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Chapter Three
Conflagration stood behind the bar in the suite living room. Despite the fact that the meet and greet was taking place downstairs, so many of their classmates had come up for their pre-meet and greet, they had settled in for the duration, which, if nothing changed, seemed likely to last all night.
Gina, her alias a thing of the past the moment nosy Suzy the anteater—her “biggest fan” entered, stood surrounded by a group of giggling shifter women and a few guys. Those they’d invited had called down and told everyone about Gina until everyone at the reunion had piled into their room for the chance to meet the famous actress and model.
Before the party, they’d barely had time to introduce themselves to her, and actually had no idea they had been matched with someone known from coast to coast as both a model and the best friend of the heroine in one of the hottest movie releases of the entire year. And here he stood with Walter, watching their date enchant people they hadn’t seen in fifteen years.
“I told you I had a beautiful date,” he muttered.
“You implied you were bringing your new girlfriend,” Walter replied. “Little bit of a lie there?”
A roar of laughter came from some of the people in Gina’s corner.
“Well you basically said the same thing.” Taking a gulp of 7&7, a retro drink but one he always chose when he wanted at least the illusion of a buzz, he glared across the room. “But that’s not the problem now.”
“No, it’s not. But how do we go about getting rid of all these people so we can get to know her? And figure out where we go from here?”
“It is a problem, isn’t it? I’d like to be a good neighbor…”
“For once?” Conflagration arched a brow.
“Let’s not start now. Clearly, we cannot share her.”
He kept his focus on the group around Gina while he spoke, but his awareness of the other dragon grew at the same time. His dragon couldn’t separate his interest in one from the other, which made it mega confusing. “We just need to get her alone and let her pick.”
“Then one of us will be dateless tomorrow night.”
“That doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
Gina answered questions, laughed at jokes, even signed a few autographs. This was not how she’d anticipated her evening with her date.Dates.When she’d gotten a look at Walter in the bathroom, wearing only plaid boxers, she’d been stunned by the masculine beauty. And when that other guy—Conflagration?—raced into the bathroom with the news they were both her dates—a fact they clearly had not been aware of before that point—she’d been torn between terror and excitement.
Two dates.
She’d joked with Juniper about the possibility, even made a comment to the effect to Gerri Wilder, but to have not one but two shifters turn up? Wow. Having been raised by humans from an early age, she’d dated people she went to school with, people she met on shoots or through the studio. Humans.
Juniper had told her many times she needed to make the change, to date people whose lifespan as well as physicality was more like hers. Despite her curves and curls, Gina could take on and defeat any of the men she’d gone out with before. In any sport…or hand-to-hand combat. Something told her these two wouldn’t be as easy. Why, either of them could hold her down on the bed and have his wicked way with her. A little shiver crept down her spine as she signed yet another autograph. Usually the thought would send her running away.
In planning this weekend, she’d anticipated some mingling, a lot of pleasant conversation, even fantasized about the possibility of a wild weekend love affair. But she’d not considered that they might be surrounded by strangers, making it virtually impossible to get to know either or both of the guys until they got rid of all these people!
Standing on tiptoe, she attempted to see over the heads of the circle of fans. Sure, they were nice, and it was important she be nice in return. All it took was one diva-bitch story to get out, and her reputation would be tarnished. But if the dragons didn’t rescue her soon, she’d earn that reputation.C’mon, guys. Help!
As if they heard her, they strode over, together and Walter announced, “Well, it’s been a fun evening, but it’s after midnight, and I think we’re all tired.”
Conflagration added, “See you all at brunch.” She hadn’t heard there was a brunch, but okay.
Grateful, she echoed the men’s sentiments, shaking hands and offering smiles and waves as they herded their former classmates from the room then, when they were all gone, Gina dropped to the couch with a noisy sigh. “I am sorry. I thought I’d done enough to disguise my name, but apparently not. I hope you don’t hate me.”
“Hate you?” Conflagration dropped at her left side, Walter on the other. “A beautiful woman who’s famous and nice even when she’s so tired she barely knows her own name?”
“I’m fine!” she protested, but the jaw-stretching yawn belied her words.
“See? We wore you out.” The other man elbowed her with a grin. “No, we don’t hate you. But the event organizer, our former class president, Abasi Knight…he might not love you, at least not at the moment. The bar must have been deserted. And he put a heck of a lot of work into this event. Started on it right after the tenth reunion.” He gave a little shudder. “Which we didn’t attend.”
Ugh. “Was he up here?” She didn’t remember meeting anyone named Abasi, but she’d spoken with so many people. “He wasn’t the bear in the tight vest who knocked over the vase of flowers on his way to the bathroom?”
Walter choked. “Ummm, no.”
“The beaver? What was his name...no, he was Ernie or something. He was bustling around examining the drywall and the seals on the windows. Strange fellow.”
