Titanium (Rent-A-Dragon Book 3) Page 7

  He didn’t understand the full impact of that because he only really understood modern schools from what he saw on TV. But locking someone behind a door when you were supposed to love and care for them, he understood that.

  “I wondered if I was overreacting to Geoffrey at first, when he was overprotective, telling me not to work with other galleries. Telling me other people would take advantage. I guess for once, it felt like protection again. Someone who cared.”

  “And then that went bad, too,” he said, feeling sick over what had happened to her.

  “Right,” she said. “I can still remember the moment it happened. The moment I switched from seeing it as protective and realized I was a possession. I still wasn’t sure if it was sexual. Not until he started trying to make me move back into his rental. Who knows what he would have done once I was back there?”

  “You mean he never made a move?”

  “No,” she said. “But I mean, I was young, and I didn’t realize how wrong it was for him as a landlord to tell me I couldn’t have guys over. And I mean, I wasn’t interested anyway. I hadn’t met a boy I really liked, even though I kind of had a few flings in college.”

  He decided he wasn’t going to think about that, because she needed thoughtful Titus, not jealous dragon right at this moment. “So even though his rules were weird, you didn’t realize what he wanted.”

  “I still don’t,” she said. “But I know he would have taken me if you weren’t here today. Maybe just talked me into coming back, maybe threatened me. But I fought him. I was proud of that.”

  “See? That means you’re changing. You’re not just going to let people take advantage of you.”

  “Except it’s holding me back with people like you. Making me not want to trust you. Because as much as it hurt that my creepy boss didn’t really care for me as an artist and that he just wanted to control me, it would hurt so much more to trust you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because with everything you’re offering, I could really fall for you. You were right when you said women had a hard time not doing it. What I can’t figure out is why you’re not already taken.”

  Because I was born for you.

  “Anyway, all of that babbling to say I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you earlier. You haven’t given me any reason not to trust you, and you’re the first guy to help me and really not have any ulterior motive.”

  Well, that made him feel like a piece of shit. But what was a dragon who knew she was made for him supposed to do?

  “I’m sorry for being impatient,” he said. “We really can go at your own pace.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “And I’ll try to be more open. Less closed off.”

  “Oh,” he said, feeling like sunlight was washing over him, even though it was growing dark. She wasn’t agreeing to mate him or even date him, but he could sense they had taken a step forward, and that gave him hope for tomorrow.

  Hope that he wasn’t screwing up everything.

  “So tell me more about you and Sever,” she said, a mischievous grin on her face. “Why do you two have braids? And why do you look so similar, you and the other guys at the house? You’re all so tall. And why—”

  He chuckled. “Why the sudden curiosity?”

  She flushed. “I mean. If we are going to get involved at some point, not saying we are… but I should get to know you better, right?”

  He was taken aback by that. She’d just taken a step toward him and now another. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything. Beg her to mate him.

  But now that he knew the extent of what she’d gone through, he knew it was important to go slow.

  He leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I appreciate that. Sever and I grew up together. The rest of the guys… we just work together.” He wished he could tell her more, but it wasn’t the right time.

  But as she leaned in against him, watching the sunset and nudging him to put his arm around her, he decided he was totally content.

  Maybe she hadn’t agreed to mate him yet, but he at least had her trust now.

  No one could take that from him.

  8

  Platinum watched the fire, imagining he saw faces in the dancing flames in the hearth of the old, semi-renovated dump they were living in.

  Dante had been able to trade pure gold for it, which was good because human banks didn’t look kindly on pure exchanges of precious metals.

  Platinum was able to blend in well enough, had been able to get clothing, mostly stolen, but all in all, he had to think the coarse metal dragons, Titus and his crew, had a big advantage waking in the modern world with people to actually help them.

  Not that he’d ever admit as much to Dante.

  Both Dante and Adrien were looking a little the worse for wear. There was a hole in the roof, but they were all too lazy to fix it. And, to be honest, thought it was beneath them.

  Not Sever, but then again, he had always liked the rain.

  He’d like it more if Amelia were here to enjoy it. But she never would be, and it was all the fault of that idiot Titus, who he’d been stupid to ever trust.

  “You aren’t really going back again tomorrow to be a laborer, are you?” Adrien asked, his light-silver hair slightly longer than its usual, clean-cut short length and askew. His bright, silver eyes were just as sharp, though.

  “I’m doing what I have to, to make sure he pays,” Sever responded.

  “To make sure all of them pay,” Dante said lazily, crossing one leg over the other in the ridiculously large, ornate chair he sat in that he’d liberally decorated in gold.

  All of them could create precious metal. The problem was that was more of a tradeable commodity in their day than in the modern world. When you walked around holding hunks of gold and platinum, humans tended to ask questions.

  “What a waste,” Adrien said. “We should be trying to restore ourselves to our former glory, not wasting our time on revenge.”

  “And you’re going to let them just get away with the fact that they dumped an avalanche on us?” Sever asked.

  Adrien’s silver eyebrows drew together in thought. “No. I suppose not. Well, hurry and win his mate, then. That will destroy him. We’ll have our revenge and a human to help us in the human world.”

  “It’s not that easy, brother,” Sever said. “I have to win her.”

  “Do it, then,” Adrien said lazily.

  But it wasn’t so simple. Despite his original goal, he actually liked Bree. He could easily see a comfortable life with her. And since the woman he believed was his mate was gone forever, pretty much any one would do, right?

  “What are you thinking about?” Dante asked, gold eyes narrowed.

  “Nothing,” Sever lied, putting up a block in his head.

  “You aren’t thinking of turning on us and going to their side?” he said tersely.

  Adrien sat up slightly beside him.

  “No, of course not,” Sever snapped. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Good,” Dante said. “Because our only hope of survival is if we stay together.”

  “Yes,” Sever said, though he wasn’t positive he agreed. In the old days, that might have been true. With their wealth, prestige, and power, they could do whatever they wanted.

  Not to mention they had the strength, if not the tenacity, of the other dragons.

  But in this world, it was clear they weren’t thriving. Maybe just being with a crew wasn’t the key to survival in this modern world.

  “What if the girl doesn’t choose you at all?” Adrien asked.

  That was a dark thought, and Sever didn’t really know the answer. He wasn’t a bad dragon, and he didn’t like to hurt people.

  He had definitely never hurt a woman or an innocent, and he couldn’t picture himself being one to force someone against their will.

  At worst, he would have to just figure out another way to provoke Titus.

  Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to even consider something
like that.

  “I think she’s falling for me,” he said. She certainly was pleasant with him and seemed more comfortable around him than she was around Titus.

  But he couldn’t be certain. After so many years, he didn’t really even remember what it felt like to have a mate. If he’d even had one in the first place.

  These days, nothing was sure, except for the fact that they were alive, somehow, and had only one thing driving them.

  Pure, cold revenge.

  It lit a fire inside him and gave him something to focus on other than the rain.

  Sever was going to make the titanium dragon pay for his villainy. Whether Sever wanted to do it or not didn’t matter. It was decided a long time ago, when Titus betrayed him and took everything from him.

  And almost killed his entire crew.

  Oh yes, Titus would pay.

  The next morning, Titus woke up aching, having had sexy dreams of his mate all night.

  After they’d sat together on the porch, she’d seemed she wanted to invite him to bed, but he’d known it wasn’t time to get physical again.

  He had to give himself a break, or he was going to be too ravenous to hold back.

  And it had been nice to just walk her to her room and kiss her forehead.

  It hadn’t been as nice to sleep alone.

  He sniffed the air and scented bacon. Damn. He’d always been the cook with his crew, but never been much good at it. It was odd having someone cook for him, but he liked it.

  He showered, got dressed, and headed downstairs to say hi to his mate.

  She was standing in front of the stove, stirring something, and she’d clearly also showered that morning, as her still-damp hair was pulled back in a ponytail, exposing a beautiful, pale neck that was tempting him to kiss it.

  Instead, he walked in and sat at the table, just loving the look of her in her flannel pajama pants and a gray, casual sweatshirt. No matter what she wore, she looked beautiful to him.

  He could still imagine her mouthwatering curves when she’d been beneath him.

  Delicious.

  “Almost done,” she said. “Eggs and bacon okay? We’ve got a big day of work ahead.”

  “Sure,” he said. “I just appreciate you cooking. I should cook for you sometime.”

  “That’d be nice,” she said. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

  “Not as well as you,” he said as she set a plate in front of him. “But I can hold my own.”

  “Glad you aren’t an expert, then,” she said. “You’re already overwhelmingly capable enough. If you were able to cook, too…” She gave a little shudder. “You’d sweep a girl off her feet.”

  He was going to buy a thousand cookbooks, then.

  He dug into the eggs, savoring every soft bite his mate had prepared for him, and she sat across from him, eating as well. It felt pleasant, right. Much more than a client and contractor. Much more than a one-night stand.

  Ten thousand nights wouldn’t even be enough for him.

  Someone knocked on the door, and he set his fork down with a sigh. “Probably Sever.” Showing up to fuck with his life bright and early.

  He still had to figure out what that bastard was up to.

  “I’ll get it,” Bree said, giving Titus a look that said it wasn’t up for discussion.

  Oh well, he was happy enough with what had happened last night that he was willing to step back a bit.

  If she was going to trust him, then surely he could trust her a bit more to take care of herself or ask him if she needed help.

  When she answered the door, he was expecting Sever to come in, but instead, he heard them talking, and then she walked out the front door and shut it behind them.

  What the hell was going on?

  He looked at Biff, who was sniffing at the imitation bacon he’d been given, since Bree said too much bacon wasn’t safe for dogs. Biff looked up at him and Titus took it as tacit agreement that he should go keep an eye on things.

  Just in case.

  He peeked out into the hallway and then snuck into the living room where there was a window looking out into the front yard.

  Sever was there all right, standing like an asshole as usual, with his stupid gray braid that wasn’t half as good as Titus’s.

  He had his hands on his hips, a cocky smirk on his face, and was talking to Bree about something while she listened intently.

  Titus watched his mate’s body language closely for any signs that she was uncomfortable. But as Sever talked, she just listened.

  Biff trotted over to him and sat down, but Titus had to gently push him out of sight of the window so he didn’t get caught.

  “Shh,” he said to the dog. “We aren’t supposed to be watching.” And then he put his hand over his face. Was this really what things were coming to? Telling his innermost secrets to a dog?

  He knew if he called to his crew, they would answer. But they’d found their mates, and he didn’t want to bother them. He wanted to be able to do this on his own, as much as possible, despite the fact that he had helped both Liam and Magnus win their mates.

  He supposed he and Bree were more similar than he thought.

  He continued to watch as Sever’s face changed, going from smug to frustrated as he dropped his folded arms to his sides, then threw them up in the air, gesturing angrily.

  She took a step back, and Titus got ready to move out, but then Sever calmed down, dropping his hands again.

  “That’s it,” Titus said. “Walk away.”

  But Sever started talking again, pleading this time, as if trying to make her see the light on something.

  Bree just shook her head, explaining something back, gesturing with her hands.

  Sever looked angry now, shaking his head as he turned away. When he turned back, he reached for her hand. Titus stood immediately and went for the door, but by the time he opened it, he saw Bree slapping Sever’s hand away.

  The platinum dragon’s eyes looked up at Titus, and Titus was startled by the depth of rage there.

  He walked out onto the porch and held out a hand for Bree, and she ran over to him, falling into his arms.

  He wrapped his arms around her and glared over her shoulder at Sever, who just stood there, looking lost in the wind.

  For a moment, Titus almost felt bad for him.

  He had no idea why the other man hated him so much. No idea what he was doing in this world.

  And even if Titus wanted to, he had no way to help him. Not while he was trying to come for his mate.

  With a scowl, Sever turned on his heel and walked away, back toward the road.

  Was it over?

  Titus didn’t know what to think anymore. He put a hand through Bree’s hair, stroking slowly. “What just happened? One minute we were eating bacon; the next you seem sad.”

  She choked back a sob. “You were right. He was horrible.”

  His hands tightened around her. “What did he do?”

  “Nothing, really. He just said he knew I liked him. I said I was sorry if I misled him in any way, but I wasn’t interested in him. He presented what he thought was proof, that I was nice to him. But I told him I was into you.” She looked at him. “That’s what really seemed to make him mad.”

  Titus nodded. Then it struck him what exactly she’d said. “Wait,” he said, pulling her back from him so he could look into her eyes again. “You told him you were into me?”

  “Of course I’m into you,” she said, wiping the last remnants of her tears. “You big idiot. Of course I am.”

  He pulled her in for another hug. “So do I have permission now to kick his ass if he comes back around?”

  She nodded against him. “Yes.”

  “You want to take the day off?” he asked. “I don’t think Geoffrey’s coming back here, so there isn’t any real rush now.”

  “What did you tell him?” she asked, stroking his back in a way that was lighting him up inside.

  “I told him he’d be dead if h
e ever came back.”

  She tensed. “Really?”

  “Yes,” he said. “And I meant it. He tried to kidnap you.”

  “I guess I’m really lucky that you came around, aren’t I?” she asked. “Sometimes it seems like I’m almost too lucky.”

  “You aren’t,” he said. “You’re just as lucky as you deserve.”

  He pulled her over to the porch swing, holding her on his lap as he rocked them gently, letting the breeze wash over them.

  They had time now. Time to work on the house at their own pace. Time to watch out for bad guys. Time to spend together.

  The breeze rustled the beautiful, wild green grasses all around her house as rain started to fall, and Titus just enjoyed watching it, loving the feel of his curvy mate in his arms.

  She leaned back against him and wiggled slightly, and he looked down to see a mischievous look on her face, her head tilted slightly, inviting him.

  Far be it from him to say no to his mate. He leaned down to kiss her, and as his lips sealed over hers, he’d never felt more at home.

  9

  This time, as Bree kissed Titus, she wasn’t just caught up in the heat of the moment, going along with something inevitable at the mercy of her body.

  Though Titus still offered pleasure that felt like an oncoming tidal wave, this was so much more than that.

  Last night, she’d opened up to him, and it had felt so good. And today, when he’d let her talk to Sever but been there so she could run into his arms, she’d realized just how much she’d come to depend on him.

  And love him.

  Biff, too.

  And now he’d gotten rid of Geoff, and everything just seemed too good to be true. Or maybe fate was just making up for all the bad things she’d been handed, finally rewarding her for being willing to trust.

  All she knew was Titus was a good person, the first person not to have any bad motives concerning her, the first person she could truly trust.

  She could already see a life together, and though he never said anything about it, she could tell he felt that, too. It was in the soft way he looked at her over the breakfast table, the way she felt in his arms.