Fired by my Grumpy Dragon (Grumpy Monster Bosses #3)

SIX

Kivrayn

I step away for a second—a fucking second—to take a phone call.

Loren looks around, her hand still teasing the delicate golden discs of the priceless earrings.

Dark smoke escapes my nostrils, and my flame burns so hot I wouldn’t be surprised if everything around me spontaneously combusts. But it’s not the fact she’s touching my hoard that has me fuming. I feel the stroke of her knuckles like a physical touch. It makes me shudder with pleasure.

Which can only mean one thing: Loren Carandang is my fated mate. There’s just one problem. I don't want a mate. I can’t have a mate.

She needs to leave. Immediately. Before the bonding begins. Before I’m tempted to bite her and seal my fate.

Inside my trousers, my dicks stir. I haven’t had an inappropriate erection in decades. I thought I was past that. Of course Loren brings out this base side of me.

There’s no time to waste. I need her out of my house and out of my sight. Now.

Sucking in a slow breath through my nostrils, I close my eyes. That doesn’t stop me from sensing the very second she withdraws her hand. “Ms. Carandang, kindly collect your belongings and wait by the front door. I will order you a taxi to take you back to Heartstone.”

I open my eyes again to find her gaping at me. “What? But the auction.”

“Simon can do your lots. Or someone else. That doesn’t matter. You may access the office to collect your things this week at your convenience. I expect your desk to be clean the following week when I return.”

“You what?” Instead of leaving, she takes a step closer. My wings flutter and my claws flex with the need to grab her. I restrain myself.

“You’re dismissed. Fired. I thought I had made myself perfectly cl—”

“You can’t do that!” She jabs her finger in my face, her head tipped back so she can glower up at me.

I fold my arms across my chest to stop myself from grabbing her by the wrist. “Yes. I can.”

“No way. There are laws—”

“But you signed a contract when you took the job that specified immediate dismissal for this exact scenario.” I’m breathing faster now, despite my cool words. So is she. Her eyes blaze with anger, and that only makes my fire burn hotter.

I have the deeply inappropriate urge to grab her by the neck, push her up against the wall, and give her both my dicks at once to shut her up.

Of course, I ignore it.

Loren’s mouth flaps open for another moment, but no words come out. Her color deepens. She closes her mouth again with a little swallowed scream. “My god, you’re an asshole. You know that?”

I snarl. “Because I gave you an instruction and you deliberately ignored it to your detriment? Explain how that makes me the asshole here.” I shouldn’t be baiting her. I should be watching while she finally walks out of my life so I can have some peace.

“Oh you want me to explain? Well let me spell it out for you. You get in my face every damn day. Don’t do this. Don’t go here. Don’t talk with him. Prying into my personal life. Commenting on my clothes. Now you want to tell me you didn’t set up this whole thing just so I would write my own resignation? Forget it. I don’t believe it. You’ve had it out for me from day one. You’ve just been waiting for me to quit, but guess what? I’m no quitter. So you had to stoop this low. As if you didn’t know all that big, long lecture about not touching stuff was like a... a red flag to a bull!” She waves her hand, then turns away suddenly.

She doesn’t need my cocks. This woman needs to be turned over my knee for a spanking. Red flag to a bull? Only if you’re an incurable brat. Further proof she cannot be my mate.

I hate brats.

“Yeah,” I call after her, despite the fact that she’s finally doing what I asked her. “I’m the asshole.”

She doesn’t respond.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, resisting the urge to follow her and make sure she knows I’ve had the last word. Did she even hear me? Does she know how ridiculous she sounds ?

It’s fine. It’s done. I’ll call her a cab and she’ll go back to the city and clear out her desk. I’ll never have to see her again.

I tell myself that a hundred times as I make the phone call and then gather the team to conduct an emergency briefing on Loren’s lots. Soon guests are arriving and canapés are being served, and I’m forced to shove the incident to the bottom of my mind. That doesn’t mean I can forget about it, though.

Far from it. Every moment I’m not actively talking to someone—hell, sometimes even when I am—I’m replaying the feel of her phantom touch in my head or picturing the exact shade of deep caramel her cheeks turned as she realized she’d lost the argument.

I don’t see her leave, but I know the moment she’s no longer under my roof. My previous levels of tension spike until the thundering of my heart and the pressure in my chest makes me wonder for a second if I’m having a heart attack.

Dragons don’t have heart attacks. At least, I didn’t think it was possible. Despite that fact, for a moment, I have to tug at the collar of my starched business shirt and gulp in a few breaths at the door of the gallery while I try to get hold of myself.

Fuck.

I should never have brought her here. What the hell was I thinking? I knew the risks. What if it’s too late and the bonding has already started? That should be impossible. But Loren seems to have crawled so far under my skin in the couple of months she’s worked for me that I’d believe it. I’ve been tracking her movements with increased obsession for the last few weeks. Up to the point where I actually followed her home yesterday. Well, to her date, just to make sure she was safe.

Definitely not because I wanted to make sure she’s not seeing someone else. Not letting another male put his hands on her—

I have to force down a full-blown growl. Running my hands through my hair, I find Sylvie and lean down to have a quiet word with her. “I need to step out for a moment. Hold the fort.”

“Sure thing, boss.” She gives me one of her characteristic warm smiles. “Are you feeling OK? You look a little off. Did someone go near your hoard?”

“Something like that,” I mutter and stalk from the room.