Stop Dragon My Heart Around Page 7

“What time frame?” Darius looked up from the bay of computers that monitored the entire casino, with a quizzical look behind his black Elvis Costello glasses.

  “Just now.” At Darius’ raised brow, he elaborated. “From about 8 pm until just now.”

  Dragons, both large and small, feared Leo’s bestial form, and he was no slouch in his human form either. But Tee in her leggy cowboy get-up had cut straight through his defenses. Now that the fortress was breached, he wasn’t sure how he was going to keep her out. She knew now how much he wanted her.

  How could he continue to resist her without the artificial note of indifference between them? He was in trouble.

  Big time.

  Darius punched codes into the computer, and color feeds of the inside and outside of the elevator popped up, side by side on the two center screens. Leo watched himself stomp across the entry and approach the elevators. Tee trailed behind him, looking determined, just like she did when she had a whale in her crosshairs. Her graceful legs raced across the casino after him, and her black hair swayed behind her.

  Not too long ago, the familiar intense look on her face would have made him feel sorry for the high-rolling bastard in her sights. But now that bastard was him, and all he wanted to do was turn around and catch her to him.

  I love you, she had said in the elevator. The words had punched him in the gut, made him want to throw everything aside and dive in. Take a chance with her, even though she wasn’t his mate. How bad would it be to have a real love and lose his dragon form? He hadn’t ever considered forsaking his dragon form. What if his supposed mate never came along and he let Tee get away? The thought made him feel sick. His dragon wings pulsed at his back. It hurt too much to consider. Tee was a one-woman typhoon, and he couldn’t imagine letting her go, not being inside the swirl of her storm.

  On the screen, Leo watched himself enter the elevator and punch the floor button too hard. Tee’s arm flew into the breach, stopping the door. She squeezed inside and pressed the stall button. She said something that made him shake his head.

  “Right there,” Leo said. “Stop it and delete the string.”

  “I can’t delete tape, it’s against policy. Your policy,” Darius said. “But I can give you a copy.” The tape played on and Leo watched Tee dance him around the elevator with the precision of a ballerina-trained linebacker.

  “I said delete it.” Leo walked closer, getting into Darius’s personal space. He let his fire dragon flare into his eyes, making no mistake as to the threat he posed. “Now, ice dragon. Do it.”

  On one of the monitors, Tee rose on her toes and kissed him. Leo watched the move and his gut clenched. Raw need shot through him and buckled his knees. He put his hands on the control bay to steady himself.

  “Stop and delete.” Darius’s eyes rounded at what he was seeing on the screens. “Got it.”

  A frame of Tee with her booted legs wrapped around him froze on the screen. Her head leaned back in pleasure into his hand. Leo remembered the tensile strength of the long mass of her hair wrapped around his hand. He took a deliberate breath, trying to block the needy ache in his gut. Darius pushed buttons and the image of him and Tee entwined disappeared, forever.

  “So how long has that been going on?” Darius asked.

  “It isn’t going on.” Leo blew out the breath he’d been holding. “Forget you saw it.” He glared at the ice dragon, letting ferocity and threat come through his eyes.

  “Hmm…” Darius said the word with abundant skepticism. “Cause it looked pretty going on to me, brother.” When Leo said nothing, he added, “But maybe the angle was off. These top-of-the-line, high-tech cameras get it wrong all the time.”

  “I can’t be involved with my best employee, and a human. You know that.” Leo frowned, and then realized that maybe Darius, with his frustrating bond with Mei, would understand. “My form is fading. Who knows how long I have until it’s too late for me to find my dragon mate.”

  “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, brother.” Darius adjusted the screens so once again the various casino video feeds came up in a pixilated collage.

  In one monitor, Mei sat at a high barstool talking and laughing with some Chinese high rollers. Darius adjusted the camera so it zoomed in on her laughing face. “Look at her. She has to feel the same torment I do, and still she won’t give into our bond. Hell, she won’t even stay in the same room with me.”

  “She ever tell you why?”

  “Yeah, she told me she doesn’t like it that she had no control in the matter. That the fates put us together as mates, and she had no choice.”

  “So she’s attracted to you?”

  Darius nodded. “Oh yeah, when you’re with your mate, it’s explosive. There’s no denying it.”

  “She’ll give in when your dragon form starts to fade.”

  “I doubt it.” Darius sounded resigned.

  Leo considered the ice dragon’s conundrum. “The old stories say it’s possible for there to be more than one bond mate.”

  “I know. I’m not ready to give up on her yet.”

  Silently, they watched Mei laugh and charm her players on the screen.

  “Besides, every time I go looking to make a bond with someone else, Mei scares them off. She doesn’t want to bond with me, but she doesn’t want anyone else to have me, either. At this point, I’d take a hot hook-up with a human just to piss her off. But I’m afraid she might eat them.”

  Leo caught the suggestion. “I’m not having a hot hook-up with a human.”

  “Didn’t say you were.” Darius gave him a weighted stare that said Leo was protesting too much. “But remember, Alec found his bond mate in a human. It’s possible Tee is for you. Remember the old stories of humans with magic who could bond with us. Lucy apparently has some magic with jewels. Any chance Tee has magic?”

  Magic hands, magic lips.

  “Tee isn’t my mate,” Leo said. “She doesn’t have my mark.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. I’m sure.”

  …

  “Hey there, Mr. W.” Tee let her voice drip with welcome over the phone connection. “It’s Tee, from the Crown Jewel. I’ve got two tickets to the fight at Caesar’s, the Ruby suite, and the plane gassed up to come get you. Why don’t you and Valentina fly over Thursday night and make me look good with my boss?”

  “Tee, hey there, girl!” Mr. W. replied. “I was just thinking it’d been too long.”

  “I’ll send someone to get you at the airport with a bottle of Cristal and some as-good-as-Cohiba cigars in the limo.”

  “You can’t get us yourself?”

  “I’ve got a family thing this weekend, but I’ll have everything all set up ahead of time with my helper, Robin. She’ll take good care of you.”

  “Hmm. Baby girl, you know nothing in the world is as good as a real Cohiba.” Mr. W. was the ultimate cigar connoisseur. “Those Cubans just know how to grow ’em and roll ’em.”

  “All I’m going to say…” Tee gave a dramatic pause, as if she was holding something back. “…is that my expert can’t figure out why the label says the Dominican Republic.”

  “That good, huh?”

  “That good, and that’s before you and Valentina even leave McCarran. What do you say?”

  A pause came over the line, but Tee let the silence stretch. She’d learned long ago to leave something on the comp-pile table to surrender. It was better to wait, let her players ask for it so she could be accommodating.

  “I’m going to need half-a-mil credit line to play, and two more tickets,” Mr. W. said.

  “Done.”

  “Alrighty!” Mr. W. sounded excited. “I’ll see your Robin Thursday night, girlie. Wait ’til I tell Val.”

  “Travel safe.” Tee hung up with a satisfied flourish of her wrist and penciled in Mr. W. beside the other, lower-maintenance whales she was bringing in while she was gone. She rarely took personal time, but she never missed the Black Earth festival. Her trainee, Robin, wo
uld be able to handle the casino players.

  Jane knocked on the open office door. It was a quiet mid-week day before the hustle and bustle of the weekend began. “You busy?”

  Tee glanced up from her spot on the couch. “No, come on in. I’m just scheduling players for this weekend while I’m away at Black Earth.”

  “Yeah, about that.” Jane walked across the room and sat next to her. As usual, she wore her school principal attire. Today it was a demure gray pantsuit and a crisp white shirt. Her blue eyes were serious behind her dark-rimmed glasses.

  “What?”

  “You want the good news or bad news first?”

  “If it’s about Leo, give me the bad first.”

  “He wanted me to remind you that he is going to the festival with you, and you weren’t to get a ‘bloody fucking date.’”

  “A bloody fucking date?”

  “Yeah.” Jane scrunched her nose distastefully.

  “That sounds awful. I mean a fucking date might not be so bad, but if he’s bloody—ew. Just ew.” Tee rested her head on the back of the sofa and closed her eyes.

  The gilded image of her and Leo entwined on the walls of the elevator filled the back of her eyelids, and erotic sensations in her lower belly followed. Achy need spiraled lower and she crossed her legs against it. She was going to have a hard time getting Leo out of her mind—and her body.

  She opened her eyes and glanced at her friend. “Operation Leo is over. It was a complete bust.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jane said. “Maybe now you can move on.”

  “Yeah,” Tee said, but she shook her head “no”. “There’s a guy I grew up with. His mom keeps leaving me voicemails about him. I guess he’s going to be at the festival. She wants us to meet up.”

  “Sounds promising.” Jane nodded. “You like this guy?”

  “He’s been off at school for a while. I liked him well enough ten years ago. We’ll see. In any case, it’ll give me something to think about other than Leo.”

  “Good plan.”

  But the stubborn, needy ache persisted, and all Tee could imagine was getting closer to Leo under the stars. She sighed. “Remind me again why I’m giving up on Leo?”

  “Because you’re smart and you know he’ll never come around.” Jane’s brow creased with empathic certainty. She caught Tee’s appraisal and her face smoothed to blankness.

  Tee examined her face. There was something there—guilt? “You sound more definite than I feel.”

  Jane sealed her lips and shook her head. “Maybe there’re other things in Leo’s life that you don’t know. Maybe he can’t become involved with you, even though he might want to.”

  “You just used the word maybe twice.” The vagary was unusual for the straightforward Jane, and guilt lingered in her expression. “Just spit it out.”

  “Well, maybe he can’t have a relationship with you.” Jane still wouldn’t meet her eyes. She knew something. Maybe Jane knew the things Leo had spoken of? Of course Jane would, she spent all day, every day with the guy—Tee should have pinned her down for information before.

  “Why not?”

  Jane shifted on her seat and smoothed the fabric at her knees. “Maybe he has other commitments or something.”

  “What the hell, Jane?”

  Jane pressed her lips together, as if to keep more words from escaping.

  “He sure didn’t have a problem with all the other women in Vegas.” Tee threw her hands in the air. “Oh my God…is he married? In Australia or something?”

  Jane looked pained.

  “You don’t have to say anything.” She trapped Jane’s twisting hands with her right hand and squeezed. “You’re loyal, I get that—I love that about you. Just look at the ceiling if the answer is ‘yes.’”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Jane yanked her hands away.

  “You’re the one talking in ‘maybe’ code.”

  “I…” Jane shook her head. “Never mind. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Why does everybody keep saying that? I get to decide on my own hurt. It’s my right to make choices that might hurt.”

  “I know.”

  “No, you don’t.” She was feeling even more aggravated about the Leo situation, and that was saying something.

  “You aren’t as tough as you make everyone believe,” Jane said softly. “Especially since your Mom died. It’s like your skin is turned inside out sometimes. Things hit you extra hard. I can’t help it that I’m worried about you.”

  Tee swallowed the pain Jane’s reminder evoked. She tried not to ever think about her Mom in public. She still couldn’t control her water-works reaction. It’d been over a year since her death, but the pain could still return raw and sudden. Her Mom would know how to deal with Leo. Scratch that—her Mom would tell her the same thing her friends were, regardless of his reasons.

  Move on.

  “I prefer empathic to sensitive. It’s more useful in my business.” She rubbed her face in a move that mimicked Leo and dropped her hand like it was hot. “All right, the good news now.”

  Jane reached into her suit pocket and handed Tee a folded check with a wide, genuine smile. “Your yearly bonus win.” She held it back when Tee reached for it. “This means you’re moving out, doesn’t it?”

  Tee nodded. “But not too far away. The house I’ve made an offer on is close to the apartment.”

  “I’ll miss you.” Jane gave her the check and sighed.

  Tee unfolded the check. Fifty thousand and no/100 dollars was printed under her name. She traced the indentions in the paper, waiting to feel something, but the moment was stale, and anti-climactic. She should be jumping with joy, dancing and setting up a celebration, not moping over Leo.

  “You’re a good friend,” Jane said. “Mei and I don’t say it enough. We care about you a lot.” Her voice sounded strained and she again twisted her hands together.

  “Hey, we aren’t friend breaking-up.” Tee smiled. “This has been my dream since I was a girl, to get my own place, away from the reservation.” She waited for her heart to fill with joy. “It’s important to me. So, so important.”

  “I know.” Jane gave her an edges-turned-down smile.

  Tee still felt empty. Leo had messed with her mind and heart so much that he’d ruined the most momentous accomplishment of her life. Independence and self-reliance were literally in her hand, in the form of the bonus check, and she could care less.

  She hated him in that moment. How dare he take this away from her?

  How dare he deny what was between them?

  How dare he push her away?

  Hardening her heart against his hold on her, she focused on the check and her plans. “I actually only need half of it for my down payment. The rest I’m going to give to the reservation school for books and computers.”

  “You’re a good human.”

  Tee raised her brows at Jane’s odd phrase.

  “Good luck. With everything.” Jane smiled, but her eyes were still sad. “Will we see you at our place tonight?”

  “Oh yeah, the deal won’t close until next week.”

  “Okay.” Jane stood. “By the way, I’m having dinner with your Mr. C. and his wife.”

  “They told me.”

  “They want me to meet their son. Some techie guy from Houston. I guess he’s interested in expanding in Las Vegas.”

  “Seriously?”

  Jane looked at her closed-toe shoes and shrugged. “I think they’re hoping we’ll hit it off romantically. Crazy Mrs. C. kept saying that I had a wonderful brain and balanced shoulders. Like I’m a brood mare or something.”

  “This could be your one-night stand. I did my part for Operation Leo.”

  “I don’t think so. This guy must be a real loser to send his parents to do his matchmaking.”

  Tee smiled. She couldn’t even imagine what the offspring of Mr. and Mrs. C. would look like. Short. Scrawny. Near-sighted. Obsessed with quarter slots. “I want to meet hi
m if he shows up.”

  “I’ll send them all to you to smooth it over when I turn him down.”

  “Nicely,” Tee reminded her. “Turn him down nicely. It’s not the guy’s fault his parents are trying to set him up.”

  “Right. Nicely. Note-to-self: must say no nicely to crazy slot-machine woman, sweetly senile husband, and desperate geeky son.”

  “Right, and I’ll get to know my old friend again at the festival and stay away from Leo.”

  “He’ll be pissed.”

  Tee smiled. “I hope he is.”

  Chapter Nine

  You didn’t have to be a part of the Paiute tribe to know the dark tank of water and the eroded sandstone cliffs surrounding it were special. The place had an ancient feel, as if the desert eased its exhalations in and out over the pool. The very wind calmed itself to avoid disturbing the sacred ground.

  Tee squatted to her haunches and leaned over the dark pool, careful to keep her extended hand away from the water. The ancestors believed that when the earth gave up its sea, this small enclave of water remained, providing the tribe with a way to survive in the arid land.

  Amazingly, geologic studies of the area and the slight alkalinity of the water supported the ancient tale. There were no fish in the water, no life at all, and her people treated it as the lifeblood of the desert. No one bathed or swam or frolicked in its dark depths.

  It was simply too sacred.

  At the close of the ceremony on Sunday, after the dancing and singing and drumming and celebration of the spring, each member of the tribe would take a ceremonial drink of the water, filling their bodies with the spirit of the people and the throbbing heart of the desert.

  Tee’s reflection stared back from the still surface of the pool. Her long black hair fell in braids on either side of her head, and she’d clipped eagle feathers into the plaits. She wore the pants and loose shirt her mother had made for her when Tee left the reservation. She closed her eyes and sucked the comforting smell of burning pinion wood into her lungs.

  It was mid-afternoon. Behind her, the tribe arrived from the reservation to the sandstone cliffs to set up for the first night of the Black Earth Powwow. As far as she knew, Leo was still bloody coming. She was determined to ignore him.