Chapter 14

Rosemary

“Thank you, Ted!” I said, as I hopped out of his truck and started rounding it to get my supplies from the back. Already, his son, Jared, was climbing from the truck bed to start piling things on the ground next to me.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” the older man said, tugging awkwardly on his plumber coveralls like I’d embarrassed him. “Your dad was a good friend of mine. I’m happy to help whenever you need. I’ll think about the car thing.” I was really happy I’d run into Ted and Jared. They’d cut my walk short and helped me get all the supplies I needed for now in one go. I could have never hauled six buckets of white exterior paint with me on foot.

The farmhouse already looked so different from when I’d first gotten here. With the boards gone from all the windows, and green thriving in the flower beds in front, this place was starting to regain its charm. Chardum hadn’t been idle while I was gone, either. The entire front of the house appeared to have been sanded, the last remains of grayed and weathered paint all gone. The front of the house now looked ready for that new paint coat.

I couldn’t wait for the paint to be done. I’d put trellises up against each wall so non-destructive climbing plants could grow against the house everywhere. It would be so pretty next spring when everything bloomed. Would Chardum still be living here with me by then? I struggled to imagine what the future might hold for me right now.

“Where’s good old Charlie, anyway?” Ted asked. He’d gotten out of his truck too and was picking up two of the giant buckets of paint to carry them up the porch. I hurried to help out, but the men were so insistent that I just pointed to where things needed to be put. Charlie? Did he mean Chardum? I suppose if you only called someone Char, you could conclude that it was short for Charlie… Or was that the name he used when he wasn’t introducing himself as Chardum the Destroyer?

“Right here, Ted,” the man in question said, thudding down the stairs in nothing but a pair of jeans, which were liberally splattered with water. Droplets clung to his chest as well, trailing along his pecs and abdominal muscles. Gah, why did he have to look this sexy? I instantly flashed back to that feeling of him pressed against my back in the street; I wanted to feel his body against mine for real.

But when I glanced at his shimmering, golden eyes, they were narrowed in a pretty fierce glare, which was aimed my way. He was polite to the two men as he helped them unload the last supplies, and friendly when he waved them goodbye. Then he remained standing on the front porch, his back to me, hands curled around the balustrade.

“You smell of vampire,” he growled, still not facing me. I felt like I was being scolded for bad behavior, but I was pretty sure I hadn’t done anything wrong. I didn’t like it, and I made sure to let him know that when I poked his shoulder.

“Yeah, well, if I do, it’s not by choice. Besides sun is out! How is that even possible? Don’t vampires burn to a crisp if they go out now?” I felt ridiculous even saying that, but it wasn’t the first time Char had mentioned vampires. He was adamant one was trying to steal what it was he was supposed to be protecting, and it was high time he told me what the fuck was really going on.

He turned his head to glance at me over his shoulder, the water droplets clinging to his back rising in little tendrils of steam from his tawny flesh. “I found this,” he said and stuck out a stack of papers I hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. I recognized them instantly. The papers that the rep for Sunworld gave me, which I’d tossed into a corner in my room. How the fuck had he gotten hold of those? I was pretty sure that was the one unspoken boundary he wasn’t supposed to cross, coming into my bedroom. “And no, vampires don’t care about the sun once they’re old enough.”

I yanked the papers from his hand and tossed them over the balustrade next to him, my senses roiling with intense dislike. It wasn’t even that much of a surprise to think of that shark-like attorney as a vampire. Heck, hadn’t Ted called her a leech? He freaking knew!

“It’s time for some answers, Char. So you’re a freaking dragon and I can move the earth. Now I want to know what’s really going on! Who is this vampire? Who’s after what? Why is this piece of land so important? And what happened to you and my dad!?” I sucked in an angry breath and pointed over my shoulder at the stairs, “And why the fuck were you in my bedroom?”

He lifted his eyes from the papers in the dirt to me, a glow shimmering in them that was almost like dancing flames. There was no more water to evaporate from his skin; even his pants had dried. Yet a hint of smoke curled from one nostril, hinting at his dragon temper. Then he smirked, this devastating curl of his lips that made me go weak in the knees.

“I was in your bedroom,” he drawled sexily, followed far more crisply by “because a pipe burst and I had to fix the leak.” He chuckled at my surprised expression, but the sound was still a little dark, a little sinful. When he stepped closer, I knew I was in for a wild ride, heat wafting from him as he made me back up into the doorjamb. “But I’m glad we figured out where we both stand on the vampire issue.”

The tip of his long black braid tickled my collarbone when he started to lower his head. He wasn’t quite touching me, but his heat made me feel completely enveloped. He didn’t move fast, giving me plenty of time to slip away if I wanted to, but I really, really didn’t want to go anywhere. When his mouth covered mine, I was ready to go up in flames.

I expected that he felt the same, but it was just a simple brush of his lips against mine, a tease. It was a promise of what else was to come if I invited him in. I already knew exactly what it would be like between us. Passion would explode like wildfire if I let it. It would consume me just like it had a few days ago. “Invite me to your bedroom, and I’ll show you everything you need,” he drawled.

Pressing my palms to his chest, I rose on tiptoe, “Answers.” The demand came out husky but firm, my body rebelling at the diversion. Tough. I wanted to take him up on that sexy offer, but only after I had all the facts. I was done skirting around the truth. I was ready to know everything.

He smiled, the expression warm and a little proud, “Alright. I will give you all the answers you are looking for, my sweet Rose.” He stepped away, taking with him his heat and his inviting, smoke-edged scent. “But you’ll have to take a ride.” Then he leaped from the porch and, with the flash of gold, shifted into his other form. The giant golden dragon rose proudly on four huge, clawed paws.