Page 17 of Bewitching the Dragon
Which was crazy. The only way he would have known was if they had some sort of telepathic connection, which, of course, did not exist.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy.”
“I promise you, I will not.”
There was a whole lot of conviction in his voice. She pushed out a nervous chuckle.
“Well, I’ve been apartment shopping today—”
“Alone?”
“Oh God, please don’t go all ultra-protective on me. I don’t think I can handle it from Aunt Pacey and you. Yes, I’m grateful you showed up when you did, and yes, it felt like I needed help, but I was actually about to go ask the cook to walk me to my car, and he’s a really big guy, and he probably could have—”
“Becca.”
She snapped her mouth closed.
“Take a deep breath. Relax. Look, we’re at your house. This is one of the safest places you can be right now.”
She guided the car to the curb and shifted it into park. A quick glance at the porch told her that Aunt Pacey had added yet another gargoyle. Becca forgot to buy clothes for them yesterday when she was at work. Although, after what just happened, having scary statues perched all over the place did make her feel a little safer.
“Better?” Rahu asked.
She nodded.
“Okay, now that I’m over the shock of you wandering around town by yourself, tell me what happened that has you so spooked. Was it those three guys who left the deli as I walked up?”
She turned to face him in her seat. “How did you know?”
He waved at the windshield. “The way they left in such a hurry. I figured they’d done something wrong.”
“They hadn’t done anything, actually. It’s just…” She hardly knew the guy, yet she’d already told him about her parents and her trauma-induced memory loss. She’d told him about her plans for teaching this year. Hopefully, telling him about the time she’d been babysitting and the child had been kidnapped wouldn’t scare him off, because she could really use a friend right now.
“I recognized them.” She took a deep breath, and then she told him everything she remembered from that night. He didn’t say a word until she finished.
“You’re still here,” she said.
He furrowed his brow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“A lot of weird things seem to happen to me. Especially lately. If you’re looking for a nice and normal girl, I’m not her. Which is crazy in itself, because I sure did used to be her.”
“Did you like being the normal girl?”
A laugh burst from her lips. “Actually, no. I’m not into being scared, but I don’t mind a little excitement every now and then.”
He reached across the console and cupped her knee. She knew it was her imagination, but she could see sparks dancing around his hand where it touched her. Not to mention that electrical current was setting her body on fire, and not in a bad way. Not at all.
“I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe. And I’ll try not to be overbearing about it.”
She laughed again. Somehow, the idea of him being overprotective was a lot more appealing than Aunt Pacey doing it. “How about tonight? Maybe you can protect me over dinner and a movie.”
The grin that spread across his face made it worth being brave enough to ask him.
“I like that idea. I actually have to go to an appointment right now, but how about I come back around seven? Do you want to go out or stay in?”
“Staying in sounds divine.”
