Page 2 of The Ruby Dragon’s Unconventional Mate (Oro Escondido #3)

Chapter

Two

B ryant Markham wanted a coffee. Not a pod coffee, or even a homemade espresso drink. He wanted a professional espresso with real steamed milk.

Good thing there was an exceptional coffee house on the little business loop of Oro Escondido. He’d missed it when he’d headed home to care for his twin.

Oh, he might be used to a little more variety and all the modern conveniences, but he kind of liked Oro.

Even if not all of Oro liked him. Or Lachlan.

Bryant sighed. Lachlan was being a little…stubborn. He’d agree to share the job of platinum guardian with Lachlan, and they were going to be amazing at it, but Lachlan was hiding some.

That was one of the reasons they had agreed to come to Oro Escondido, after all. Lachlan was licking his wounds, and Bryant had come with him because where his twin went, so did he.

The fact that Lars McCallum was here complicated things unbearably.

He parked out on the street, noticing the bookstore was open. Often he came for coffee too early to get in there and buy anything, but he liked the owner, Amber, and he adored Teaball, her familiar.

Lachlan would love it here too, if he’d come out.

He was, honestly, refusing to come out. Which had made him a wee bit unpopular with a couple of the guardians. Mostly Lars, who’d been charged with their ‘training’.

That was a giant pain in the ass and awkward as hell.

Flighty and pale, too pretty for words—the dragon just made him want to bite something. Hard.

And he would bite Lars given the opportunity, but—well, it was one thing to chase a guardian omega from another wing.

It was another thing altogether to have a dalliance with one in the same wing.

If Lachlan hadn’t needed this, so badly, they never would have come here. He never would have hurt Lars.

But he was the one who controlled their entire corporation, from the real estate to the software company to the shipping, and he had a thousand balls in the air.

Maybe a thousand and three.

It was nuts, trying to move a nerve center like theirs to such a small town. But they were doing it. He was doing it.

For Lachlan.

For their future outside of the wing.

Lars would simply have to understand. This was bigger than an unrequited affair, even than a budding friendship.

He couldn’t have anyone know that they were coming, and Lars was so…excitable.

He shook off his distressing thoughts and walked into the coffee shop, the smell of espresso and baked goods making him breathe deep. That was one of his big pleasures in life.

“—swear to you, I love these cranberry white chocolate scones. Can I have one and a flat white?”

“Sure, guardian!” The kid behind the counter beamed at the customer ahead of him, who just happened to be… Lars.

Dammit.

Of course it did.

“Thank you, sweetie. I appreciate it.” Lars glanced back at him, blinked once, then nodded, before he turned to the cashier, murmuring softly before passing over his credit card.

He bit back an impatient sound, because the simple fact was, he was the asshole here. He had been the jerk, and Lars had been, reasonably, polite. He should be happy with that, he supposed.

Why did he need acknowledgement or anything? He’d gotten that. Effusive hellos were just never gonna happen again, were they? And if he started a conversation now, after being dismissed, he looked like a desperate weirdo.

Lars went to sit, and he found a smile for the little dragon behind the counter.

“Good morning! How are you?”

“Good. Good.” He scanned the board. “I need something decadent.” He winked, which made the kid flush and wiggle a little.

“We have a chocolate hazelnut tart that is amazing?”

“Oh, that does sound amazing. That and a hazelnut latte, please.” He grabbed his wallet, but the kid shook his head.

“It’s already been paid for. No charge.”

“Yeah?” He glanced at Lars. “Thanks.”

“You can wait for it over there.” The kid nodded to the pickup area.

He nodded, but he walked to Lars’s table instead. “Hey, thanks for the coffee and pastry. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Everyone deserves coffee.” The tone was cool, but not icy, so he’d take that.

“I was craving.” He tried for another smile, hoping it didn’t look embarrassed as hell.

“Are you settling in well?”

He had to wonder if Lars ever wore anything but jeans and sweaters. Too-big sweaters with lots of cables. It kind of hid all of him.

Not that he was looking.

He wasn’t looking.

He was just observing.

“We are. I have to admit, the house was kind of a surprise, but we’re making it work.”

Lars arched one eyebrow, his lips twisting. “It’s…unique, for sure.”

“You hate it.” He did actually grin then. “So do I, really. Lach hasn’t said one way or another, but it sure doesn’t fit in around here, huh?”

Lars tilted his head. “I don’t understand. The wing is supposed to provide the guardians with what they need.”

“You needed a demented fairy-tale house?”

Those lips went tight. “Obviously.”

He rolled his eyes. “I was just teasing, honey.”

“You don’t have pet name or teasing privileges anymore.”

Ouch. He deserved it, but still—“Cool. I mean, I don’t mean to sound judgey. You do you, boo. It’s all good.”

“It is. My house is incredibly comfortable, and just what I need.”

Mmhmm. Fussy. Prissy. Not particularly guardian-esque.

He forced himself to stop.

None of this—not a bit of it—was Lars’s fault. Logan had been amazing to him, helping him get Lachlan out and safe, with a position where his brother never had to leave the wing.

He needed to remember that while his old wing had been fierce and competitive, this one was slower-paced and easier. He needed to focus on how good everyone had been to him.

More than anything, he needed to focus on his twin.

“So have you been on the river yet? It’s warm enough for it…”

Small talk was better than silence, he supposed.

“No. No, I’ve been working my ass off.” He’d had to deal with everything that he did as well as Lachlan’s responsibilities. “Some of us have businesses to run.”

The words popped out before he could think not to. Shit.

Lightning cracked, flashing across the sky, the visual stunning as Lars stood, his hair crackling with static electricity. “If you’ll excuse me. Pat, is my drink ready?”

“Yes, guardian.” The kid’s eyes were huge.

“Hey—”

Lars held up a hand. “I tried to be nice. You obviously have used up whatever veneer of decency you’d hidden under. So don’t bother with social niceties, and I won’t either.” Lars grabbed his drink, striding off.

Well, crap. That had been dumb and worse, thoughtless and unkind. Dammit.

The Pat kid stared at him, his eyes huge. “I don’t—Do you want this scone too, because Lars left it.”

Before he could answer, Amber from next door came storming in, her eyes gone all rainbow like her glasses. “What the fuck is going on, Pat? Is everyone all right? Is Lars okay?”

Pat looked at him, looked at her, looked at him, looked at her. “Uh-huh. Yes, Amber. He left with his coffee.”

“I do not understand what is going on. Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t—I mean, I swear it wasn’t me. I was nice.” The teen was going to burst into tears.

“Seriously?” he snapped, just infuriated and desperately embarrassed.

“Is this the way it’s going to happen now?

Is everyone in this town just going to walk on eggshells when Lars is around because he got his feelings hurt.

Is that how it works? Is it because he’s Logan’s brother, or just because he’s an asshole? ”

“Bryant!” Amber whipped around and fastened him with a look.

“Let me tell you something, young man. I have known Lars for almost his entire life, and he is the dearest, sweetest one of all of us. And so, if there is a problem, I would suggest to you that it’s not him.

” She arched an eyebrow. “You don’t have to be mean to him. You were the one that was chasing?—”

“That’s no longer an issue,” he snarled. “But Lachlan and I are guardians as well, and?—”

“I can’t wait to welcome your brother to town. I know you’re a mover and a shaker. Lars is a little bit more of a homebody, but he’s solid as stone.”

He didn’t need to be lectured about how off he was being in front of a teenager. “I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to be?—”

“What? Polite? Yes, we tend to like that here. Trust me, if it’s a problem, I’ll make sure and let Logan know.” She arched one eyebrow. “Don’t forget. Lars has a brother too. Don’t push that loyalty too far.”

This was literally the last thing he needed.

To offend more people in this little town and make his brother’s life even harder.

Bryant didn’t understand one bit why they’d been chosen in the first place.

Of all the towns on earth? He could have landed literally anywhere.

But no.

He had to be here in Oro Escondido.