Ashlyn Chase - How to Date a Dragon

Bliss had made the card, drawing it by hand. She designed the inside text with Claudia’s basic Word program and printed it using Claudia’s color ink-jet printer. Thinking about how much she’d have to spend to replace everything was giving her indigestion, but there was no other way to stay in the race. She needed to buy a decent laptop and good quality software at a rock-bottom price that same day. The printer could wait a bit, but she’d need one soon to proof her own work—and the rules of the competition required that she receive no outside help.

The most important contract of her career hung on her ability to produce all her designs in three weeks. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a few thousand dollars for forensic data retrieval, so she’d have to recreate every one of them from scratch.

She couldn’t even afford a hotel for more than a night or two, so she called her mother, who alternately sobbed and yelled into the phone. As predicted, her mother wanted her to move home and never leave again. Yeah. Good luck with that, Mom. I may be poor and desperate, but I’m not suicidal.

Her next stop was the fire station. Maybe that would be a kinder experience.

She approached the open bay, hoping Cameron was still there.

A dark-haired firefighter she barely remembered seeing earlier caught sight of her, grinned, and strolled over. The name Benjamin was stitched onto his dark blue uniform shirt. No help as far as knowing if they display their first or last names.

“Hello, beautiful. Can I help you?”

“I was wondering if Cameron is around.”

His expression grew serious. “Ah, no. He isn’t. Is there something I can do for you? Get your cat out of a tree or something?”

She couldn’t help but smile, then she quickly schooled her expression. “Well, you can give him this when you see him.” She handed Benjamin the card she’d made.

He glanced down at the envelope as he took it. “What’s this?”

“Just a thank-you note. He went above and beyond for me today.”

“Oh!” Sudden recognition dawned in his eyes. “You’re the chick who got him to run into that apartment building for some computer or something. Yeah, he’s in a shitload of trouble for that little stunt.”

She frowned. Apparently word got around. “Yeah. I’m afraid that’s me. There’s also an apology in there.” She nodded toward the card.

“It better be a doozy. He’s been suspended for a week.”

“Damn,” she muttered. Suddenly she had an idea. “May I speak to your chief?”

The guy had the audacity to laugh. “Are you sure you want to do that? He’s not in a very receptive mood right now. Maybe you should come back tomorrow.”

“I won’t be around then. I have to go stay with my parents for a while. He’s not the only one who’s miserable.”

Benjamin chuckled. “Okay. I’ll get this to Cameron, but I’d suggest you forget about talking to the chief. There’s nothing he hates more than wives or girlfriends trying to change his mind about something.”

“Does that happen a lot?”

“Not really, but when it does, the guy pays for it.”

“Oh. In that case, forget it. Thanks for getting the card to him.” She strode off before anyone else saw her.

Drake Cameron had taken his lumps like a man and had let the chief reprimand him without getting defensive. There would be no commendation this time, just a seven-day suspension.

Having distracted himself with the Internet for as long as he could, he felt the need for solace, so he headed to the bar his buddies frequented. Even when one of them did something stupid, they were supportive after the chief finished with them. The paranormal bar he went to would be supportive too, but sometimes he needed his human brotherhood.

As soon as he strolled in, he spotted Ralph Benjamin and Mike Kelly at the bar. They waved him over.

“I’m glad you came in. You saved me a trip,” Benjamin said.

“A trip where?”

“Your place. That crazy chick who got you suspended came by and dropped something off for you.”

“Yeah?” His heart leaped. Maybe I haven’t lost her after all! He had saved some hot women before, but none of them came to the firehouse bearing gifts. It was usually the blue-haired grannies who brought in homemade cookies or pies.

Ralph reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

Oh. Just a friggin’ card. I guess she doesn’t bake. He opened it and focused on the bright design. It was a fire-breathing dragon. Holy shit. Is she psychic or did she really see me through the smoke? Either way, she didn’t seem terrified. Maybe she was worth getting suspended for.

With some trepidation, he opened it. A smile spread across his face as he read: “I know it’s your job and I’m sure you’re not braggin’, but I felt like a knob as you slew my dragon. You saved my ass and I’ll never forget it. I ran into yours and I don’t regret it. I’m sorry I sent you into harm’s way. You’re so my hero and I hope you’re okay.” It was signed, “Sincerely, Bliss . ” Beneath that it said, “Please pardon the terrible rhyme. It was the best I could do with limited time.”

He tucked the card and envelope into his shirt pocket.

“She said it was an apology.”

“Yeah, it was.” And maybe a little more. The hope of finding a woman who could handle his dragon identity sprang to life like an ember coaxed back into a burning flame.

“Did she say where she was staying?”

“Said she had to move back in with her parents.”

“Where do they live?”

“Don’t know.”

“Did she mention their names?”

“Nope.”

Damn. “Did she say anything else?”

“She wanted to speak to the chief and take the blame for what you did, but I told her it wouldn’t help. She just rushed off after that.”

“Did you see where she went?”

“Sorry, no.”

Finally back to work, Drake had promised the chief that he’d stop taking stupid chances. The one-week suspension had seemed like a month. He grabbed a cup of coffee in the fire station’s kitchen and leaned against the counter.

“That’s been there since this morning,” Mike said.

“That’s one good thing about staying home for a few days. Decent coffee.”

“So how’s the computer dating thing going?” Ralph asked.

Drake was beginning to regret ever telling the guys how he’d spent his time off. “It was a stupid idea. Nothing came of it.”

“Why not? Were you asking for a Victoria’s Secret model who’s a brain surgeon in her spare time?”

Drake chuckled. “No. Nothing like that.” It’d be easier to find a neurosurgeon lingerie model than a female dragon.

He could picture the brunette as a model. She was tall, though not as tall as he was. He hadn’t seen her in heels, only bare feet, but she might be close to his six feet if she wore four-inch stilettos.

He couldn’t believe he’d caught himself thinking about her for the umpteenth time. If only I could find her. But it seemed hopeless.

His family had lost the ability to breathe fire, which was a good thing. Otherwise, he’d have been tempted to let out a fiery blast of frustration.

“I’m going to check the dating site again, just in case.” He ambled off to the firehouse’s activity room with the guys wishing him good luck.

A few minutes later, Drake gaped at the computer monitor. He couldn’t believe his Internet dating search had paid off. The response he’d just received was obviously from a female dragon.