Tianna Xander (4 page)

The men on the ground watched them both suspiciously. It was as though they thought the two women planned to climb over the tall brick walls wearing nothing more than bikinis. Perhaps they hoped they would try so they could watch. Who knew?

Ginger immediately made her way over to the outside stereo and turned it on. Classic rock poured from the speakers as they both circled the pool with a critical eye.

“What do you think? Do we test the water or just jump in and take our chances?”

May grinned. “I think we could just jump in.”

“You would,” Ginger said with a snort. “You always loved just plowing into the water when Mom and Dad took us to Lake Superior. That water is almost ice cold.” She rubbed her arms as though remembering.

“Well, you asked.” May stepped back a few paces and took a running leap into the large pool.

Cold water closed over her head and she let out a little giggle. Ginger would screech when she jumped in.

“You bitch. You knew I would take that as a challenge.” Ginger laughed and leaped into the pool. She came up sputtering. “It’s cold. It’s
so
cold!”

“I think it feels great.” May swam a few laps, then turned over onto her back to look at the sky. “I could stay here all day.”

“Me, too.” Ginger sighed as she floated next to her. “I wish we could go to the lake.”

“Yeah, me, too.” May knew they couldn’t. As far as the dragons were concerned, taking the women to the lake would be a logistical nightmare, security wise.

“Well, we’ll just have to close our eyes and pretend we’re there.”

“I guess.”

“What did you think of that big dragon who bought the
Pussycat
?”

“I think he was okay. He was very handsome in the face, but he was too big.” May frowned. “You know how I feel about muscle-bound men. Yech.”

“I don’t know if I should feel insulted or flattered.”

May’s body stiffened, her body sinking beneath the surface. She came up sputtering and glared at the man in question. “What are you doing here?”

He grinned down at her, a decidedly attractive dimple in his right cheek. She tried not to look into his deep brown eyes. They seemed to see right into her and she couldn’t have that.

With his dark hair and eyes, he had an air of Native American about him. She found she liked the look of his dark hair and complexion despite his size.

The man stood beside the pool with two towels in his hands. “If you wouldn’t mind getting out of the pool, I’d like to talk with you for a moment.”

Was this where he told her she owed him for getting her out of her contract? If that was the case, May would tell him right where he could shove his money.

“Sure.” She swam to the side of the pool and gasped when he knelt and lifted her out. “Stop that! You’re getting yourself wet.” May didn’t know what kind of suit he wore because she knew nothing about men’s fashion. The cut and look screamed expensive, though.

She took the towel he offered and backed up a pace. “What did you want to talk about? If it’s about the money you spent on the club, I have to tell you I don’t have that kind of money to pay you back.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “It has nothing to do with money, May.”

“Okay, that isn’t fair. You know my name, but I know nothing of you. No one would tell me who you were after you left the
Pussycat
the other night.”

“I am Damek.” He bowed. “I wish to speak with you about your abilities.”

May frowned. “My abilities?” Was he talking about her dubious gift of making plants grow until they took over whatever house or garden they were in? “The only ability I have is not worth talking about, sir.”

“Damek. Call me Damek.” He looked down at her with a strange expression in his eyes. “I insist.”

“Well, uh, Damek,” May paused to lick her lips. “I don’t have any control over it. I really don’t have control when I get mad. The plants tend to grow wild, and at times, they’re dangerous. I try not to let that type of anger reach me.”

“Well, May of the dangerous plants, I have a proposition for you.”

Chapter Six

Damek had a tough time not staring at her. She was so beautiful with her dark hair and eyes that he had a difficult time keeping his hands to himself. He curled his fingers into fists at his sides, barely managing to suppress a groan.

He never expected to find a witch of his own. Hell, he was one of the oldest dragons on Earth. It was very possible that he was
the
oldest dragon. His heart pounded every time he breathed in her scent and his stomach clenched when she smiled.

May looked up at him as she wrapped the towel around her shoulders, then tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She tilted her head and bit her lip. “I hope you don’t expect me to pay you back for your purchase of the
Purring Pussycat.
Because I can tell you, if I had that much money, I wouldn’t have had to enter into a contract with that weasel in the first place.”

“No.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “As I said, this has nothing to do with money. I wanted to ask you if you would have dinner with me.”

She didn’t have to know that he planned to woo her even though she’d voiced her negative opinion about his physique.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because. I don’t want to lead you on. You already know that I’m not…attracted to you physically. It would be a waste of both time and money on your part.”

“I don’t see it that way.” He crossed his arms, then dropped them to his sides when she eyed his biceps with distaste. “What man abused you, May?”

“What makes you think someone abused me?” She moved away to sit on a lounger on the edge of the patio.

Damek could see that she used the few seconds to compose herself. “What is it that you haven’t told your family?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She situated a small waterproof pillow behind her back and tucked her feet beneath her. “I thought you wanted to talk to me, not interrogate me.”

With a sigh, Damek lowered himself into the lounger next to hers and looked up at the blue sky. He wanted to tell her that she was his mate. He knew this because the perfect mate for the Earth dragon would have control over living things. She made plants grow. She must be his mate. If she would kiss him, she would know this. Yet, she refused to even look at him for more than a few seconds at a time.

“I won’t take
no
for an answer, May.”

“And yet,
no
is the only answer that I’m prepared to give.”

One of Drake’s housekeepers came out of the house, carrying a phone. She handed it to May. “It’s the Homeless shelter, May. They wish to speak with you.”

The color drained from her face when she looked at the phone. It was as though she thought it would suddenly turn into a snake and bite her.

“Oh, God. They probably need money. They
never
call me. Why
would
they call me?” Her hand trembled as she brought the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

She looked so worried, Damek wanted to take her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay. That he had arranged to give them money. Why they didn’t have it yet was a mystery he intended to solve as soon as his business here was done.

“You’re kidding!”

She perked up, her gaze darting around. Lifting her hand to her mouth, she laughed, happy. Someone had just given her good news.

“Five-million? Oh, my God!” She looked at him and smiled.

Damek didn’t move more than the eyebrow he raised. It was about damned time they got the money.

“I’m so happy for you. That’s wonderful!” She nodded. “Yes, that should keep you in food and blankets for a long, long time. It should also help with finding their parents jobs.” She nodded again, more enthusiastically. “Of course I understand why you didn’t tell me sooner. I would have waited for a check of that size to clear, too.”

That her friends at the shelter thought his check may not be good was almost laughable. “Good news?” he asked when she finally handed the phone back to Drake’s maid.

“You know it was.” She cast her gaze downward, twisting her fingers in her lap. “You gave them the money, didn’t you?”

He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms before he remembered that it showed off their size. He rested his hands in his lap once again. “What makes you think that?”

“The fact that you spent half a million on a club that wasn’t worth half that, just to get me out of a contract you should have cared nothing about.”

“Perhaps I don’t like to see young women taken advantage of.”

“Or perhaps you’re convinced that I’m your mate.” She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on them. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

Damek shook his head with a sigh. “Can you not just accept my dinner invitation without reading more into it?”

She tilted her head and looked at him through narrowed eyes. “I guess I owe you that much.” She lowered her feet to the ground and turned back to her sister. “I’m going in.” She turned back to smile at him. “Damek has just invited me to dinner. I need to shower and change into something more appropriate.”

“You go ahead. Have fun,” Ginger said with a wave of her hand. “I’ll just stay here for a bit and swim. I need to get some exercise anyway. The guards will make sure I don’t drown.” She grinned and lowered her voice. “A couple of them must be human because they look like they wouldn’t mind having to give me mouth to mouth resuscitation.”

Damek looked away and tried not to whistle as though he’d been ignoring the exchange. The Flowers girls were all beautiful in their own way. Any man would be blind to not see that much.

“Come on inside, Damek. You may as well have a drink while you wait for me to get dressed.”

May led him into the house through a set of double French doors.

They walked through the formal living room and into the den where Drake sat in a large easy chair with his mate on his lap.

“Hello, Damek. You’re late. You said you would be here two weeks ago.” Drake waved him toward the wet bar in the corner. “Pour yourself a drink. You look like you need one.”

Damek strode to the bar and splashed a few fingers of brandy into a snifter. He swished the drink around inside the glass, then sniffed the amber liquid with appreciation. Drake always had good liquor. It was just too bad that he couldn’t have more than one drink. He must keep his wits about him if he was going to get May to agree to go to Alaska with him.

He hoped she would go on her own. He needed to get her away from her family for a bit. If he could, he may be able to wear her down and get her to kiss him.
Just once
. That was all he would need to prove to them both that she belonged with him.

Chapter Seven

May stalled as long as she could in the shower and getting dressed. It was difficult to convince herself to go with him. That and she had a hard time convincing herself that she was only going out of obligation. She surely wasn’t going because she was attracted to him. She really didn’t like muscular men.

With a frown, she thought of why she didn’t like muscular men. She hadn’t really cared why until she’d seen Damek in the
Purring Pussycat
two weeks ago. She’d taken one look at him and he had stolen her breath right from her lungs. Her mouth would have watered if it hadn’t gone dry at her first look at him.

Why? Why now and why this man? All her life, May had been terrified of big, muscular men.

She stood in the shower, warm water pouring over her as she rinsed the soap from her hair and body. She tried to remember, but the answer never came.

After she turned the water off, she opened the shower door, grabbed a clean towel from the rack, and dried herself off.

It wouldn’t take long to dry her mid-length bob and get dressed. Whatever Damek had planned would wait until she made herself presentable. After all, she had no idea where he planned to take her. The man was, apparently, at least a multi-millionaire. She wasn’t sure she wanted to think about him being wealthier than that.

She dressed in her little red dress that she bought to wear to April’s next party, which was tonight. She kept telling herself she only wore it because she’d planned to wear it tonight anyway, not because she wanted to impress Damek. She couldn’t care less what he thought.

She looked in the mirror at her lightly tanned skin and dark hair. Her makeup was light and tasteful, even if her dress was made to make her look downright hot. Grabbing the matching shawl, May exited her room and headed for the stairs.

“Wow!” Ginger whistled as she passed her on the stairs. “You’re going all out for this dinner, aren’t you?”