’t agree with me.”
“You never eat vegetables?” she said incredulously.
“Only to please my mother,” he said, a grin lurking at the edge of his mouth. “And since she’s not here …” He left the sentence dangling.
She leaned back in her seat, her eyes narrowed, as he laughed at her. “My metabolism is a little unusual,” he said, “but I’m in perfect health. So, are you hiking tomorrow?” he asked as the wine arrived. The food arrived twenty minutes later, and Melissa shuddered slightly as she saw the blood pooling around Lee’s steaks. He grinned. “Would you like to try some?”
“How can you eat that? Is it even cooked?”
“The outside is. The rest is heated through.”
“You could just eat it fresh off the carcass,” Melissa said caustically.
Lee smirked and took a large bite. “Mmm, delicious.”
They lingered over their meal, passing from one topic to another with barely a pause in the conversation. When they were finished, they wandered along the river in the moonlight before finally heading back to Melissa’s apartment. As before, Lee left the truck to walk her to her front door.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she said as they reached the door to her apartment.
“I’ll see you on Monday, Mel.”
“Do you want to come in for a drink?”
“I really should go. If I stay, I’m not sure I can act sensibly.”
“Sensible is overrated.”
He smiled wryly. “Maybe. But we work together.”
Melissa tapped her foot on the ground as she tamped down the flare of annoyance. “That’s an excuse.”
“Probably,” he said, “but still relevant.”
She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. “You should stop toying with me,” she said, anger coloring her tone. “Clearly I’m just a distraction.”
Lee’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned closer, closing the gap she had just created. “You’re far more than a distraction, Mel,” he said with a snarl. “And that’s just the problem.” Their gazes collided until he strode away, flinging open the door to the stairwell and disappearing around the corner as it swung closed. Melissa leaned against the door jamb, her heart pounding, before turning into the apartment and flinging her purse onto a chair.
“Fine,” she muttered beneath her breath. “If that’s the way he wants it, that’s fine by me. He’s an idiot anyway!” Did he think he could flirt with her when he felt like it, then push her away when it suited him? She kicked off her boots and made for the shower. Perhaps if she scrubbed hard enough, she could wash away the memory of his smile, his gorgeous face and the way he’d looked at her on the bridge.
Melissa was walking through a jungle. In the distance wolves were howling, and she increased her pace. The canopy of leaves overhead was dense, and more than once she glanced around, trying to discern a path in the thick undergrowth. Danger lurked in the jungle, but if she could reach the village, she’d be safe. A creature roared behind her, and she spun around, stumbling slightly at the sight of the enormous tiger pacing closer.
“You think you can escape?” the tiger asked.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said.
“Ah, but you should be,” he said with a grin that showed his huge teeth. “You don’t belong in the jungle.”
“She belongs with me,” said another voice from behind. Melissa turned to see a panther, its tail swishing through the air. Bagheera, she thought with relief. She moved closer to him until she could feel the fur of his powerful flank against her legs. He looked at her, his gaze a bright green. “I’ll take you to the village,” he said. She placed her hand on the panther’s coat and walked away from the tiger as his roar of frustration split the air.
To continue reading Moondance, head over to Amazon to purchase a copy.
Other Books by Linda K. Hopkins
Books in The Dragon Archives series:
Book I: Bound by a Dragon
Book I½: Pursued by a Dragon: A Prequel
Book II: Loved by a Dragon
Book III: Dance with a Dragon
Book IV: Forever a Dragon
Book V: Dragon Redeemed
Free short stories for subscribers:
Fall of a Dragon (Aaron)
Facing a Dragon (Max, between Loved by a Dragon & Dance by a Dragon)
Restored by a Dragon (Bronwyn)
Other Books:
Moondance
For more information about these books go to www.lindakhopkins.com. Sign up to my newsletter and receive the short stories as my gift to you. You will also receive regular updates from me, with information about new releases and contests that I sometimes run. You can also connect with me on Facebook.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my wonderful beta readers, Tara, Belinda and Storm. Your feedback was invaluable – thank you! Matt, my editor, for once more living in my dragon world and giving my words polish. Annette, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you going through the book with a fine toothcomb and finding those last few errors.
As always, my family walks this journey with me, and much gratitude goes to them for patiently waiting as I pull my head out of the clouds! And most importantly, any talent I have for writing is a gift from God, and my thanks goes to him.
About the Author
Linda K. Hopkins lives in Calgary, Canada, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, with her husband and two daughters, but originally hails from South Africa. She has a BA degree from the University of South Africa, and spent many years writing business communications, until the stories spinning around her head were finally set free. When she isn’t writing a story or daydreaming about one, she can usually be found with a book in hand – preferably as she travels to some new place to explore.
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