by Jane Jamison
He tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. “Dalton Valconai. He’s a good friend, although most people don’t know it. We don’t get together much.”
“Ooh, now that—” It hit her then, stunning her. “Dalton Valconai is a friend of yours? Big guy with thick brown hair and amazing green eyes?”
“I wouldn’t describe his eyes as being amazing, but, yeah, that’s the guy. So you’ve met him?”
And yet he didn’t act as if he would’ve doubted that she had met him. “Yeah. I did. He’s also rude and tried to take my bracelet. He said it was stolen. It’s not stolen, is it, Roman?”
“Stolen, huh? That’s what he said?”
“He sure did.” She sat up, ready to study every nuance in his answer.
Roman averted his gaze.
Damn. He doesn’t seem very concerned about Dalton wanting the bracelet. Is the bracelet stolen?
“Yeah, well, Dalton’s an acquired taste. And no, it’s not stolen. He’d just a sore loser. I outbid him at an auction.” He rolled out of bed too fast for her to stop him. “I’m starving. Let’s see if my chef left anything in the fridge.”
She watched him snatch up his clothes and stride toward one of the hallways. Was he telling her the truth?
* * * *
Damn it. Where is she?
Dalton stood next to the gaming area of the casino. He’d seen Peyton at the bar and was just about to talk to her again when Roman had shown up and slid onto the stool beside her.
I should’ve gone up to her anyway. Then let him try to explain about the bracelet.
Instead, he’d watched, both irritated and intrigued by the way they interacted with each other. It was obvious that Roman was attracted to her. Hell, any sane man would be. Still, he’d been unhappy to see her lean toward his friend and skim her hand along his arm.
When they’d started kissing, he’d felt his gut twist. He wasn’t jealous of his friend. Not really. Instead, he’d felt left out. After sharing a woman once before, he’d found he’d enjoyed watching Roman in action. They’d complemented each other, one being controlling while the other was gentler. Without talking it over ahead of time, they’d sync together, knowing when to reverse positions and when to switch from hard to soft with the woman.
But the woman had meant nothing to either one of them. She’d been a fun night and nothing more. A way for them to spend time together, locked in Roman’s penthouse where other dragons wouldn’t see them.
When Roman had taken Peyton to the private elevator up to his penthouse, Dalton had known what would happen. Judging by the rumors and what had gone on the last time, Roman was a skilled lover. He had no doubt his friend would have her in his bed soon.
Obviously Roman had given her the bracelet as a means to keep it hidden in plain sight. Who would ever think to look for the Bracelet of Atlantis on the arm of a tourist? The fact that Roman had lied to him earlier—pretending not to know where the bracelet was—hurt him, but there had to be a reason for Roman’s lie. What really mattered was getting the bracelet back to his clan for safekeeping. Was Roman going to get the bracelet back now? Or was he interested in Peyton for more than a chance to retrieve the jewelry?
He’d stuck around, hoping she’d come back down to the lobby.
Damn it, Roman. You’d better stop screwing around and get the damn bracelet back from her.
Chapter Five
Shirley was on her like white on rice. “Tell me more.”
Peyton wasn’t about to tell her curious friend every detail about her time with Roman. “Not here. Not where everyone can hear.”
They stood in the line to enter the magic show, one of many shows they’d talked about going to see while in Vegas. Leaving Roman had been tough, but she’d felt guilty about not spending more time with her friend. After all, once their vacation was over, so would her involvement with him. Shirley, however, had been by her side since high school and would stay her dearest friend for the rest of her life. She wasn’t about to be one of those girls who found a guy and then dumped her friend. Even if every part of her screamed to find Roman and ride him until they were both too tired to move and too sore to do anything except grin.
“Then save the nasty bits until later. But give me more details about everything else. What was the penthouse like?”
Peyton couldn’t miss a couple of other women sidling closer, trying to pretend they weren’t listening. She couldn’t blame them. What woman hadn’t dreamed of a rich, handsome man ravishing her in his penthouse suite?
“The place is amazing. It’s like one of those homes in a fashion magazine. The kind of place royalty and movie stars live in.”
Shirley’s gaze fixed on her, her expression one of rapt attention. “And the bedroom?”
“I don’t know if it was the master bedroom, but if it wasn’t, I can’t imagine what the master would look like. The room was huge and had everything you could imagine from a wet bar to a massive television that came up out of this table when you pressed a button. And, Shirley, I promise you the bathtub was three times the size of the one in our suite. We could’ve fit six people in there with room to spare.”
Shirley sucked in a breath. “So you took a bath with him?”
“No. Although he did offer to wash my back.” Was that a sigh from one of the other women? She smothered back a smug smile. “I told him I had to leave so I could go to the show.”
Shirley gave her a slight shove. “Shut your mouth! You told a sexy millionaire—”
“Multi-billionaire. According to Google.”
“Oh hell, Peyton. You told a sexy billionaire that you’d rather see a show than let him wash your back? What’s wrong with you? I would’ve understood. Hell, if he’d asked me, I would’ve stayed with him in a heartbeat. I can’t believe you chose me over him.”
“Hey, you’re my best friend. Chicks before dicks, you know.” She wrinkled her nose along with Shirley wrinkling hers and kept the line moving. “Okay, not a good saying.”
“We’ll work on it.” Shirley grinned then lifted Peyton’s arm. “I see you still have the bracelet. Did he clear it up on whether you get to keep it or if you have to give it back?”
Peyton stared at the shiny gold. “I guess I’m supposed to keep it, but you know I can’t. It’s just too much. What would I do with a bracelet like this back in Dayton? Wear it to go grocery shopping at the discount bakery?”
Shirley handed their tickets to the man at the door scanning them. “If he wants you to have it, then keep it. I bet you could sell it and make enough to pay a year’s rent.”
“Probably more like ten years.”
“Even more reason to keep it.”
She barely heard what her friend had said. Instead, the thick brown hair of a tall gentleman standing with his back to her caught her attention.
Dalton?
The man turned around.
Damn. It’s not him.
Wait. Why would I want to see him again?
“Hey, Peyton, are you coming?”
She blinked and pivoted to find her friend waiting for her, ready to find their aisle and take their seats. “Sure.”
Shirley led them to their places. “Where were you doing just then?”
“Thinking about Dalton Valconai.”
“The other handsome man you’ve met? What about him? I thought he was rude and kind of scary.”
Scary in a good way. But she kept it to herself. “Nothing. I just thought I saw him, but it wasn’t him.”
Shirley had been with her long enough to read her like an open book. “Oh hell, you’re attracted to him, too.”
“What? Of course not.”
“Don’t bullshit me. I know that expression when I see it.”
“Seriously—”
“Seriously. Who can blame you? I’m just jealous this didn’t happen to me. And all in one day. I mean, come on. That has to be a record of some kind.”
“Yeah. I had the same thought earlier.” She twisted around
, unable to fight the urge to see if either Roman or Dalton was in the theatre. “I’ve gone from a nice girl who rarely dates to a slut who wants two men.”
“So you’d sleep with Dalton, too, if you had the chance? Daaamn.”
Peyton wanted to deny it, but when the truth was the truth, she couldn’t. “I don’t know what it is about them—”
“Other than being totally hot and richer than God? Beats the hell out of me.”
She arched an eyebrow. “As my granny used to say, ‘looks fade, smart stays.’”
“So? They’re not exactly dumb as bricks, are they?”
“No. They’re both intelligent men. They couldn’t have gotten where they are if they weren’t. I don’t know what Dalton does for a living, but it’s obvious, whatever he does, he does it well.”
“You mean like how Roman does it well?”
Peyton couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, we’re done talking about them.”
“Until after the show.” Shirley squirmed in her seat, settling in as the overhead lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show. “But I want the low-down dirty details later.”
Not all the details. TMI is TMI. Especially when the details are so damn delicious.
* * * *
Roman expected Dalton to make a move. He just didn’t expect the move to be putting his hand around his throat. It was a struggle, but he managed to croak out a few words before sucking in a hard breath. “Take your fuckin’ hands off me, Dalton.”
The red flamed in Dalton’s eyes, his dragon so close to the surface Roman was afraid he’d shift right there in his penthouse. A dragon the size of Dalton could make a mess out of the place, tearing holes in the expensive carpet and bashing furniture with his long tail.
“Tell me you took the bracelet from her.” Dalton pushed Roman against the wall.
“Okay. I took the bracelet from her.”
Dalton narrowed his now-green eyes at him. “Fuck. You’re lying.”
“I said what you wanted to hear. I never said it was the truth.”
“I swear, Roman, I’m going to rip your black heart out if you don’t start cooperating. Something’s up, and you’re not telling me. How’d you get the bracelet?” His eyes narrowed even more. “You wouldn’t steal it. Even you wouldn’t stoop that low.”
Roman moved a safe distance away from his friend. Dalton would never really hurt him even if they were from two different clans. Nonetheless, if he lost control, he could do some real damage.
“Fine. Sit down and I’ll fill you in. If you promise to keep your temper.”
Dalton’s lip lifted in a snarl filled with far too much dragon attitude for Roman’s liking. Dalton sat on the edge of an oversized armchair. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like what you’re going to say?”
Roman grinned, teasing his friend yet again. “Because you know me.” He sat down across from his friend and spread his arms wide. “To know me is to love me. Am I right?”
“Don’t push me.”
Roman knew Dalton was at the end of his patience. “Okay, here’s the thing. You’d do anything for one of your clan members, wouldn’t you?”
“Not anything, but a lot. What are you getting at?”
He’d debated long and hard about whether to tell Dalton the truth. In the end, he’d respected their friendship enough to come to the right decision. “One of my closest friends in my clan took the bracelet.”
Again, Dalton’s eyes flamed red. If his dragon took over, a different kind of flame would come out of his mouth.
“How’d he get past our security?”
Emeralian dragons were known for the pride. Still, Dalton would want the truth. “Your security isn’t what you thought it was. The bracelet’s been in the care of your clan a long time. Maybe too long. Guards have become lazy, and the system is outdated.”
He could see the grudging acceptance on Dalton’s face. Better to keep going while his friend was still listening. “My clan mate said he stole it to prove it was time for another clan to take charge of its safety. I don’t even think he really thought he’d get away with it, but when he did, he came to me. He was afraid of retaliation after word spread of the theft.”
“And who is this friend of yours?”
When in doubt, he always went with a joke. “Just a friend. But don’t worry, old man. I still love you best.”
“Roman,” warned Dalton.
“I’m not going to disclose his name. It wouldn’t do any good because I’ve already sent him out of the country.”
“Why didn’t you return the bracelet?”
“First, I wanted to give him time to get away. Then, I started thinking that maybe he was right. Maybe it was time for another clan to take possession of it.”
“That’s for the Council of Dragons to decide. Not you.”
“True enough.” Roman leaned forward. “Work with me on this, Dalton.”
“Why’d you give the bracelet to Peyton?”
Roman had known the question was coming, but it didn’t make him feel any better to finally have to answer it. “Where better to hide something except right in front of everyone’s noses? I made her promise not to take it off. I don’t think she did, not even to take a shower or sleep. Peyton’s the kind of girl who keeps her word.”
“Fuck. What if you’d been wrong? What if another dragon had seen her with the bracelet? What if she’d gotten robbed?”
He’d already thought of those things, which is why he’d hired a couple of men—human men—to stick close to her. One of the men had reminded him of Dalton with his thick brown hair. He’d sent that one to the magic show. “Relax. Nothing’s happened.”
“Roman, you’ve done some stupid things before, but I never thought you were actually stupid.”
“Watch your mouth, old man.”
They both came to their feet, their chests bumping together, their eyes turning dark red. He’d be damned if he’d let Dalton scold him.
“You’re fucking out of your damn mind. Get the damn bracelet back, Roman.”
“No. At least, not yet. Not until something’s done about the security. You know the Dradians have wanted to get their dirty hands on it for years. My friend just beat them to it.”
Dalton’s scowl turned into a frown. “Do you know what the Council—hell, what the clans will do to you when they find out?”
“They won’t find out unless you open your big-ass mouth.”
“My clan’s responsible for its safety. I have to get it back. One way or another.”
Roman gritted his teeth and stepped back. He wasn’t backing down, but one of them had to diffuse the situation. “Listen to me. It’s better if we leave it with Peyton. Safer.”
“The fuck it is.”
He glared at his friend and emphasized each word. “Your clan is the one who let it get stolen.”
Dalton opened his mouth to speak then closed it, aware that he couldn’t deny the accusation. “What are you thinking?”
Roman dragged in a breath and fought to calm his dragon. If the beast clawed any harder at his insides, he’d lose control. If that happened, the conversation and his plan were over. “Think about it. The bracelet is missing. But where is everyone looking? My plan’s working.”
“Suspicion between the clans is growing.”
“Right. Between the clans. They assume it was stolen by one of the clans. Maybe even someone in your clan. They’re searching every dragon’s home and business.”
“And they’d be right. A Talasium stole it.” Dalton opened his fists, starting to release a little of his anger. “Get to it.”
“The bracelet’s already on Peyton’s arm. Most of the regulars of my casino and those who know me around town also know that I design inexpensive golden bracelets to give to women as trinkets.”
“And?”
Impatient as always. He smiled. “And they won’t give two looks at the bracelet. Not while it’s on Peyton’s arm. She’s just another tourist I sedu
ced and gave a gift to.”
“We keep hiding the bracelet.”
“Exactly. All we have to do is to keep it safe.”
“And Peyton safe. But then what? How are you going to get the bracelet back where it belongs?”
“We wait until the Council meets next week. Then you and I will take it to them and explain that the security around the bracelet needs to be tightened.”
“We could do that right now. Why wait?”
He dared to sling an arm around Dalton’s shoulders. “Because it’ll give you time to come up with a better security system. When we take the bracelet back, we present the new plan and claim we worked together to steal the bracelet, highlighting the holes in the security while solving the problem. In the meantime, we take turns watching over Peyton and the bracelet. It’ll be fun.”
Dalton’s interest in Peyton shone in his eyes.
I knew it. There it is. He wants her, too. Has he had her yet?
“They’ll never believe we worked together. A Talasium and an Emeralian working together? Fuck no.”
“They’ll believe it if we sell it to them. Hell, who knows? After we tell them what we’ve done, we might even be able to admit we’re friends.”
Dalton snorted. “Yeah, right. And the cow really did jump over the moon.”
He wouldn’t let Dalton’s negativity sway him. “What do you say, D-man? Are we going to work together? Or are you going to squeal and show us both up as fools?”
“We take turns watching her? And turns being with her?”
Yeah. He wants her bad. Real bad.
The idea of sharing Peyton with Dalton stirred his imagination. He leaned closer and whispered, “We could take her to bed together. We enjoyed sharing before. Think about how much better it’ll be with Peyton.”
He could see sharing her with Dalton, not once but forever.
Dalton shrugged his arm off. “Fine. I’ll go along with your plan for now, but if it doesn’t work, I’m taking the bracelet back without your help.”
Roman stuck out his hand. “Agreed.”
Dalton lifted an eyebrow, pivoted, and turned toward the wet bar. “I need a fuckin’ drink.”