Chapter Thirty-Two – The Dragon’s Favorite Strays
Chapter Thirty Two
DAKOTA
My sweet daughter is selling me out.
Here I am, trying to help Aggie and Dottie move their gear to our home and she’s trying to distract me. All day I’ve been watching the two women, looking for clues that they might be misleading us, or telling half-truths to hide something. I haven’t been paying much attention to Murr because I’m fuzzy with lack of sleep and getting a headache from Aggie’s voice. She has two volumes – loud and really damn loud.
How am I supposed to focus on those two women when Rabbit is bringing up kissing? Now everyone’s staring at me, expectation in their eyes, as if I should fling my arms around Murr’s neck and just plant my mouth to his to satisfy their curiosity.
The worst thing about it? Now I’m imagining what would happen if I did. How would he react? Does he know what kisses lead to or is he just the most intimidating clueless virgin left on the planet? He’s naked more often than he’s not, and while he’s not been walking around with his cock erect, what if kisses lead to that?
What if I’m in the process of scarring my poor daughter for life?
“Kissing is no one’s business,” I say sharply. “Let’s just pack this stuff and go.”
Rabbit ignores my tone. She skips over to me. “He kissed you on the cheek earlier, Mom. We all saw it. I think he thinks you guys are together.” Judging by the eagerness on her face, she loves this idea, probably because it involves a belly full of red meat and all the cats she can cuddle for the rest of her days.
She doesn’t see how very thorny the situation can be.
“I think this is a fantastic love story,” says Aggie. Dottie says nothing, but she looks as unsure as I feel.
I shake my head. “He’s just learning language from me. Nothing else.”
“Uh huh,” says Aggie. I glance at Dottie and Rabbit and it doesn’t seem as if anyone believes my answer.
“We’re packing,” I say determinedly, “Not grilling me about my private life.”
“So you admit there’s a private life?” Dottie chimes in.
There’s a pillow in my hands, and right now I want to put it over someone’s face and smother them with it. “Stop it already.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Rabbit says. “We all know Murr likes you. It’s sweet.”
“It’s sweet right now, but I can’t forget that he’s a dragon. I’m not sure if it’s safe for him to be around all the time.”
This elicits a response from Aggie and Dottie both. Dottie gestures at him. “He’s a dragon! This is the safest place to be.”
“Yes, well, what if he asks for more than just a kiss?”
“Who’s he asking?” Aggie counters. “I’d say yes.”
Dottie snorts and nudges her buddy. “Thanks for that mental imagie, Aggie. No one thinks he’s gonna be asking you.”
“Just volunteering,” Aggie replies cheerfully.
I’m torn between laughing at their banter and wanting to shake them for not seeing how serious this is. Rabbit’s watching me carefully and I shake my head. “I’m not saying that Murr is a bad guy, but kisses can lead to other expectations. Powerful men in charge that want their protection in exchange for a woman’s body doesn’t make things safe for us.”
Dottie looks chagrined. “You have a very good point.”
Rabbit moves to my side, touching my arm. She looks almost offended I would say such a thing. “Murr is a good guy. He’s different from the others. You know he wouldn’t do that, Mom.”
I want to believe her. I do. But I’ve seen how much ‘good guys’ change their tune once they get a bit of power. “We need to get to know him better. That’s all.”
“Then we’ll keep teaching him words.” My daughter is determined. “And he can tell us exactly what he thinks of everything.”
That’s the hope.
