Wildfire (32 page)

He cleared his throat and held out the flowers. “Thanks for
saving my life.”

“You’re welcome.” Her fingers brushed against his as she
took the bouquet. Desire steamed through her. She turned to the nurse. “Could
you put these in some water please?”

The nurse took the flowers and grabbed the empty plastic
pitcher on the dresser and disappeared into the tiny bathroom.

“How are you doing?” Lynn asked. The words sounded stilted
and without emotion. She hated them. Hated herself for feeling desire and
awkwardness. Weaker than usual, she should have left earlier. Called Jen for
help and slipped out. Avoided this meeting.

Jack shot her a half-smile and touched the back of his head.
“Been better, but could’ve been worse.”

“You’ll recover.”

The nurse bustled about with bright yellow flowers looking
beautiful, despite the Pepto-Bismol pink pitcher. She placed them on the
dresser and snuck out.

Panic sank its claws deep inside. Alone with Jack. Shit.
Lynn licked her lips. “You read the story in the paper?”

Jack nodded. “Every word,” he said. “Heck of a story.”

“Too bad he escaped.”

“Yeah, the guy just had all kinds of help lined up.”

Their eyes met. Held.

“It’s a story,” she said. “Some of its true, some isn’t. But
you know that.”

“I have realized life isn’t black and white, there’s a lot
of grays and different shades of gray at that.”

What the hell did that mean?

Jack smiled. “It means, there are no absolutes and life is
full of surprises.”

Lynn took a deep breath. Damn, she’d forgotten about their
connection. “Specifics please?”

Jack shifted around in his chair. “I thought I knew who I
was, but there’s a whole lot more to discover.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t break it to you more gently.”

“Sugar coating wouldn’t have helped.” He shrugged. “It took
a while for the words to sink in.”

She nodded. Silence. Awkward, bulky silence. “I’ll be
returning to Houston soon.” She smiled and pushed more words out. “I’m thinking
of trying to get a job at one of the local newspapers.”

“Oh.” Jack looked down at his hands, which had curled into
fists. He flexed his fingers, wiggled them about.

“What’s wrong?”

He raised his head. His eyes darkened, reminded her of wild
jungles. She could smell the iron tinge of nerves and determination. “I have no
idea what it means to be a dragon, I had hoped you might be willing to help.”

She clutched the bed covers. “How can I help?”

“You know more about dragons than anyone else I know.”

Lynn recalled his horror-stricken face as he backed away
from her. He thought of her as a beast. Could she accept being his mentor and
nothing more? She shook her head. “I, I am sorry.” She swallowed past the lump
in her throat. “You might never be able to turn dragon.”

“I know that.” He rubbed his lips. “I’d still like to know
where I came from, what it means. My father…” He laughed. “I can’t believe I’m
about to quote him.”

“What did he say?”

“Without roots, a tree can’t grow branches.” Jack ploughed
one hand through his hair. “I spent a lifetime ignoring him, but I think I’m
finally beginning to appreciate the man.”

As he spoke of his dad, his voice grew softer, more wistful.
She could see the ghost of the young boy he’d been lurking just beneath the
surface. Sense the importance of his sharing. She wanted to help. Her want bit
deep inside her, leaving an aching imprint. “I guess I could sort of mentor
you.”

“That’d be great.” His face lit up with hope.

“Yeah, I could go through all of
Obaa-chan’s
teachings and books, and share what I think will help.” She leaned forward,
caught up in her idea. “We could be like modern day penpals, except on email.”

Penpals? Not if I can help it.
“I was aiming for
something more up close and personal.”

His words sucked all moisture from her throat. She blinked
at him.

I want to explore the possibilities between us. I want to
kiss you. Again.

She opened and shut her mouth. Beast. He’d seen her as a
beast. The creature and she— Lynn drew in a deep breath to rise above the
turmoil inside her. “I’m still a dragon. A beast. Can you accept that?”

He levered himself out of the chair, balanced on his good
leg and leaned closer. Jack stared deep into her eyes. “Then I’m quarter-beast
and, at times, a complete idiot.” His tongue traced slowly over his lip. “Can
you live with that?”

Their eyes met and held. Somewhere a clock ticked the
seconds away. She managed a nod.

His lips found hers, his tongue sought hers out. Heat
fire-balled in her stomach, a deep, desperate hunger spiraled through her. She
tasted him again after what seemed forever. And she wasn’t sure if there’d be a
next time. So she dived into the kiss, submerged herself in it. Her hands
slipped around his head and neck, fingers curled into hair. They kissed deeply
for what seemed an eternity. And just when Lynn felt she’d melt and evaporate,
he broke away.

“Wh-what changed your mind?”

“Time and good sense kicking in,” he said. “When I saw
Henry’s hand around your throat, I just knew deep in my gut that you were in
trouble.” A haunted bleakness settled into his gaze. “I thought I might be
losing you forever and I couldn’t stand the idea.”

She brushed his lips with light fingers. “I felt my entire
world crash each time Henry shot you.”

Jack grinned. “And watching you run around naked was pretty
convincing too.”

“Shut up while you’re ahead.” Grabbing a handful of his
hospital gown, Lynn pulled him close. Their lips melded in a kiss as hot as
dragon fire and twice as sweet.

THE END

Also by Mina Khan

THE
DJINN’S DILEMMA

Rukh O’Shay, half-djinn and assassin, is used to taking out
the bad guys. But his latest assignment, Sarah White, is nothing like he
expected. A glimpse of her bright aura reveals her gentle spirit, while her
luscious beauty clouds his mind and makes him long for only one thing— to taste
her.

Sarah shares the feeling of raw desire at Rukh’s touch. He
can turn her on with a glance, and satisfies desires she didn’t even know she
had. But Rukh had been hired to kill her— and the only way to save her is to
find out who wants her dead before someone else finishes the job…

"I'll take this hot assassin named Rukh trying to kill
me any day ;) Oh yeah, he was that hot."—Bitten by Paranormal Romance
review, 2011

A
TALE OF TWO DJINNS

Akshay (Shay for short), warrior prince of the earth djinns,
earns the title of Crown Prince at a high cost when he loses his best friend in
a battle against ancient enemies, the water djinns. Heartsick, he escapes to
Earth to mourn.

Nothing gets the biological clock ticking (and elders
lecturing) like almost dying in battle, so Maya, princess of the water djinns,
travels to Earth for some no-strings-attached sex to fulfill her duty and
produce an heir. But the beautiful and tough warrior gets more than she
bargained for when she meets Shay.

Their not-so-simple one-night stand is interrupted by
assassins and the world, as they know it, is changed forever. As Maya and Shay
pull together to survive, both are determined to have their happily-ever-after and
bring peace to their worlds— warring families, shadow assassins, and nosy
busybodies be damned.

*** Fifty percent of every purchase is donated to UNICEF in
memory of Mina's father***

DEAD:
A Ghost Story

A multicultural ghost story in which Nasreen— the Indian-American
protagonist— grapples with her life and death in West Texas. This is
not
a romance.

A note from Mina

Thank you for reading WILDFIRE: A Paranormal Mystery with
Cowboys & Dragons. I hope you enjoyed it.

WILDFIRE is my love letter to my adopted home in West Texas,
and I had a lot of fun mentioning local haunts, history, and sharing all the
details that make the place special. This book wouldn’t have been possible
without the help of many, wonderful people:

My darling husband, who is my inspiration for Jack, and does
all he can to help support me and my writing in so many different ways. My
kids, who are awesome cheerleaders. D. Michalewicz, Steve Mild, Ken Land, Brian
Dunn and Russell Smith for information about volunteer fire departments, law
enforcement and so much else. The talented and funny newspaper editors I was
lucky to work with and learn from: Bill Miller, Scott Stanford (Tower), William
Taylor, and Tim Archuleta. Hernandez is for all of you!

My most wonderful critique partner, L.J. Charles; and amazing
beta readers who helped make this book better: Laurie G., Hasna S., Teresa R.,
and Michelle C. The San Angelo Writers for feedback. For editorial help, Maya
Rock and Jennifer Boggs. For artwork, Ana of Kingwood Creations and my sister
Fahmi Khan.

Also all the members of my awesome street team, who kept me
sane, let me vent, and gave me all kinds of help. A special hug to Michele H.
who came up with Jack’s last name. All my writing friends who kept me going.

A heartfelt and huge “Thank you” to all of you!

About
the Author

Mina Khan is a Texas-based writer and food enthusiast. She
grew up in Bangladesh on stories of djinns (pronounced "gins"),
ghosts and monsters. These childhood fancies now color her fiction. She
daydreams of hunky paranormal heroes, magic, mayhem and mischief and writes
them down as tales of romance and adventure.

Her first published work, The Djinn's Dilemma, won the
novella category of the 2012 Romance Through The Ages (published) contest.

A Tale of Two Djinns won the 2013 Readers’ Crown for best
paranormal romance. It also won second place in the novella category in the
2013 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards (NERFA).