Descended from Dragons: an Urban Fantasy (Moonlight Dragon Book 1) Read Free Page A

tastes. Doesn't match the whole retro thing I've got going on in my bachelor pad." He grinned, which made me think he'd mentioned the bachelor pad deliberately. Real smooth, buddy.
    I had to look to Melanie after he said that, and as I expected, she was giggling silently behind her hand. It was a miracle she wasn't sprouting her monkey ears.
    "Is there anything you want to trade it in for?"
    I motioned vaguely at the contents of the shop, though I figured if the gargoyle wasn't his thing then not much in Moonlight would be either. Ever since I'd taken over running the place, the inventory had begun skewing toward the strange and unusual. Magick called to magick, apparently, not that everything in here was related to magick. Tourists did manage to wander in here every few days and pawn their watches and empty money clips in exchange for more gambling money.
    He gave the inventory a cursory look and then shook his head. "I think it's best if I lighten my load. I'm kind of a minimalist."
    A little embarrassed, wondering if he thought the cluttered shelves of Moonlight reflected my personal tastes—like maybe he thought I might be a hoarder—I took another look at the gargoyle to determine what I'd pay for it.
    When I picked it up, I was surprised by its lack of weight. That made sense since he'd said his sister had brought it home from her travels. I turned it over but I didn't see any makers mark on it to indicate who had made it or when.
    As I held the thing, I felt an itch along my shoulders. It wasn't exactly unease, but if I'd felt it in a dark alley I would have called forth Lucky, just in case. I put the gargoyle down and the feeling went away.
    "I can give you twenty for it," I eventually told him. "This isn't exactly an in-demand item."
    He rubbed his chin. "How about twenty and you let me give you my digits?"
    Normally, a guy talking about 'digits' would have put me off, but a glance at Melanie reminded me that online dating was so far proving to be a bust. Eventually I was going to be fifty and wondering what had happened to my love life.
    "Okay," I said with a lop-sided shrug that probably looked like I'd just experienced a seizure.
    Be cool, Anne, be cool, I told myself as I withdrew a twenty from the till and wrote up the receipt. I could feel Melanie staring holes in the top of my head.
    "Hang on to this," I told him, handing the money and receipt to him, "in case you change your mind and want to buy it back. I'll charge you the same price I paid for it."
    He took the receipt. "I won't want it back. It's better with you." His grin made my palms sweat, though I wasn't sure if it was from nervousness or discomfort.
    I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear because I remembered reading somewhere that playing with your hair was a woman's way of projecting interest. It was probably an article written by a man, but whatever. "I'm Anne, by the way."
    "Christian," he said. "Do you mind if I add my number to your phone now?"
    "Oh, yeah!" I pulled out my phone and pulled up the phone book.
    I looked up in surprise when he gently took it from me and winked. "Just in case you're shining me on," he teased as he began punching in his info. "I once had a girl order a pizza while she was pretending to be putting in my number."
    "As much as I like pizza, I wouldn't have done that to you."
    He laughed. "Thanks, Anne." He handed my phone back. "Call me."
    I tried to smother my skepticism as he walked out, but I caught myself watching him through the front glass windows as he turned and headed in the direction of Fremont Street.
    "Holy hell," Melanie said distinctly. "Could that guy have been any sexier? I'll answer my own question: no!"
    "I don't like redheads," I muttered, but my gaze jumped to my phone and my stomach flip-flopped at the sight of his name in my contacts list.
    "You'll make an exception for this one or I'll smack you upside the head, Anne."
    I smiled at my best friend's passion. Then my eyes fell on the gargoyle