Max drew her closer, took a second to make sure Noel was okay and kissed her without hesitation. He embraced her and rested his hands on her butt while his lips caressed and teased hers.
“Is it okay to do this in public?”her dragon murmured once Max had parted their lips and was nuzzling Sash’s jaw and her throat.“Ooh, that feels amazing. Should we have tried this with Bruceous? Maybe it might have changed our mind about a betrothal?”
“No! No, no, no!”Sasha sent forcibly down their communication link.“Bruceous is a dirty old dragon who pinches young women on the bottom. You know, there was a rumor about him having a mistress. I bet it’s true.”
“Max? Is that you, Max?” a woman asked from behind Sasha.
Max tensed a fraction before loosening his grip on Sasha and turning to face the new arrival.
The woman was beautiful with long blonde hair that fell in a tangle of curls around her shoulders. She was slim and wore a dress that came to her mid-thigh teamed with leather sandals with a low heel. Right now, her blue eyes held pain, and after a glance at their entwined fingers, she averted her gaze to focus on Max.
“Jennifer,” he said. “How are you?”
“I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from you,” the blonde woman said. “I thought it was because you had a lot going on with caring for your brother and starting a new job nearer to your home.”
Sasha frowned at the underlying hurt in the woman’s voice, the same pain she’d shown on seeing the physical contact between Sasha and Max, and studied her more closely.
“An ex-girlfriend?”her dragon asked.
Sasha didn’t reply since she was concentrating on forcing down the wave of jealousy wafting from her dragon. The truth was she suffered from the same sense of envy and had to work hard to suppress it.
“Jennifer, I rang and left a message with your father when you were unavailable,” Max said in an even tone. “I explained to him about Noel and needing to care for my brother. Your father promised to pass on my message.”
“He didn’t,” Jennifer said, her tone a trifle bitter “Now I understand you’re engaged. That was quick work.”
“How did you—”
“Your grandmother belongs to the same Women’s Institute group as my mother. I thought I’d investigate myself and go for a walk to sort out what I would say to you first. I was thinking about you, and suddenly there you were.” Jennifer seemed to have gained in confidence, and she raked Sasha with a stern glare. “Isn’t she a bit young for you?”
Sasha decided to bail Max out. She thrust out her hand and waited for Jennifer’s manners to kick in. “Hi, I’m Sasha. I’m sorry you’re upset, but I’ve known Max for a while. We argued during our last meeting, but I decided I was stupid. We’ve been in constant contact for some time and realized that we’re better together than apart. I might look younger, but Max isn’t much older than me. My mother always said I had a wise head on young shoulders. We have a lot in common. For instance, we both adore Noel.” Sasha shot her a direct look when Jennifer failed to accept the handshake of peace. Sasha let her hand drop to her side. “I get the feeling your father failed to pass on Max’s message because he wants nothing to do with a child who some consider imperfect?”
Heat seeped into Jennifer’s cheeks. “He was wrong to withhold the message, and I apologize for his attitude. I should’ve contacted you earlier, Max, instead of listening to my girlfriends and giving you space. You’re a wonderful man.” She turned to Sasha. “Congratulations on your engagement. I hope you’ll both be happy.”
“Let me give you a few moments alone,” Sasha said. “Noel has questions about the fish pond he’s peering into so intently.” Sasha forced her legs to move in Noel’s direction.
“Why are we leaving them alone?”her dragon protested.“She might win him back.”
“No, she won’t. Her father’s cruelty is unforgivable in Max’s eyes. Max loves Noel, and he’s changed his entire life to keep Noel with him. That’s part of the reason Max likes us so much. Because we care for Noel as much as he does.”
“And because we’re gorgeous,”her dragon said with a haughty sniff.
“And because we’re smart and beautiful,”Sasha said with a grin.
“Shasha,” Noel said. “Can we have a pond with fish?”
“They’re not very nutritious,”her dragon said, full of doubt.“A tiny mouthful and bones that get hooked in my teeth. They’re not much better than fish fingers. Wait!”She climbed up Sasha’s neck and onto her jaw, so she got an excellent view of the orange fish.“Do those fish have hands and fingers. Aw! They don’t.”
“Remember that people make fish fingers,”Sasha said.“Fish don’t have hands.”
“Well, I don’t get why they call them fish fingers. It makes little sense.”
“We’ll ask Max, but we have enough responsibility.” Sasha smiled at Noel. “Remember, we’re making a special garden to attract the bees and the butterflies? I’m sure Max will bring us back here again to visit the fish. It’s nice for every garden to have a point of difference. Ours will have pretty butterflies and bees to make our vegetables grow. This garden has fish.”
A hand crept around her waist. Its presence didn’t surprise Sasha since she’d detected Max’s scent.
“Is Jennifer okay?” Sasha asked. “I wanted to be jealous, but I decided you were kissing me rather than her.”
“Jennifer and I went out on two dates, not long after I moved back home from London. When she didn’t return my call, I assumed she wasn’t interested.” Max shook his head and showed his white teeth in a dazzling grin. “Most women would shout or cross-examine me. You stuck up for me, then you tell me you’re jealous. You are one in a million, Sasha. The more time I spend with you, the more I like you. And thank you for explaining to Noel about the fish. You handled him beautifully.”
