This afternoon she had said something about her mother needing her. Did her mother’s well-being depend upon Kristine carrying out some nefarious mission? Fuck. That was it. Someone was probably holding her mother hostage until she met their demands.
She was receiving specific instructions. She was to go into the building she had scoped out earlier and find a law office on the thirteenth floor. There was a file the caller wanted retrieved before the secretary or PA had a chance to transfer some sensitive information into a computer. The file was to be delivered the following day. That meant Kristine had to break into the office, swipe the file, and—what’s that now? They want her to light it on fire—with her breath?Oh, come on. It couldn’t be that bad…
Shock passed over him as he realized they’d chosen her for a reason. She wasn’t a mere human firefighter. Could she be like Ryan’s Chloe? A dragon?
When at last Kristine was able to disconnect the call, she spoke loudly, “Jayce? Where are you?”
A full-grown naked man rising up from under the pile of pink clothes would be a shock, but she had some kind of secret too. He mulled over his choices for another second until he heard her coming toward him. Just as she lifted the sweatshirt, he rose to his full six-foot height.
“Jayce!”
He stood in front of her motionless and allowed her mind to adjust to what she had just seen.
“Wh—Whatareyou?”
He crossed his arms and said, “I’ll tell you my secret if you tell me yours.”
She hesitated, but didn’t fall over in a dead faint. He had to give her credit for that.
She pointed at the now-flat pile of clothes on the floor and then lifted her hand, indicating his full-size body. “Obviously you must be a shapeshifter of some sort.”
“Uh-huh. And you are?”
She worried her lip. “Also a shapeshifter. I—I’m a dragon.”
Instead of the shocked reaction she probably expected, a slow smile spread across his face. “So is my sister-in-law.”
“Really?” She sounded like the shocked one.
“Yeah. The family just found out recently. It was actually a relief. Because of our secret, my brothers and I have the worst time finding open-minded women, but Ryan finally got lucky. Chloe’s a great girl, and when we learned she was actually a paranormal too—”
“Wait. Chloe andRyan? Wasn’t he the brother you were burying?”
Jayce winced. “Have a seat. I’ll explain.”
Kristine gazed at him doubtfully.
“I can put on clothes, if that’s what’s distracting you—do you have anything that might fit me?”
She chuckled. “I think I can do better than pink sweats. Give me a second.”
While she was gone, he strolled around the apartment, staying away from the windows. It was a typical older layout. Not the open concept that renters preferred now, but a separate kitchen and dining area off the living room on one side, and a hall that must have led to bedrooms and baths on the other.
When Kristine returned from one of the back rooms, she produced an FDNY T-shirt that looked closer to his size than hers and a pair of matching navy-blue sweatpants.
As he put them on, he wondered who they had belonged to but didn’t have the heart to ask. Maybe she’d had as poor luck with men as he and his brothers had been having with most women.
He looked down at himself. “Perfect fit.”
“Keep them,” she said.
He smiled, trying to lighten the moment. “I might keep them on your roof, if you don’t mind. The garage where I left my clothes and cell phone wasn’t the best place, apparently.” He ambled over to the couch and sat in the middle of it.
“Oh. Your stuff was stolen?”
“Yeah. I guess that qualifies as an accident. I didn’t plan on it happening. I’ll explain.” He motioned her over, extending his arm for her to cuddle under. Happily, that’s just what she did.
Her warmth made sense now. All women were warm,eventually, but Kristine’s hands and feet were always warm. Most women’s were not. Some had feet that were like blocks of ice until they’d had time to warm up under the blankets—or on him.
