Page 2 of Dragon's Golden Mate
“You flatter me, but I’m not complaining.”
“You must have seen some things,” she remarked, still reeling over trying to imagine spending that much time on Earth.
“I have, but not a woman as lovely as you.” He was still holding her hand, as they hadn’t yetmanaged to disentangle themselves from their handshake, and now he brought it up and brushed his lips across the back of it.
When had it gotten so hot in here? “Now who’s the flatterer?”
A snicker from the couch had Maeve suddenly remembering that they weren’t the only ones in the room. “Kendrick, you already know Chelsea. These are my other daughters, Kristy and Tina. My niece Amanda is here, and her sister Jamie will be along soon. This is my sister Lucille and her mate, Arthur.” Lucille and Arthur must’ve come in from the kitchen, and she hadn’t even noticed them.
“It’s very nice to meet all of you,” Kendrick said graciously, finally letting go of Maeve’s hand. “Is the birthday boy around?”
Right on cue, Corbin came running into the room. “Unca Kennick!” he cried, holding his arms out wide.
Kendrick laughed as he swept him up off the ground and perched the boy on his shoulder. “Happy Birthday! Are you excited to be three?”
“Yes!” Corbin cried.
“Did you know that three is one of my favorite numbers?” Kendrick asked him.
“No.”
“It is,” he insisted.
Though Maeve was far past having any more children of her own, she truly enjoyed watching Kendrick interact with his great-nephew. She knew the two of them probably saw each other every day, considering they all lived in the same clanhouse, but the boy was so excited, you’d think they only got to visit a couple of times a year.
Beck walked in just then, holding the door open for Lilith behind him. “The cake is here!”
“Cake!” That had become Corbin’s favorite battle cry.
Ewan came in behind her. “I brought the candles. Does that count?”
Griffin stepped in next, his hands full of gifts. “It only proves that you can count to three.”
Now that everyone had arrived, Chelsea began encouraging everyone toward the kitchen so they could start with cake and ice cream. Lucille took advantage of the moment to pull her sister aside. “Um, what was that?”
“What was what?” Maeve asked innocently.
Lucille snorted. “Please! I’ve known you my whole life. I’ve seen you get doe-eyed over a man before.”
“I mean, you have to admit he’s handsome,”Maeve said casually, pretending to fiddle with the streamers on the banister.
“Uh huh. And that Scottish accent,” Lucille pushed.
Maeve straightened. “You shouldn’t be talking like that with your husband in the next room,” she replied, pretending to be offended.
“I didn’t sayIwas doe-eyed. I saidyouwere.” Lucille poked her in the arm.
“Well, maybe so,” Maeve relented, poking her little sister back. “I haven’t felt like that since…well, for a long time.”
It really had been a hell of a long time since a man had stirred her up so much and could take one look at her, leaving her breathless. Maeve didn’t mind the fact that she was no longer a young woman. At seventy, she could look back at all she’d accomplished and be proud. But she’d thought she was past the point of acting like a fool just because a good-looking guy came along and gave her a wink.
Lucille offered her a sympathetic smile, but it quickly turned to a wicked grin. “At your age, you have to be concerned that a man is too young for you. You won’t have to worry about that with him.”
“You’re the same little hellion you always were, Luce.”
“Mom?” Tina poked her head through the kitchen door. “Ah, there you are. You guys need to come in here to do the cake. I think Chelsea’s head is going to explode if we don’t get started.”
“I didn’t say that!” Chelsea called out.
