Free Love Burns by Georgette St. Clair Page B

out front.
    Calder came out to greet her, and she felt a warm rush of arousal as he grinned down at her. The setting sun bathed him in golden light, and he was so big and broad-shouldered that he seemed to fill the doorway. He gestured at her to come on in. “Welcome to my humble abode. I’m not one of those dragons with a gold mine, I’m afraid,” he said.
    “Neither am I,” she said. “No chance of me being your sugar mama, I’m afraid.”
    Then she glanced up at him. “The rest of your clan lives in a castle, though. Did you move out because you’re planning on starting your own clan?” she asked as she followed him into the living room.
    The floor was made of flagstones, and the furniture was good but well-worn. A leather couch and a matching recliner had scuffed arms, and the side table was piled with paperwork – Calder had been bringing his work home with him. He gestured Olivia towards the couch, then leaned against the stone mantel. She couldn’t help but notice that there were no family pictures, just an oil painting of a mountainous landscape hanging on the wall above his head.
    He shook his head. “No, I moved out when I was eighteen, and I wouldn’t take their money. My family were notorious jewel thieves for many generations, and I couldn’t accept their money on moral grounds.”
    “Oh, right. I met your mom. She told me that you had a falling out with your family for a while.”
    “Whoa, back up. Back up several miles,” Calder said. “You not only met my mom, you two had a conversation about me? When did this happen?”
    “More than once.” Olivia was amused by how rattled the normally smug, unflappable Calder was at this news. “She’s already decided that you’re marrying me, and she’s planning out the wedding.”
    “She what? How did you two even meet?”
    “She came to talk to me. Something about wanting to check out the woman her son was going to be mated to. Is your mother prone to hallucinations?”
    Calder snorted. “She’s prone to a lot of things, but not hallucinations. I wonder what she’s up to.”
    “Maybe she’s just trying to be a good, if nosy, mom?”
    “That would be a change, based on past history.” He shook his head. “Well, you go get settled in. All your suitcases are in the guest bedroom. I’m going to grill us some steaks.”
    After a quick shower, Olivia came out to find that he’d already prepared a delicious dinner of steak, red potatoes, and broccoli dripping in butter.
    They were sitting in the kitchen eating when they heard a car pulling up out front. Calder walked over to the window and looked out, and scowled at what he saw.
    “Prepare to lose your appetite,” he said, and went to open the front door. Olivia followed him. Her father, of course.
    Teague came to the door with a gloating look on his face. “So it’s true. You’re not just dating him, you’re living with him,” he said to Olivia.
    “Word travels fast,” she said drily.
    “Good, good. Now I can notify the ice dragon council that you’re stepping down as mayor.”
    She frowned at him. “I wouldn’t recommend lying to them, no.”
    “Read the town charter. The mayor of North Lyndvale must actually reside in North Lyndvale,” he said triumphantly, then chortled at her look of dismay. “Of course, you could move back into your house, where you’ve already been attacked once. Or you could wise up and marry any of the very eligible candidates who are still interested in you. Ichabod is off the table, of course—”
    “Oh, drat!” Olivia pouted and made a face. “And I was so looking forward to learning how to change adult diapers.”
    Then she glanced at Calder. “He’s probably right about the town charter, though. I’ll just move back into my house and take my chances, I guess.”
    Her father stepped aside with a flourish of his hand. “Right this way. Shall I help you with your suitcases?”
    “Actually,” Calder said coolly to her father, “you’ll