Page 5 of Dragon's Golden Mate
“I definitely think so.” Lilith’s hands moved quickly and expertly as she scrambled eggs, checked on the bacon, and toasted the bagels. “A woman knows these things. Couldn’t you see the way everyone else was looking at the two of you?”
“Well, no.” Kendrick grabbed a napkin from the holder in the center of the table and cleaned up thecoffee he’d spilled. He’d been too busy paying attention to Maeve to really notice what the other adults were doing. “I was a little distracted.”
“Do I smell bacon?” Ewan asked as he stepped into the room. He paused as he noticed Kendrick, Griffin, and Beck were all seated at the table. A slow smile lifted his lips. “This is about Maeve, isn’t it?”
“Oh, for crying out loud.” Kendrick put his hand over his face and sighed. “Yes, I think she’s quite a lovely lady. You can all leave it at that, though.”
“I see.” Ewan took the bagels from the toaster and began buttering them. “Someone’s in denial.”
“I just admitted she was lovely,” Kendrick reminded him.
Ewan gestured vaguely with the butter knife. “Sure, but I heard the rest of what you said. ‘Leave it at that.’ This is about your vow to remain single.”
“I didn’tvowanything.”
“Sure, you did,” Griffin reminded him. “You said all that stuff about how just because fate decided to give you multiple mates over the years, that didn’t mean you needed to pair with them. You wanted to remain single for the rest of your years because it was too painful to lose a mate, blah, blah, blah. All that.”
“Thank you so very much for your sympathy and understanding,” Kendrick ground out.
Lilith came to the table with a platter of eggs. She set it down and then smacked Griffin on the back of the head. “You’re a bit of a pig. Do you know that?”
“Hey! I just said what everyone else was thinking!” Griffin rubbed the back of his head, but he was already reaching for the eggs.
Lilith smacked his hand. “Wait until the rest of it is ready.”
Griffin folded his arms in front of his chest and sank into his chair. “I think everyone around here needs more coffee.”
“Anyway,” Ewan asserted, bringing the bagels to the table, “what Griffin is doing such a bad job of saying is that you might not be able to stay single after all if you feel that way about Maeve.”
“It’s not any of your business. I’d be willing to bet Maeve’s coven isn’t sitting around grilling her about me this morning.”
Snickers went up all around the table.
“I’ll bet they are.” Beck fetched a stack of plates from a cabinet. He began making up two of them to take upstairs. “I’m sorry, Uncle. None of us meantany disrespect. We liked seeing that silly grin on your face, that’s all.”
“That’s right,” Lilith agreed. “Here. Have some food. It’ll make you feel better.”
The conversation turned to other things, and Kendrick let it. Tomorrow morning, he’d be going out for coffee.
Fortunately,Kendrick had things to do today, which meant he could get out of the clanhouse. He dressed quickly and stepped out into the fine, cool morning. Kendrick could easily walk from there. He had the stamina of a much younger-looking man, but it would be more professional if he drove.
Getting behind the wheel, he found that Maeve was still very much on his mind. Kendrick wished he hadn’t lost his temper so much while the rest of the clan was trying to talk about her. It only made it that much more apparent that he had feelings for her, feelings he hadn’t yet figured out and didn’t know what to do with.
She truly was lovely. The way her lithe body moved in the flowing fabric of her dress, the way her hair shifted against her back when she turned herhead, the way she laughed when she watched her grandson play or chatted with her sister. These were little things, but Kendrick was no fool. Any person could be attractive, but those little things were what made you want to see them again and again.
No.He tightened his grip on the wheel. Kendrick had decided to remain single. Whether anyone considered it a vow or not, he had a good reason. There was an immeasurable heartache that came with losing a mate, and that was something Kendrick was bound to do. He would easily outlive someone like Maeve, so what was the point?
It was easy for the rest of the clan to tease him. They hadn’t been around as long. They didn’t understand that pain yet. Kendrick wished he could keep them from the deep, despairing loss that came with knowing you still had centuries left after laying your mate to rest, but he couldn’t. It was the fate of the dragons.
A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of the address he’d been given over the phone. Kendrick leaned forward and looked up through the windshield at the soaring cathedral. The imposing height of the stone building was accentuated by pointed, arched windows. The steeple, which rose from the right side of the building, was topped witha magnificent and complicated spire. This couldn’t be right. He double-checked the address he’d written down.
A knock on his window brought his head up.
A blonde woman waved at him. “Are you Mr. Alexander?” she asked through the window.
He got out and shook her hand. “I am, but you can call me Kendrick.”
“Cassandra Deegan. We spoke on the phone. I’m grateful that you could come so quickly. Part of the success of Deegan Enterprises is due to getting jobs done swiftly and efficiently.” Her hand was cool and delicate inside his. She gestured toward the building. “Shall we?”
