Dragon with the Girl Tattoo by Julia Mills
Chapter Five
“I seriously can’t believe I’m doing this,” he mumbled under his breath.
Sure, Lenn had heard of Babs MacAutley. Hadn’t everyone? Not only was she one of the oldest living Supernatural Beings in all the known universe, but she was the famous, renowned, and sometime notorious Finder of Fated Love.
“I should’ve known something was up when Kayne dropped me off at the front door and ran off like a scalded Dragon.”
“Yes, you should have,” Vulcan annoyingly agreed. “But you are the one who told him you wanted to find our Mate by any means necessary.”
“Me and my big mouth.”
“Yes, Lad, we’ve had that conversation for centuries.”
Watching as the short, red-haired woman with enough Magic rolling off her to level most of the world sat across from him typing on her computer, he couldn’t help wondering if she really was as all-knowing as everyone said. “And does she seriously talk to Fate, Destiny, and the Universe?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m all-knowing,” she snickered without looking. “But I freely admit that not much gets by me.”
“You heard that?”
Eyes rolling up and looking at him over the rims of her tortoise-shell glasses, the Babhdóir winked, “Son, I hear everything.”
“Oops,” Lenn mumbled.
“No reason to be worried. I never hold anyone’s first impressions of me against them. I know I appear to be about fifty-five – more somebody’s auntie than the Finder of Fated Love, but let me tell you, I do talk to Fate and Destiny. They’re lovely ladies with so very much responsibility. As for the Universe, well, I only hear from Her on very special occasions or when somebody’s on fire.”
“On fire?” Lenn choked on his tea. “Why would somebody be…”
Laughing out loud, the sound making him smile despite his shock, Babs chuckled, “Not literally on fire, Goofball. Metaphorically where their love life is concerned.”
“Thank goodness, I’m not that bad.”
“No, Lennox, my boy, you are right where you’re supposed to be and in the right frame of mind to find the One the Universe made for you.”
“You really think so?”
“I wouldn’t be talking to you if I didn’t.”
“Well, good,” he snickered. “’Cause I was thinkin’ this might be some kinda cosmic justice for drinking too whiskeys last night, along with letting Kayne talk me into the brand-spanking-new tattoo on my arm of the woman I met in the bar the night before.”
“Don’t those things hurt?” Babs lifted her head and wrinkled her nose as if something smelled funky. “Don’t they have to use silver-infused ink for them to even stay on your skin?”
“They do,” he grumbled, rubbing his arm. “And Shauna, Janice’s daughter, shoved that big, thick needle in as far as she could because I was whining about a woman.”
“Oh, buck up, Buttercup. Shauna’s not that strong. I’m sure you’ll be fine. You Dragons are all the same – your smoke is worse than your fire. You’re not the first one I’ve had to find a Mate for and damn sure won’t be the last.”
Winking over the frame of her glasses before pushing them up on her nose, Bab went on, “But here’s the thing…” Leaning closer, her brilliant emerald gaze turning a molten gold and her voice filling with a mystical power that made the hair on his arms stand on end, she unwaveringly stated, “You have to do more than just stare at her. If you want this as much as you say you do, then do something about it. Fate waits for no man.” Looking back down at her tablet then right back up, she added with a cheeky grin, “Or Dragon, Lennox my boy. And in case you’re missing my jest, you have to get off your ass and go for what you want.”
Running his hands through his hair, the Mad Bomber jumped to his feet and headed towards the window. Ignoring the sound of a door opening and closing, he groaned as Kayne asked, “How’s it going in here?”
“Just peachy.”
To which Babs chuckled, “Pretty good.”
Looking over his shoulder, Lenn mumbled, “Pretty good?”
Giving him a single nod, the very spirited Babhdóir shoved her computer in the large, black leather tote at her feet, and pulled out a bag of the best smelling cookies in the world. Nodding to Kayne, she nodded, “Real good actually. I have just about everything I need.”
“Any prospect for our boy over there?” the Demi-God chuckled, the room filling with the tantalizing scent of homemade peanut butter cookies as he opened the Ziploc bag.
Unable to resist, Lenn came back across the room and grabbed two cookies as Babs laughed out loud, “Of course, I do. He’s a pain in the ass, but then that’s my specialty, isn’t it? We are good to go. Have you ever known me to fail, Kayne?”
“No ma’am,” Kayne solemnly attested. Shoving a whole cookie in his mouth, he swallowed, then turned to Lenn and added, “See, Butthead. I told you Babs would fix everything. She’s the best.”
Breaking one of his cookies in two, Lenn stuffed part of it in his mouth as he glared at the Demi-God. The wonderful taste of peanut butter and sugar filled his senses immediately, turning his grumpy grumbling into moans of ecstasy as he breathed, “These are the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.” Taking another bite, he reached for the bag still clutched in Kayne’s hand as he continued with his mouth full, “Give me that bag, Old Man.”
“Here,” Babs pulled another bag from her bag. “I always bring at least two when I’m coming anywhere near that guy.” Tipping her chin towards Kayne, she smiled. “He could eat his weight in sweets.”
“You know it,” Kayne agreed with his mouth full and his eyes glazed over.
It wasn’t long before the door to the study opened and in walked Pearce with Callum and Hayes, two young Guardsmen, in tow. “Do I smell peanut butter cookies?”
Clutching the bag to his chest, Lenn growled, “Yes, you do. But these are mine.” Nodding towards Kayne, he added, “Get some from the old guy. He doesn’t need the extra calories.”
“Watch it young’un. I can still kick your ass with one hand tied behind my back and a cookie in the other,” Kayne teased, failing miserably at looking angry.
“And on that note,” Babs laughed. “I’m off. Enjoy the cookies.”
Standing up to her full height of all of four-foot-eleven-inches, she put her large black bag on her shoulder and fluffed her hair as she walked across the living room. Stopping with her hand on the knob, head snapped to the side, she speared Lenn with an over-the-glasses-look and ordered, “And you do as I said.”
“Yes, ma’am,” was all the Mad Bomber could say as he watched the tiniest, most imposing woman he’d ever met march out the door.
Snatching the bag from Lenn’s hands, Callum jumped over the back of the couch and had half a cookie in his mouth before Lenn could yell, “Give it back, Asshat.”
Tossing the bag, Cal snickered, “There ya’ go, tough guy.” Nodding at the door as he took another bite, the Guardsman asked, “Who was that? Your grandma?”
“You better never let Babs hear you call her that,” Kayne grinned with wide eyes. “You’ll end up dressed in scales and sitting in a museum somewhere before you can so much as say, ‘Sorry for pissing you off, Ms. MacAutley.”
Snickering while enjoying his sweets, Lenn explained, “Oh, hell no. She’s more of the kinda woman who’d kick his ass without needin’ a name. She takes no crap from anyone.”
“But she’s so tiny and… old,” Cal sounded a little frightened as his eyes slid back and forth between Lenn and Kayne. Glancing to Pearce, his tone unsure as his eyes opened wider, he asked, “Is she really that tough?”
Shrugging, the Zen Master admitted, “I have no idea.” Pointing to Kayne, he nodded, “But if the big guy over there won’t take her on and calls her ma’am, then you better watch your mouth.”
“Well, shit,” Callum sighed, making the others erupt in laughter.
Moving behind the couch, Lenn patted the younger Guardsman on the shoulder, chuckling, “Happens to the best of us. Eat your cookie and you’ll be fine. Maybe she was on the phone or talkin’ to somebody else and missed what you said.”
Thinking he was off the hook, the Mad Bomber sat down and leaned back just as Pearce asked, “Speaking of the spitfire, Ms. MacAutley, what was she doing here? Doesn’t she run a …”
“Yes, she does,” Lennox growled. “And it is none of your business what she was doing here.”
“Wait. What did I miss?” Callum was suddenly on the edge of his seat with his head bouncing between the other three Guardsmen like the little silver sphere in a pinball machine.
“Not a damn thing!” Lenn spat, jumping to his feet at the same time that Pearce laughed out loud, and Kayne snickered, “Oh nothing.
To make matters worse, they were both sporting shit-eating grins. It was enough to drive the Mad Bomber even madder. “Just shut up.” Grumbling as he stomped into the hallway, he added, just loud enough for them to hear, “Bastards. Why do I ever tell you guys anything?”
Storming through the house like his tail was on fire, Lenn made sure to slam the front door shut as he headed out to his Harley. Speeding down the back roads of the Lair, taking special care to watch for children, he turned onto the main street and roared towards town.
Taking the corners like he was riding the rails, he imitated the way Vulcan took flight as he flew over the countryside and right up to the front door of The Sundowner. Slamming the kickstand into the dirt, he threw his leg off the Fat Boy, stalked through the front door, and right up to the bar.
“A bottle of MacAllen’s and a glass.”
“And what’s the magic word, there, my little storm cloud?” Janice leaned her elbow on the bar and waited.
Hanging his head, Lenn blew out a long-suffering breath as he ran his hand through his short, dark hair. “Sorry, Janice. Can I please have a fifth of Macallan and a glass?”
“Sure, kid,” she answered reaching behind the bar for an unopened bottle. Sitting his whiskey, along with a highball glass, in front of him, the Honey Badger asked, “Is this still about that girl from the other night?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, sighing as the smooth hundred-year-old scotch left a slow, warm burn on its way down his throat.
“So, what the hell you gonna do about it?” Janice demanded, her tone reminiscent of his mom’s. “Sit here and drink like somebody took your last cookie, or get up off your ass and find her?”
“I just don’t…”
Words faltering as the scent of fresh wildflowers filled his senses, Lenn’s head snapped towards the door. He couldn’t believe his eyes. There she was - his dark-haired temptress in all her glory.
His heart ceased to beat. He didn’t so much as breathe. The Mating Call held both he and Vulcan captive, tugging at every fiber of their joined soul.
“Oh, aye, Lad, she is the One.”
It was as if all the decades before no longer mattered. The two mighty Warriors had their sights set on the gorgeous Panther. She was so close they could feel the heat of her body rubbing against theirs.
“It’s time to make her acquaintance, Lad. Everything else be damned.”
“Indeed, it is, Old Man.”
Unwilling to look away even as Janice chatted in the background, Lenn watched the woman who made his blood boil and Vulcan growl, chuckle at something her companion said. Did he know the woman she was with? Had he ever met a short, curvy Pixie who was full of life?
“If you have, Lad. Get over there and ingratiate yourself – right this minute.”
“She doesn’t look familiar to me. Does she to you, Old Man?”
“No, but pretend she does and…”
Whatever the Dragon King was trying to say was lost to the ether as the tall, voluptuous object of his desire snared Lenn with a smoldering look that made staying where he was absolutely impossible.
Standing tall, he crossed the room and held out his hand. Trying not to jump for joy and embarrass himself before he even got to know her name, when without a word the Panther handed her purse to her friend and laid her delicate fingers across his, Lenn was sure he’d died and gone to the Heavens. Sparks of their attraction shot up his arm, filled his body with need, and made his heart beat double time.
Walking backwards, he led the woman he knew for sure was his Mate to the dance floor. Pulling her body closer to his with every step, he inhaled her scent, memorized every contour of her beautiful face, and impatiently waited for the second she would be in his arms.
Whether it was Fate or Destiny or just an exquisitely wonderful coincidence, the jukebox started playing some old country song at the same moment he wrapped his arm around her waist. Holding her close, bathing in her intoxicating scent, Lenn leaned his lips to her ear and whispered, “Hello, Beautiful.”
A sharp exhale preceded her stuttered, “H-hello, I’m Tessa.”
Running the tip of his nose along the outside of her ear, he reveled in the sound of her heart skipping a beat and the sexy tremble of her hand in his. “Well, hi there, Tessa. I’m Lennox,” he murmured, giving into temptation and gently laying his lips over the pulse beating just under the silken skin of her neck.
Visions of sinking his teeth into that exact spot, marking her as his own for all to see, swamped his mind. His erection pushed against the confines of his jeans as Tessa’s heated scent filled every fiber of his being. He longed to have his cock buried deep inside her, loving her as nature intended.
Kissing behind her ear, he inhaled, “I wonder if you taste as good as you smell, Mo phiseag bheag milis.”
Hanging onto his sanity by his fingernails, Lenn so aroused by the gorgeous woman in his arms that he damn near fell to his knees when Tessa leaned back, speared him with a hot, sensual look full of unbridled passion and purred, “No need to wonder, Mo Dragon,” before slamming her lips to his.
The switch had been flipped. There was no going back, he would have this woman or die trying. Demanding entrance, both man and Dragon roared when Tessa opened not only her lips but also her mind to them.
Smiling against her lips as she thought, “Oh, my Goddess… So much better than in my dreams,” he whispered, “Mine, too.”
Kissing her hard, their lips melding and caressing, his hands slid down her back. Fingers tingling as they memorized every erotic curve, he imaged how beautiful she would be once he could get her alone and blessedly naked.
Tearing her lips from his, Tessa gasped as he kissed across her jaw. Fingers winding through his hair, her nails scratched his scalp, as she whispered his name and her hips rolled against his.
Dancing her to the darkest corner of the room, Lenn grabbed Tessa’s waist with both hands. Lifting her feet off the scuffed wooden floor, he forced her to wrap her long, shapely legs around his waist. Spinning them around so her back was against the wall, he once again captured her lips before grinding his denim-covered erection against her center, inhaling her mewls of pleasure.
Wanting more, needing to be buried deep inside the one the Universe made for him, to mark her from the inside out, Lenn pulled Tessa tighter to his body, spun on his heels, and headed for the door.
Looking over her shoulder into the bar then back at him, she asked, “Where are we going?”
Striding through The Sundowner with the woman who completed both man and Dragon King in body, mind, and soul he winked, “I’m about to make you mine, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”