“So what had you all bottled up?” he probed.
She threw her hands up in the air. “My boss. My ex.”
“Both?”
“They are one in the same.”
His eyes widened as understanding dawned. “Oh,” he said. “I see.” His fingers splayed over the small of her back as he escorted her to the mouth of the walking trail. “Tricky situation.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” The aromatic scent of indigenous flowers filled her senses as she grabbed her shoes from her bag and slipped them on. Jared pushed a hanging branch out of the path and she listened to sounds of the animals coming to life around her as they intruded upon their territory.
“Then tell me.”
She rolled her eyes, gave a weary shake of her head, and decided to give him the condensed version. “My boss, soon to be ex-boss that is, sent me here to look for a dragon—”
“Chloe…”
She held her hand up and cut him off. “I know, I know, dragons don’t exist, but his real motivation was to get me out of the office so he could have his way with the new girl.”
His hand tightened on her back, a comforting gesture, which she deeply appreciated. “I’m sorry, Chloe.”
She made a very unladylike sound. “Don’t be. It was a wake-up call. That’s what I get for believing in fairy tales and happily-ever-after.” As she took in his strong profile she steered the conversation away from herself, probing for information. “So you said you’ve always lived here. Do you ever get the urge to go anywhere else?”
He gave a moment of hesitation before saying, “No. I like it here. My family is here.”
“Family?”
“Yeah.” He waved his hand in front of himself. “All the people who live here are my family.”
“But they’re not blood relatives?”
“Technically, no—”
“So you don’t have any biological relatives here, your parents, siblings, no one special to go home to at the end of the night?” she questioned.
“No one,” he murmured. “I’m the last in my bloodline.” Chloe glimpsed sadness and loneliness in the depths of his eyes before he quickly blinked it away. “And I wouldn’t have slept with you if I had someone special.”
Feeling sheepish, she nudged him with her elbow and tried to lighten the mood. “Now why is a sweet, hot guy like you still single?”
He flashed a wolfish smile. “You think I’m hot?”
With that Chloe laughed out loud, and Jared effortlessly took the reins and redirected the conversation. He gifted her with an amused look. “I could ask the same about you.” His voice dropped an octave. “Why is a sweet, gorgeous girl like you still single?”
“The fairy tale, remember. No man has ever lived up to the magical Prince Charming, especially my boss.”
“So you said your boss is soon to be your ex-boss.”
“I can’t very well go back and work for him.” She ran her fingers along a few hanging leaves, examining the smooth texture as she shook her head. “I don’t suppose you have any openings at the bar?”
Jared’s gaze moved over her face and the teasing warmth left his eyes. “You don’t want to stay, Chloe. There is nothing here for you.”
Chloe swallowed, and duly noted his subtle reminder that this thing between them was just a fling. Honestly, when she slipped between the sheets with him, she hadn’t anticipated that she could so easily fall for him.
“Tell me about your parents, your heritage,” he said.
“My heritage?”
“Yeah, where are you ancestors from?”
“Well, I was born in Australia but we moved to Canada when I was a baby. I lost both my parents a few years back and I don’t have any other living relatives that I know of.” They walked in silence for a moment, the tall canopy of trees keeping the blazing sun off their bodies, and she thought about how much she missed her mother and father. “My dad was a hematologist at the university,” she said as an afterthought.
Jared furrowed his brow as though in deep thought.
Unease hit her. “What?” she asked.
“Nothing.” Emotions passed over his eyes as he stopped and turned to her. “It’s just—” He opened his mouth to speak but then shut it again.
She raked her eyes over him. “Jared?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing,” he replied soberly.
As she studied him, it was clear that he was withholding information. But what? And why? She stepped into him, their groins bumped, and his muscles tightened.
His eyes darkened with lust as he glanced at her lips. He parted his mouth. “Chloe—” His voice fell off, and his eyes widened. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
He spun around and a few twigs snapped beneath his feet as he positioned Chloe behind him and scanned the area. “It sounds like a wounded animal.”
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Come on.” He grabbed her hand, ventured off the walking path and cut through the dense foliage. A moment later he stopped and with a nod he signaled toward an injured mongoose, clawing to free itself in the overgrown flora, its legs tangled in the vines. Chloe sucked in a breath. Immediately, Jared moved toward it, but Chloe put her hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“I don’t think you should touch it just yet.” She switched to scientist mode. “They’re quite vicious and we’re not suited up. Let’s go back and get—”
“It’s okay. I’m just going to take a look,” he assured her.
With his back to her, Jared bent down in front of the animal and despite his own best interest attempted to free its legs. “Hey, little guy,” he whispered. “Looks like you got yourself into a nasty fight and ended up in a tangled mess.” The mongoose made a threatening sound and in a movement so fast that it caught them by surprise, it swiped at Jared, its long claws slicing through his flesh like a hot knife through butter.
Chloe gasped and stiffened. “Jared.”
He held his hand up in a silent message, assuring her he had everything under control. Chloe
