Compelled (The Secrets of Dragons Book 1) (3 page)

“Are you a hairdresser?”

It was a logical question, if not amusing. “No. I had three younger sisters. Our father went to war when I was nine, and shortly thereafter our mother was diagnosed with early onset macular degeneration. We had very little money, and I was the one who cared for my sisters’ hair. As I got older I got some advice from the barber down the street. He was a really nice older gentleman who taught me how to properly trim hair. He also showed me some tricks for styling it so my sister’s didn’t look like ragamuffins. I got really good at it.”

“Is your mother still alive?”

“No. She passed five years ago. My father never came home from the war. One of my sisters was killed in a car crash and the other two live in Boston. I see them occasionally. You said you had no family.”

“I don’t remember my parents. I guess they were really young and when they decided to give me away, my grandmother didn’t want me to end up an orphan so she adopted me. I lived with her until I went off to college at sixteen. Then came back here to help her when she needed it. I ended up staying because it was better for her. I really miss her.”

“Did you ever try to find your parents?” asked Eric. “Didn’t your grandmother have an idea where they were?”

“I asked her a few times, but she said she didn’t know. I guess she was pretty mad at my mother. She said they got into a big fight after I was born. My mother took off with my father and that was it. My grandmother said she never heard from her again. I’ve thought about trying to find her, but she never tried to find me.”

“Back up a step,” said Alex. “You went to college at sixteen?”

Lou giggled. It was a truly adorable sound that made him smile every time. “Well, yeah. I was in advanced study programs and graduated just before my sixteenth birthday. Then I went to college. I was interested in math and computer studies. I aced all my classes and then got busy taking care of my grandmother. I have a small business creating websites, which is usually fun. It gives me a flexible schedule to do what I want when I want.” She snorted a short laugh. “That’s what I usually do when I can’t sleep.”

He leaned forward, whispering directly in her ear, “You still haven’t answered my question.” Alex finished the comment by nipping her earlobe and making her jump.

“Which question was that? You can trim my hair if you’d like to. I don’t trust normal hairdressers, they always cut too much off or try to talk me into getting it styled. I like it the way it is and it’s easier on the bike.”

“What about the question before that?”

“I’m still thinking about it.”

Eric chuckled. “So we’ll just have to stay until you give us an answer.”

That made her laugh. She had a cute little lilt in her laugh that was endearing. Lou was endearing. He suddenly wanted to know more about her last boyfriend because he couldn’t imagine cheating on her. “So how long has your boyfriend been gone? Is he going to show up in the middle of the night?”

“As I said, he works nights. He officially left a week ago Thursday, announcing he had found the love of his life, and he would be back to get his things. I know he was cheating on me before. I had an early dentist appointment on Tuesday and stopped for coffee at a time I normally wouldn’t be there. Of course, Joe didn’t know that. He hadn’t been home in two days. Anyhoo, I saw him with a little, skinny teenybopper walking from the beach. They turned in the opposite direction of the coffee shop, so they are probably staying at one of the hotels on the strip. She may even live here, but judging from the sunburn on her back I didn’t have that impression.”

“But if you saw him with her a week and a half ago, then break is over for her and she should have gone home already.”

“Thank you for the astute observation, Alex. I have considered that. Of course he’s a real charmer and maybe he talked her into staying. Hopefully she does live here, and they live happily ever after. I certainly don’t want him back.”

He looked at Eric and grinned. Eric smiled back. “So what do you want?”

She turned to look at him. “I want to get to know the two of you, of course. What else would I want?”

To accent her comment, she stuck her tongue out at him. It had been a long time since anyone had done that. It was childish and cute at the same time. “Be careful what you do with that tongue. You might want to use it one of these days.”

“I might.”

Eric distracted the mood as he went to wash his coffee cup. He hadn’t even finished his. He was having far too much fun brushing Lou’s hair. “So what do you want from the two of us?”

“I want to hang out together and see what happens between us.”

“So are you in to long-term relationships or short ones?”

She hesitated and then sighed. “I would like a long-term one. I would like a forever one, but it hasn’t happened yet.”

He would like a forever one with her. Of course the future wasn’t something that could be predicted on the first date.

****

“Are you in a gang?” she asked suddenly, her mind drifting back to his nickname.

“No. Why would you ask?”

“The nickname Demon. Who calls you that?”

“Old and very dear friends. The name relates to my temper which is far calmer now than it was ten years ago. It’s also got something to do with my odd reaction to chemicals in food. I can’t tolerate some of them, and I react by turning a dark shade of red. The redness isn’t hives, it’s just a color. Some additives, like carrageen, also affect my emotional state, and I’m easily agitated to the point of violence.”

“Red like
Hellboy
? I love that movie. He’s so cute with the cats.”

“I like dogs better.”

Honestly so did she. The brush gliding silkily through her hair caused her moan with pleasure, she didn’t want him to stop. The soft stroke of the bristles was making her entire body tingle.

Eric took the seat he had been sitting in. “We should get a dog once the house is finished.”

“We can discuss it. I wanted to travel more. We bought the stupid RV, we might as well use it.”

A pout overcame Eric’s face. “I do, too. It doesn’t mean we can’t get a small dog. We can buy it a potty patch in case our puppy has to pee while we aren’t home.”

Lou knew that it would be lonely for a dog while they were out riding.

Alex put the brush down on the table. She wanted to tell him to do more, but what he had done was wonderful.

Alex walked around her and grabbed his coffee before he sat down. “I should probably go put the bike away.”

The clock on the stove displayed exactly nine, but it felt much later. She was ridiculously relaxed with them. She hadn’t felt this way with anyone since her grandmother passed. It was a depressing thought that she refused to dwell on. “Do you ride, Eric?”

“I have my own bike, but I prefer to ride with Alex. I don’t mind it when the traffic is light, but in heavy traffic like you have here, it bothers me. Once bike week is over I’ll probably ride again.”

“Has anyone ever said anything about the two of you riding together? It’s not something you see every day.”

“Is there something wrong with how we ride?” asked Alex in an indignant tone.

“I didn’t say there is anything wrong. I think it’s cool. The two of you have such a great relationship. I just meant—well—you know. Not everyone is as open minded.”

“Do you have any other bisexual friends?” asked Eric.

“I don’t have many
friends
at the moment. I’ve had bisexual friends in the past and was in a ménage before. The two men weren’t involved. Are the dynamics different?” she asked trying to change the subject. Her question had been stupid, and she should have kept it to herself.

“Ours is just like any other relationship. There’s a difference between dating and being married. We’re no different.”

Another question she should have kept quiet. He was right. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant—oh fuck—I don’t know what I meant. I just didn’t think about what I was asking before I asked it.” She really needed to get a good night’s sleep. Of course she had just pissed off the man who offered to stay and keep her company. Was it wrong that she was considering allowing them to stay the night? She hardly knew them. If they were going to attack her, they probably would have done so by now. Other than her hair, the only sexual move had been made by her when she kissed them. “My brain doesn’t function well when I haven’t slept for a few nights. I’m okay early in the day, but I slowly dwindle into a state of stupid.”

The perturbed expression on Alex’s face faded to one of concern. “How long has it been since you slept?”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell because I do eventually fall into a state of exhausted sleep. It’s usually only for a few hours though. Once I wake up, I have to use the bathroom. Then the sun gets me, and I can’t go back to sleep. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ask accusatory questions. They just came out that way.”

Eric reached out and took her hand again. “Don’t sweat it. We’re aware of public attitude. Some people are cool with bisexuality and others are still appalled. It happens. Even though we have the right to marry, there are those who can’t comprehend that love is no different for us than for them. They have no desire to understand. They have their opinion, and there’s nothing we’re going to do to change their minds.”

“I guess that’s what I was asking. How do the two of you deal with those who are too stupid to understand?”

“We mostly ignore then,” replied Alex. “When we’re forced to fight, we do. Eric for all his eccentricities throws a mean right hook.”

Eric chuckled. “You taught me well. I was a lover, but now I’m also a fighter.”

Eric was cute. There was no other word for it. He was beautiful to look at in a manly, yet soft way. He wasn’t exactly feminine with his short cropped dark hair and big hazel eyes, but certain things he did made him less rough and tough. Alex was heavier built, with a squarer jaw line. He looked like an old western outlaw, a little bit scruffy, his sandy brown hair longer. He had the most amazing light blue eyes that reminded her of robin’s egg.

Would they fight for her? What a romantic notion that was. Lou had never had a man who was honestly committed to her. She longed for a hero who would be there despite what problems arose. She sighed heavily with the thought, feeling her shoulders sag with the knowledge men like that had disappeared with the age of white knights and chivalry.

Eric stroked her hand again. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing really. Just a thought.” It wasn’t one she would discuss aloud. “So,” she said with renewed vigor. “Have I pissed you off or would one or both of you be kind enough to stay with me tonight?” Her comment left a lot of read between the lines, and she figured she should clarify. “I could really use a good night’s sleep.”

Her question was also insanity. Lou had known them for less than six hours, and she was asking them to stay with her. They had a nice motorhome and said they owned a house, but that didn’t make them good people. For all she knew they would attack her during the night, and she would wake up in the morning with half her stuff missing. “You never told me your last names. I should at least know that.”

Alex shocked her by removing his wallet to show her his driver’s license. The plastic card displayed a surprisingly good picture. The man was very photogenic. His last name was Haleey and their house was in Port Orange, but she didn’t recognize the street name. “Where is that?”

“I presume you mean my house. It’s a private street on a five-acre lot. I inherited everything from my great uncle when he died. It was weird because I barely knew the man, and he left me everything. In his will he said he had no sons and a male bearing the family name should have the family property. The property came with a second smaller house and a family who takes care of the cattle and the horses. I pay their bills and give them a salary every month.”

“So how do you earn money to pay them?”

“I get room and board for the horses. My steers have sold for upward of ten grand because they come from old, high grade Angus lines, and they’re raised without hormones or steroids. There’s a whole process to breeding and raising them for the best quality meat. I’ve learned a lot about them since I inherited the farm.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting. I love horses. I used to have one. That seems like eons ago. His name was Neon, and my grandmother used to take me over there once or twice a week to ride. He got his hoof caught in a gopher hole and snapped his leg in two places. They put him to sleep.”

“How old were you?”

“Fourteen.” Lou couldn’t stop the tears from welling into her eyes. Even after twenty years the memory hurt to think about. The horse had been her best friend, and she had loved him dearly. Other than her grandmother, Neon was probably the last one in her life to evoke such strong emotions. What a depressing thought that was.

Alex reached over and touched her cheek. He turned his hand to look at the tip of his finger and pursed his lips. “If you want to go riding, I have horses of my own.”

The smile she tried to give him was hard pressed to remain on her lips. “Whenever I think of Neon, I miss him. I have such wonderful memories, but at the same time they make me sad.”