Chapter Six
Lily shut down her computer and was about to go home for the night when Cassie, the office receptionist, buzzed her. “Ms. Harper, there’s a man here to see you.”
Thinking it must be Birk, her heart raced. Stupid body. Her hormones exploded right after the adrenaline rush. Lily was so torn. If she’d never been burned, she would be chasing Birk since he was everything she wanted in a man. The scars covering her entire back convinced her daily that she needed to keep her distance however.
Lily probably should say she was busy, but damn, she would enjoy seeing him, especially after the last few days—her stress level had been sky high. And then there was this whole creepy feeling that someone had been following her. She would have mentioned it to Kyle, but whenever she turned around, no one was there. It certainly hadn’t helped that Mr. Toma seemed ready to blow. He’d called several times already to find out the status of his claim. “Send him in.”
Lily ran her hands down her hair and smoothed out her shirt. When the door burst open, her heart stopped. She jumped up and nearly toppled her chair. “Mr. Toma!”
He stepped toward her desk and planted his hands on the edge. “I have to know how much I’m going to get from my insurance claim.”
“I told you over the phone these things take time.” There was no need to mention that the police needed to be certain he wasn’t involved.
After she’d spoken with his ex-wife, she could almost believe he’d paid someone to set the fire. However, after learning his two daughters were missing, her sympathy had shifted.
“Why?” His voice rose, and she slowly moved her hand toward the button on the side of her desk to call for help. Customers were often frustrated with the process of claims and some became abusive. They’d installed the silent call for security a year ago when one of their agents was attacked and received a broken nose and a dislocated collarbone. Alea didn’t fool around when it came to her staff; they were like family. She told them if for any reason they didn’t feel safe with a client, they just needed to push the button before things escalated.
“Actually, I just turned in the report a few minutes ago, so it’s out of my hands. It takes time to process such a large sum. You’ll get your money as soon as the police tell us we can.”
He puffed out his chest. “When they do, how much will I get?”
Crap. She couldn’t lie. “I recommended half of what you asked for.” She inhaled and held her breath.
He leaned even closer, his eyes focused hard on her face. “You believed that weasel arson investigator who said I lied?” His eyes shifted in every direction, and spittle dripped down his chin. Lily pressed the button.
“Mr. Toma. I suggest you speak with Inspector Gerrard yourself and ask for his results. He has the chemical analysis report that shows what you had and what you did not have in the warehouse.” That wasn’t totally true, but all she needed was for this man to calm down.
“I told you, I was robbed,” he said between gritted teeth.
“Did you file a police report?” His eyes went wide. Gotcha!
“No, but that shouldn’t matter.” The left side of his lip curled.
Lily held up her palms, trying to stall for time. “Please calm down, Mr. Toma. I imagine the fire, along with the disappearance of your daughters, has you not thinking straight. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
His skin turned white. “What do you know about my daughters?”
“Nothing. I swear. Just that they are missing. I can’t imagine the pain you must be going through.” Lily didn’t usually babble, but she was afraid of Toma.
Just as he moved around the desk toward her, two security guards rushed in. “Sir!” Before Toma could reach her, the guards grabbed him. “Come with us.”
Toma glared at her and then sneered. “This isn’t over.”
Lily’s legs weakened, forcing her to sit back down. Over the years, she’d encountered some pretty pissed off people, but none seemed as violent as this man. Part of her wanted to call Birk and ask if he’d escort her home, but the other half decided against it. She was strong—or so she wanted to believe.
After pretending to do a little work at her desk until her breath slowed and her hands stopped shaking, she sucked it up and left the almost-empty office. As Lily walked toward her parked car, she kept a lookout for anyone hiding between vehicles ready to jump out at her.
Once she made it, she slid in and locked her door. Her heart was still racing too fast. She was a mess, all because of Toma. It wasn’t just him though. It was everything that had happened in the last few months. Between her ex-boyfriend and the attack on her brother’s mate, Lily’s nerves were stretched taut.
Even driving the two miles home took all of her concentration. When she finally reached her apartment, she rushed inside the building. When she spotted Birk waiting for her by her front door, she was tempted to hug him.
“Hi,” she said a little out of breath.
He smiled. “Hi, yourself.” Birk closed the gap between them and then clasped her shoulders. “You’re pale. And you’re shaking. Are you okay?”
She shook her head. The temptation to press her body against his was strong, so she grabbed just a bit of comfort by clasping his big bulging arms—but only for a moment. “I could be better. Want to come in?”
His grip tightened, and his eyes widened, no doubt trying to figure out why she’d just done a one-eighty on him.
“Of course.”
Once she stepped inside her apartment, Lily’s anxieties shot up again as conflicting emotions ran through her. Leaning on Birk to draw on his strength would be wonderful but way too easy. She needed to figure things out for herself, and falling for him would end in disaster. Been there done that.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Her voice came out higher than she’d wished.
“I think you could use a glass of wine. I’ll join you if you have some.”
One glass wouldn’t hurt, but she needed to keep her wits about her. “That sounds good.” Lily ducked into the kitchen only to realize she and Nessa had finished off the last bottle. “I just remembered that I’m out of wine. Is tea okay?” she called out.
“Sure. Whatever you’re having is fine with me.”
As she fixed the drinks, she debated how much she should tell Birk. Knowing him, he’d rush out and confront Toma, and that would only cause the man to lash out at her in earnest the next time. No, she’d say Toma visited her, but not mention that she’d had to call security. As she dunked the teabag into the hot water, Birk came up behind her. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, she nearly leaped out of her skin.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
The sympathy in his voice nearly broke her spirit. Lily hadn’t realized until now how much she missed confiding in someone. That person used to be Kyle until he met Nessa. Lily spun around. “Toma came to the office a little while ago.”
Birk’s eyes changed colors right in front of her. “What did he say? Did he hurt you?”
“No, but he might have if I hadn’t called security on him.” Damn. She hadn’t meant to confess that.
Birk picked up the two cups. “Come sit down and tell me everything.”
“I’m fine—physically at least.”
Birk set the drinks on the coffee table, guided her to the sofa, and then sat next to her. “I need to know what happened and don’t leave anything out.”
Lily proceeded to tell him every detail of what went on with Toma at her office. Birk waited until she finished before commenting. “How did you hear about his missing daughters?”
Lily picked up her cup and blew the steam off the surface. “I spoke with his ex-wife.”
His hand tightened on his cup. “Why? Did you suspect her of setting the fire?”
She didn’t appreciate his sharp tone. “Toma told me he thought his ex-wife might have hired someone to torch the warehouse, and I wanted to hear her side of the story.”
His chest caved a little as if he’d let out a big breath. “Did you go alone?”
“Yes. I know, I know, but I only said I wouldn’t speak with Mr. Toma by myself.”
Birk waved a hand. “You’re right. Go on. What did she tell you?”
“Let me say upfront. I liked the woman and actually felt sorry for her for having to put up with that ass for so long. Apparently, when Mrs. Toma met her future husband, he was a really nice guy. The way she told the story, it sounded like they had a good life, one with a future. I think the best thing about the man was that he loved his daughters unconditionally. Then Mrs. Toma became ill, and her husband had to work harder and longer hours to pay for her care. That’s when things became strained between them.”
“I’ve seen that happen to many couples. Did Mrs. Toma say what caused her to divorce him?”
“Yes. The downturn in the real estate market hit Toma hard. Apparently, he built some condos that didn’t work out as planned, and he lost a lot of his money. That was when he began to gamble. From there his problems escalated.”
Birk sipped his tea and almost looked refined with a china cup in his huge hands. “Do you think Mrs. Toma had anything to do with the burning of the warehouse?”
“No. Was she angry that her ex was often late with his alimony payments? Sure, but she appreciated that he offered their middle daughter and granddaughter a place to live after their son-in-law was arrested for petty theft.”
“Did she have a theory about who burned down his warehouse or who might have taken their daughters?”
Lily only liked to talk in facts, but her gut had been working overtime. “Marla Toma said that given the mounting excuses her ex-husband gave her for why he couldn’t pay her monthly allotment, she believed he owed money to someone. While she has no proof, she thinks it’s possible this loan shark decided to take the one thing he held dear—his family.”
Birk’s mouth opened, but only for a moment. “That’s really helpful. I’ll ask around. I know where Toma gambles, and I’m betting someone there must have heard him talk about needing to pay someone off.”
Talking about the case with Birk was exciting. She rarely had the chance to discuss anything about her work. “Do you think Toma set the fire to his warehouse so he could pay off this guy?”
Birk shrugged. “It’s not my job to know. Right now, my focus is on keeping you safe.”
Anyone would love a protective man, but Birk was a bit smothering. “What makes you think I’m in danger anymore?” She held up a hand. “Sure, Toma clearly is in desperate need of cash and probably thinks I suspect him of torching his place, but he’s already threatened me. Once he receives his money—or rather if he does—I believe he’ll leave me alone.”
Birk lifted the cup of tea from her hands and set it down. “There’s more to it than that.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach. “What is it?”
“I haven’t been totally honest with you.”
That was the last thing she expected Mr. Straight Arrow to say. “I don’t understand.”
He twisted in the seat to face her. “I need to tell you about what I did today to give you a little background.”
Given the way Birk was having a hard time making eye contact, she probably wasn’t going to like what he had to say. “I’m listening.”
“I’m sure you’ll agree that things between us have been, at best, strained.” He exhaled hard and held up a palm. “I get it. No one likes to have some strange man hanging around all the time, pestering her to go out with him.”
When he looked at her, she felt obligated to answer. “You’re not some strange man, but I’ll admit it can get a bit stifling at times. However, I’ve been around worse.”
“Thank you. It’s because I have reason to believe you are in serious danger.”
She shook her head, mostly because she didn’t want to believe it. “I don’t think Toma will come around anymore.”
“I’m not talking about him.”
Okay, now her stomach was clenching and tumbling. She wished Birk would be more specific. “Does Kyle know anything about this complication?”
“Not yet. Let me start by saying that we are—oh fuck—maybe I should begin with the first time I met you.”
She’d never seen Birk come unraveled like this. “You can tell me anything.”
He nodded. “The first time I saw you lying on the floor, something came over me—a wave of protective need—and I felt this instant connection. I didn’t want anyone else touching or coming near you. It was like a piece of my soul was attached to you…Ugh, I suck at this kind of stuff, and I am screwing up trying to explain it to you.” His lips pressed together as if he was waiting for her to say she felt the same thing.
Birk’s words touched her more than she could say. “I remember very little about those first few hours after the attack. I was still in shock when I came to, and it wasn’t until after you took me and Kyle to that safe house underground, that I became aware of what you were. Even then, I had no idea why Nessa was hanging around Kyle. Now I know it was because they were mates.” Birk’s eyes changed from a rich brown to that beautiful teal color. Then like a tsunami, it hit her. “Are you saying that I’m your mate?”
He finally let out a breath. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept me. I know I can be over protective and a bit uncouth—or so Nessa tells me—but I’m willing to wait until you’re ready.”
Lily had no words. She was Birk’s mate? For real? Birk was, after all, a dragon shifter, and the last dragon shifter had hurt her badly.
Her heart fluttered as excitement filled her, but at the same time, dread pooled in her stomach. Lily wanted to believe that Birk was different, but she was afraid to take the leap. Her insecurities about what he would do when he saw her back were strong.
Could she take the chance that he wouldn’t be disgusted and run? That was the gold winning question right there.
Then again, Kyle had never been so happy as when he’d mated with Nessa, and then again when he was transformed into a dragon…Oh, no. “Are you saying that if we mated, I’d have to be a dragon too?”
His smile wobbled. “I don’t know any way to stop it, but Kyle likes being one.”
That was a deal breaker. Lily sat up straighter. “Kyle is a born fighter. I’m not.”
“Just think if you could shift into a dragon, you could shoot fire at Toma if you wished—or Nelor!”
She could never hurt anyone—well, maybe Nelor. “I barely know you.”
When the muscles in his face sagged and the light in his eyes dimmed, she wanted to take back every word.
“That’s why people date,” he said. “Look, I’m not asking you to strip naked and make love with me this minute. I mean…I’d like that, but I like you as a person and want you to get to know me too.”
Did he really like her? Or was that his hormones talking? She was so confused.
Lily finally admitted that this indecision was driving her crazy. Bottom line was that she had to finally pull up her big girl panties and just show him that she cared. She could no longer deny that she was falling for Birk, big time. No more hiding!
In order for them to move forward though, or for her to accept a rejection and move on, she needed to see his reaction first hand—in the light of day and not in the throes of passion. With her heart slamming against her ribs, Lily took a deep breath, turned away from Birk, and grabbed the hem of her shirt. Tears brimmed on her lashes as she raised the material over her head, waiting for the intake of breath or the grunt of disgust.