Page 65 of To Ignite a Dragon's Desire

Reversing, I backed up over the phone and then drove away, leaving the broken fragments of glass glittering on the black pavement under the hot desert sun.

∞

“Look at you.” Drew whistled. His leering gaze perused me from head to toe.

It wasn’t the first time I’d wanted to hide when he looked at me, but it was the first time I felt clearheaded disgust as I wondered what I ever saw in this man.

He sat on a green plastic lawn chair outside the front door of Room 23, wearing that stupid short brim fedora to cover his receding hairline. His scruffy face was covered in stubble to hide his lacking chin.

Designer ripped jeans he got from the thrift store matched his faded flannel shirt that stretched over his pot belly.

No one told him he was too old to keep trying the ‘hipster’ look. Not that he’d ever been able to pull it off, anyway.

I squinted, hoping to see a brief glimpse of why I’d found him attractive when we first met. He pushed himself out of the chair and walked to stand beside his faded brown Buick with confidence, but the man had nothing on Lucan’s easy swagger.

“I’m here. What do you want?” I glanced around the parking lot, which was empty except for the Buick, getting a sense of whereherewas.

The shades were drawn tight on the office and the closed sign sat in the window despite the vacancy sign hanging on the billboard.

It felt like a ghost town.

To prove my point, a tumbleweed blew past.

No one to hear me scream.

I straightened my chin as Drew crossed his arms, leaning against his car.

“You didn’t respond to my texts today.” He frowned, making his shit-brown eyes look sad. “I was worried about you.”

“I dropped my phone somewhere on the highway.” I shrugged, feeling confident that I wouldn’t have the ‘tell’ he said I did when I tried to lie.

I knew better than to bring my phone around him. How many times had he demanded to scroll through mine yet I never got the password to his?

So many red flags. How had I been so blind?

“That’s too bad.” Drew stood there relaxing against the car. My skin prickled with warning. He was holding back and acting casual.Why?

My brain started trying to rationalize.

Maybe I was making a big deal out of nothing. I’d been so dramatic crushing my phone. It’s not like he was going to steal my bag and demand to look at my texts.

Right?

“Motorcycles are dangerous.” Drew’s frown deepened as he looked past my shoulder to the bike. “Whose is that anyways?”

Ah, he’s trying to get me to let my guard down.

“Just a friend’s.” I crossed my arms, mimicking his stance. “Want to tell me what I’m doing here? You said you had some of my stuff.”

“Must be some friend to loan you his bike.” Drew’s face changed as he grinned. I knew that smile. It was fake.I think.“We need to talk. I’ll get you your stuff in a minute. Come on inside so we don’t bother anyone else.”

“I’d rather not.” I stood my ground. “There’s no one here to listen.”

Drew looked around as if only just noticing that.

“Still, it’s weird to yell at you across the parking lot.” He kicked off from his car and went back to the plastic lawn chair, patting the second one’s seat. “We can sit outside if that makes you more comfortable.”

None of this makes me comfortable.

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