Lissandra scanned the space in front of her. A simple, large, A-frame house stood in the center of a mowed lawn with a separate garage behind it. Wooden slats stained black gently overlapped to allow any precipitation to slough off the sides, and a wood pile sat neatly stacked under a horizontal extension of the roof on the west side. Holly and lilac hedges made a natural fence between his and his neighbor’s yards.
“Wow, this is your place?”
Usually she didn’t like A-frame houses, but Denarrion’s home filled her with a sense of quaint coziness combined with practicality. The structure stood larger than most, and appeared to be a real house rather than a winter retreat.
“It’s lovely. It feels like a mountain cabin. It must be pretty relaxing to live here.”
“It is. The neighbors are far enough away to give me privacy.” He led the way to the back door, fishing in his pockets for his keys. She was glad he still had them after their impromptu swim. “But my parents live just ten minutes from here so it’s not as relaxing as it could be.”
“What do you have against your parents?”
“Remember the stuffy, duty-bound asshole part?”
Lissandra laughed. “Oh, that. Right.”
“Come on in. I’ll make sure the coffee’s on.” Denarrion held the door open so she could step inside.
Golden wood floors glowed in the sunlight from skylights in the roof and a set of wrought iron spiral stairs rose to the upper story on the left. She followed it upwards with her gaze until it straightened into an iron railing covered with a brightly colored wool blanket. Denarrion led her past a comfortable set of couch and chairs with an oak coffee table crouched in the center on a stylish Indian rug.
“Wow, did you do all the woodwork yourself?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged with self-deprecation. “It was a good way to take my mind off my dad. Let me show you the laundry room.”
“Now there’s a sexy place.” She grinned as he laughed.
“Oh yeah. It’s a good place for our shoes.”
The laundry room sat off the kitchen at the back of the house, but Lissandra stopped in wonder. The open space contained brushed steel appliances, flagstone tiled floor, and black and tan granite countertops. A large island with the stove in it rose in the middle of the room, overhung by a copper exhaust hood. Stained oak cupboards filled with copper pots and utensils lined the walls, and the whole kitchen glowed in warm earthy colors. Track lighting gave the place a stylish air like a Manhattan loft apartment.
“Please tell me you like to cook.”
“Yeah, it’s one of the things that relaxes me. Why?” He tilted his head.
“Because a kitchen this magnificent shouldn’t be left sterile.” She ran her hands over the granite countertops. “It’s beautiful. I’m not a fan of cooking, but I could be coaxed to spend time here just because of how spectacular it is.”
“Oh yeah? I’ll remember that. What I like is no one complains if the recipes don’t come out exactly as I planned. Everything tastes good even if the presentation isn’t what I hoped.” Denarrion gave her his sexy grin again and she shivered with its impact.
“I only like cooking if I can do it with someone else. When it becomes a chore, I run for the hills and depend on Gianni’s Pizza.”
He smirked. “What did you do before Gianni’s?”
“I had a husband.”
She’d meant the response to be flippant, but thinking about Mike when she stood in another male’s home killed the humor. Denarrion’s expression closed down and she wished she’d kept her mouth shut. Nice going, idiot. Nothing like bringing up his dead competition.
She grimaced. “Sorry. That sounded better in my head.”
“No problem. I haven’t exactly been the smoothest today.”
“Oh, come on. Pulling your blind date into the reservoir had to score high in originality points.” She winked, hoping to coax out his smile again. “I’m pretty sure no one else would think to do it.”
He barked a laugh. “Yeah, that’s because it only works on special people. Not everyone can pull off those kind of suave moves.”
She laughed, relieved. Maybe they could just ignore Mike from now on. She’d certainly try to keep him where he belonged, in the past.
“Come on. Let’s leave our shoes in the laundry before we head upstairs.”
Lissandra raised an eyebrow. “We’re going upstairs?”
“You want dry clothes, don’t you? I’m afraid I don’t have any in the guest room.”
They deposited their wet shoes on the flagstone floor of the laundry, then retreated through the house to the stairs.
“Your house is lovely.”
“Yeah?” Denarrion leveled an amused look at her.
“What’s wrong with ‘lovely’? Too girlie for you?” She raised her chin in challenge. “Would you prefer ‘manly’ or ‘handsome’?”
He laughed and the richness of his voice warmed her heart under her wet clothes.
“I’d be okay with ‘welcoming’, actually.”
His simple answer deflated her sarcasm. “It is welcoming. It feels like a good place to live.”
“Thanks. I worked hard to make it that way.”
They stood staring at each other for a few moments and Lissandra studied his face. Denarrion’s eyes blazed with pale blue fire, his expression intense, and she wondered what thoughts chased through his mind. When his lips curled into a seductive smile, excitement slammed into her and she stifled a shiver.
“You look cold. Dry clothes are up there.”
“Yeah, good. Okay.”
He gestured for her to precede him up to the second floor. She gave him a smile and climbed the stairs with one hand on the railing to keep herself steady.
Goddess knows I need it.
From the moment Denarrion touched her at the reservoir, all the barriers she’d erected around her heart fractured into nothingness. Burning energy and light scoured all the little dark places where sadness lurked, corroding its jagged edges. She’d never experienced such a connection before with anyone, even Mikelorrion.
Recognition of something rare and precious had followed, and certainty slammed into her like a sledgehammer. Denarrion Goldencoat would be the only one to understand and fit her best. The cracks in her heart knitted together with Denarrion’s energy, and she’d thrown herself into their kiss in a desperate attempt to get closer to him.
And that worked out beautifully, didn’t it?
She sensed his gaze on her body all the way up the stairs and her breath hitched in excitement. It was odd to be so attuned to a male after being alone for decades.
It has to be from when I touched him at the reservoir.
A loft space opened at the top of the stairs and Denarrion slid past her, shifting his hips oddly as if his pants had suddenly become uncomfortable.
“There’s a bathroom right through there.” He pointed to a doorway across the loft. “Just drop your wet things on the floor. I’ll find you something to wear while they dry.” He disappeared into a walk-in closet.
Lissandra trailed her fingers over the golden oak footboard on the large bed. A muted multicolored comforter in a stylish geometric pattern covered the space and several pillows lay piled against the headboard. An ornate oak hope chest crouched at the foot of the bed. The whole bedroom looked like a promotional set from a catalog for Domestications or JC Penney Home. The only thing missing was the dust ruffle.
“You like the room?”
“Huh?” She turned, blinking.
Denarrion motioned to the bedroom as he held some clothing in his hands.
“Yeah, it’s fancy, like it belongs in a catalog.”
He laughed. “To be fair, it came from a catalog. I liked the pattern and colors.”
“It definitely fits the house.” She nodded at the hope chest. “What hopes do you keep in that chest?”
He frowned in confusion. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“The hope chest. It’s where people keep their most sentimental valuables. Do you have some hopes in your chest?”
His expression settled into pensiveness. “Not at the moment, but that might be changing.”
“Speaking of changing, I’d like to get out of these wet clothes.”
“Oh, right.” He laid the clothing out on the bed. “I figured you could wear a t-shirt and sweats. They’re clean. And I’ll get some towels, too.”
“Towels?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, I thought you might want to grab a shower. The reservoir isn’t as clean as it used to be and it would warm you up.” He gestured to her body.
“Do I look cold?”
Instead of answering, his eyes dropped to her chest. She followed his gaze to where her nipples pushed against her wet shirt.
“Oh.” She laughed. “I guess I might be a little chilled.”
Lissandra crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously, but stole a look at the front of his wet jeans. Hellwinds, if he can stare, so can I. And she enjoyed his body’s response against the tight, wet cloth.
“See something you like, Lissa?”
She’d seen a lot she liked in the last hour, but his voice held enough cockiness to yank her back to the present.
“Not yet, but I’m patient.” She lifted her chin with her own cocky smile. “Maybe I will take a shower after all.”
“It’s right through there.” He gestured toward the ornate glass door beyond the bed and she took the hint to investigate.
Lissandra stepped into luxury and gaped. The bathroom held an oversized bathtub encased in more of the black and tan granite from the kitchen downstairs. She shuffled across the black marble floor to lean against the glass door of a separate shower. Two showerheads hung from opposite walls and a black and tan granite bench had been built below one so the bather could sit and still wash or shave.
“Wow.” Her breath fogged the glass. “It’s just like a fancy five-star hotel.”
Denarrion appeared at the bathroom door and laughed. “Oh, good, just the image I was going for.”
His laugh sent tingles over her damp skin, heating her in places long forgotten. He held two fluffy towels in his arms and she wanted to throw herself into them. Both the towels and his arms. Man, I got it bad if I just want to hear him laugh again.
“You should do that more often.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“Laugh. It takes years off your face and makes the room sparkle.”
He shrugged, a little grimace twisting his lips. “I haven’t had much to laugh about. Until now.” He met her gaze and heat zinged through the room between them.
She cleared her throat again. “After my shower, would you mind if I used your computer to Skype with my kids? I’d use my cellphone, but…”
“It’s at the bottom of the reservoir.”
“Yeah.”
He handed her the towels and retreated, pausing at the door. “I’ll get it set up and make some coffee.” He closed the door behind him and she let all the breath out of her chest.
Damn, he’s hot stuff.
She shook her head and shucked her clothes off as she turned the shower on. She only used one of the heads, not wanting to take too long to figure out the rest. I just need to get clean, not get a massage.
She started her shower, hoping to get done soon, but the hot water settled her nerves and made her think about Denarrion again. She snorted. As if I stopped thinking about him.
She’d scanned him with her Sight when she first met him, and his dragon essence glowed blue-silver like a glacial mist. But a curious darkness floated at the edges of his aura. Lissandra frowned into the water as she washed her hair.
The darkness didn’t represent taint, exactly, more like a geas set by something very strong and powerful, keeping him from using his own abilities. Even stranger, the geas seemed to be of his own making.
Why would anyone put a geas on themselves and their abilities?
Who hid himself from himself? That’s like shooting yourself in the foot. Was he even aware of the geas? Probably not if he hadn’t shaken it off. Or maybe he’d gotten so used to feeling subdued, he didn’t remember being any other way.
Do I want to get involved with a guy like that?
The question followed her through the completion of her shower and as she dressed in Denarrion’s loaned clothes. She allowed herself to close her eyes and inhale his scent, a mixture of freshly baked bread and rosemary, and thought back to the moment they touched.
But I know he’s meant to be mine. Did that mean she didn’t have a choice?
She hadn’t reached an answer when she returned to the kitchen downstairs. Denarrion puttered around the large room while his laptop sat on the counter, cued up to Skype.
“Hey, how was the shower?” He poured a cup of coffee and set it on the counter next to the computer.
“Good.” She settled into the chair at the counter. “I didn’t use more than one head, but it’s spacious.”
“Yeah, I built it that way so it’s more comfortable for two.” He gave her a smoldering smile and she swallowed hard.
Maybe they could take a shower together. You need to call your kids, remember?
“Oh, I bet that would be fun.” What am I saying? “Maybe we could try it out after I talk to my family?”
His smirk widened despite the mention of her kids. “Yeah, maybe we could. Should I give you some privacy?”
“No, that’s fine, though you might want to stay out of the camera’s eye. Once they see you, they’ll want to talk to you.” She reached for the coffee and sipped while she logged into Skype.
He snorted. “That scary, are they?”
Lissandra merely met his gaze and raised her eyebrows. “Not scary. Direct and assertive. Like their mother.”
Uncertainty flashed through his expression before he covered it with another smirk. “Yeah, I can see that. It’s good to have strong women in the family, right?”
“Count on it.” She grinned as she made her Skype call, waiting for it to connect. After a click or two, Solenarra’s face filled the screen. “Hey, Sole. How’s it going at home?”
“Lissandra! I didn’t expect you to call today. It’s going well. How are you?”
“Hey, Mom, we’re making kitty cookies.” Kressendra appeared behind Solenarra and lifted the cookie sheet precariously. “See? They’re all rainbow kitties.”
“They’re not rainbow kitties, Kress. They’re kitties with rainbow sprinkles.” Lucenarra stepped to Solenarra’s other side, drawn up with elder-sister disdain.
“Rainbow kitties.” Kress rolled her eyes. “Right, Mom?”
“I think they’re beautiful, no matter if they’re rainbow kitties or kitties with rainbow sprinkles,” Lissandra said diplomatically. “Did you ladies sleep well last night?”
“Not as good as when you’re here, but good enough.” Luce nodded. “Have you met the guy dragon yet?”
Lissandra shot a look at Denarrion over the rim of the laptop. He raised his eyebrows and grinned as he prepared some sort of meal. He mouthed, Guy dragon?
“Yes, I’ve met Denarrion.” She smiled but left her tone neutral.
“And what did you think of him?” Solenarra’s expression showed wariness.
Lissandra shot another look at Denarrion. This time he raised only one eyebrow and dropped his chin as if waiting to hear her report.
“I think he has a lot of potential. Of course, the first moment we met, he toppled me into the reservoir.” She smirked.
“What?”
“Oh yeah, this guy really knows how to show a woman a good time. First, he dunks her, then he makes her coffee and a meal.”
Denarrion rolled his eyes, but his smirk returned.
“He’s there, listening, isn’t he?” Solenarra’s voice had grown dry.
“Yup.” Lissandra grinned. “But I want to let you know my cell phone is now at the bottom of the lake, so don’t try calling it. I’ll get a new one here in town.”
“That’s crazy, Mom.” Lucenarra shook her head. “I dreamt about Dad last night.”
Lissandra’s chest squeezed, but she smiled as she mixed the cream into her coffee. “You did?”
“Yes, he was working on a really big project in his workshop, and told me it was a special gift for you.” Luce winked and went back to the cookies.
Why is Lucenarra dreaming about him now? It had been years since their father’s death. Lissandra was ready to find a new mate. She didn’t need her old one making another appearance.
“Are things truly going well, Lissandra?” Solenarra searched her expression, her own body language tense on screen.
“They are. It’s early yet, but there’s nothing screaming a warning, or anything.” Even if he did attempt to avoid me today.
“Oh good.” Sole sighed and her face relaxed into a smile. “Well, we should let you get back to it. This is your time and we don’t want to take up too much of it. Thanks so much for calling.”
“You’re welcome, Sole.” She raised her voice a little. “Bye, Kress and Luce! I love you and I’ll talk to you again soon.”
“Bye, Mom!” Their sweet voices chorused just before Sole ended the video call.
Lissandra picked up her coffee and frowned as she sipped, her gut telling her Sole had been jittery about something. What in hellwinds was that about?
“Everything okay?” Denarrion appeared over the top of the laptop’s screen.
She frowned, but nodded. “Yeah, I think so. The kids are at least happy.”
“I’d say so. Who wouldn’t be happy with cookie baking?” He grinned and winked. “All that dough to eat before it even makes into the oven.”
She laughed at his boyish grin. “Oh, I see, you don’t want the cookies. You just want the dough.”
“Well, yeah.” He leaned on the counter in front of her. “It’s all about the dough.”
She laughed again and he tilted his head with a pensive smile.
“You should do that more often, too.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Laugh. It lights up your whole face, and makes you even more beautiful.”
Despite the line-like quality, his compliment warmed her heart. He appeared sincere and the heat in his eyes promised he meant his words about her beauty.
“Thank you, Denarrion.” She wanted to let herself go and fall into his glorious ice blue eyes, but she pulled back as she remembered the darkness around his aura. I don’t know him well enough to let go. “Let me give a call to Torri and Charlie to let them know about my cell phone, and maybe we can go into town to get a new one for me?”
“Yeah, sure. I think we can do that. I’ll even give you a ride.” He winked as he straightened. “The phone’s on the table next to the pantry.”
“Thanks.” She slid of the chair and turned away, but she felt his gaze on her ass as she retrieved the handset. “Can you give me the Ravenwings’ number?”
She turned and caught him staring. His polite smile had deteriorated into avid intensity as his gaze dropped to her ass. She hid her grin as he blinked and cleared his throat.
“Yeah. Uh, yeah.” He swallowed hard and licked his lips before he rattled off the numbers.
She punched them into the phone and smiled coyly. “Thanks.”
“Yeah. Uh, okay.” He nodded and shot his gaze around the kitchen. “So, I’m gonna just check on the furniture orders for the weekend while you make your call.”
Not so cool and collected now, are you, big boy?
He settled at the computer and typed something into the keyboard, despite his wet clothes molding to his body. Damn, he does have find shoulders and arms. The soaked t-shirt left nothing to her imagination, and she was good with that.
The scents of mint and cedar returned, and she shivered against the arousal they sent zinging through her. They made her want to forget everything and spend all her waking moments with this man.
Focus! I’ve never let a male distract me from my responsibilities and I’m not about to start now.
She made herself punch the numbers on the phone. Damn, how was she supposed to talk to anyone when a handsome male watched her with those mesmerizing eyes? Her awareness of Denarrion reached a new sensitivity, and she’d only kissed him once.
When Torriandra answered, Lissandra filled her in on their impromptu adventures in the reservoir and arranged to get her things. Torriandra told her they’d decided to have dinner at Denarrion’s place to make sure he met her.
“Fortunately, you beat us to the punch, but we’re still coming for dinner. Tell him to be ready.”
Lissandra laughed. “Will do.”
“Did you want us to bring your things with us?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“Very good. We’ll be there around six.” Torriandra’s voice softened. “Have a good time with him. He’s a good guy, no matter what you might see or hear.”
“What will I see or hear, Torri?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed with a little communication. See you tonight.”
Apprehension slid through Lissandra as the line went dead. She hung up the phone, puzzled over what sorts of things she’d see or hear about Denarrion. What hadn’t they all told her?
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I think so…” She replaced the handset and crossed her arms over her chest. “Something Torri said caught me off-guard.”
“Oh yeah? What’d she say?” He rose from his seat and the wet t-shirt pulled against his chest, showing off hard sculpted muscles and a tiny ring through his left nipple.
Who knew a nipple ring could be so sexy?
“She said you’re a good guy, no matter what I might see or hear. What is she talking about?”
Denarrion sighed and ran his hands over his face. “I suspect she means the shit my father says about me. He hasn’t been thrilled with me or my life since I moved away from him.”
“So, he spreads rumors about you?”
Denarrion shook his head. “Not rumors, exactly, just casual disdain. He’s a well-respected member of the community, so if he mentions I’m not what he’d like me to be, the listeners run that through their own filters, and voila! Bad boy of Redfield.”
She snorted, a smile curling her lips. “Parents aren’t always thrilled with our choices.” She waggled her eyebrows. “But I think I’d like to meet the bad boy of Redfield.”
“Oh yeah?” His own sultry grin warmed her from the inside out. “You like bad boys?”
I’m starting to. With his wet clothes molded to his body, her nipples hardened in anticipation. What’s wrong with me? I barely know him.
But that was why she was here, wasn’t it? To get to know him. They were both adults and her children were safe with their grandmother. She could fool around with this guy, try his paces. Because it wouldn’t harm her life if it didn’t work out.
“I do kinda like bad boys.” She took a few steps to him and ran her hands over his chest, wrinkling her nose. “But I don’t like cold, wet clothing. How about we get you out of your clothes?”
He stepped back and whipped his wet shirt off his body. Lissandra’s thoughts splintered as her gaze fell on his naked torso. A small patch of golden hair grew between his pectorals and trailed in a line down his belly, leading to his groin. She yanked her gaze up to his chest again before she started to drool. And the nipple ring is damn sexy. It matched the ring in his left ear.
“This is sexy.” She flicked it with gentle fingers. “Do you have any other piercings?”
“How about we go upstairs and I let you discover for yourself?”
He grinned as he unbuttoned his jeans and worked them off his hips. The wet denim made his actions more comical than sexy, but she didn’t miss the size of his cock, even three-quarters erect, as it popped out of his clothes.
“I think that’s a great idea.”
He stepped out of his jeans and left them in a wet heap on the floor of the kitchen as he took her hand, unconcerned with his nakedness. She enjoyed the play of his muscles as he drew her toward the stairs, his cock bobbing as he walked. He was large enough to send a ripple of excitement up her spine.
Arousal shot through her veins, flooding her pussy with cream as she watched his ass flex with each step. She forgot about the Ravenwings, dinner that night, or her missing cell phone, and followed his sexy ass up to his room.