He had driven her home − even though he had been drinking, there was something about him that was completely in control. It was as if he were completely sober; the alcohol didn’t seem to have touched him in the slightest.

  There was something different about him, and as they had driven through the night toward her apartment, she had thought about what the group of men had been talking about. Wolves and bears. She had looked at him and saw something animalistic in him, and for a moment, she had wondered if there was something otherworldly about him, but she had dismissed the thought as soon as it had come.

  He had stopped the car in front of her building and they had kissed in the car. It had been so hard to walk away from him, but he had slipped her clutch purse into her hand and told her he was going to be calling her the next day. It had been getting light by the time she had flopped into bed, and her feet had ached from all the dancing in her stilettos, and her lips ached from his kiss.

  He was such a good kisser; she had never wanted it to stop.

  Still laying in bed, she looked to the floor and leaned down, searching for her purse. She wanted to check her messages on her cellphone. She quickly fished it out and tapped it to life, seeing that she had some missed calls and texts from Mia.

  “Oh man,” she said. “I’m a terrible friend.”

  She returned Mia’s call, and it wasn’t long before she heard her scratchy voice say hello from the other end.

  “I am so sorry,” Aubrey said as she cringed and closed her eyes. “I totally suck.”

  “Where the fuck did you go!?” Mia said, but she didn’t sound angry, just a bit concerned.

  “I went inside looking for you and I got lost,” Aubrey said as she rubbed her tender head. “I ended up in some weird corridor underneath the house, and I ran back into Carter…”

  “Oh yeah…” She could hear the smirk in Mia’s voice.

  “It’s not what you think,” Aubrey said, but she couldn’t help but smile. It was exactly what Mia was thinking.

  “I honestly went looking for you, I had walked away from Carter, but I ended up in some weird office and then, the next thing I knew, Carter was there, and well…”

  “It’s okay, I won’t take offense,” Mia teased. “I understand, you forgot about me because you were too busy being distracted by the hot shot club owner. AKA, my new boss.”

  Aubrey laughed. She had completely forgotten about Mia managing to wangle herself a role at The Dragon Pit.

  “I’m meeting Victor around noon,” Mia said. “He’s giving me some kind of trial run and showing me around.”

  As she said the words, Aubrey’s cell pinged in her ear and she looked to see she had a text. Her heart skipped when she saw it was Carter’s name that flashed up with it.

  “Oh my God,” she breathed. “Hang on, Mia, wait there…”

  She scrolled to the message, keeping Mia on the line.

  C: Good morning beautiful… Come meet me for brunch at the diner?

  Her heart began to sing, and she grinned from ear to ear.

  “Oh my God,” she said as she spoke into the receiver to Mia. “It’s a text from Carter. He wants me to meet him for brunch at the diner.”

  “This is fucking fantastic!” Mia’s voice was like that of a child on Christmas morning. “Get your ass up and showered, I’m heading down there to meet Victor at noon, we could go together and then we’ll leave you to it.”

  Aubrey was already out of bed and running for the bathroom. It certainly made her feel less nervous at the prospect of Mia being close by.

  “I’ll come and collect you at 11:50,” Mia said. “You better be fast.”

  They hung up and Aubrey texted a quick reply to Carter.

  A: That sounds perfect… I’ll see you there at noon x

  C: ?? See you then x

  As they walked toward the diner, Aubrey started to have flashbacks to the night before. She remembered the way it had felt when she had been dancing with her eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the music thundering through her entire body… And then, how she had just known that someone was watching her. She had felt his eyes on her, penetrating her soul. When she had opened them and found herself lost in Carter’s gaze from all the way up on the balcony, it had felt magical.

  Fateful.

  But she had done her best to suppress it.

  When she had finally met him properly, and they had chatted back at his home, she had been even more intrigued by the man who had somehow managed to stay hidden in one of the smallest towns around the mountain. Not only had he lived in virtual isolation, he had been home schooled, and also ran a nightclub that had been right under her nose.

  She couldn’t help but view Carter as Lone Reach’s best kept secret. Though she would never let him know that; not for one second.

  The way she had stumbled into the office when she was lost in the hallways under the house, the way he had come in and she had heard him talking with his friends. He was part of something, and it was clear it was dangerous.

  She was falling for him, but she knew she was going to have to keep her wits about her.

  Her internal voice was telling her no.

  This is a bad idea Aubrey. There is no way you should be getting involved with a guy like him. None whatsoever. He clearly has secrets and is dangerous. Do you really want to fuck your life up? He’s going to destroy you!

  As they rounded the corner and the diner came into view, Mia slowed her pace and appeared to be searching for them.

  Aubrey caught sight of two men walking around the corner from the block ahead, and her eyes instantly found Carter. He was dressed in a pair of distressed jeans, a tight polo shirt and his arms were bare, showing off how tanned and muscular he was.

  She swallowed and had to take a breath.

  Carter and Victor were coming toward them, and he looked so good that she didn’t think she was even going to be able to string a sentence together when he was right there in front of her. He was wearing sunglasses, but as they got closer, he reached up and pulled them away from his eyes, and she felt as if she had been shot directly in the heart by Cupid’s arrow.

  Man, his eyes were stunning. So dark and deep, like nothing she had ever seen before. Each time she looked into them, she felt as if she were staring into space. He was pure magic.

  And she was in serious trouble.

  “Hey, girls,” Victor said as they stopped in front of her and Aubrey.

  Aubrey didn’t even look at Victor; she was too busy taking in the incredible sight that was Carter.

  Holy fuck…

  He was even better than she remembered.

  Had she really been the lucky girl who had locked lips with him not even twelve hours before, and now he was asking her to brunch…

  “Morning,” he said smoothly as his lips parted, and she saw his perfect teeth. They looked so white against his tan, but she could tell that they were natural. He wasn’t the kind of guy to go and get them bleached or to have veneers. It was clear, he had spent a lot of time outdoors, as if he had been hiking the rugged mountains or been skiing.

  She felt a twinge deep in her pussy at the thought.

  Carter scaling mountains… Carter on the slopes…

  Carter. Carter. Carter.

  She snapped herself out of her stupor and smiled.

  “Good morning,” she said, trying to hold her composure and not act like the giddy schoolgirl she so easily could have slipped into. This felt like her first crush all over again, but on steroids.

  What the hell was he doing to her?

  “Right, then,” Mia said as she looked across at Victor and grinned knowingly. “I guess we’ll see you guys later, we better get going.”

  They watched as Victor and Mia walked away and headed in the direction of The Dragon Pit, and then Carter turned to face Aubrey and she was right back where they had been in the early hours of that very morning. He slid his arm around her and squeezed her tight, kissed her on the cheek and began to walk with her toward the diner.

  Inside her head, she could hear the sounds of victory, but also alarm bells.

  She was so confused that her head was in a total spin.

  7.

  Carter didn’t know if he had ever even been inside this diner on Main Street, but it was certainly a different experience than what he was used to. Since he was a child, he had been taken to plush restaurants out of town by his parents, ferried into cities for weekend breaks and to get the hell away from Lone Reach, so that no one would suspect them and their fiery secret.

  Since he had grown up and got a mind of his own, he resented them for putting all of that on him. He would have much preferred a more regular upbringing. Hanging out with the local kids, going to a real school, having an actual life.

  He had had more fun in the past twenty-four hours than he ever had during his years growing up in Lone Reach. His parents had inhibited him. Kept him away from a real world, but then, had not been interested in him enough to educate and nurture him themselves.

  As they slid into a booth in the window of the diner, he looked across at Aubrey and couldn’t believe she had been so close to him for all this time. He had heard his kind talk about the feeling a shifter could get once they saw the person they were supposed to be with. When he had first seen Aubrey, the way his eyes had gone to her in the club the previous night, he had felt something within him change.

  And that kiss… well that was something else entirely.

  He didn’t know what it meant fully, but he knew it was important. He had dated girls before, never anything serious, but he had had his fair share of women, even considering how isolated he had been. But he had never met someone who had left an impression like this.

  It was as if, when he looked at her, he saw the possibility of a future.

  “I’m glad you texted,” Aubrey smiled, her beautiful blue eyes twinkling.

  “I’m a man of my word,” he winked.

  “Good, I like that,” she said honestly.

  “Does Mia know what happened after everyone left?” He looked at her mischievously.

  “She knows I got lost in your maze of a house and we bumped into each other again.” She couldn’t help but grin.

  “It was the best part of the night,” he paused. “I hope she was okay though… she didn’t think you ditched her?”

  “Oh God no,” Aubrey said. “I called her as soon as I woke up this morning, she had gotten home fine and she’s just super excited to be starting work at the club. How do you think she’ll get on with Victor?”

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Victor is the ultimate pain in my ass,” he smiled. “But I love him like a brother.”

  “Are you related?” she asked him as the waitress came over with menus and a pot of coffee.

  “He’s my cousin, on my father’s side.”

  “That’s awesome. It’s nice that you’ve got a good relationship. And to work together too… That must take some doing.”

  “It’s easier than it probably looks,” he said. “My family has been working together for generations. We don’t know anything different. It’s just our time now; we’ve taken over from our fathers, just like our fathers did for our grandfathers before that, and so on and so on.”

  “I like that,” she smiled.

  She was so demure and confident, as if she didn’t need him but wanted to be there anyway. Normally, whenever he had chatted to women, they had all wanted something from him. They were either wanting to be let into the club for free, given free drinks, or to be driven around in a nice car and show him off like some kind of trophy. But when he sat with Aubrey, it was as if she was wary of him. As if she wasn’t sure if she should be there or not, but she was being pulled to him in the same way he was being pulled to her.

  It kept him on his toes and kept him guessing like no one ever had before. And it made him like her all the more.

  “Brunch is just what we need after last night,” Aubrey said as she half-laughed. “That vodka you were serving up was strong.”

  “I was going to tell you,” he smiled with a shake of his head. “But I got the feeling there wouldn’t be much reasoning with you. You seem like the kind of girl who knows her own mind.”

  “Damn straight,” she said. “Plus, I wanted to see what it was like… neat vodka… why not?”

  He laughed.

  “Even at 5am?” he said with a raised brow.

  “Especially, at 5am… and especially, if that is what the host is having.”

  He smiled and looked down at his menu.

  “What does someone order in a place like this?” he asked her.

  “Are you serious?” Aubrey’s eyes were wide, and he knew she was desperate to laugh again.

  “Deadly,” he said, trying to suppress his smile.

  Damn, he felt like a kid around her, as if he wanted to laugh at everything she said. He hadn’t felt this alive in years.

  “Pancakes,” she said. “Something sweet for you, I think. Get the bacon and maple syrup, it’ll cure the hangover with the salt and the sugar, and if you have some fresh OJ, you’ll be set up for the day.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Sounds like a plan.”

  The waitress returned to the table and pulled out her notepad and pen.

  “What can I get for you?” she asked.

  Aubrey nodded as if she was urging him to order.

  “Pancakes with bacon and maple syrup please,” Carter said. “And a fresh orange juice.”

  “No problem,” the waitress said as she jotted it down and then looked to Aubrey.

  “Make that two,” she said, and she closed her menu and slid it to the center of the table.

  Carter had the overwhelming urge to reach out and take hold of her perfect hands, and he didn’t stop himself. They were so soft, and he could see a tiny fleck of paint still embedded down the side of one of her nails and it made him smile. He remembered her ambition and how she had told him of her dream of becoming an artist.

  He wondered if she would ever paint for him…

  Stop it, Carter, he told himself. Stop all of this right now. You’re getting in over your head.

  His cellphone started ringing and he reached down and turned it off without even looking at who was calling.

  “It never stops,” he said.

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Yep,” he sighed. “Twenty-four seven, there’s always someone who wants me or needs me for something. Sometimes, and especially when I’m having brunch and a good conversation, it just needs to be turned off. I can go back to it all later. Who needs interruptions?”

  “But what if it’s important?” she asked.

  “What could be more important than this?”

  She sipped her coffee and nodded.

  “I like your style,” she said. “Every morning from 9am until noon I don’t check messages, calls or emails, I just blast through my work and get as much done as I can without anyone being able to cut in and throw me off course. I guess it’s kind of the same thing.”

  “Kind of,” he mused. “Except, I’d take this brunch and conversation with you over any work any day…”

  He said it and it came from the heart, and he saw the way it had penetrated her. For a moment, she looked disarmed, as if she couldn’t believe he had actually uttered the words, but when she smiled, he saw the twinkle in her eyes again, he knew she had liked it.

  “That’s very good of you to say,” she said as she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m enjoying being here with you too.”

  Carter’s heart did a dance in his chest, and all the reservations he had the night before, and even leading up to this point, for what could have been his entire life, were beginning to fall away.

  This was what people talk about in the movies. This was what his parents and other dragon shifters wrote about and told in legends.

  There was one person in this world meant for everyone… and you will most certainly know when you find them.

  Carter swallowed and had to let his eyes travel away from hers and down to the table. He reached for his coffee cup, just for something to do, so he didn’t start rambling again.

  For a man that had always been so incredibly confident and at the head of the pack, Aubrey had done something to him that was making him want her approval.

  And he knew in that instant, as they sat there in the diner on Main Street, that whatever happened from here on in, he was going to be a different person.

  He had found someone that was making everything change.

  Aubrey had been sent to him by fate.

  They ate their brunch and chatted nonstop, but Carter could feel the elephant in the room was going to rear its head at some point and they were going to have to address what had happened when Aubrey had been hiding in the office cabinet. He wanted to be honest with her and tell her everything, but at this moment in time, laying it out there that he was a dragon shifter who had some secrets of his own wasn’t exactly an option.

  He didn’t want to scare her away.

  “So…,” she said, and he knew it was coming. “When I was accidentally hiding in that cabinet…”

  He placed his coffee down and reached for her hand.

  “I know it must have all sounded weird,” he interjected, “but there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

  She smiled and gave his hand a little squeeze.

  “It’s okay, don’t worry,” she said. “I know I shouldn’t have been there, and I’m sorry. I’m extremely embarrassed. But I was thinking about what you were all talking about and I think you’re right.”

  He raised his eyebrows and waited. He wasn’t sure he was following.

  “And I want to help you,” she smiled.

  “Help me?” he asked.

  “Sure, I want to help you find Martin Hall.”

  As she said the words, the sense of dread that had been building within him began to subside.

  “Help us find the missing man?” he asked slowly.

  “Yes,” she beamed. “I mean, I don’t know him but I think it would be good to try rallying the town to go on the hunt for clues, don’t you? What use are a couple of posters pinned to streetlamps? This is 2020, we need to be out there being proactive.”