Chapter One
Most of the time, Wynona Bennett loved owning a mating agency, but she was having one of those days. The heel on her new shoe had snapped off, the air conditioning was on the fritz, her very pregnant niece Daisy had just waddled in and needed to see her instantly about some urgent problem, and to top it all off, she’d just thrown a billionaire out of her office.
Orion Garrison. Her richest client ever. Gone.
She stood in her lobby and regretfully watched him stomp out the door of her office, thudding down the stairs. His broad back was rigid with anger, head held high. She could practically see the indignation radiating off him, right through his hand-tailored silk Italian suit. Now there was a guy who wasn’t used to hearing the word “no”.
“Why are you throwing the hot guy out of your office?” Daisy asked her curiously. Yes, yes, he wasn’t just rich, he was gorgeous. Piercing amber eyes, silky black hair, sensual lips, cheekbones so sharp they could cut through glass.
“He did indeed seem like an ideal mating prospect, based on physical appearance, at least,” her new executive assistant Gillian chimed in.
Wynona scowled after him as the door to the street slammed. “Because he’s being a dick, excuse my French.”
“That’s English. French would be ‘il est une bite’,” Gillian corrected Wynona, with flawless pronunciation and no sense of irony whatsoever.
Wynona exchanged an amused glance with Daisy, who was sitting on the couch with her hands folded over her big pregnant tummy.
Gillian was a dream of an executive secretary; punctual, highly educated, and relentlessly organized. But she wouldn’t recognize a joke if it bit her in the ass.
Daisy glanced at the door. “He was so hot, though. On a scale of one to ten, he’s a twelve.” At Wynona’s raised eyebrow, she added, “What? I’m mated, not dead, for God’s sake.” Then she flashed a wicked smile and said, “And I didn’t say where Ryker fits on that scale.”
“Where?” Wynona gave her niece a fond smile. Six months ago, she had arranged the mating between Daisy and Ryker Harrison.
“Infinity.” Daisy patted her stomach with contentment. “You outdid yourself. Ryker is a keeper. Brought me breakfast in bed this morning before he left for work, as a matter of fact. And also did some other things I won’t mention in polite company. I meant Gillian, not you,” she added, directing that comment at Wynona. Then she looked at the door again. “Are you sure about kicking him out? There must be some lovelorn lady out there who’d be a good match for him.”
“No, it just won’t work. He had a ridiculous list of demands, and he’s in no position to be so picky.”
“But he’s so pretty,” Daisy protested.
“He’s also a dragon.”
“Ah.” Daisy nodded. “You’re right, he’s got a limited dating pool available. I’m surprised he even came here.”
Most dragons kept to themselves, living with their clans in a big, wide open area of Nevada that the clans had collectively purchased so they’d have room to fly safely – their area of Nevada had been declared a no-fly zone for airplanes – and also because of their affinity for finding gold and jewels. They owned most of the gold, silver and opal mines in the state.
“I guess he was getting pretty desperate. It’s not that easy for dragons to find a fertile mate,” Wynona said. “Plenty of women, but not that many who are able to carry dragonlings to term. As it so happens, I don’t even have any dragon females registered here. And I’m not going to look for any, because he’s a rude, entitled twat.”
“Yeah, fair enough. No point in setting up a match that wouldn’t be happy.” Daisy glanced at Gillian. “Gillian, can you call in a derrick to hoist me off this couch, please?”
“Oh, I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” Gillian reassured her. “You’re not that large. One or two strong males should be able to pull you to your feet, and realistically, there is no way to fit that type of equipment inside this building anyway. Shall I call for assistance? I believe the gentlemen in the office down the hall should—”
“I got this,” Wynona interjected quickly. Gillian was actually about to call for help.
Wynona flashed an exasperated look at her niece, grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her to her feet.
“Must you?” she demanded of Daisy as she hustled her into her office and shut the door. “You did that on purpose. You know how literally she takes everything.”
Daisy was shaking with laughter. “Yes, my dear aunt, I must. It’s part of the joy of visiting you.”