by Tina Johnson
Misty buried her face against his chest and cried. She clung to him for a few minutes until she got it out of her system and then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry." She muttered to him, staring at the ground, slightly embarrassed by her reaction.
"Don't be sorry, crying is a natural reaction in multiple situations or extreme emotions. Or duress." Hunter tried to reassure her.
"Have you ever cried?" Misty asked him, still sniffling.
Hunter thought about it for a moment. "I honestly can't remember the last time I cried. That isn't much help is it?"
Misty shook her head. "Not really."
"Let me make some phone calls and see what I can do about your car. Why don't you come inside and relax for a bit and then we can talk about your financial situation?" Hunter told her.
"It's not what you think." Misty started to say, worried he'd think she was some gold digger or girl looking for a hand out. She could take care of herself, most of the time.
"You don't know what I think, but I'm open to hearing what's going on to see if I can help you. So please don't jump to any conclusions on my part either. I'm doing it simply because you genuinely need help. I want to help, so let me." Hunter told her and headed inside to find his phone. Cell towers didn't work out here where he lived in the mountains, so even if he had a cell phone, it wouldn't work here.
Misty stood there for a moment, feeling sorry for herself and giving the car one last sorrowful look, she followed him inside.
Chapter 6
"Sit down and tell me what is going on." Hunter told her after they'd made all the needed phone calls to get her car picked up by tow. Her insurance wasn't going to cover it, and it was considered totaled. It would be cheaper to buy a new car, than try to fix it.
"My dad died." Misty told him. "I've been kind of a mess since then.
"I can see why that would upset you. My dad died too. A long time ago, but it hurt our family." Hunter confided. "Losing a parent is never easy."
"It's not just that." Misty said and then plopped into the chair in his study, leaning forward, putting her arms on the desk, and rested her hands on her chin and looked up at him.
"I'm supposed to be finishing up vet school. I had one semester left, then I'd be starting my internship. Once I finish that, I could have my own practice. I've always wanted to work in a place like the valley around the corner from here. I have my own finances once I finish school, but it's expensive for today. When he died, all his money besides my trust fund went to my ex step mother." Misty let out a sigh. "I was on my way to see her to ask her if I could borrow the money for school. I can afford to pay it back once I graduate; my trust fund is more than adequate so I'd never have to work if I didn't want too. To motivate me to finish school, Dad made it so I'd get the release of funds upon graduation."
"Why don't you just get a loan?" He asked her.
"I don't have enough time to do all the paperwork, I would need to submit the money by next week. If I don't, I'm out of luck. I can't guarantee that a loan would go through that fast. If my step mom said no, I was going to try that as a last resort. After that, I could probably work a couple of part time jobs to make ends meet until I could find a loan or save up enough money." Misty looked down for a moment. "My problem with securing a loan is I have no credit. I've always used cash for everything, as I dislike the idea of debt. I was able to use my Dad's line of credit for anything I ever needed, and looking back on it now, maybe it would have been wiser to have a credit card to get my credit up in my own name."
"Yes, that probably would have been wise, but you are young, and you've accomplished a lot for such a young age. Don't beat yourself up for something you didn't know was going to happen." Hunter told her. "I could lend you the money, with interest of course, and let you pay it back after you graduate. Or, invest it in your future with a promise of services to come."
"But you barely know me?!" Misty looked shocked, then narrowed her eyes. "What kind of services?"
Hunter shrugged, then gave her a cheeky grin when he realized what she thought he was implying. "I have more money than I know what to do with, and we could use a vet in the valley. If you'd consider opening a vet clinic here, I'd be willing to invest for the benefit of the local community. The people here need you. I have the money to help with start-up costs, and I can afford to invest in sliding scale fee programs for them too."
Misty looked at him for a few minutes and didn't say anything. "I need to think about it. That's a big commitment."
"Take your time." Hunter told her. He needed to tread carefully. If he wanted her to agree to be his mate, he needed to be patient and not push her.
Getting her to commit to having her business nearby was a good excuse to keep her close. He'd have to be patient while she finished school, but it would give him an excuse to stay in contact with her when she went back to school and finished her internship.
After all, he'd been alone for hundreds of years, what was a few more months?
Chapter 7
Misty used the keys to unlock her new vet clinic. With Hunter's help, she'd been able to finish of school, do her internship, and have enough startup fees to open her new clinic. She'd insisted on paying him back once her funds went through, but he refused to accept the money.
He'd said that the community often needed anonymous donors, and he preferred to think of it as an investment in the local community to support the farmers and other people out in the valley.
The only thing the two of them haven't agreed on, is where she was going to live. They'd kept in touch via email while Misty had been at school, over the last few months, it had gotten pretty hot and heavy, and Hunter had asked her to move in with him.
Misty wasn't sure she was ready to settle down. Although, her attraction to Hunter left her tossing and turning at nights, and she had a feeling he wasn't going to take no for an answer much longer. She wasn't sure she wanted to keep saying no to him. She liked him. A lot. More than she should have. It seemed like he was a lot older than her in some ways, and in others, he had this boyish charm that left her blushing and feeling like they were playing high school romance games.
He had wanted her. He'd made that extremely clear pretty much from the moment they had met. She had decided to focus on school, despite her attraction to him. He'd been patient with her, but she knew he was reaching his limitation on wanting returned affection.
She flipped the vet's office sign to 'open' and sat behind the desk and waited.
And waited.
It was lunch time, and not a single client or adorable pet had walked through her doors. Hunter had made fliers and ensured they were passed out to all the locals.
She knew she needed to be patient, but it was hard. She'd kind of expected instant results, most vet offices were very busy. Maybe she needed some kind of promotion, a spay and neuter for strays on a set day. Get people in, and get to know the locals.
She started writing down some ideas on her notebook as she sat behind the desk. Until she had enough clients where she couldn't handle all the phones and seeing patients at the same time, it wasn't worth hiring someone to manage the front desk.
She wrote down another note in her book, maybe hiring a local who needed a part time or full time job would be more likely to get her business. She could afford to write off the costs if she had too, she just didn't want to make someone sit around her office when there was no reason to be sitting here.
The bells chimed and she looked up, hopeful, and then felt a little deflated when Hunter walked through her doors. Not that she was unhappy to see him. Quite the opposite actually, it was nice to see a familiar face.
"Oh, it's just you." She told him, trying to hide her disappointment at sitting here alone all day.
"Wow, what a welcome. Thanks Misty." Hunter said sardonically.
"I didn't mean to offend you Hunter, I'm sorry." She laughed, realizing how that must have sounded to him.
"I guess I could, no one's showed up today anyways. I kind of expected to have patients right away."
Misty wrote a scribbled "Back at 2:00" note on a piece of paper and grabbed some tape. She walked over to the door and taped it up, then flipped the open sign to closed.
She followed Hunter down the block until he stopped in front of a little Grandma's style diner. She walked in and a little old lady yelled at them to sit where ever they could find a seat.
Hunter walked to the back corner and sat down in a booth meant for two people. Misty followed him. The seat sunk under her as she sat, and a spring poked her in the butt. She adjusted on the seat until it was no longer poking her and she gave Hunter a pained expression.
"That seat is broken. I forgot. I normally sit on this side." Hunter told her, laughing.
"Yeah, well thanks for the warning. Now my rear end hurts." Misty muttered.
Hunter put an eyebrow up and teased her, "I could always rub it better for you."
Misty blushed and shook her head at him while he grinned at her. He seemed to enjoy seeing her squirm.
A few minutes later the little old lady walked over and handed them each a glass of water and a menu.
"Your usual Hunter?" She asked him, holding a pen to her writing pad.
"Sure Kathy, appreciate it." Hunter told her with a nod, not even bothering to pick up the menu.
"And for you?" The waitress, Kathy turned towards Misty waiting for her order.
"Just a hamburger, and some fries?" Misty said.
"Sure, do you want all the fixings’' on it?" She asked after writing it down.
"Plain please?" Misty asked. She hated pickles and tomato. She couldn't even stand ketchup. "Do you have some ranch for my fries?"
"Sure, not a problem. Be back in a jiffy." Kathy told them and sailed off towards the back to put the order in.
"Ranch, really?" Hunter looked at her funny.
"I hate ketchup." Misty said realizing that it was probably odd. "I just think ranch tastes better with just about everything, except on eggs. Ranch and eggs aren't exactly meant to go together."
"Good to know. I'll remember to keep our kitchen stocked up on ranch instead." Hunter smiled at her and leaned forward grabbing one of her hands.
"Misty, I need you to move in with me. I was patient, give us a chance." Hunter told her.
"Why are you being so pushy? I already agreed to date you, and see how things go, and I agreed to open my vet clinic here, because of you. I don't understand the rush." Misty told him feeling confused. She wasn't even against the idea; she just didn't understand why he wanted to move so fast.
"It's not so much the rush as I want to make sure we are compatible so we don't waste our time, and I need you to trust me. I have things I need to tell you about my life that are best experienced once we are comfortable with each other." Hunter told her with a vague answer that made Misty wonder what he was hiding from her.
"Why do we have to live together in order for us to learn to trust one another?" Misty was confused.
The waitress returned and brought their food and set it on the table.
"Save some room for dessert, we have some of the best pies in town." She told Misty.
"Thanks, I will." Misty smiled, then picked up a fry and put it in her mouth, watching Hunter.
"Look, I was patient while you were in school. I was patient while you did your internship. I was even patient while you found a building, stocked your office, and opened up for business. Now it's time you stop living in the local motel and move in with me where you belong." Hunter told her, taking a bite out of his pork sandwich.
"Give me one good reason why it's so important to you besides saying it's time." Misty told him, then took a bite out of her burger.
Hunter put his sandwich down and looked at her, a frustrated look on his face.
"I want you close to me, I want to be able to feel you when I'm sleeping, I want to smell you, and see you fill my house and know you are nearby. I want to be able to taste you, to touch you, to kiss you whenever I feel like it, and not have you be miles away, where I can't go see you on a moment's notice, or reach out to touch your hair. I need you near me Misty. I've been a patient man, now you need to give a little in return." Hunter growled at her.
For a second, Misty swore she saw his eyes change color and flash yellow, but then she shook it off, thinking she was imagining things.
"How about I start with spending the weekend there first? We'll see how it goes. For all you know, you'll hate having me underfoot, and me forgetting to hang up my towels. I can be incredibly absent minded. I'm not used to living with anyone else." Misty told him giving him fair warning.
"I don't care. We will make it work. That's what couples do." Hunter insisted. "And that is what we are. Or are supposed to be. A couple."
"We aren't officially a couple yet, Hunter." Misty reminded him. "We might have been flirting for the last few months, but we haven't even had sex yet."
"Are you out of your mind?" The waitress interrupted them, she'd brought over a pitcher of water, intending to refill their glasses. "Honey, he's a hot blooded young man. If I was forty years younger, I'd jump him myself. You'd be a fool to let him get away."
"Thank you, Kathy." Hunter said and smiled at her. The waitress smiled big at him and patted his shoulder before leaving their table again.
Misty blushed and sunk lower in her seat, and crossed her arms over her ample breasts uncomfortable with discussing her sex life with the waitress. Or, lack of a sex life.
"Like I said Hunter, I'll spend the weekend with you and go from there, okay?" Misty told him, trying to be reasonable but feeling afraid they were still rushing into things.
"Alright, if that's what I have to accept, fine." Hunter told her, and finished his sandwich. He seemed a little grumpy the rest of the meal, but he didn't take it out on her, he just gave her short curt answers and seemed a little frustrated.
When they finished their lunch, Hunter left money on the table and waited for Misty to stand up and follow him.
She followed him out to the street and then back to her office, when they arrived she unlocked the door and walked inside and flipped the sign to open.
"Okay, I'll make you a deal. I'll spend tonight and the weekend with you, but you have to agree not to fuss if it doesn't work out." Misty wagged a finger at him.
"Deal Misty, but I know it will work out." Hunter told her.
He backed her into the desk and started to kiss her, he grabbed her ponytail and wrapped her hair around his fist and kissed her until her knees went weak and he had to support her weight. He pushed her back until she sat on the desk and spread her knees with his legs. His tongue thrust into her mouth in an erotic kiss and the chimes above the door finally dinged. Surprising them both, Hunter jumped away from Misty, and looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." A small boy gasped.
"No, no, you aren't intruding." Misty said, jumping off the desk and brushing her shirt in a subconscious reflex.
Hunter looked at Misty, giving her a hard look. "Be there tonight. It's not up for debate."
"Fine, seeya later!" Misty told him and focused on the boy. "What can I do for you today?"
"My cat needs his paw fixed. He won't let me fix it." The boy held up a small cat for Misty to inspect and she totally forgot about Hunter, her attention was now on the boy.
"I'm leaving now, but if you aren't at my house by six, I'm coming to get you myself." Hunter told her as he left her to the cat before he walked out the door.
Misty nodded, but she was already distracted by holding the cat and walking it to the back room to weigh it and do a basic exam.
Chapter 8
Hunter paced his study angrily. He'd been extremely patient with Misty, but now it was time she came home. He loved h
er, she was his mate, and he needed her. She needed to know how important she was, but she was oblivious. It had him tight up in knots and he was frustrated. He wasn't sure if he should confide in her the truth about being a dragon now, or wait until he was sure she loved him and would stick around. What if it scared her off later down the road once they were both emotionally invested? Would she feel betrayed he waited so long to tell her the truth?
He waited and he watched the clock and he had his finger pressed on the phone, ready to dial her cell when he finally heard her enter the front door. He took the steps two at a time to meet her at the door. She had her back pack with her and when she saw him, she smiled.
He walked over to her and stopped right in front of her, not sure what he intended to do quite yet.
"Misty." He told her, staring at her intently as she dropped her back pack on the floor.
"I'm here, as promised." She told him. "For the weekend. Let us see how it goes, okay?"
"Kiss me." He ordered her, and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up against him.
Her breasts pressed against his chest. She was curvy in all the right places and he loved it. Any type of handful he wanted, she had it. He ravaged her mouth with his lips and tongue, almost bending her over in the hallway.
"Wait, please Hunter." She murmured. "This isn't where I want to do it for the first time."
"Let me take you upstairs to my bedroom." He told her, kissing her chin, cheek and then her neck.
"Okay." She nodded at him, trusting him.
Hunter grabbed her in his arms, lifting her up in the air. He carried her up his staircase, to his master bedroom, and gently set her on the bed. He ripped off his shirt, showing off his muscles and tanned skin.
"Gorgeous." She told him, and touched his skin gently.
"I want you. You are beautiful Misty," Hunter told her, being blunt.
"I know, I can tell. I want you too." She told him, then started to undo her buttons one at a time.