Page 7 of Hungry Like A Dragon
Chapter 2
“What the hell is this?” Gabe asked his mate, Talia. They were sitting at the kitchen counter, each with a laptop open in front of them, while Noah, his back to them, whipped up the latest sweet treat for the school’s annual Halloween party. So far, he’d made Halloween muddy buddies, Rice Krispies Treat mummies, meringue ghost tartlets, and chocolate pumpkin witch cupcakes.
Baking relaxed him.
“What?” Talia said.
Noah glanced over his shoulder at Gabe, who pointed at his computer screen and said, “This charge on the Amex I gave Petra.”
Petra?Noah twisted his head back around and paused in the act of pouring black nonpareils into the shape of a snake on top of a white sheet cake.
“Nola Kids?” Talia said. “What’s that?”
Noah listened as the sound of fingers tapping at a keyboard filled the room.
“A children’s clothing store,” Gabe said.
“Why in the world would Petra charge something at a place like that?” Talia asked.
Yeah, good question.
“I’m about to find out,” Gabe replied. Noah glanced over his shoulder again and watched Gabe pull his phone out of his pocket and, he presumed, send a text to Petra. His phone pinged a brief moment later, and Gabe read the message out loud.
“Oops, I forgot to tell you. I charged that to the wrong card. I’ll pay you back for that one.” He lifted his gaze and looked at Talia. “What the hell is she talking about?”
“Ask her,” Noah blurted and then snapped his mouth shut.
Gabe furrowed his brow before focusing on typing out a responding text. When his phone pinged again, he said, “She says it’s nothing. It was a mistake.” He looked at Noah. “How does someone accidentally charge over a hundred bucks at a kid’s clothing store?”
I’d like to know, too. I’d also like to know why the woman has been gone for a damn year and hasn’t reached out to me once.
Of course, Noah could have contacted her, too. He had her number. He could have called. Or texted. Or even emailed. Hell, he could have asked Gabe where she was staying and sent a bouquet of flowers. Maybe with a note that said, “Thanks for the amazing lay. When can we do it again?”
You told yourself you wanted only a one-time thing,his sly dragon reminded him.
I did.
Keep telling yourself that.
I am, trust me. No commitment means no chance of falling in love—and getting hurt.
“Have you noticed she hasn’t been in touch nearly as regularly in the last few months?” Talia said, pulling Noah’s attention away from his inner dragon, who was extolling Petra’s virtues against a tree.
If it were just sex, he’d be all over a repeat performance.But whatever the hell happened between us, that was way more than I’m willing to deal with,Noah reminded his dragon.
“Yeah,” Gabe said. “All I’ve gotten are noncommittal texts recently. There’s been almost no movement on her assignment in at least three months. Maybe longer.”
“I hope nothing’s wrong,” Talia said.
But Noah barely heard. His mind was too busy connecting dots that only he might see.
Three months minus one year equaled nine months.
Unbelievably fabulous—andholy shit, unprotected—sex, nine months ago.
A mysterious charge at a children’s clothing store.
No. Fucking. Way.
