Free My Wild Irish Dragon by Ashlyn Chase Page A

thought about it. Boys wanted to “date” her—code for get into her pants—until she showed her assertive side. Girls just wanted to drown her. She wrestled her mind back to the moment.
    After the video they had a short break. In the EMT class there was only one other woman, and she was wearing a wedding ring. Chloe might be able to find a friend and put some distance between herself and Ryan. She’d try anything at this point.
    She strode over to the woman and introduced herself. “Hi. I’m Chloe Arish.” She stuck out her hand.
    The woman glanced at it and said, “Hi. I’m Beverly. Excuse me. I have to find the ladies room.”
    The woman took off and left Chloe feeling rejected. Ryan strolled over to her. As much as she hated to admit it, male friends were better than no friends. She offered him a smile.
    â€œPretty inspiring video, wasn’t it?”
    â€œHuh? Oh, yeah.”
    â€œI guess they figured they’d appeal to our hero complexes first, and then get into the nitty-gritty of how it’s done later.”
    Chloe had barely watched the video. It consisted of a succession of clips showing ambulances responding to desperate people, and the quick, efficient workers doing their jobs. EMTs were never thanked for their efforts, but the broad grins on their faces afterward said it all.
    If there had been pertinent information given, she could have concentrated on that. She didn’t need her “hero complex,” as Ryan called it, stroked or inspired. But it was nice to know that someday she might be greeted like a savior instead of a pariah.
    â€œWas there something you wanted?” she asked him.
    He laughed.
    What the feck was so funny?
    â€œSorry…” He shook his head, but the smile remained.
    â€œIs there some kind of private joke being had between you and yourself?”
    â€œNo.” He blew out a frustrated breath and the smile disappeared. “Look. I’m trying. We can be friends or not. I’d like it if we could work together as friends, but it’s your call.” He turned and strode away. Oh God. She knew that feeling. She knew that stride of shame.
    She followed. “I’m sorry,” she said when she caught up to him.
    â€œWhat are you sorry for?”
    She threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know. Bein’ a bitch. Treatin’ you crappy. I don’t know what to call it, but I know what it feels like…and I’m sorry.”
    He stood still and the smile returned.
    Oh, please don’t tell me I just made a big mistake.
    He strolled over to her. “Thank you. You haven’t been a bitch though. You’ve been…private. Soon, you’ll discover how little privacy firefighters have. I think I’ll give you your space for a while and let you get used to the idea of living and working with a bunch of guys, day in and day out. It’s what we’ll do—until you quit, get promoted, or retire.”
    Shite.
    * * *
    Chloe had dinner plans with Rory and Amber. They wanted to take her out to celebrate the end of her training, but she didn’t feel like going anywhere.
    She had changed into her little black dress and waited on their stoop before ringing the doorbell. When she looked down the street, it appeared as if nothing had changed since the nineteenth century. Well, electric streetlamps and cars instead of horses and buggies, naturally, but other than that, this place seemed like stepping back in time. It could be a residential street in long-ago Dublin.
    Yet, so much had changed for her in a year. Just the fact that this building she was about to enter had gone from a seventies disco palace to an elegant bed-and-breakfast was amazing.
    Now her brother was welcoming the city’s paranormal visitors to his B and B, and she was Firefighter Arish. How different their lives were from living in a caretaker’s cottage in sleepy little Ballyhoo, Ireland.
    They