Gray Back Alpha Bear(30)
She tried to turn but he held her steady.
“I love you, and I want to take you to Minden and try to fix things with your folks. Whether they realize it or not, they’re having a grandkid. And shifter or not, that’s a pretty big deal. And I thought if they could meet me and talk to me and see that I’m not that bad, then maybe they’d be nicer to you about all of this. I’m not going there to shoo you off, woman. I’m going there because I care about you and hate that there’s a tear between you and your family.”
Gia cleared her throat as her cheeks flushed with molten heat. “Oh.” She pursed her lips and stared down at Nards, who was now making his way toward the trashcan, dragging his giant testicles behind him. “It seems I was mistaken when I shot you with cheese, and for that I apologize.”
Creed snorted. “And?”
“And I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“And?”
She turned and braved a look up at him. “And I love you, too.”
“That’s what I was looking for,” he said through a beaming smile.
Chapter Ten
“I’m nervous,” Gia admitted out loud as she wound a loose string from the hem of her blouse around her finger.
“Why? I promise, Damon Daye is stoic, but he’s very polite. You have nothing to be worried about.”
“Yeah, but he’s like a father figure to you, right?”
Creed tipped his head back and forth and squinted at the mountain road they were climbing in his truck. “Kind of.”
“Well, he’s like family to you, and I already know we’re screwed on my side, so I’m nervous Mr. Daye won’t like me. Does he like humans? Does he care? He probably doesn’t care. Not like my parents who are very anti-shifter. He’s not anti-human, is he?” She was rambling, so she sucked her lips in and bit down to stop from going on.
Creed squeezed her leg gently and chuckled. “Gia, I swear, it’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, but he’s immortal right? Aren’t dragons immortal?”
“Only him.”
“So he’s eons old, and it’s really intimidating to meet someone who was around since the dinosaurs.”
Creed’s eyes tightened in the corners. “I don’t know if he’s quite that old.”
“What if he eats me?”
“Where did you hear that from?”
“Matt said to hurry back to the trailer park and not to get eaten…” Her voice trailed off as the scenery in front of Creed’s truck changed abruptly. “Wow,” she said on a shocked breath. Out the front window towered a glass mansion that had been built into the side of a jagged stone cliff. She’d never seen anything like it.
Creed parked next to a black Town Car and led her to the front door. Oh God, she was really going into a dragon’s lair. The hairs rose on her arms. Please don’t eat me!
Creed rested his hand on Gia’s belly. “Calm down,” he murmured against her ear. “I wouldn’t bring you here if I thought you or our baby would be in danger. Just breathe. I’ve got you.”
Gia inhaled deeply and held onto the crook of Creed’s arm. Everything in her trusted him.
“You ready?” he asked.
She nodded, feeling a little steadier now.
A man named Mason answered the door and led them down a white marble hallway capped with sprawling chandeliers and edged with Greek statues. Her sneakers squeaked loudly with each step, and she deeply regretted her decision to stay in the clothes she was going to travel to Minden in. She should’ve worn a dress to meet Damon. This was important to Creed, and she was showing up unprepared.
Mason opened a set of great wooden double doors and gestured for them to enter first. “Mr. Daye, Creed Barnett and Gia Cromwell.”
Wait, how did Mason know her name? She hadn’t told him. Perhaps Creed had talked about her on the phone or something. But the surprised look on Creed’s face said Mason had got his information from elsewhere.
“I was wondering when you would introduce me to your new mate,” a man said from behind a gigantic mahogany desk. He was trim and straight-backed. His hair was dark like Creed’s, but there was a hint of silver at his temples. His face was smooth and handsome with dark eyebrows over lightened silver eyes.
A rush of familiarity blasted through her, but was gone in a moment. For a split-second, Damon Daye looked like Creed. Surely the sense of deja vu was a trick of her mind. Still, she had to ask. “Have we met before?”
A slow, controlled smile spread his lips, revealing two dimples. “Your mate is very observant.”
“Oh, I’m not his—”