James, Stephanie (18 page)

lesson.

“No playing make-believe,” Tabitha emphasized just in case he hadn’t got the message. “I have

discovered that men who are older and more set in their ways have a nasty habit of playing

make-believe. My first husband did, you know.”

“The bastard!” Ron exclaimed with great feeling.

“He pretended he was in love with me,” Tabitha explained gravely. “But he wasn’t.”

Ron shook his head, baffled at such duplicity.

“The last man I met also played make-believe. All kinds of games. He wasn’t at all the sort of man he

pretended to be.”

“A rat.”

“No, a dragon,” she corrected automatically.

“Dragons are worse than rats.”

“Yes.”

Tabitha was about to go on with the lessons when the door behind them opened to reveal Sandra on the

arm of the fisherman. “Oh, there you are, Tab. Jim and I were just leaving. Had a fantastic time. Happy

birthday!”

“Thank you,” Tabitha responded very politely.

“Think you can get home all right, Ron?” Sandra peered at her younger brother before the fisherman got

her down the steps.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be driving. I’ll walk,” Ron said happily. “Then again maybe I won’t go home at

all.”

“I see.” Sandra tipped her head to one side and smiled at Tabitha. “You, uh, want me to see he gets

home?”

“Heavens no! We’re having a wonderful time.” Tabitha assured her happily. “I’m giving him lessons.”

Sandra slid a doubtful glance from Tabitha to her brother. “Interesting.” Before she could say anything

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else the man named Jim tugged on her arm.

“Let’s go, honey. It’s late.”

Sandra smiled. “Okay. Well, good night, you two. Be careful.”

“Of what?” Tabitha asked very curiously.

“Never mind,” Sandra groaned and let herself be hauled away by her new escort.

“Where were we?” Tabitha asked interestedly as Sandra and Jim climbed into a truck parked at the

curb.

Ron’s brows drew together in a thick line of forced effort. “Not sure. Next lesson was going to be

number three, I think.”

“Oh. Well, let’s see. Ron, did I ever tell you about the mating habits of bestiary animals?” Tabitha began

industriously. She’d had good luck with that technique once before, hadn’t she?

“Nope.” Ron swallowed the last of his wine. “How do they do it?”

“All sorts of fascinating ways,” she told him gravely.

Once again the door to the house opened, however, interrupting Tabitha’s words. This time a number of

people were taking their departure, albeit reluctantly. By the time she got back to the conversation with

Ron Adams the younger man had helped himself to still another glass of wine. He appeared to be having

a great deal of difficulty in focusing. She managed to get him seated on one of the black couches before

he toppled over, however.

After that accomplishment, Tabitha had to take another break to send off the last of her guests. Many of

them had walked, and now they ambled happily back down the street towards their assorted homes. A

few sang en route and there was a great deal of riotous laughter. Tabitha stood in her doorway and

watched them go with a distinct sense of satisfaction.

It had been a very successful thirtieth birthday party. No doubt about it. And now it was time to get

back to the business of seduction. There was a nice young man sitting on her couch just waiting for the

techniques of an older, sophisticated woman. Tabitha smiled smugly as she turned back into the room.

“Animals!” Ron cried, hoisting his glass. “Tell me about the animals!” He leaned back into the corner, his

feet propped on the cushions. Then he leered at Tabitha. “Always like to learn new things about animals.

Almost became a zoologist instead of a sales rep, you know.”

Tabitha blinked, studying her quarry craftily. Then she advanced farther into the room and sat down on

the black couch across from him. Through the clear glass of the coffee table she could see the head of the

dragon in the carpet.

“Such lovely silver eyes,” she sighed, feeling a sudden wave of moroseness.

“Whose eyes?” Ron demanded aggressively.

“The dragon’s.”

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“Umm. So how do dragons make love?” he asked with groggy interest.

Tabitha considered the question darkly, frowning down at the creature in the carpet.

“Magnificently. Once they’re properly seduced, that is,” she heard herself whisper in a blurry voice.

Why did the dragon in the carpet have to stare up at her like that? He had no right to look so accusing.

He
was the one who should feel guilty! “But you can’t trust them.”

“Never trust dragons,” Ron repeated dutifully. “Lesson number three.” He waited expectantly.

“He has no right to make me feel guilty about this!” Tabitha hissed down at the carpet. “No right to

interfere!”

“No right!” Ron agreed helpfully. Then he paused. “Who is ‘he’?”

“The dragon.”

“Damn right. No dragon’s going to interfere.”

“Nasty, vicious creature,” Tabitha muttered, still staring down at the carpet.

“Probably an older dragon,” Ron opined seriously.

“Nearly forty,” Tabitha agreed with a nod.

“Much too old to be properly trained.”

“You can’t teach an old dragon new tricks,” Tabitha sighed again. “They’re born sneaky, though, so you

probably couldn’t teach a young one much, either.”

“How about me?” Ron pressed with an inviting, if bleary, smile.

She glanced up, half-surprised to see him still there. She had been concentrating so hard on the damn

dragon in the carpet that Ron had faded into insignificance. For a long moment she just looked at her last

guest, trying to remember that she had planned to seduce him. Then Tabitha closed her eyes with a

forlorn little groan. “It’s no use, Ron. I can’t go through with it. You’d better leave now.”

“Leave?” He sounded vastly dismayed.

Tabitha opened her eyes, aware of a very sleepy sensation. “I can’t seduce you tonight. I’m very sorry,

Ron. I just don’t feel like talking about the beasts anymore this evening.”

“Not even a little bit?” he begged sorrowfully.

She shook her head. “I can’t do it. Not with this stupid dragon staring up at me.”

“Maybe we could get rid of the dragon,” Ron suggested helpfully.

“Wouldn’t work. He’d still be around somewhere. Oh, hell. I wonder how long he’s going to hang

around like this, ruining my new life. Nasty, vicious creature.”

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“It’s not just your life he’s ruining,” Ron exploded ruefully. “I think he’s going to ruin my evening, too.”

Together with Tabitha he sat staring down at the silent laughing dragon and then, very slowly, Ron

keeled over and fell asleep on the sofa he had been occupying.

Tabitha glanced up and then leaned back into the corner of her sofa and curled her feet under her. She

was so sleepy. Since the dumb dragon in the carpet wasn’t going to let her do anything else tonight, she

might as well get some rest. In the morning she would figure out how she was going to get rid of the

haunting presence in her home. Something had to be done. She was making such terrific progress on

other fronts, she refused to let the dragon stand in her way when it came to organizing a whole new love

life!

But even as she slid quickly off to sleep, Tabitha had the depressing feeling that it was going to be very

difficult denying the dragon’s claim. And her dreams were filled with images of a man with silver eyes and

an ebony cane who kept fading in and out of the body of a dragon.

It was a long while before Tabitha separated the pounding in her head from the sound of pounding on

her door. For long moments she lay very still, violently aware that daylight was streaming in through the

curtains and that someone was at her front door.

Neither event was a welcome one.

“Oh, my God!” She shuddered, her hand going to her aching head. “Go away.” But her voice was only

a whisper, and it never carried as far as the door.

The knocking came more aggressively than ever.

“Oh, hell.” Tabitha made a valiant effort and succeeded in rolling to the edge of the couch. Just as she

did so a loud masculine snore came from the opposite sofa. Tabitha got her eyes open with an effort. The

sight of Ron Adams sleeping across from her was a little too thought-provoking for eight o’clock in the

morning. Even as she watched, he snored again and twisted a bit on the cushions.

Slowly Tabitha sat up, her hand still on her aching head. Memory returned in a cold rush as her eyes

swept the littered room. Everything was in chaos. Empty glasses were stacked on all the tables and

scattered on the floor. Overflowing ashtrays reeked with a stale, morning-after aroma. A chair had been

overturned at some point and still lay on its side. The flowers were wilting in their bowls. Someone had

spilled the water, apparently. It lay in a pool on the hardwood floor.

She hadn’t thought to put any of the leftover food away, Tabitha realized as she got shakily to her feet.

Partially consumed appetizers lay on paper plates scattered around the room. Half-drunk bottles of wine

were still sitting on the serving table. The once cozy living room was a mess.

And then there was the man sleeping on her sofa.

Tabitha winced as she walked past Ron Adams’ recumbent form. She might not be on cordial terms

with dragons these days but she did owe the one on the floor a favor. He had kept her from making an

idiot of herself with Ron Adams. At least her memory on that score was perfectly clear. Ron had passed

out just before she had! The discussion on the mating habits of bestiary animals had not progressed as far

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as it had the last time she had brought up the subject with a man.

The knocking on the front door came once again.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” It was a weak response and probably went unheard. Tabitha couldn’t help

it. She had to concentrate all her strength just to get across the room; there wasn’t much energy left for

shouting.

Desperately she attempted to plan a course of action as she crossed the room. The first thing was to get

rid of whoever was pounding on her door. Then she would have to wake Ron Adams and get him out of

the house.

Then she would have a nice, long shower, followed by a huge cup of coffee. Following that, she would

start cleaning house. Lord, what a day it was going to be.

“Will you kindly stop that damn pounding!” Tabitha commanded resentfully as she wrenched open the

front door. “I’m opening the door as fast as I can!” Then her eyes went painfully wide as they took in the

presence of the man on her doorstep. “Oh, my God,” she breathed, stunned. “The dragon.”

Dev Colter lowered the handle of the ebony cane, which he had been using to pound on the door.

Bracing himself with it, he stared down at the rumpled, disheveled, bleary-eyed figure in front of him. The

familiar silver eyes narrowed in mingled astonishment and gathering disapproval.

“What the hell happened to you?” he bit out.

Tabitha realized she was staring. Frantically she attempted to collect her scattered wits. “Dev,” she

managed weakly. “What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it rather obvious? I came to see you. Tabby, what on earth is going on here? You look awful.” He

scowled down at her, searching her face and the wrinkled black dress.

“Got run over by a herd of basilisks, I think,” she got out in a thin voice. Maybe she was still dreaming.

Perhaps she was still safely asleep on the couch and this was all some sort of crazy nightmare. Very

cautiously she extended one hand and touched the unyielding surface of the blue, oxford cloth shirt he

was wearing. “You’re real, aren’t you?” she groaned.

His scowl deepened and then he apparently decided he was getting nowhere trying to conduct a rational

conversation on the doorstep. Stepping forward, he edged Tabitha aside and crossed the threshold into

the chaotic room.

“Damn it to hell, Tabby. What went on here last night?” he snarled softly, scanning the disaster.

“Party,” she explained succinctly.

“A party!” he snapped, eyes slitting ferociously.

“I turned thirty yesterday,” she said. “And would you please stop shouting? My head is killing me.”

Whatever Dev was going to say in response was cut off by another snore from the couch. He turned his

head, clearly astounded.

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In dreadful silence Tabitha listened as Ron Adams came awake with a muffled groan. Then, even as she

watched, he sat up very slowly on the black couch, his dark eyes blinking balefully at the stranger with

the ebony cane.

Dev, Tabitha realized, was absolutely thunderstruck. Even as that analysis was filtering through her

confused mind, however, another realization dawned. As the shock in his rigid expression faded, it was

being replaced by sheer rage.

Tabitha watched in morbid fascination as his steel gaze pinned her. Never had she seen this particular