Page 18 of Purple Scales & Coffee Tales

“That sounds perfect,” he rumbled, leaning over the counter and bringing his face a foot nearer, his eyes intently set on mine.

Okay, Scales, are you flirting with me for real?

“Perfect,” I repeated, captivated by how those stunning golden rings caught the light over our heads.

“Let me take you shopping, Maeve,” he murmured, the words low like thunder in the distance.

“Okay,” I breathed, swallowing hard when he leaned in further and kissed my cheek.

“Perfect.”

What the actual fuck just happened? Did he…put a spell on me or something?

Stuart waited for us in the Helix. I always forgot about him until we were back in the car, and then I felt guilty as fuck for taking this man for granted.

“Good afternoon, Miss Cooper. It’s lovely to see you again,” he greeted me kindly as I slid into the back seat, sliding over to make room for Taran. He could have taken the seat opposite of me, but he never did.

Perhaps he hates riding with his back to the engine as much as I do.

“And you, Stuart.”

Shit, you don’t even know the man’s last name!

Chapter Twelve

Taran

Itold Stuart to take us to a shopping centre in the city, knowing he’d pick one that fit my style, then sat back next to Maeve.

We didn’t speak a whole lot on the drive, but I was happy soaking up her aura, the pink and orange even more vibrant than usual.

The Malachite Lion Arcade lay on the outskirts of Redmane, one of Kirkmuir’s most expensive districts. It was a sprawling shopping centre, and if I remembered correctly, we owned at least a handful of its shops.

Stuart opened the doors for us.

“Will you be waiting here?” Maeve inquired with him.

“Yes, Miss Maeve.” He gave her his usual fatherly smile.

“Just Maeve, okay? Won’t you get bored?”

My driver chuckled. “Oh no, I’ll be fine waiting until you’re ready. It’s my job.”

“Okay, then. Uh, thank you,” she muttered.

“We’ll see you later, Stuart. I guess it will be in about three hours.” He’d either nap, read one of the historical crime novels he was addicted to, or treat himself to a cuppa.

“Is he really all right with this?” she asked as soon as we were out of earshot.

“Believe me, he is. You’ve never met a person who is as good at waiting as he is. He wouldn’t be here if he hated this job.”

“Why are you so sure? People stay in jobs they hate all the time.”

I stopped and steered her a little to the side. “Maeve, I am one hundred percent sure. Stuart is rich, and I offered to relieve him from his duty and retire him with more money than he would ever need.” Taking her hand in mine, I pulled it up to my mouth and kissed it. “He refused to go. Told me flat out that I could shove that offer where the sun doesn’t shine.” I huffed at the memory. “Stuart has been in my family’s employ for longer than I’ve existed. He’s bonded to my mother, and at this point he’s at least half a Dragon himself.”

“Bonded? How?” she asked me, her eyes wide with shock.

“There are two kinds of bonds my kind can enter into—a soul bond and heart bond. For you as a human the heart bond might be worth more. You pride yourself on it, and rightfully so. But to us,” I lowered myvoice, “the soul bond is holy. We enter it only with our mate and the intention never to break it. We have, after all, only one soul.”

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