“Not that I know of.”

  “Secret powers?”

  “Maybe.” He smirked at Morgan, who just gave him a look of amusement, a small smile alighting on her lips.

  “Where did you come from?” Grace asked.

  Diesel paused for a second, unsure of how to respond. “The… ground, I guess.”

  “The ground? Is that why you had all that dirt on you when you transformed?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Wow, I wish I was a basilisk. I love mythology, dragons and beasts and all that,” Grace said, stunned as she took a bite of chicken nugget and chewed thoughtfully. “I kinda wish I knew where I came from. I never even knew my dad. He’s—”

  At that, Morgan’s eyes went wide, and she tried to interrupt. “Grace, don’t…” But she was too late.

  “Dead.” Grace finished, leaving the room in silence.

  Diesel paused, unsure of what to say. Then he looked at Morgan, who seemed deeply mortified by the situation.

  After a few seconds, Diesel cleared his throat. “Tell you what. I have a few friends that are dragons. Maybe sometime I’ll introduce you to them.”

  Grace’s eyes lit up at that. “Really?”

  “Of course.”

  Morgan positively glowed for a second. Then she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “You really don’t have to. You hardly know us,” she said.

  “Why would that matter?” Diesel asked honestly, surprising even himself. Already, he could feel he was coming to care for this little family, Grace with all her questions and especially the beautiful, sexy, hardworking woman across the table.

  Morgan met his eyes for a second and opened her mouth, then looked away.

  She seemed to be doing a lot of that. Sometimes she was sassy and confident, and other times it seemed she was deeply uncomfortable around him and trying to push him away.

  She was obviously attracted to him. He’d known that from the first time her eyes had been glued to his chest.

  So why was there so much hesitation, even sometimes guilt or regret, when she looked at him?

  He wanted to take all of it away and replace it with happiness and affection and comfort.

  Diesel’s eyes moved down to Morgan’s hands, and she tucked them in her lap and looked away, avoiding his gaze, though not fast enough to keep him from confirming what he’d wanted to confirm earlier.

  No ring.

  Could she really be his mate, then? All of the other times had never been like this, never this burning attraction accompanied by pure warmth and affection.

  Gunnar had told Diesel that he had known from the very beginning that April was his mate.

  But Gunnar hadn’t been the one mistaking everyone for his mate in the first place.

  It was confusing.

  “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever fought?” Grace asked, bringing Diesel back to the present.

  My attraction for your mom, Diesel thought before shaking his head. “Um, not sure. Probably Gunnar. He’s another basilisk.” That seemed like a safer answer than some of the terrible creatures he and the other basilisks had clashed with over the years.

  Grace cocked her head at him. “Did you win?”

  “We go back and forth.”

  Grace paused thoughtfully, then looked at Morgan, who smiled warmly at her daughter. “Well, that’s all of my questions for now. Can I eat in my room while I read, Mom?”

  Morgan laughed and nodded slowly, fiddling with her fork. “Of course, just be careful of spills.”

  “I will.” With that, Grace grabbed her plate, hopped down from her chair, and left the room, leaving Diesel and Morgan in silence.

  “It’s funny. She rarely speaks in front of other people, but she really likes you,” Morgan said.

  Diesel cocked an eyebrow. “Do you like me?”

  She laughed at the sudden remark. “I hardly know you. Did you really mean it when you said you would introduce her to a dragon?”

  “Of course I did.”

  She thought about it for a second, then got up to pick up plates and dishes and clean up. Just as she was about to leave the room, she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.

  “Then yes, I like you. Maybe just the tiniest bit. Don’t get too cocky, though.”

  With that, she left the room, leaving Diesel unable to fight the urge to grin like a complete idiot.

  This really was one special woman, and one special little family, he had stumbled onto.

  Now he just needed to make sure he didn’t screw things up by doing something rash.

  5

  Diesel was doing the dishes.

  Gosh dang it, he was doing the dishes.

  Morgan scowled as she brought another batch of plates and utensils into the kitchen. She had seen a lot of swoon-worthy things from the huge man this evening: shaking hands with her cat, being unbelievably sweet with Grace, and now he was doing the dishes.

  Was he trying to wreak havoc on her libido?

  As she eyed his massive back and shoulders, rippling with muscle through a blue button-up, she wondered how long it had been since she’d felt attraction like this.

  Perhaps never.

  She had loved Adam, but even then, it had never felt anything like this. Diesel’s pull was magnetic, and she could hardly keep her eyes off him at dinner.

  She hadn’t expected this massive, gruff, masculine man to have such a soft side. Most men practically ran the other way when they found out that she was a single mom, but not Diesel. He seemed to think that Grace was a delightful bonus.

  This was really bad. She hadn’t dated in a long, long time, but now the hottest man she’d ever seen had walked into her life and had asked her if she liked him.

  The audacity.

  “So where are you staying? Not gonna stand out on the road all night, I hope,” Morgan said, leaning against the counter next to him and drying one of the plates he had just washed.

  He chuckled, a low rumble, as he shook his head. “No, I’m staying in Cooper’s Ferry.”

  She frowned. Cooper’s Ferry was a small town an hour to the east. “That’s pretty far, isn’t it?”

  Diesel just shrugged, then went back to washing dishes.

  Morgan rubbed the dish with the towel thoughtfully, considering her options. Rationally, she should just let him walk out that door and commute. The more distance between them, the better, at least for her heart.

  He shifted slightly, and their shoulders touched for a second, sending a wave of warmth down her arm.

  Dang it.

  Curse her body’s fiery reaction to him.

  “I mean, you could stay with us. There’s a… um, spare room attached at the back. I used to rent it out but stopped when it became too much work,” Morgan said, blushing and looking away.

  Get a grip! It’s only the hottest man you’ve ever seen!

  His hands stopped moving in the sink as he cocked an eyebrow, eyeing her curiously. “I’d hate to be a burden.”

  Morgan bit her lip as she looked up at him, half of her wishing he’d say no and the other half wishing he’d say yes. After all, he had saved their store, so there was that, right?

  This could just be a way of paying him back. That was all.

  Diesel’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped back from the sink, wiping his hands off with a towel and facing her directly.

  “Are you sure you want me to stay?” he asked.

  “Do you want to stay?”

  Diesel’s reply was instantaneous. He took a step forward. “Obviously.”

  Ohhh goodness.

  He was close now, so close she could smell his scent, leather and pine and something rich and spicy she couldn’t quite place. It was heady and intoxicating, and she wanted more.

  “Then… stay, if you want,” she muttered.

  He took another step, closing the distance and putting his hands on the counter on either side of her.

  “Okay, I’ll stay,” Diesel said, his voice low and gruff and barely above a whisper. He moved in slightly, and Morgan swallowed. He was close now, so close she could see the impossible blue of his irises, almost supernaturally blue in the dim light of her kitchen. So close she could count the ridges and wrinkles in his lips.

  Crap, she was staring at his lips. Oh goodness, was she in trouble now.

  But for a second, she didn’t care. She just wanted to give in to the attraction, give in to the incredible pull she felt toward him, a pull that was incomparable to anything she had ever felt, even…

  Oh dear.

  An image of Adam filled her head, and suddenly, guilt washed over her as though someone had dumped a cold bucket of water on her head. She looked away, down at her shoulder, before reaching up and pushing Diesel away.

  It was all too fast, all too much. She hadn’t so much as gone out on a date since Grace had been born, yet suddenly, she wanted to jump the bones of a guy she had only just met.

  “Sorry, it’s a bit too fast.”

  Diesel nodded slowly. “I understand. That’s okay.”

  Morgan smiled gratefully, then moved over and grabbed the spare room key from above the fridge. “I’ll show you out to the room, then,” she said.

  “Lead the way.”

  Morgan expected to feel awkward as she opened the door and showed him down the stairs to the back of the store. But instead, she just felt comfortable and safe next to the big basilisk.

  This is odd.

  She unlocked the door to the spare room, then handed him the key and nodded. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

  Diesel nodded and stepped into the room, then looked around, his lips turning up at the side in a small smile.

  “My friends will bring over my stuff.” Then he paused, the low light outside the store casting his handsome face with stark shadows. “Thank you,” he said.

  Morgan couldn’t help smiling back. “You’re welcome. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Once she was back inside, Morgan stopped for a second, leaning back against the door and letting out a sigh.

  What a day.

  She was just now realizing how much had happened today, how tired she was, and she still needed to help Grace get to bed. Morgan made her way to Grace’s room and knocked.

  “Can I come in?” she asked.

  “Yup,” Grace called out.

  Morgan opened the door and found Grace sitting in her bed in her pajamas. She was reading a book by lamplight as Wendell napped, curled up in a ball at the other end of her bed.

  Morgan walked over and knelt, rubbing Wendell’s head for a second, listening to the cat purr before she stood up.

  “You brush?” she asked.

  Grace showed her teeth. “Yup.”

  “Floss?”

  “Check.”

  “Nice job,” Morgan said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed next to Grace. “Reading more stuff about myths and monsters?”

  “Yup,” Grace replied, setting down her book and looking thoughtful.

  Morgan knew that look. “What’s up?”

  “I’ve been thinking. I like Diesel. Can he stay?”

  “Well, I offered him the extra room, so he’ll be staying for a while.”

  Grace’s eyes glowed. Then she shook her head. “No, I mean like stay, stay. He’s nice.”

  Morgan thought for a minute, unsure of what to say, so she just answered honestly. “I don’t know.”

  “I think he would. I think he likes you,” Grace said, handing her glasses to Morgan and settling back into bed.

  Morgan laughed softly, setting her daughter’s glasses on the bedstand and tucking her in. “Maybe. Good night, sweetheart.”

  “Night, Mom.”

  With that, Morgan stood up, turned off the lamp, and left, closing the door behind her. But not before she smiled, thinking about how lucky she was.

  Grace was her everything. And from the very beginning, Morgan had known that she would give everything to give her daughter the best she could.

  Even if she had to do it all alone.

  She wondered for a second if Grace had ever felt the weight of a missing parent, had ever felt that they weren’t a complete family.

  She’d always thought that they would be fine with just the two of them. But seeing Grace with Diesel tonight had really made Morgan wonder what they could be missing out on. She had never seen her daughter open up like that.

  It was lonely sometimes, having to take care of a child on her own, but tonight she hadn’t felt that. Not once.

  Beyond that, the yearning she had felt for Diesel’s kiss earlier honestly had her wondering what she had been missing out on as a woman. Having to run the store and raise a child, she had always just been too busy for any romance, though maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

  Tonight, for the first time in a long time, she had felt alive, wanted, desired. What would it be like if Diesel stayed? What if she had given in? What if they kissed eventually?

  The thought sent a thrill through her, and she smiled as she got ready for bed.

  Maybe asking him to stay had been the right decision after all.

  6

  The next morning, Morgan found herself at the cash register, making sure everything was ready for the day. She watched with a small smile as Diesel walked past, carrying a large box of products a truck had brought into town that morning.

  He had insisted on helping, saying that it wouldn’t be fair if he didn’t, especially because they had him for dinner and she was letting him stay in the spare room.

  When she’d asked about his “guard duty,” he simply said to not worry about it and that no more of those creatures were likely to show up.

  That was a relief.

  And Morgan wasn’t about to fight his logic because it was nice to have another pair of hands around.

  Another pair of extremely handsome hands, that was.

  Diesel was wearing an unbuttoned black work shirt over a simple white tee, and it looked like his arms were about to burst out of his sleeves.

  The corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk when he caught her staring, and she hurriedly turned back to the counter to busy herself.

  Yup, I’m in trouble.

  Morgan checked her watch, then looked up at the clock, realizing it was opening time. She walked over to the door and unlocked it so that customers could get in.

  From there, it was a slow morning, customers trickling in and out on their way.

  When it was time for Grace to go to school, Morgan frowned. Usually, the neighborhood kids would stop by and they’d all walk together, but they hadn’t this morning. She would have to walk Grace to the bus stop herself.

  “You ready to go?” Morgan called up.

  “Coming,” Grace called back, stomping down the stairs with a piece of toast in her mouth.

  “Hey, Diesel, could you watch the store for a bit?” Morgan asked from across the store.

  He looked up from where he was setting down a box and cocked an eyebrow as if to ask why.

  “I need to walk Grace to the bus stop. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  Diesel nodded. “Go ahead. I can handle things here. I’m a basilisk.”

  “Is retail training part of the normal basilisk gig?” Morgan quipped as she and Grace jogged across the small store.

  “Definitely,” he called back, chuckling as he waved them out.

  “Bye, Diesel, I’ll see you later,” Grace exclaimed as they walked out the door.

  Diesel just waved, then went back to what he was doing. That was another nice thing about him. He was obviously a hard worker.

  When Morgan got back from the bus stop, she noticed two men were standing in the middle of the store, both of them wearing brown pants, blue shirts, and familiar nametags.

  Uh-oh.

  Right as she opened the door, Diesel made his way over to her.

  “They wanted to talk to you,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he shot them a suspicious look.

  Morgan frowned. “I’ll handle it.”

  With that, she made her way over to them and did her best to put on a cordial tone, though she already had a guess as to who they were and why they were here.

  “Hi, guys, can I help you find something?”

  “I’m Delmont, and this is Cletus, and no, we’re not looking to buy. We’re here to spread word of the Crater dragon and offer you an invitation,” the taller one said as if he were offering her a gold bar.

  Whew boy.

  Yup, these were guys from the town cult like the ones on the infomercial that had been running on the television.

  “Sorry, really not interested in joining,” she replied coolly.

  Cletus’s eyes widened with anger. “To reject the Crater dragon is a massive mistake. When he returns, he will reward his followers. All else in town will be destroyed.”

  Good gravy, were these guys really serious?

  Granted, she’d heard the same tall tales and legends as everyone else in town about a dragon that once lived here and was defeated and something about him returning a thousand years later to claim his prize, but all of it sounded like nonsense.

  Morgan forced out a laugh. “I think I’ll take my chances, thank you.”

  “How dare you turn down this generous offer?” Delmont nearly shouted, stepping forward and shaking his fist.

  But before he could get any closer, Diesel was there in front of her, glaring down at the cultists like they were the scum under his shoe.

  “Get out,” he growled.

  Cletus looked up at Diesel, fear flickering in his eyes for a second before he found his nerve. “We can stay as long as we want.”

  Diesel scowled again, and Morgan had to admit he looked far scarier now than she had ever seen him.

  It was also a little sexy, to be honest. He was practically radiating raw, masculine energy.

  “If you’re not buying anything, you’re leaving, now,” Diesel said, stepping forward and backing them up until they were at the door.

  Neither Cletus nor Delmont looked particularly brave now, and they both turned, trying to shove their way through the door. Once they were outside, Delmont turned and shook his fist at them once again.

  “You’ll be sorry about this,” he exclaimed before he and Cletus took off down the street like they were running for their lives.