Last Immortal Dragon (Gray Back Bears #6)(10)

“Are you all right?” he asked in a clear, steady timbre as he approached her.

“Oh, my God,” Willa said, clasping her hands in front of her face and smiling all mushy. “It’s like one of my romance books. The Zillionaire Dragon’s Baby.”

“Willa,” Damon warned low.

“Ravished by Her Dragon,” Gia murmured helpfully.

Willa laughed and said, “Clara Beara and her Scaly Boinker.”

Damon sighed a long, irritated sound, which only seemed to push Willa on.

“The Dragon’s Honey Pot. Daddy Dragon Wants a Zygote.”

“Willa,” Damon repeated, his eyes tightening in the firelight.

Softly, she whispered, “Bear Boobs and Dragon Diddles.”

“I would read the shit out of that,” Beaston said.

“You would!” Willa rounded on him. “And by the way, I know it’s you whose been stealing all my romance books.”

Beaston shrugged unapologetically and corrected, “Borrow, not steal.”

Aviana’s shoulders were shaking with laughter behind him. And when Clara giggled too loud, she covered it with a delicate cough. If she didn’t know for a fact the last immortal dragon was grumpy and didn’t smile, she would’ve sworn he’d just cracked one. And in that flash of an instant, it had been mesmerizing. Straight white teeth behind those sensual lips, and dimples that she wanted to curl up and fall asleep in and oh, her ovaries were doing a fireworks show with trumpets playing in the background. And now he was looking at her like she was a weirdo with her mouth hanging open—probably because she was a weirdo with her mouth hanging open. He leaned over a smiling Gia, kissing her on the cheek in a sweet greeting as he took baby Rowan from her arms, and damn it all, Clara’s ovaries were nothing but mushroom clouds now.

Damon freaking Daye was as hot as the fire he breathed.

He held Rowan against his chest and cooed, “Brave little dragon. Did I wake you?” He bounced slightly and rocked from side to side, and within moments, Rowan had given up her fussing and was clinging to Damon’s pointer finger with one chubby fist and looking up at him with round eyes as dark as Creed’s. Fair skin and dark eyes to match the black crop of hair on her tiny dome.

A mellow rumble sounded from within Damon, but it wasn’t the scary growls he’d emitted earlier. This was a satisfied sound. One of contentment as he studied the baby’s face and rocked her. The Gray Backs had gone quiet as they watched Damon lose himself in the little girl’s gaze. Slowly, he leaned down and smelled Rowan’s breath, then smiled and murmured, “Tiny fire breather.” And then there it was again—that heart-stopping smile. Here and gone, but she’d seen it.

Damon handed Rowan back to Gia, but by the time his silver gaze landed on Clara, his features had turned to stone again. “Can I speak with you? Alone?”

And just like that, all her mushy feelings evaporated at the coldness of his tone. “Fine.” She turned and sauntered off toward the tree line. Just inside the woods, where she could still see the light from the trailer park, Clara turned and waited.

Here it came. Bossy Damon was going to scold her for Willa prank-calling him and then chastise her for drinking too much. Lay it on me, grumpy dragon.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low, gravelly voice.

Clara opened her mouth to give him a seething retort, but stopped herself just in time. “Wait, what?”

“I’m sorry for being so harsh with you earlier.”

“You aren’t mad about the prank call?”

Damon huffed a laugh and almost smiled again. “No, I didn’t mind. I was awake anyway, though I was surprised to hear you were still here. I thought you were long gone.”

“Mason is full of tricks.”

He arched on eyebrow pointedly and looked over his shoulder at his driver sitting by the fire. “He had tricks for us both.”

“Sooo, you aren’t mad that you had to fly down here on account of me drinking too much?”

“Why would I be? You’re a grown woman. It’s good to cut loose every once in a while and besides, I like…”

She dipped her voice to a whisper. “You like what?”

Damon frowned and cleared his throat. “It’s late, and it’s a long drive to the airport from here.” He placed his hands behind his back and straightened his spine. “I’d like to extend an invitation for you to stay the night in one of my guest rooms. If you still wish it, you can leave in the morning.” Or not. That last part he didn’t have to say. The unspoken words hung in the air between them.

“That would be nice.”

“Yes?” His eyebrows jacked up in surprise.

“Well, it is late, and I’ve had about all I can take of Mason for the day. I’ll leave in the morning.”

Damon cut his gaze to the others, then nodded his head once. The silver in his eyes was fading by the second, leaving them as dark as the night sky. He turned to leave, but Clara grabbed his hand, not wanting to end this moment with him. The second her fingertips touched his palm, a blinding pain blasted through her head and drew a gasp from her lips. Squeezing her eyes tightly closed, Clara pressed her hands to her temples as if that would keep her head from splitting apart.

I’ll love you always.

You won’t. You can’t. You love me now only because you haven’t seen the monster I am yet.