Page 30 of To Ignite a Dragon's Desire

I busied myself with testing the softness of the yarns on the bins across the aisle.

After way too much awkward silence, I said the first thing that came to mind, “I think I have more than one favorite color.”

Lucan’s presence warmed my back even though he stepped a respectful distance away. He rested a comforting hand on my shoulder that made me want to lean against him as he lowered his mouth to speak softly next to my ear, “Let’s see what else you like.”

It turned out that I liked burnt orange, cyan blue, turquoise, hunter green, and some lavender purple after all. Lucan somehow found the softest yarn in the whole store in all my favorite colors.

Can you have too many favorite colors?

Maybe I’d gone overboard.

But Lucan didn’t seem to mind.

I looked through the rack of cheap sunglasses as the clerk rang Lucan up, pretending not to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“They closed down the highways into and out of Reno and she can’t get to the hospital,” the young kid was saying in a hushed tone as he bagged the yarn.

“There’s a doctor who works out in the boondocks. I’ll send him your way.” Lucan pressed a fat wad of cash into the kid’s hand—way more than you’d think yarn would cost.

The kid nodded. “Thanks, Mr. O’Sullivan. I’ll close up shop and head home now to wait.”

“Thank you for rushing down here.” Lucan gathered the bags. “And next time, let me know if there is a problem in advance.”

“Will do,” the clerk said.

Lucan was already walking away and typing something into his phone.

I stepped outside and waited for him, hoping he wouldn’t realize I’d been listening. The late summer heat was brutal as it beat down on the empty parking lot.

There were cracks in the asphalt, but I hadn’t felt any tremors for the last few hours. The world seemed as still as the stifling desert air.

I tucked my hair behind my ears. It was growing longer, the longer I was away from Drew. My phone and missed texts were burning a hole in my back pocket.

I ignored it.

“Ready?” Lucan pushed open the glass door and started towards the bike.

“Do you own this store?” I hurried after him. My legs were long, but his were longer and I had to quicken my pace to keep up.

Lucan slowed without missing a step. “It’s the closest spot to buy yarn so I purchased it when the mall was going under.”

“And the clothing store?” I asked, wondering if I’d been put through a charade and the women associates were really his employees kissing butt because they were paid to do it.

“The casino owns that one.” He motioned to the stucco building shimmering on the miraged horizon. “It’s hard to get tailored suits and evening wear all the way out here. But they don’t mind the extra business. Belts are tightening everywhere.”

That didn’t seem to be the case with Lucan.

He walked through the apocalyptic desert landscape like the world was his oyster and there was nothing to fear in it.

Maybe for him that was true.

“How do you know I’m your fated mate?”

I shouldn’t have asked that.

But something about him made me bold and not afraid to blurt out what I was thinking. My tongue had been tied for so long. It was refreshing to ask the hard questions again.

Lucan stopped walking to look at me. There was an ancient pain in his eyes that showed how old he really was and how much he’d seen in his life.

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