The Dragon’s Brave Nanny (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #4)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

***KEITH***

K eith paced back and forth across the living room, waiting for Stella to come out of the bedroom. He was done being patient, done waiting for her to tell him on her own. He couldn’t go on wondering what she was hiding. He wanted to know who the woman he was falling in love with really was. It didn’t seem too much to ask, and he couldn’t imagine that it would change the way he felt, but right now, not knowing was driving a wedge between them, and that wasn’t sitting well with him.

Stella was the first woman that had ever completely captivated him, the only woman he’d ever considered special enough to let himself get attached to, and he needed to know if she was making a fool of him. It left a cold spot in his middle to think that she might just be playing him, messing with his feelings to…well, he didn’t know what, but his mind was spinning with the possibilities.

The door to the bedroom opened a few seconds later, and he whirled around. A punch of desire hit him as soon as he saw Stella, and he let out a little groan of frustration. Now was not the time to let his physical, almost visceral attraction take control. He needed to be calm and collected, to keep his cool, but when their eyes met, his body had other ideas.

“Damn it, Stella,” he said, turning away from her and running his hands through his hair. “I want you so much it makes it hard to think sometimes.”

He heard her gasp, then her footsteps coming up behind him. A second later, she put her hand on his arm and gently turned him around to face her. “I’m sorry, Keith. I never meant to hurt you. I should have told you sooner, but I’m not supposed to,” she said. “I guess no one thought I would meet the perfect guy and start falling for him while I was hiding. It doesn’t seem quite fair.”

“You’re in hiding?” he asked, searching her face. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything; I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said. Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you about it, but Keith, you can’t tell anyone, not even Max. You have to promise me.”

“Stella, I would never do anything that would put you in danger,” he said. “Is there someone after you?”

She nodded, “A very bad guy. “He assassinated a senator and I saw the whole thing,” she said, then had to take a deep breath before she went on. “I was on my way home from a late-night meeting with my boss about a project we were working on, and I took a wrong turn. I ended up parked in a dark alley, messing with my phone, trying to figure out how to get home. Before I could get out of there, a car suddenly came roaring toward me, then came to a stop. Another one raced after it, and when they both stopped, a man got out of the second car, walked up to the first one, pulled open the door, and shot the person in the back.”

“Oh, Stella, that’s terrible,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “What did you do?”

“At first, I just sat there, too shocked to do anything,” she said, shivering. “But then the man looked around the alley and spotted me sitting in my car. He lifted the gun to shoot at me, and I took off, just threw the car in gear and floored it, but I got a good look at the guy. He got a good look at me, too, so I drove straight to the police department, and that’s when my life got flipped completely upside down. They put me into the witness protection program, and here I am.”

Keith was stunned. Of all the things he’d imagined, he’d never considered Stella might be in hiding and from what sounded like a very bad character. “I never thought…I imagined all kinds of things, but not that,” he finally said. “Did you identify this guy?”

Stella nodded. “He’s a hit man for the mob. The senator was trying to shut them down, so they put a contract out on him,” she said. “Now I’m caught in the middle, and until I testify, I have to stay hidden.”

“And when will that be?” he asked, the full implication of what was happening finally settling on him. “I hope it’s soon.”

“They haven’t caught him yet,” she whispered. “He disappeared that night and hasn’t surfaced since then. The police think he left the country, and the only way he’ll come back is if I’m dead.”

He realized that she was trembling and pulled her up against him. “Oh, Stella, I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this alone,” he said, then looked down at her. “But you’re safe with me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You’re not worried about Jordan?” she asked, her bottom lip trembling. “I could be putting him in danger.”

“We’re all going to be just fine,” he said. “They’ll catch this guy, and if they don’t and he comes after you, I’ll kill him.”

Stella gasped, then looked up at him. “Keith, you don’t really mean that,” she said. “I mean…you couldn’t…”

“I can and I will,” he said, his magic awakening just a little. “Dragon shifters were created to be warriors, and we always protect our own, even to the death, so I’d just like to see him come after you while I’m around.”

“I’ve been so scared,” she said, burying her face in his shoulder. “I don’t know if I like the idea of you killing for me, but I’d really like to stay alive.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me, too,” he said, pulling back and smiling down at her. “You’ve got some mad talent. Those plans you drew up were fantastic, and I hope you’ll let us use them. Who are you, Stella? I want to know everything about the real you.”

She smiled up at him. “It’s kind of a boring story,” she said. “I’m not really anyone special.”

“You let me be the judge of that,” he said, then grinned at her. “Now start talking.”

***Stella***

Stella realized that she had nothing to lose now. The worst was over. Keith hadn’t freaked out, hadn’t sent her away, and just wanted to get closer. It made her head swim for a second, when she realized that she might just be able to have what she wanted. Her screwed-up life wasn’t going to come between them. If anything, it was bringing them closer together.

“I’m an architect with a master's degree in structural engineering,” she said. “I’ve been working my way up the ladder with a big company that builds mostly commercial properties, or at least I was before all this happened.”

Keith let out a low whistle. “Holy moly, those are some heavy credentials you’ve got going there,” he said. “You really are a genius.”

“Not exactly, I’m just really good with numbers, and I’m a bit obsessed with building things,” she said. “It’s something that has fascinated me since I was little. I was the weird kid in the neighborhood building treehouses and bridges out of toothpicks. The other kids never knew what to think.”

“You were a nerd,” Keith said, grinning at her. “Did you wear a big pair of glasses too?”

She elbowed him in the ribs, “That’s not very nice,” she said, then smiled up at him. “I’ll have you know, I have perfect vision, and I wasn’t a nerd. I was a cheerleader, I played basketball, and even joined the choir one year.”

“Popular and smart, I’m a lucky man,” he said. “What about your family? You must have someone missing you back home.”

She shook her head, a wave of sadness washing over her as it always did when she was asked that question. “My parents were killed in a car accident a few years ago,” she said. “I was an only child, and we didn’t have very many relatives, so I’ve been on my own for the last few years.”

“I know what that feels like, except my parents are still alive. We had a bit of a disagreement a few years back, and we don’t have anything to do with each other,” he said. “I have a sister, but she took my parent’s side. I don’t really blame her. She’s a spoiled little brat, and my dad threatened to cut her off if she didn’t stop talking to me.”

“Oh, Keith, I’m sorry, that must be really hard,” she said. “What happened?”

“I just decided that working for my father’s company wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I didn’t want to be a lawyer; I didn’t want to make money just for the sake of making money. I wanted to do something that made a difference, I wanted to work with my hands. My father hated the idea of me opening up a contracting company, so we parted ways. I didn’t want their money, not if it came with strings.”

“I get that,” she said. “That was brave of you, Keith. Sticking to our convictions can be one of the hardest things we have to do in life.”

“That’s why this job was so important. It was going to be my chance to show my father that I’m not wasting my life,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Now I’m not so sure it matters anymore. I’m beginning to see that I was still buying into his beliefs. I don’t need to make a bunch of money to be successful; I don’t have to be the biggest contractor on the East Coast; I just need to be happy, and you make me happy, Stella.”

She smiled at him, that dizzy feeling back again. “You make me happy too, Keith,” she said. “But I think now you can see why this is such a bad idea. I can’t drag you and Jordan into this mess I’m in, no matter how much I want to.”

Keith shifted on the couch and reached up to frame her face with his hands. “We’re already a part of it; we both care about you, Stella,” he said. “I’m not letting some gangster come between us. We’ll just take this one step at a time, and don’t forget I’ve got a few resources that most men don’t. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

She looked up at him, tears stinging her eyes. “Oh, Keith, you have no idea how much I want to believe that,” she said. “I never dreamed that I’d find someone like you. I don’t want to give you up.”

“Then don’t,” he said, leaning down and kissing her softly. “Let me be here for you, Stella. I can’t think of any place else I want to be.”

She let out a long sigh and nodded her head. “If you’re sure, I won’t stop you,” she said, relief pouring through her. “One step at a time, then.”

“I’m going to kiss you just to seal the deal,” he said, grinning down at her. “Brace yourself, woman.”

Winding her arms up around his neck, she smiled up at him. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said. “Just go easy on me. ”

It was a long time before they came up for air, and only because Jordan woke up from his nap demanding their attention, but the flames of the passion between them continued to burn. Once unleashed, neither was willing to suppress the desire. Both were relieved to finally give in to the feelings between them, but they were in no hurry to take their relationship to the next level, and after Jordan went to bed, they sat talking late into the night.

When she finally went to bed, Stella was tempted to invite Keith to share with her but held back, sensing that a little more time would only strengthen the bond between them. But after a scorching good night kiss, it took her a long time to fall asleep, the desire racing through her almost more than she could resist. When sleep did finally claim her, she dreamed of Keith and the future they could share.