Dragon Ugly (Dragon New Year) (5 page)

The sound of a throat clearing brought her back to earth, breaking the spell. A blush flooded her face and slipped down her neck, spreading over her chest. She felt deeply embarrassed, but also curious about her behavior. Her attraction to him seemed to override every instinct she had. It was as if, for the first time, she was comfortable in her skin around another shifter.

Confusion colored her thoughts. She wanted to run home, shut the door, and examine her response, maybe even try to figure out a way to summon it up again, around her own kind. Maybe then her mother would stop accusing her of being frigid.

Her gaze darted back to the man’s eyes to see what lay there. Repulsion? An echo of her own feelings, perhaps? Thick black lashes surrounded his eyes, making them seem even brighter than they were. For a moment she felt herself sucked into their azure depths, pulled toward the black centers.

As she watched, his irises darkened until they were the color of sapphires. He blinked and she followed the slow flutter with her own eyes. The spell of this man misted her vision, and the store vanished. She looked upward to his hair. It looked thick and spiky, a lovely, inky black shade, tipped in aqua blue points. She felt a need to touch them, to see if they were as sharp as they looked. Her palms actually tingled with the urge. A smile played on her lips at the thought, before a tap on her shoulder pulled her out of the moment.

The store came back into full focus. Again she blushed, and her ears prickled. She looked over at the attendant, who had an embarrassed smile on her face. “Phone call for you, Ms. Taylor.” She held out the receiver.

Relief swept through Carissa, trailed by trepidation. She didn’t have to be told who was calling her. A glance at her watch told her that she was ten minutes late, and she was sure Jez and Anna were getting antsy, wondering where she was. Her stomach grumbled.

She turned and followed the store attendant to the front counter and picked up the phone, resisting the urge to look back at the hunk behind her. “Sorry, I’m on my way. Really.”

“Move your ass. We’re getting swamped and could really use your help,” Anna hissed on the other end.

“Shit,” Carissa muttered, as she paid for her purchases. She was going to owe Jez and Anna big time for this. Carissa could feel the man’s gaze on the back of her neck, and she knew he hadn’t moved an inch. Inside of her, back in its dark cage, her wolf paced, tail wagging, whimpering for its freedom. It wanted to sniff him, get to know him and—somewhere deep inside of her—both she and the wolf wanted to fuck him senseless. It was shocking to feel that core of heat. She’d never responded to a man like this before. The feeling was totally alien, and yet she wanted more of it.

The receipt slipped down from the counter to the floor and she bent down to pick it up.

She knew the man was staring at her, and that knowledge quaked through her bones and vibrated down deep into her pussy, making more juices trickle out and causing her body temperature to spike.

“
Brent
!” someone admonished.

So that was his name. Carissa rolled it around her mind. She bet it would sound even better when she cried it out as she came. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the web of passion that was trying to wrap itself around her body. She couldn’t think like that. No time. She grabbed the bags, thanked the sales clerk, and turned around, only to have her gaze once again fall into his eyes.

He stood in front of her, grinning.

“Brent.” He held out a large hand, with thick fingers and well-manicured nails.

Just seeing those wide digits made her pussy contract. She swallowed, without thought, unable to resist the look in his eyes. “Carissa Taylor,” she managed to whisper.

“Carissa Taylor,” he purred. Then he gave her a wicked smile that went straight to her groin. His eyes sparkled with dark need and mischief.

“Gotta go.” She hurried past him, close enough that their arms grazed, sending electric sparks up and down her arm. She sucked in a breath as again the dizziness assaulted her, but this time she pushed through it. Not now. She couldn’t get sidetracked. Jez and Anna were mad enough at her as it was. She rushed out of the store and made it onto the sidewalk, ignoring the whine of her wolf the whole way to Scentify. As much as she was dying to figure out what the hell was going on with the animal—and with herself, for that matter—she just didn’t have time.

No sooner had she walked into the store than she saw the problem. They were packed wall to wall. Suddenly, the Dragon’s Lair celebration party began to seem more appealing. She would need it by the end of this day.

Chapter Five

Energy jittered along Brent’s arms and legs. Electricity sparked and burst like small pinches on his bare forearms. His lips burned and his fingertips and palms itched. A fog swathed his brain, and everything sounded as if it was coming from a distance. He could barely hear Fletch asking him if he was okay. His legs shook as he tried to stay on his feet and yet despite it all, his dragon remained silent, Zen and centered in its dark cage. Stomach muscles jumped and contracted as fire swirled around his gut. Thick, hot blood filled his groin. His cock pulsed in time with his heartbeat as it thickened and pressed against his silken boxers and fly. He sat down to get some stability.

Hot and cold flashes pulled him between freezing and wanting to strip down to nothing. He looked up to Fletch for help, and began to plead for an explanation, but the words refused to form around his thickened tongue. All he could do was look up and plead with his eyes, and hope that his friend would be able to read his mind.

Fletch reached down and rubbed Brent’s back. “You’ll be okay, buddy. We’re going to get you something to eat and some water.”

Brent didn’t want food or anything to drink; he wanted Carissa to come back. The shaking increased and he moaned as the blood thudded in his cock and his balls throbbed, aching for release. A finger of electricity danced along his spine and washed over his body until he felt he was on fire. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and upper lip, and small droplets slipped down his temple.

With a shaking hand, he reached up and wiped away the moisture and tried to swallow a lump that was forming in his throat. Frustration filled him, batting at the haze of arousal swirling in his gut. He had her name but nothing else. Her scent faded from the air, a mix of herbs and spices and flora.

Brent stood, ready to stride out of the store, wade through the crowd, and search her out, but his legs wobbled and wouldn’t hold his weight. He felt light-headed and shaky.

Fletch spotted him and forced him back into his seat. “What the hell are you doing? Look, you stay here and I’ll bring you the shoes. Eat something and drink the water.”

The store attendant handed him a wrapped grilled cheese sandwich and a bottle of iced seltzer water. “Here you go.” She gave him a small smile.

He mumbled a thank you. Slowly, he ate and drank, and his body began to calm down.

Fletch returned and dumped a few boxes of sneakers in front of him. “Try them on, but we have to be quick because Tor just called and Louisa wants us in earlier than we first thought.”

Brent swore, finished eating, and tried on the sneakers. Fletch took care of the bill, despite protests from Brent. They didn’t speak as they left the store. In fact, they remained quiet until they were in the car.

Fletch turned the ignition, buckled up and pulled out of the parking lot. “Well?”

Brent put careful thought into his answer. “I think I’ve found my mate. My dragon has wanted to find her for some time but today…I think we met her.”

Fletch didn’t answer. They wound through traffic, not talking, which made Brent uneasy. Fletch didn’t say anything until they’d pulled into the driveway of the house. “Okay, fine, but don’t scare me like that okay? Now, go clean your laundry. Dude, I can smell it from my room.”

Brent reached over and smacked the back of Fletch’s head. “No, you can’t. And you should talk! Last time I even looked in your room, I thought something had blown up in there. Didn’t your mom teach you how to clean your room or do you play too many video games?”

Fletch glared at him. “It’s not that bad. In fact, I can find stuff. I have a system. Anyway, let’s get the groceries inside before Tor comes out here and tries to eat the steak rare.”

Brent rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Him and his bottomless pit. You’re just trying to avoid answering me, but let’s go anyway.”

They left the vehicle and began to unload everything. The side door opened and Tor stepped out. “Finally,” he called out. “I thought you were gone so long that you found a party and weren’t leaving it. I’m starving.”

They unloaded the car and Brent rushed through his chores. Once he was ready for work, he stood by the car next to Fletch.

“Where’s Tor?” Fletch asked without looking up.

“Don’t know. I got here a minute ago,” Brent replied. He slipped out his phone, turned it on and checked his emails and text messages.

Tor finally came out of the house, banging out of the side door, locking it before he hit the fob to unlock his SUV. “Sorry about the delay. Got a call from Louisa demanding to know where we were. She’s freaking out and I had to calm her down before she blew a gasket at a line cook who’d burned some fries.”

“Looks like you’re going to have to stick to her like glue tonight. More than usual,” Fletch teased.

Tor rolled his eyes. “Can’t do that or it would be
my
head she’d bite off. She’d also stress out even more if she thought I was watching her. Bad enough the boss left her in charge while he’s handling some extra things for the festival. Apparently the pub will be closed down and we’ll be moving to the lakeside site at the end of the week.”

Brent stared at his friend. All he could picture was mosquitoes, flies, animals they’d have to chase away, and drunks who decided a moonlight swim was a good idea. He sighed. “Does he want us to kill him?”

Tor chuckled. “He’s bringing in extra security. Apparently he’s landed The Snake for some entertainment.”

Fletch finally looked up, eyes wide. “The Snake? Really? Did you see that YouTube video of him having an onstage breakdown? Man, that was harsh. Why’s he in our little nook of the world?”

Tor shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. But we’ll have to keep an eye on the patrons, especially the women, or they’ll be trying to rush the stages. We have to make sure that no one slips backstage and all that.”

Brent raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by
we
? I’m not security.” He didn’t like the idea of manhandling anyone unless he absolutely had to, and those incidents were few and far between. He’d like to keep it that way.

Tor slipped into the car and Brent and Fletch followed suit.

“We’re not going to be security, just an extra set of eyes for them, so no need to freak out.” Tor turned the ignition and pulled out of the driveway.

Brent felt uneasy at Tor’s words. As they pulled into the employee parking lot of the Dragon’s Lair, he saw that there were already cars parked in the customer section. There was even a line outside the front doors. His stomach sank even further. It was going to be an even longer night than he’d thought. Tonight was going to be chaos, he just knew it.

Chapter Six

Carissa, Jezebel and Anna threaded their way through the crowd. Their friend Louisa had promised them a table. Excitement buzzed at the back of Carissa’s mind. Her imagination was running wild with all the things they could do with the money coming in. For a start, they could pay their rent and bills on time for once. They had other ideas, like possibly hiring extra help or trying new products that they’d been holding back on. It was like a dream was starting to form, and she didn’t want to burst the bubble, not with reality and not with logic or her usual careful planning.

Anna gushed, “We can even turn one of the rooms into a yoga studio and another into the meditation space. You know what? I’ll call the landlord tomorrow and see if I can get a tour of the upstairs spaces. No need to worry about it.” She waved a hand in dismissal.

Carissa opened her mouth to object when the line began to move. “Don’t get all excited yet. It’s only the first day. Let’s see how the rest of the week pans out. And besides, that would take construction, permits, permission from the landlord, enough space to ensure that we can handle overflow. We need to plan.”

Jezebel pouted. “Spoilsport.”

Carissa shook her head. “I’m not trying to dampen your fun here; I’m trying to keep us from investing in things that won’t have the money to pay back once it gets rolling. Look, let’s talk about this when we get inside?” Thinking about Scentify took her mind off Brent. Heat rippled around her body as she pushed away thoughts of him. Later. She would think about him later.

They shuffled along until they were inside the pub. Carissa spotted Louisa immediately. She flagged them over and they followed her to a lakeside table outside of the pub. “Sorry for the wait, guys. It’s a madhouse. I can’t serve you, but I’ll send over one of the boys to take care of you. Drinks are on me.” Louisa darted away before they could object.

Carissa, Jez and Anna all looked at each other and then they picked up the menus that Louisa had left behind. A look around the restaurant-pub showed it was packed wall-to-wall. Still more people were waiting outside and milling about against the walls. The noise level was getting louder and louder by the minute, and that didn’t count what was going on outside. Mini-parties were breaking out on the sidewalk.

Jez whistled. “Looks like we’re not the only ones to be benefiting from the festival. I’ve never seen this place so packed.”

Carissa nodded and looked over the menu. She decided that since she was completely off her diet, she would indulge tonight. She put the menu down and looked up as the server arrived. His head was down, but she could see spiky hair, tipped in blue. A thrill raced through her as a pang of another kind started low in her belly. She licked her lips. Blood bubbled up in her veins, going straight to her head as hope bloomed inside of her. The urge to move closer to him rushed up her limbs. The palms of her hands tingled. She found herself leaning towards him, only to stop once she realized what she was doing. The seconds ticked by as she waited for Brent to lift his head and look at them. At her.