Page 8 of Billionaire Dragon King’s Rejected Mate

He followed her gaze to the stairs spiraling up the slide tower and immediately shook his head. “Let’s not get crazy.”

She laughed. “Thought so.”

“What about you?” he asked. “Are you off the clock, or just avoiding work?”

“Hey,” she said, mock offense lighting her eyes, “I am on a very important break.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I already dealt with three screaming kids, a broken locker, and a guy who tried to argue that flip-flops count as secure footwear,” she said. “I’ve earned ten minutes of doing absolutely nothing.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded. “Your job sounds brutal.”

“It’s not so bad,” she admitted, shrugging. “Keeps things interesting.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She studied him again, a flicker of something thoughtful crossing her face. “You don’t seem like the water park type.”

“And what exactly is the water park type?” He worried that his identity was catching up with him.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Louder. More… cannonballs, less… cautious observation.”

“Hey, I did not cautiously observe that slide.”

She smirked. “No, you screamed at it.”

“Tactically.”

“Right. My mistake.”

There was a pause, softer this time before another parkgoer came screaming down the slide Randi laughed as she compared the latest shriek to his own.

Chance realized, with a quiet jolt of relief, that she still had no idea who he was. She had no shift in tone. No sudden politeness. No guarded answers. Just Randi, apparently. Quick-witted, unfiltered, and completely at ease.

It was… refreshing. Dangerous, maybe, but definitely refreshing.

“So,” she said, pushing off the railing again, “are you gonna dry off and pretend that never happened, or are you actually going to explore the rest of the park?”

He considered it, then he looked back at her.

“Well,” he said with a slow smile, “I could use a guide.” His dragon leapt to attention even as his brain screamed inside his head. What are you doing? Get away from her!

Her eyes lit with amusement. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been told I’m pretty ruthless.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“I might make fun of you again.”

“I’m prepared to take that risk.”

She pretended to think about it, tapping her chin. “Hmm.”

“Come on,” he added. “For the sake of public service. Keep my ego in check.”

That did it. She laughed, shaking her head.

“Alright, Slide Guy,” she said. “You’ve got yourself a guide.”