Spawned By The Dragon: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance Read online

  Thinking about my mom had been the absolute wrong thing to do right then, and mentioning her out loud had been the absolute even wrong thing. Now I was crying even harder, having to work hard to keep my shoulders from shuddering with full-tilt sobs.

  Covering my face with my hands, I apologized to Mystery Man again. "These new contacts I got a few months ago are really just awful, to tell you the truth. I honestly just hate them right now."

  I could only hope that Mystery Man was an absolute imbecile and was actually buying my "contacts" story, although I highly doubted this was the case. Still, this didn't stop me from taking things a bit further, as if my talking might actually distract him from seeing my tears, which were now seeping through my fingers.

  "Once these damned contacts quit irritating my eyes, I'm going to just hop right in my car and head home so I can take them out. I'll probably flush them down the toilet, honestly. I'll probably call the optometrist on Monday and demand a refund. 'I want my full purchase price back, Dr. Hayward,' I'll say...and I'll also tell him he'll be lucky if I don't report him to the local optometrist board for prescribing such terrible, faulty lenses."

  I was actually almost starting to believe that my contacts were the cause of the waterfall of tears rushing from my eyes.

  "To tell you the truth, he'll be lucky if I don't report him to the national optometrist board."

  Realizing that threatening to report someone to the "national optometrist board" was probably a very grandma-esque thing to say, I finally forced myself to just shut up. I couldn't manage to stop my tears, however, and for a few moments, the only sound I heard was my own sniffling. But then, I heard some very soft sound, and I almost just sensed that Mystery Man had leaned against my car. And when he spoke, I was pretty sure he had, just based on the direction his voice was coming from.

  "You know...there's nothing wrong with getting a bad batch of contact lenses. It happens. It's not your fault."

  With my tears still freely slowing, I spoke without removing my hands from my face. "Well, thank you, but I'm sure you probably think that only weak people get bad batches of contacts...only people like...like, fragile, little old grannies or something."

  "No, I don't. As a matter of fact, I don't think that at all. Anyone can get a bad batch of contacts. It doesn't mean that person is weak. Sometimes it just means that the optometrist prescribed a particularly bad batch, and the contacts just turned out to be more than the eyes of the wearer could take without getting irritated and watery. It's not the wearer's fault; it's the optometrist's. In fact, I would report Dr. Hayward to the international optometrist board."

  My tears had slowed while I'd been listening to Mystery Man's deep voice, and now I actually couldn't help but crack a tiny smile behind my hands, which I still held to my face.

  "And would you demand that Dr. Hayward give you a full refund on the contacts?"

  Mystery Man snorted. "Are you kidding? I'd refuse to leave the optometry office without one. 'I can sit and wait here all day, Dr. Hayward,' I'd say. 'But I'm not leaving here without a check. Personal or business, either is fine.'"

  My tears and sniffles had now completely stopped, and I half-startled myself by chuckling. Then, I finally took my hands from my face and wiped my eyes, seeing that Mystery Man was indeed standing beside me, leaning with a hip against my car, arms loosely folded across his sculpted chest. His expression was something like a mix of amusement and satisfaction, maybe because he'd made me chuckle, and seeing this expression actually made me smile a bit for some reason, joining him in leaning a hip against the car.

  "Dr. Hayward is actually a very nice man who was a friend of my mom's, and I shouldn't have ever even pretended that he's a bad optometrist."

  Mystery Man smiled in return, the effect being nothing short of dazzling. "I'm sure he's a fine optometrist, and I'm sure he wouldn't begrudge you a bit of pretending."

  With my insides having been turned to jelly because of Mystery Man's smile, I smiled back. But then a second ticked by, then two, and I couldn't think of what to say in response, suddenly feeling nervous or something.

  Not wanting the awkwardness to last, I opened my little clutch purse and began rifling through it for my keys at the bottom. "Anyway...thank you so much for everything. I'll let you get going now. I myself am going to head straight home...." I located my keys, pulled them out, and looked up at Mystery Man's incredibly handsome face, which instantly caused a wave of butterflies in my stomach.

  "Before anything else disastrous happens to me this evening. I just wanted to go to the fair, have a caramel apple, and maybe ride the Ferris wheel, but instead I let myself get roped into a bar trip and ended up spending twenty minutes cleaning up my friend's vomit in the bathroom, then got cornered by nearly half the pipeline crew working in Sandstone. Usually my Saturday nights aren't quite so eventful."

  After pushing himself up to stand upright from his lean against my car, Mystery Man hesitating in responding for a second or two, as if he were thinking. "Well, it's not that late yet...I bet the fair will still be going for at least another hour or two. You could still go if you wanted."

  Immediately mentally dismissing the idea I shook my head. "Oh...no. I don't have anyone to go with, and I wouldn't want to go alone."

  Mystery Man hesitated briefly before responding, as if thinking, once again. "Well...I know I'm a stranger you just met, but I'd go with you. I think a caramel apple and a Ferris wheel ride sounds like a good time."

  I truly hadn't meant to seem like I was angling for him to offer to accompany me to the fair, and I told him this, a little embarrassed for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. However, just a split-second later, I was even further embarrassed when I realized something.

  "Not that I wouldn't want you to take me to the fair. In fact, I'd...well, I'd probably really like going to the fair with you, but...." I paused, swallowing. "I just didn't mean to make you offer to go with me out of politeness or whatever. I didn't mean to put you on the spot."

  Now Mystery Man didn't hesitate at all. "You didn't put me on the spot, and I didn't offer to go to the fair with you out of politeness. I really think it sounds like a good time. I'd really like to go with you, if you really think you might like going with me."

  If I really thought I might like going with him. I could have laughed out loud. Not only was he striking me as a very kind, sincere man, he'd also obviously proven himself to be a man who was protective of women he didn't even know. Also, there was the matter of his nearly heart-stopping good looks.

  Truth be told, I knew I wasn't complete chopped liver in the looks department myself, but still, I didn't consider myself to even be in this man's league. He was the kind of man that one would fully expect to see with a supermodel or an actress on his arm. And I certainly didn't have those kind of looks, I was pretty sure.

  All this made me feel like I just couldn't accept his offer to go to the fair with me, even though at the same time, I felt like I very much wanted to. "I would really like to go with you, but I'm sure you probably have some place to be, and I wouldn't want to keep you from it."

  For just a brief moment, Mystery Man shifted his gaze to the side before returning his gaze to my face. "I'm in no big hurry to get where I'm going. Not at all."

  "Well...if you're sure."

  "I am. If you are, though. Since we just met, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way about going with me. We can take separate vehicles if you like, and of course, at the fair we'll be in public the whole time."

  I smiled a little, liking Mystery Man more and more with each passing second. "We don't have to take separate vehicles. You're not an ax murderer, are you?"

  Smiling a little himself, Mystery Man gave his head a quick shake. "That is not...not how you should screen a man for a date...by simply asking him if he's an ax murderer. The man could just say no, lying through his teeth."

  "Well, I tend to notice different things about people and then go with my gut f
eeling...and you're not an ax murderer, are you?"

  Mystery Man sighed, expression still bearing more than a trace of amusement. "No. I'm not. Are you?"

  Shrugging, I fought mightily to suppress a smile. "Guess we'll find out when we get in your car or truck or whatever you drive."

  Clearly fighting a big smile himself, Mystery Man offered me his hand. "Come on, then. Just know that if you murder me before we get to the fair, I'm going to die one very disappointed man. I'm really looking forward to having a caramel apple with you."

  Laughing, I took his hand with butterflies rioting in my stomach.

  CHAPTER SIX

  In Mystery Man's fairly new black pickup truck, I placed a call to Dana, at the same time checking in the visor mirror to see if my waterproof mascara had withstood all my crying. Remarkably, it had, and I pushed the visor shut, telling Dana that I was leaving my car in the bar's back lot.

  "And I'm not sure for how long, so...is that okay? I'm going to the fair with the man from the bar right now, and I'm not sure how long we'll stay."

  "Oh, that's perfectly fine. It's fine if you even want to leave your car in the lot overnight and just come get it tomorrow morning."

  "Well, I don't think we'll be out that late."

  Dana made a sound between a snort and a chuckle. "Well, I know that. I just meant if you and your new friend go back to your place overnight or something."

  My face immediately flamed, not only because of the fact that I hadn't picked up on what she'd meant, but because I now did. And I was pretty sure the night wasn't going to head in that direction. I just didn't have one-night stands. Never had had a single one, actually.

  Even with my two long-term boyfriends, there had definitely been a long stretch of "getting to know you" time before things had moved in an intimate direction. I just wasn't the type of woman who hopped right into bed.

  Not wanting to further discuss things with Dana, particularly since Mystery Man was right next to me, I cleared my throat and changed the subject. "Everything going okay at the bar?"

  "Oh, yeah. I've got three pipeliners playing darts, one sleeping after doing three shots in a row, and Ol' Randy is sullenly sipping a beer in the corner with an ice pack on his jaw. Says he's 'too pissed off' to go visit any other bars tonight, but really, I think he's too hurt, although not physically. I think he needs a very large ice pack for his wounded pride."

  Glad that things at the bar had settled down, I soon ended the call with Dana. The rest of the way to the fairgrounds, I talked and laughed with Mystery Man, who kept giving me sidelong glances, asking with a not-entirely-serious expression when I was going to pull out my axe.

  "I'm starting to think I might make it to the fair, but I'm not allowing myself a full exhale just yet, if you get what I mean."

  I laughed, covertly scooting just a tiny bit closer to him, just the inch or two my seat belt would allow. "Well, that's probably wise."

  It was only when we'd made it to the fairgrounds and had parked in a large, crowded lot that I realized I didn't even yet know the name of the man who'd been making me laugh so hard. I asked him what it was, adding that I should probably at least know the first name of my first "axe murder victim."

  Taking the keys out of the ignition, Mystery Man glanced at me, smiling. "My name is Gavin."

  With his glance alone having caused another rush of butterflies in my stomach, I smiled back. "Well, it's nice to formally meet you, Gavin. I'm Alyssa. And now I'm glad to have a name to call you when I comfort you at the caramel apple stand...which I'll be doing because only the first one there gets a caramel apple, you know. Second one just gets the core and the wooden stick. So...bye! Good luck catching my dust!"

  I flew out of the truck, shut the door, and began striding away, not slowing until I felt Gavin take my hand in his own.

  "Not so fast, Alyssa. I really love caramel apples, and I'm not about to just settle for a core and stick. I think I know a way that we can arrive at the caramel apple stand at exactly the same time, though, and both get a caramel apple."

  "Oh, yeah? How?"

  "Well, you could hop on my back, and I'll piggyback you there. If anyone asks what we're doing, I'll just explain about your second-to-the-caramel-apple-stand rule, and it'll all make perfect sense to them."

  Laughing, I soon hopped on Gavin's broad back and wrapped my arms around his strong shoulders, wondering if it was actually possible to fall in love with a man during the first few minutes of a date.

  If falling in love was what I was doing, I just kept falling harder over the next couple of hours. Making me laugh frequently, Gavin treated me to a caramel apple, French fries, lemonade, and no fewer than three Ferris wheel rides, just because I enjoyed the view of the town's twinkling lights so much. I also greatly enjoyed sitting so close to Gavin during the rides, and the feeling of my hand in his.

  Not long after we'd boarded a Ferris wheel gondola for our third ride, I told him that Nikki had accused me of being a "mom" and a "grandma" for wanting to go to the fair. "Oh, but even before that, she implied that it was very 'high school' of me to want to go to the fair. So, I guess I'm either very immature or very geriatric."

  Gavin looked at me with his expression surprisingly sober. "You're neither. You're a beautiful woman who knows how to enjoy life without needing to make a complete ass of herself to do it. Although for the record, whenever you do actually become a mom, if you're ever so inclined to do so, that is, I can just tell you're going to be a great one. I can tell that just by how you took care of your friend when she was sick earlier."

  I smiled, feeling like I was maybe blushing a little. "Well, thank you. You're actually the second person who's told me that tonight, with the first being my friend Angie who got sick. And I do really want to become a mom someday, but like I told Angie, I definitely want to get married first. I admire single moms a lot, but after my dad left the family when I was young, things were really hard for my own mom; so I know I don't want to become a single mom myself if I can help it.

  Not to mention that it's really important to me that any child of mine have their father in the home. I know from experience how bad it hurts not to have one. So, for me, definitely a strong marriage first, then down the road, the pitter-patter of tiny feet down the hallway of a charming little house with a white picket fence out front and a tree swing in the back. See, I've got it all planned out."

  Gavin curved his full lips in a smile, giving my hand a squeeze. "I think you're a very smart woman. I think you're an incredibly gorgeous woman, too."

  For the second time in a minute, I felt myself blushing, fighting a smile at the same time. "Stop. I consider myself to be a woman with healthy self-esteem, but I'm also realistic. I know I'm not gorgeous. But thank you for the com-"

  "All right, now I'm adding humble to the list of things I think you are. You really don't think you're gorgeous, or you really just don't know. Incredible."

  I might have thought Gavin was teasing or something, yet his expression was completely serious, indicating that he really was incredulous. Which just made me blush even harder, tucking a loose strand of my long, honey-brown hair behind one ear.

  "Well...well, if I'm gorgeous, I guess I really don't know. Friends have called me gorgeous before, but you know...friends can be over-generous just to be kind."

  I'd always had the feeling that boyfriends could definitely be over-generous as well. My second serious boyfriend, Eric, had called me gorgeous before, although I'd just never really felt the compliment, in a way that I hadn't even been able to explain, even to myself. I just hadn't felt the compliment in the same way that I was now feeling it with Gavin.

  While the Ferris wheel slowly continued lifting us upward, he continued looking into my eyes with his expression remaining completely serious. "You are gorgeous, Alyssa, and you should know that. In fact, I've hardly been able to look away from your gorgeous eyes and face all night.

  And your lips are just...." He paused and then swallowed
, clearly suddenly a bit uncomfortable, as if possibly worried that he'd said too much. "Your lips are gorgeous, too, to say the least."

  Feeling something like a current of electricity zipping through my veins, I suddenly spit out exactly what I was thinking, afraid that if I hesitated for even a second, I might lose my nerve. "Well, if you really think my lips are that gorgeous, then just show me. Just show me with a kiss."

  Gavin's face registered slight surprise, though I got the impression that he was very pleasantly surprised. After disengaging his hand from mine, he put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, looking deeply into my eyes, then brought his mouth to mine.

  I'd been expecting his kiss to feel good; I just hadn't been prepared for exactly how good it would feel. From moment one, my whole body seemed to melt in response to the sensation of Gavin's full lips, so firm and warm, pressed against my own. His muscular arm around me also contributed to the overall heavenly experience of being kissed by him, as did the presence of his scent, which was something woodsy, potent, and entirely masculine.

  Reveling in everything I was feeling with my eyes closed, I breathed in his scent through my nose, reaching my right arm around to wrap around his shoulders.

  Very soon, my stomach was doing flips, but not just because I could intuitively feel that the Ferris wheel had ascended to the top of its circle. Gavin was, hands down, the best kisser I'd ever been kissed by in my life. With his lips still firm, yet somehow incredibly gentle at the same time, he intensified our kiss little by little, slowly probing my lips apart, as if savoring every second of our mouths merging.

  When he eventually began exploring my mouth with his tongue, I bit back a moan, tightening my arm around his shoulders. Despite the fact that any slight buzz I'd gotten from my two slowly-sipped beers earlier had completely left me, I was now beginning to feel decidedly tipsy in the most pleasant possible way.