Page 13 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Dragon

“What’s he doing?” she wondered aloud.

Henry stepped in front of her. “I don’t think he can see us.”

Looking at the hunter, Nora couldn’t help but wonder if he was right. The hunter had drawn closer to the animal rescuer tent, but he was looking everywhere but right at her. It was as though he couldn’t see her—which wasn’t exactly much of a surprise, considering he had only bare flesh where his eyes should be.

Except...he’d been hunting her for over a month. He’d practically pursued her across the country, despite having no eyes in his head. How come he couldn’t see her now?

Hope flickered in her chest. Maybe it had something to do with Henry. Maybe the dragon shifter’s presence was affecting him somehow. That flicker morphed into a surge. Maybe he would leave, and never come back. Her problems had been solved.

To her horror, the hunter took another step closer to them.

Sheer panic clawed at her insides. “Henry...”

His expression darkened then. He pulled her close, turning as though to shield her from the hunter with his body. Nora gazed up at him, feeling her heart hammering in her chest. Or was it his heart? Her eyes searched his face, saw his lips part slightly. Henry’s chest heaved against her breasts.

And he kissed her.

***

The second his lips touched hers, Henry felt his world disappear. He’d kissed Nora because it had been the only solution to their current problem that he could think of—hiding in plain sight and acting like a regular couple at a fair would certainly attract less attention to them than suddenly fleeing from the spot, especiallyif this blind hunter had other means of “seeing.” But right now, as his lips caressed hers, he was glad he’d done it.

Her lips were softer than he’d anticipated, and just warm enough to make him crave more of her. He felt more than heard her gasp, placing a hand on his chest. A split second later, she kissed him back. Her breath was warm against his nose, and he felt his quicken as their kiss slowly intensified.

It was hard to believe this was happening. Admittedly, he’d wanted to kiss her—and more—from the second he saw her. This woman...thishybridwoman...had a hold on him that he couldn’t quite explain. As much as a part of him wanted to put as much distance between them as possible, he was drawn to her, drawn to protect her, drawn closer and closer to her.

Nora’s hand crept up his chest, her fingers flexing slightly as she reached his shoulder. Her lips parted wider to grant him access, and she let out a tiny moan as his tongue found its way into her mouth. Henry let his hand drop to her waist, pulling her closer so that his erection was brushing against her crotch.

She almost went wild against him, her nails digging into his shoulder. Her breathing grew almost frantic, their shared kiss more urgent, and if a sudden wolf whistle hadn’t jerked him back to reality, he might’ve found himself tugging her clothes off.

“Give us a show, why don’t ya?” a man’s voice called. “Or invite me. I wouldn’t mind taking turns with that beauty.”

It immediately dawned on him that they were still at the fair, and outside the tent, in full view of everyone. He broke the kiss, taking a step back from Nora, and looked around. Not surprisingly, they’d attracted a few gazes from passersby. Some had smirks on their faces, others shooting disapproving glances in Henry’s direction.

He’d been so caught up in the kiss, he’d completely forgotten everything else. He spun, expecting to see the hunter still approaching.

But the hunter was nowhere in sight.

“He’s gone,” Nora said behind him. “I don’t think he saw me.”

When he turned to look at her, she looked like she’d just had all the air sucked out of her. Her cheeks were a bright shade of red, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. Henry’s lips were still tingling from the kiss, his heart threatening to explode from his chest. The reality of what they’d just done was starting to dawn on him, and he suspected she felt the same way. She looked a little shaken as well, which wasn’t much of a surprise. The idea of being hunted for so long by a medieval-looking man with no eyes sounded like something out of a nightmare.

Not for the first time that morning, Henry considered going over to the Rubicon Valley stall for a couple of whiskey shots. With the way his day was going, he could certainly use a drink.

Overhead, the sun was climbing higher in the sky as noon drew closer. The crowd had thinned out a little, some of the townsfolk having entered stalls or left the fair for whatever reason. The noise had gone down, too, although he could still hear music blaring from speakers somewhere in the park.

He turned to face Nora again. This time, she was staring at him.

“How come he didn’t see me?” she wanted to know. “I was standing right here.”

Henry shrugged. He had a lot of questions that needed answers, too. “He’s got no eyes. Maybe that’s—”

“He followed me here this morning all the way from Texas. I portaled myself here, and he found me. He’s found me every single time I tried to escape from him. How come it’s different this time? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe...” He frowned, a possibility occurring to him just then. “I could be wrong, but...”

“But what?” Her golden eyes seemed to bore into his. “What is it?”

“He doesn’t have eyes. That means he must be tracking you through some other means. He’s not a wizard, is he?”