“I don’t know—I think it’s kind of sweet. It’s nice to have someone looking after you, right?”
“Wrong. It’s creepy. Bousset is stalking me, for sure.”
“Maybe he’s just worried about you.”
“Why would he or anyone else have reason to worry about me? I’m a grown man.” The fact I stomped my foot after saying so kind of messed up the effect I was going for, but to her credit, only one side of Hailey’s mouth quirked up, and she quickly brought it back down again and pressed her lips together.
“Oh honey, you’re so cute.”
I frowned at her. “No, I’m not! Besides that,” I said, waving my arms around in the air, “You’regoing outwith them?Bothof them?”
“Mostly Josh, but yeah, so what? They’re new to town and they’re good looking. I’m being nice.” She straightened up and looked around. “In fact, if you’re done in here, let’s go home. Unless you want to come with us?”
“No thank you. I better get home and get all ‘tucked’ in.”
She grinned and reached over to ruffle my hair. “Aw, honey. Don’t be such a grouch. It’s nice to have someone watch out for you. I’ll go turn off the lights in the back while you finish up in here.”
A few minutes later, we were locking the front door and I glared at the two men as I passed their car with Hailey. They gazed back with little expression. Hailey gave them a little wave. She was on the way to pick up her scooter, so she could follow us, as I was “escorted” home.
I walked past the car, stopped and then stormed back over and tapped on the glass. The one named Kyle rolled down the window.
“Why are you stalking me?” I asked him.
“We’re just following orders, Mr. Jordan. We mean no offense.”
“Well, please tell your boss I don’t appreciate this attempt at intimidation.”
“I don’t think he’s trying to intimidate you.”
“Then what in the hell is he trying to do?”
“You’ll have to ask Mr. Bousset.”
“Oh, I will. You can be sure of that.”
He smiled and then I was out of things to say, so I turned and stormed back toward my car, feeling a little better for yelling at them, but not nearly enough.
Bousset had scared me to death when he shouted at me and made me fall down. I couldn’t even figure out why he’d been so agitated. When I got home, I parked my car in its usual spot and headed for the door, only too aware of the car idling at the curb while I did. I heard Hailey’s scooter drive up and turned to watch her park and then go get in the backseat of their car, leaving her scooter in my driveway. I went inside and closed the door, locking it behind me.
“Traitor,” I murmured under my breath. Neither of those guys were even all that cute.
Actually, that was a total lie. They were very cute. Kyle, in particular, who looked like his brother, was all that and a bag of chips, but I was too angry to admit it.
My house had belonged to my nana, and it was tiny—just one bedroom and one bath. I was used to sleeping on the pull-out sofa in the postage-stamp sized living room, but I had taken the bedroom after she passed away. The place seemed so empty without her. Though Dragons lived a long time, we weren’t immortal, and she had been too young to go. She had found a lump in her breast and then three short months later she was gone. I’d been heartbroken at her passing, but poor Mr. Bousset—Clive Bousset and not the current one—had been downright inconsolable.
When he’d died a couple of months later, I thought it might have been because of a broken heart. I wondered then if they had been some kind of mates, but if that were the case, then I couldn’t figure out why they’d never lived together. Maybe because she was poor and a Wyvern, and his family was so rich and important? That didn’t seem right either, but the whole thing was a mystery.
And I hated mysteries.
Chapter Four
Dominic
I woke up the next morning feeling much better. I still had a bit of a headache, but after a hot shower and what the hotel room service called a “continental” breakfast, but was just two pastries, juice and coffee, I was once again ready to face Jax Jordan. I now firmly believed that I had exaggerated the entire situation in my mind.
There was no way he could have looked as good as I remembered, and I had convinced myself he must have been wearing some kind of sweet cologne that I mistook for something else. That had to be it. In my weakened state, jet lagged and still a little drunk from the champagne I’d imbibed on the plane, I had totally mistaken him for my true mate.
As I buttoned my suit jacket and straightened my tie that morning in front of the mirror, I congratulated myself for figuring it all out. I still felt gratified to know that Jax made it safely home. Kyle and Josh saw him go inside and had even ridden by his house later that night after going clubbing to make sure he was still safely tucked in bed. As he should be.