Her dragon rebel, p.1
Her Dragon Rebel, page 1
part #6 of Black Claw Dragons Series
Her Dragon Rebel
Black Claw Dragons: Book 6
Roxie Ray
Contents
1. Kara
2. Rico
3. Kara
4. Rico
5. Kara
6. Rico
7. Kara
8. Rico
9. Kara
10. Rico
11. Kara
12. Rico
13. Kara
14. Rico
15. Kara
16. Rico
17. Kara
18. Rico
19. Kara
20. Rico
21. Kara
22. Rico
23. Kara
24. Kara
The Dragon’s Fake Fiancée
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Her Dragon Rebel
1
Kara
My phone buzzed with the sound of a calendar notification before my alarm went off. I felt blindly around my nightstand for my phone. My best friend and I had gone out for girls’ time the night before, and I might’ve had a glass of wine too many. Waking up was the last thing I wanted to do.
Cracking an eye, I read the notification. Beneath the haze of a hangover, I was relieved to see I had plenty of time.
My new app had auto-booked me a job for the afternoon. I hadn’t even had to take a phone call, which would have woken me up and forced me to be pleasant at the disgusting hour of ten in the morning. Not that most people considered ten to be that early, but it felt like it.
I loved technology.
I hadn’t had any early jobs today, so I’d taken the rare chance to sleep in. I had drawn the curtains in my bedroom before collapsing on the bed, but it was still way too bright in here. Stumbling to my bathroom, I turned the light on long enough to grab the ibuprofen and choke two down with some tap water, then collapsed back on my bed and snatched my phone up again.
Clicking through the app, I pulled up the details for the job, then moaned. The gym again. Damn it. I hated doing jobs at the gym. The guys there were total dicks and just wanted to ogle me or talk about how they could do the job better. I couldn’t even see them being able to handle their own tools, much less any of mine.
Ew. That thought came out wrong.
Whatever. I still had several hours before I had to be there, so I changed my alarm and went back to sleep.
The next time I woke, I felt much better. A shower and breakfast made all the difference toward making me feel like a human again. Not to mention the massive cup of coffee; that helped tremendously.
With a spring in my step, I drove to Main Street, then cut back a block to the gym. Turning off my truck, I sighed and looked up at the building. It used to be a warehouse, some plant that went under years ago. The current owner had converted it into a gym. Since it was the only gym in town, it was pretty popular.
But I didn’t care how popular it was. There were a few die-hard members who were always there when I went to do whatever odd jobs the owner needed, and they delighted in being total dicks. The owner was never around to stop it, either.
Not that I wanted him to, I could handle my own shit. But still, he seemed like an okay guy and he had enough faith in my abilities to hire me, so he probably wouldn’t have liked the guys harassing me. Maybe. Oh, well, at least the day was pretty. I tried hard to hang on to that positivity, but it was like trying to scoop water with a fork. It just wasn’t happening.
Maybe I should’ve grabbed some coffee for the road, too.
With a big sigh, I grabbed my tool belt and stepped out of the truck. I had a tool bag, too, but wearing the belt made me feel more armored. My work clothes were simple: old jeans, a flannel shirt, and boots. It was good stuff for getting dirty in.
Even in such slouchy clothes, I felt like I was naked and on display walking into the gym. The belt was something of a security blanket and helped me feel even more covered.
I knew the problem the minute I stepped in, although my app had told me. The air was nearly suffocating, even with all the doors open, including the huge bay door in the back, and fans everywhere. We were right in the middle of the hottest part of summer, yet the gym bustled with activity. Men and women—mostly men—ran on treadmills, lifted weights, and a class that I was sure would normally be in a private room was dancing around out back, visible through the double doors.
A scrawny guy sat behind the counter playing on his cell phone. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had the job so he could try to use the equipment for free to bulk up. Poor kid. “I’m here for the air conditioner,” I said over the steady drone of the fans.
The kid pointed to a door without looking up. “Roof,” he called. I nodded and walked quickly to the door before any other guys noticed I was there. A bead of sweat was already rolling down the back of my neck and I hadn’t even gotten started yet. Gross.
“Hey, there.”
Damn it. Some bulky guy had appeared out of freaking nowhere. I sighed and turned to face him, schooling my expression. I didn’t want to be rude if it was just someone checking in. Or maybe someone that needed repairs done at home. If only I was ever that lucky. “Hello,” I said politely. “How can I help?”
He smiled, and a dimple appeared in his overly tanned cheek. “I was just wondering what a pretty lady like you is doing in a job like this?”
My stomach turned over and my nose wrinkled in disgust. I pivoted on my boot heel and walked toward the door to the roof. He didn’t deserve a reply.
“You’d be a lot cuter out of those men’s clothes,” he called. His chuckles followed me up the stairs, even after I was out of earshot. His words rang in my mind. Damn those guys. There wasn’t any reason I couldn’t do this job.
The air conditioning unit was an easy fix. I found the leak in a couple of minutes. I patched it with some duct tape just long enough to run to the hardware store and grab the hose I needed.
Since it was a beautiful day, I walked. It was pretty much a straight shot down the sidewalk anyway and finding parking this time of day was usually awful. All in all, I was back on the roof without further incident in a half hour and completed the job in about double that. Not bad for a day’s work.
With a proud smile, I dusted my hands off and inspected my handiwork. Satisfied, I filled out the invoice and put all my tools back on my belt before heading back to the desk to drop off the paperwork with the kid at the counter.
Of course, two men were there, paying for smoothies. I had to admit, the fruity drinks did look good, but no way I was spending another minute in that gym. As quietly as I could, I waited behind the men and tried to sidestep them when they turned to walk away.
All I needed to do was slide the invoice across the counter and leave, but I recognized one of the men as soon as he turned around. Nick Summey. I’d gone to high school with him. He’d been the biggest dick in our class—or at least the second biggest, next to my ex. I had no reason to think he’d be any different today.
His gaze raked up and down my body like a creepy hug from an old pervert. “Kara?” he asked in an incredulous tone. “Is that you?”
“Yep.” I stepped around him and slapped the invoice on the counter, then turned to leave without another word.
“Hang on, hang on, sweetheart.” Nick reached out and grabbed my arm.
I froze, fury rushing through my body. I wasn’t sure if I was angrier about the pet name or his hand on my arm.
Definitely his hand.
Slowly, I turned my head toward him but pointed my gaze to his hand on my arm without saying a word. It was a conscious effort not to use any number of my tools to remove it for him. Go, me.
Nick seemed to get the hint and let go of my arm. “Don’t be hostile.” His overly cheery voice held a dark undertone I didn’t care for one bit. “I wanted to see if you’d like to get a drink with me sometime.”
I turned my gaze to him as he elbowed his friend and laughed like a teenager in a locker room. “I mean, assuming you own clothes other than this. Or we could just skip to no clothes at all.”
They both burst out laughing. The guy at the counter glanced up uncomfortably, then grabbed my invoice and turned away. Thanks for being a typical guy. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if men started calling each other out on their sexist behavior. I rolled my eyes.
“I think you can work the tomboy out of her,” his friend said with a disgusting leer, his thick eyebrows waggling.
My fury turned white-hot. I no longer cared that I wanted to maintain a professional demeanor whenever possible. “Fuck you,” I said in a low voice. “You immature pigs.” They both sobered up and straightened. Their body language changed as I called them out, muscles tensing, eyebrows furrowing. “You’re no better than idiotic high school boys. You’re worse, actually, because at least they have the excuse of being young. You’re grown-ass men, acting like a couple of complete fucking imbeciles.”
“Listen here, you bitch,” Nick said. “Nobody talks to me like that.”
I chuckled and turned away. “I just did.”
Someone stood right behind me. I hadn’t heard him walk up, and I nearly ran him over when I turned to leave. Judging by his facial features, he was a Kingston. He looked too much like Maddox and Maverick. Like he could’ve been their brother, or a very close relative.
The expression on his face was like a thundercloud about to release a bolt of lightning.
Or fire. The light reflected in his hazel eyes as he turned his face from looking
“You need to watch your fucking mouth,” the strange Kingston said in a gravelly voice. “And remember you’re talking to a lady.”
Shit, I wouldn’t have gone that far. I wasn’t exactly a lady, and I wasn’t ashamed of that, but I appreciated the sentiment anyway.
Nick snorted. “She’s no fucking lady.”
He was technically right, but I also didn’t need a guy, especially a random Kingston, coming in here to fight my battles. “Hey, I’m no damsel in distress. I can handle this,” I said in a low voice while keeping my back to Nick and his friend and my eyes on Mr. Hottie Kingston. He was probably Mr. Annoying Kingston, too, but that was neither here nor there.
“Whatever,” Nick said behind me. I still didn’t give him the time of day. “She’s not hot enough for me to bother, anyway.” Their shoes scuffed on the concrete floor as they walked away. I tried to tune out their voices. I didn’t need any more excuses to get pissed.
“Yes, she is,” the stranger called.
Damn, it was hard not to giggle when he said that. It was cute. But still, I was too irritated. I cleared my throat.
“I’m sorry,” he said as I tried to walk around him and finally make my escape. “You really didn’t need my help. I just couldn’t not say anything after what I heard that douchebag say to you.”
I nodded but couldn’t let him think women the world over needed men to fight their battles. “I appreciate the sentiment, but it was handled. Men like that don’t need to think that the only reason they have to back off is because a woman has a different man in her corner.”
His eyebrows crinkled, and he opened his mouth to argue, then cocked his head. “Is it like how sometimes when women are in a bar, and they tell a man they’re not interested, and the man won’t take no for an answer, but if the woman says she’s in a relationship, they’ll back off?”
“Sometimes even that doesn’t work.” I raised my eyebrows. “But I’m kind of surprised you know that’s a problem.”
He shrugged. “I read magazines sometimes.”
Maybe I’d misjudged him.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “If I ever come across something like that again, I won’t butt in unless the female really seems like she needs help.”
I pursed my lips and squinted at him. “Okay. Then, I forgive you. Thanks for trying.”
He chuckled and walked around me. I watched him go further into the gym before walking out to my truck. I couldn’t help being a little shocked that he’d been so willing to admit he’d done the wrong thing and tried to see things from my point of view. A rare commodity in a man. Good for him.
As soon as I closed the truck door, I called Beth and put it on speaker, turning the air up full blast. “Hey, friend!” she chirped. Ever since she’d started a relationship with her new boyfriend, Maddox, also a Kingston, she’d been in a perpetually cheery mood.
I ran down the events at the gym. Beth didn’t know Nick, as she hadn’t gone to high school here in Black Claw, but she sighed when I told her what he said. “There was one of those guys at every high school,” she said. “And they all sucked.”
“Agreed,” I said, then went into what the mysterious Kingston had done. “He looked like he could be Maddox or Axel’s brother. Dark hair, tall, strong jaw. Honestly, he was hot.”
“Did he sort of growl and glower?” she asked.
“Yes, how’d you know? His voice was totally deep and grumbly.”
“Sounds like Rico. He’s Maverick’s cousin from Arizona. He got into some trouble a while back and has been living here in Black Claw and getting his head on straight.”
I whistled through my teeth and pulled out of the parking lot toward home. “Those Kingstons have no short supply of hot men.”
“That’s the damn truth,” Beth said.
“I was a little surprised he got in the middle. Doesn’t seem like a very Kingston thing to do.”
Beth chuckled. “Rico is an odd one for a Kingston. He’s a little wilder than the rest of them, though from what I can tell he’s a good person. Just not as uptight.” She giggled. “Maddox would be so mad if he knew I called him uptight.”
We chatted on the way home, but even after we hung up, I couldn’t get Rico off my mind. He’d been kind, especially after I pointed out the error of his ways. He listened and changed his tune instead of getting mad and defensive.
But it had been my experience that people were kind right before they let me down. I didn’t trust anyone, least of all kind people. Why should Rico Kingston have been any different?
2
Rico
First the bar, now the gym. I needed to move out of Black Claw before I ran out of places to go. I hadn’t wanted to meet her. I’d avoided finding out who she was. I hadn’t even wanted to know what she looked like.
Too late now.
My bad mood had followed me around from the moment I sensed Kara at the bar. Days and days of feeling sour and out of sorts had taken its toll on me, and the blaring radio was doing shit all to help. I smacked the off button on the console. I wanted to tear someone’s head off. I wasn’t too particular about whose. Maybe that asshole at the gym? He seemed good at making himself a target, especially hers.
The thought of being anybody’s mate was laughable. Least of all a woman who clearly needed no help in life. What did she need a mate for?
I hadn’t fooled myself into thinking I wouldn’t run into her eventually. That was an inevitability. But I also hadn’t expected to see her at the gym, of all places. I’d never scented her there before, so I figured it was a good place to work off energy.
My family had a gym at the manor, of course, but going to the one in town gave me some time to breathe. Some Rico time. That worked out well.
A woman with spice is good for a relationship, idiot.
Valor didn’t think much of me. He disagreed with nearly everything I’d ever done, including the decision to stay away from Kara.
Whatever. He was welcome to think whatever he wanted about me. No way I was heading down that road. We’d already made too many bad decisions and landed ourselves in hot water one too many times. It was time to keep my nose clean and to the grindstone, or whatever the expression was. I had to keep out of damn trouble.
I parked my truck in the barn beside Maddox’s, slammed the door, and trudged across the freshly mowed front lawn and into the house. As I put my hand on the front doorknob, I knew I was in trouble. I smelled and heard my grandfather and Uncle Perry inside.
Great. If they were here, I’d done something else wrong. I had no idea what, but there was no other explanation.
After sucking in a deep breath, I opened the door and tried to act excited to see them. Normally it wasn’t that hard, but I really wasn’t in the mood for it today.
Gramps and Perry stood with Uncle James, my cousin Maverick’s father. It was his house I’d been staying in. If this massive place could’ve been called a house.
“Rico, my boy, come sit down.” Uncle James beamed at me. He’d been amazing since I came to stay with him. He’d opened his home and did his best to let me know I was welcome and loved. But I’d been here a few months now, feeling like the other shoe was about to drop. I’d expected this meeting to happen right after I’d come to Black Claw.
Well, time to get it over with. I walked across the big, spacious living room and sat between Uncle Perry and Gramps, the couch protesting under our combined weight. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked politely.
“We’re here to check on you,” Perry said. “James has been concerned.”
I looked at James with my eyebrows raised. “He has?”
