Denying Bjorn (4 page)

She squeezed his hand. “But, that’s a long time from now. Couldn’t we just enjoy the here and now?”

“There’s not a day that would go by that I wouldn’t wonder about it. I’d forget, but it would always come back to haunt me, snapping me back into reality. That is what hit me so hard last night. And when I came in this morning, all I wanted to do was hold you tight in my arms and never let you go.”

He felt as though his heart was breaking, telling her all this. But when he looked into her eyes, reassurance gripped him firmly. For a fleeting moment, he truly believed they could triumph over the inevitable. They’d make a great team, standing strong together, facing and overcoming obstacles thrown in their direction. They’d have the perfect balance. He didn’t know how, but somehow he knew everything would be in their favor.

“Well, I think we’re wasting time,” she admitted. “I want to get know you, Bjorn, outside of the office. I think we’ll be good together.”

He leaned across the table and stared at her. “Is that so?” Bjorn soaked in Lydia’s beauty and realized he’d be a fool for pissing this wonderful opportunity away. The woman sitting across from him was intelligent, beautiful, and had more things in common with him than he could count.

Lydia smiled and nodded.

“Well, in that case, would you like to take a stroll on the beach with me after dinner?”

“I’d like that,” she said in that smooth, sexy voice of hers. “And, I’d love for you to tell me more about yourself.”

Bjorn smiled, but one thing puzzled him. How the hell did she know of Protectors? Apparently, she was no stranger to otherworldly creatures. He wanted to know of her experience and how she had managed to handle everything so well. It seemed normal to her, when it really shouldn’t have.

Chapter Five

After dinner, Bjorn and Lydia took a stroll along the beach. She’d slipped off her shoes, enjoying how the smooth, powdery sand felt beneath her feet and between her toes.

She shivered in anticipation as she listened to the waves crashing against the beach. This was sure romantic, and for once, she felt as though she could let her guard down. Lydia’s heart almost stopped when she felt Bjorn’s hand reach for hers.

Stifling a moan in her throat, and trying to ignore the hardening of her nipples, she spoke. “It sure is a beautiful night, isn’t it?” she murmured as she gazed up into the sky. Resting beneath a myriad of thin clouds, the half-moon beckoned to her. She always appreciated the beauty of the sky.

Bjorn looked up as well while squeezing her hand. “Yes, so beautiful. Nights like these help to clear the mind, especially when you have someone to share them with.” He looked down at her before stopping in his tracks. Seemingly mesmerized, he pulled her gently against his hard body, leaving her breathless.

Lydia found herself staring up at the tall man as he looked down at her. Helpless, she was drawn into his sights and relaxed against his taut body. Warmth heated her loins, and wetness soon followed as a warm breeze caressed them both. She inhaled the intoxicating richness of his scent. The strong, spicy aroma mixed with pure, unadulterated male infiltrated her senses as she closed her eyes.

“Kiss me,” she demanded. She needed this, needed him.

“Ah, babe,” she heard him say just before bending down and crushing his lips against hers.

Lydia opened her eyes, only to meet his intense gaze. His tongue slipped through her lips, seeking out and conquering hers. Together, their bodies molded as one, they succumbed to this long-overdue passionate moment. She stood on the tips of her toes, reveling in the moment. She needed more of him, she decided as she ground herself against the large bulge forming in his slacks and wrapped her arms around his body. His cock pressed against her tummy as their kisses crested.

Soon, Bjorn broke the connection, pressing his forehead against hers. “Doll, you really need to stop.” His breathing was uncontrolled. “We both have work tomorrow, and it’s getting late.”

She nudged him regretfully and gyrated against his throbbing cock. “You’re such a damned tease, Bjorn.” She wanted to take things slow, but her burning body demanded to be beneath his, writhing in passionate play until the sun rose.

She’d realized some things since they’d been together tonight. Lydia’s heart ached at the thought of parting for the evening. Sure, she’d see him tomorrow, but tonight . . . they’d sleep alone. Could she succumb to much-needed sleep after being with this man who awakened something deep within her?

“I’m trying to be good, but you . . .” Bjorn breathed against her ear. “You’re making this hard for me.”

Lydia snickered. “You know, I could easily use that against you.”

Bjorn laughed. “Yeah, well . . . no pun intended. I’m finding it difficult to control myself.” He draped an arm around her shoulders, and they continued walking along the beach. “So, how is it that you’ve come to know about so many different creatures?”

She tensed as reality came crashing down on her. She never knew any type of otherworldly beings existed until she was introduced into the world of the courtesan by Dawn. She wanted to tell Bjorn the truth, really, she did, but how well would he accept her past? At the moment, her mind struggled with how to broach the subject.

“Well, I never knew they existed. It wasn’t until I found out one of my clients was a lion shifter, until he confessed it to me and made me swear I wouldn’t tell a soul.” It was a half-truth. Her very first client had been a wealthy lion shifter who later introduced her and Dawn to a host of other well-to-do clientele.

“Why the hell did you relocate and become an office manager here since you were so damned successful? Most people would kill to have such a thriving business.”

Lydia bit her lip before wisely answering his question. She didn’t want to weave lies, only put off telling him the truth. During all their conversations in the past, they’d never really spoken much about her personal assistant business.

“Honestly, running the business had become so taxing. I think in my efforts to become an entrepreneur, I’d bitten off more than I could chew.”

Bjorn nodded intently. “Yeah, I can understand that. It becomes overwhelming, and soon you find yourself investing so many hours into it. But you must admit, owning your own business can be very rewarding.”

“Yes, it can be. I just didn’t want the responsibility anymore, you know? I’m quite happy running the office.”

“Look, I don’t mean to pry, but was Dawn a part of your business?”

Lydia nodded. “She and I, we’re like night and day. Truth of the matter is, I started losing clients because of her.”

He ran his fingers through his sea-breeze-tousled hair. “Yeah, I gathered as much. What gives with her?”

“Oh jeez, such a long story. Dawn is a very competitive person. She’s greedy and jealous, but she’s family, you know? And, we’re all the family we’ve got.”

“And you live with her?”

“Unfortunately, yes. But I think I’m getting my own place soon, because she’s just been such a pain in the ass lately.”

“I don’t appreciate her lies, and I really think I should call her into the office about that tomorrow. I don’t need rumors flying around the office. I don’t want people to think I’ve been romantically involved with her.”

She looked up at him. His face was stern, and she could tell he was agitated by the whole incident.

“Don’t. Please. I’ll talk to her about it.” She didn’t want to give Dawn more ammunition than she already had. The jealous bitch would probably go and make up something else about him at a later date.

“She needs to know her place, and I would like to know why the relationship between you is so strained. If she’s as jealous as you say she is—”

“Trust me, I’ll have a talk with her, and I promise it won’t happen again.”

“I want to be fair to her. I’m always fair to my employees, and I don’t want there to be any harsh feelings, but I won’t tolerate any further lies.”

“I understand.”

Bjorn stopped and seized her in his arms once again. This time his hands drifted to the small of her back, then slid up to her neck, where his fingers entwined themselves in her hair. As he kissed her, his large hands cupped her face. When he ceased his potent breath-stealing kisses, he simply looked at her. “You’re so beautiful.”

Weak in the knees, Lydia stared back at him and smiled. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”

He laughed huskily. “Tell me more about you.”

“Hey, you know about me already. What about you?”

Bjorn took his jacket from beneath his arm, laid it flat on the sand, and motioned for her to sit on it.

“No, I couldn’t. You’ll ruin your jacket.”

“I insist.” He patted the spot as he lowered himself next to the jacket. “Come on, I’ve a story to tell you.”

Lydia smiled in anticipation as she sat down.

Bjorn pulled her close to him before planting a kiss on top of her head. “Well, I was born in a small village. At that time, dragon attacks were becoming more prevalent. While many humans sought to drive them out of existence, my ancestors befriended them.”

She cocked her head to the side in amazement. “How?”

“Well, in his younger years, as a knight, before he became immortal, my great-grandfather saved a baby dragon, Ailean, from being bludgeoned to death at the hands of one of his comrades.”

“Talk about being put on the spot,” Lydia exclaimed. “What happened?”

“Unfortunately, it was a battle to the death. My great-grandfather’s friend became enraged and sought to kill him just for defending a dragon. He really didn’t want to kill his friend, but he left him no choice.”

“I’m so sorry.” Lydia felt bad for Bjorn’s great-grandfather. “I’m sure the guilt stayed with him years after.”

“It did, and still does until this day. You see, there were different groups of dragons attacking villages just for the sport of it. Knights were dispersed by the king and sought to destroy all dragons, not just the ones attacking the villages.”

“A dead dragon is a good dragon, so to speak.” She looked up at him intensely. “Right?”

Bjorn nodded with a hollow sigh. “Even mere villagers banded together, seeking out dragons in their lairs. Needless to say, they were met with swift deaths. Breannan, Ailean’s father, bestowed him with a powerful magic spiraling down to his descendants. My great-grandfather became Protector to Ailean. My grandfather became Protector to Ceallach, Ailean’s son, and my father became Protector to Ceallach’s son, Drostan. Last, but not least, I became Protector of Angus, Drostan’s son.”

“Oh dear Lord. My head hurts,” she exclaimed while rubbing her temples. “That’s a lot like reading the Bible.”

Bjorn laughed hard and nodded in agreement. “Ever since then, Angus has been quite the pain in my ass,” he said with a laugh. “I’m joking, you know. Angus has been such a great friend to me all these years.”

Lydia gasped and chuckled. “Such a beautiful story, minus the slaying of innocent dragons, of course. Seems like something out of a fairy tale, an old, forgotten one at that.”

“Those were some times. My ancestors swore to protect the dragons at all costs, so we banished ourselves, and the mighty dragons we protected, into the dragon realm, Pyreer.”

“Well, where are they all? The dragons and your ancestors? Do they exist still on Pyreer?”

“Scattered in various realms other than Pyreer, I suppose.” Bjorn lay back, propping himself up on his elbows as Lydia lay her head on his chest.

“I haven’t laid eyes on my ancestors in centuries, but they’re doing well. After the dragons found their mates, they went off on their own to live out their existence in peace. My mother and father are somewhere in another realm, doing quite well. I need to visit them. It has been so many years.”

“What the hell?” She poked him in the ribs. “Why has it been so long? You should always keep in touch with family.”

“Lydia, it’s different with immortals. We live forever. It isn’t uncommon for us to bump into each other every few hundred years or so.”

“But, what if something bad did happen to them?”

“My family is protected by magic. There is nothing that can harm them. The dragons saw to that.”

“Tell me about magic.”

“I possess the power to travel back in time to any particular incident I deem necessary.”

“You can time travel?”

Bjorn nodded. “I can, yet I cannot interfere. I’m able to see the past as it actually unfolded, but it is impossible to participate. The people are basically a replica of that time. They aren’t tangible.”

“Oh, I see. Kind of like a hologram of sorts, only of the past.”

“If you want to think of it in that manner, yes.”

“Can you travel to the future?”

“Oh, now that’s quite a question.” He looked down at her. “No one should ever know of their future. To answer your question, yes, I can . . . only under very important circumstances and with the assistance of a Dragon Elder.”

“Amazing.” She paused for a few moments. “Do you use it every day?”

“Oh no. I’ve grown accustomed to living like a normal mortal. I could easily teleport myself to and from work if I needed to. I can slip in between the realms in the blink of an eye.”

“So, you’re saying if you oversleep, you have that luxury?”

“I could, but I choose not to.”

“Well, what’s the use of possessing magic if you don’t use it?”

“I use it to defend myself and the ones that I love,” Bjorn insisted. “When you have a gift such as magic, one can grow to become very dependent on it. That’s not healthy at all. Plus, it’s a smack in the face to the ancient dragons who bestowed their magic upon us.”

Lydia nodded. “Makes sense to me.” She lifted her head up and looked at him. “Do you think they get tired of living century after century? I mean, after all, they were once human. Will you ever get tired of living a long life?”

“You know, one can grow rather bored of traveling the world, existing alone,” Bjorn admitted, “so yes. A Protector without a mate is just like a powerful Dragon Lord without a Fire Mate. Existence becomes lonely and futile, miserable.”

“So, hopefully that’s where I come in?” She scooted next to him and shivered at the thought of living a long life with no one to love.