Smitten (3 page)

“I’ve gotten nothing done,” Max realized at 3 A.M. Where had his night gone? He rubbed his face a few times and glanced at the open doorway. The shadowed hall beyond it led to his bedroom.

Because he dreaded sleep and his recurring dreams, he dawdled for a while longer and eventually settled into reading the current legislation on the table.

“Such a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money,” he muttered. “We already have a law concerning pets in outdoor restaurant seating. Whose absolute nonsense idea was this?” He searched the wording, found a minute difference, signed it, and slouched back. He didn’t give a damn if restaurants allowed dog owners to sit outside with Fido while sipping their expensive lattes.

He considered purchasing a dog, perhaps even visiting a shelter, and had finally convinced himself to rescue a large parrot when his phone suddenly rang. Accustomed to receiving phone calls from his fellow dragons at all hours of the night, he plucked it from the cradle and answered without checking the ID.

“Hello?”

“What are your plans for this weekend?” Ēostre asked.

Max leaned back and stared at the heap of paperwork strewn over the desk. “The California legislature has been busy. They expect me to read these things called bills, and once finished, I am to sign my name to them. Can you believe it?”

Ēostre’s exasperation amused him. “Smart ass. I am quite aware of your duties. My surprise is that you plan to work over the weekend.”

“What can I say? I enjoy my reputation as a workaholic.”

When Ēostre chuckled, the warm sound created flutters in Max’s belly. Even her laughter sounded magical. “I have a better idea, Maximilian. Would you accompany me tomorrow for a difficult and most harrowing adventure?”

“Adventure to where?”

“A car dealership. I find myself in need of a personal vehicle.” She paused, and the words rolled from her tongue like syrup. “I want a car like yours.”

“Like mine?”

“Exactly like yours.”

“Then take this heap of trash and be away with it.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” he admitted. “Will Saul or Leiv not go with you?”

“I didn’t ask. While Leiv is well educated on the matter of automobiles, and my son is quite generous with his time, both have prior obligations this weekend. So? Will you come?”

Maximilian gazed at his never-ending pile of work. There was only one answer. “Of course.”

Chapter 3

Ēostre arrived at noon, courtesy of her own magical portal. After ending her call with Max, she stepped through a shining ring of lavender and silver, twinkling with stardust shimmers.

The governor met her in the entrance hall, still sipping his morning coffee. “I would like to state at the moment how amusing I find it that a woman with the power of teleportation finds it necessary to purchase an automobile.”

“I very well can’t vanish and appear on a whim among the mortals, Maximilian,” she reminded him. “At least, not until you have become the president.”

The portal collapsed behind the dragoness as she stepped up to him. Barefoot, Ēostre stood nearly six feet tall, and her four-inch Louis Vuitton pumps brought her to Max’s height.

“That makes it no less entertaining, whether your vehicle shall be for appearances only or to provide you transportation. Besides, do you even know
how
to drive?”

“Saul, Leiv, and Chloe have all given me lessons.” She sniffed daintily. “I have a driver’s license.” She glanced around. “Where’s your bodyguard?”

“They never come inside, but he’ll shadow us throughout the day. I think the poor kid had a heart attack when I told him I planned to accompany you to test-drive cars.”

“He’ll get over it.”

Once outside and alongside the sleek Cadillac Maximilian drove for his day-to-day business, Ēostre walked her fingers over the pristine finish. “Black has never suited you, Maximilian, but this is a handsome automobile. Take me to purchase one like this.”

Max opened the passenger door for her. Something about the kind gesture, one he’d done several times in the past, made her fingertips tingle and a shiver race down her spine.

“There are many things you must know before we reach the car dealership,” Maximilian warned once behind the wheel. “Money may be no object, but the point is to never allow the salesman to know your pockets are bottomless.”

Ēostre twisted away from the window and raised a brow at her friend. Max wore his casual best, dressed in a white designer shirt and dark slacks. If he were a mortal man, she’d call him crazy for wearing a light leather jacket in the absurd Californian heat, but it looked good on him.

So did the dark stubble on his cheeks. Their hair grew slowly, and as the days passed, he stopped shaving for work. No matter how much she fussed at him about maintaining appearances, she couldn’t convince Max to pick up a razor past the middle of the month.

“Our faces are quite well-known, yours even more than mine. You’re the most popular governor to lead this state since the Terminator. They’ll know we have money.”

“They will know
I
have money. You are Ēostre Feuersturm, and as far as they know, merely my campaign manager.”

She fixed him with a dubious look.

“If you’d chosen Drakenstone as your legal name, this would be an entirely different situation.” Maximilian hesitated. “May I ask why you chose to abandon your familial name?”

“I had wanted to avoid unnecessary association with Saul until we decided how to handle the obvious similarity in our ages. My son appears to be thirty years old, and I scarcely look a day over forty. In human terms,” Ēostre said.

“Yes, in human terms. I’d never given it much thought until I ran for governor.” Maximilian rubbed his chin and gazed away from the road ahead of them, his amber eyes flicking to the signs in passing. “How old do I appear?”

Ēostre pursed her lips. “Forty-five at the most, but I’d call it a stretch to be honest. Your smiles always make your crow’s feet and laugh lines more apparent. When you
do
smile,” she added.

Max chuckled. “The public loves a man with a genuine smile. I haven’t forgotten your advice, Ēostre. I’m working on it.”

“You are. I’ve seen the improvement, Max. You’ve gone from a melancholic, taciturn grump to a man the people can safely trust,” she praised him. “And I’m trusting you right now with part of my nest egg. Saul could only liquidate so much of my wealth into usable currency.” Ēostre sighed.

“If you took advice as well as you gave it, you’d have a sizable bank account by now,” Maximilian reminded her.

Ēostre bit the inside of her cheek to refrain from firing off a snide retort. Max could banter with the best, but she’d rather spend their drive in pleasant conversation than playful jabs. Instead, he idly gave her tips about how to handle the salesman, and once they arrived, he offered his arm and led her to the dealership’s door.

Sunlight filtered in through large floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the polished floor and several pristine Cadillacs. A carpeted area to the side boasted leather couches and a coffee machine with a variety of single-serving pods to choose from. A tray of cookies, freshly baked by the smell, nearly lured Ēostre over until Max caught her attention with a whisper against her ear.

“Remember my warning, sweetheart. No matter what he says, the price isn’t carved in stone. The dealer will expect you to haggle.”

“And haggle I shall,” she replied. Her voice was light-hearted, but the brush of his stubble past her skin covered her arms with goosebumps.

A lone salesman sipped coffee at a nearby desk, but he beelined over to them after one glance at their fine attire. The man himself stood several inches shorter than Ēostre, and even without her heels he would have only reached her shoulder level. He drank her in, like a fish thirsting for water, his eyes lingering over her svelte curves before they returned to her face.

“Welcome to Cline Wilson Cadillac, I’m Sammy. What can I do for you today?”

“Ēostre,” she introduced herself. “A pleasure to meet you, Sammy. We came to look at the CTS models.”

“I’m Max,” the fire dragon beside her said while shaking the man’s hand.

The salesman watched Max closely, a silly smile frozen on his face and recognition in his eyes. “Oh, wow. It’s you.”

“Ah. I’ve been recognized,” Max said.

“A pleasure to have you in our dealership, Governor. So, you said you were both interested in a new CTS. Looking to upgrade your own model?”

“
I
am purchasing the car,” Ēostre corrected the salesman. “My
friend
has merely accompanied me to help.”

“It’s her first time,” Maximilian explained. “I merely tagged along for moral support.”

Sammy blinked. “Ah. Well then, are you set on the CTS or would you like to see some of our other models?”

“The CTS, please. I’m familiar with Max’s vehicle and would like one of my own.”

“Excellent. Let me show you what we have on the sales floor and we’ll go from there.”

The entire time Sammy walked her through the floor models, Ēostre was keenly aware of Max’s presence behind her. Each time he leaned in close to murmur advice in her ear an electric tingle zipped up and down her spine.

“The white, while perfect for you, will show every speck of dirt and dust,” Max pointed out. “I suggest the blue, otherwise it will become green and yellow once spring arrives.”

“Perhaps I’d prefer the red, to be bold and daring,” Ēostre spoke out of impulse.

Max blinked, startled, but he covered it with one of his dashing smiles — the genuine sort that made her toes curl.

“I think red would suit you nicely, Ēostre.”

No better than it suits your hide,
she thought. She flushed with satisfaction and turned to face Sammy as the man returned with keys in hand. Once he presented them to her for the test drive, Ēostre was set loose on the streets of Sacramento.

“How do you feel about the way it handles?” Max asked from the rear seat. Sammy rode on the passenger side, occasionally offering directions for Ēostre to follow their test drive route.

“It handles far better than that ostentatious brick my s— that Saul drives each day.” The wheel slid like glass beneath her hands, and the motor’s methodic, gentle purr became almost peaceful whenever Sammy quieted. “I love it.”

So she bought it, beaming quite proudly while penning her name across the check. Spending vast sums of money had never felt so good. Max offered his arm again as they descended the dealership steps and walked to his car, empty-handed aside from a folder of receipts, warranties, and paperwork. Ēostre had been disappointed to discover that because of all of her luxury add-ons, they would have to order the car and it would require time to arrive.

“How does it feel to be the owner of a new car?”

“I’m hardly an owner without the vehicle,” she bantered back.

“Nonsense. You’ll have yours in less than a week, shiny and new with a bow on it.”

Ēostre chuckled. Somehow, Max always brightened up any situation. It was part of what made him such a good politician.

“Let me buy you lunch, for being a good sport through the whole tedious affair,” she offered. “Honestly, I was certain Sammy was going to request your autograph.”

“Yes, well, about that…” Max rubbed his nape, his expression sheepish. “He did, when you stepped out to the ladies room. I even took a selfie with him that’s sure to show up on Facebook within the next fifteen minutes, if it isn’t already there.”

A small snicker escaped. “Good press is good press, at least. You made an impression, and I didn’t empty my accounts. A successful afternoon.”

“I should have known you’d be all right when it came to the haggling. You’re shrewd in whatever business deals you engage in.” Max pulled into a parking lot. Ēostre eyed the two large horse statues flanking the entrance, recognition brightening her eyes. The Chinese restaurant had become a favored place to eat out and cemented her love for orange chicken and fried rice. She couldn’t help herself. In the weeks following her awakening, there had even been a period of time when her family had threatened an intervention if she didn’t vary her diet.

“No shop talk,” Max warned as they were seated in a cozy booth. “How’s the family?”

“Saul and Chloe are well. Astrid is a remarkable child, and eager to see her uncle again. Things you already know.”

“Perhaps I may know these things, but it never hurts to ask. It’s been too long since I’ve been to the manor for a visit.”

“Then you should remedy the situation, no?” She glanced over the menu for something new to try. “Maybe we can plan an outing before your active schedule becomes even busier. A few breaks will be good for you.”

“I’d like that.”

His acceptance sent a bright rush of pleasure over her skin, so intense she worried the warmth added a flush in her cheeks. She cleared her throat and glanced away to sip from her glass. Max, stubborn as any red dragon could be, was relentless when it came to his work. Convincing him to take breaks during their early campaign trail had been as easy as pulling teeth from a drake.