Her Halloween Treat (Dragon Force - A Holiday Mini Series - Book One - Nature Dragon)

Lyra swallowed. Did he seriously just say that to her?

Maverick smirked as he backed away. Her face was so cute when she blushed.

“Lyra, who is your friend?”

Lyra shook her head and turned to the older woman. “Mom,” she whispered.

“Shh,” Janessa hushed her daughter.

Lyra looked at Maverick, then at her mother. “He knows who I am, Mother. This is Maverick, the man Dad hired to follow me.”

Janessa covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes opened wide as she looked between the two.

“Don’t worry,” Lyra said. “I knew about him when dad first talked to him….”

“You saw him in the yard,” Janessa said, lowering her hand from her mouth.

Lyra nodded. “Yep. And Maverick saved me a few nights ago from a jackass….”

“What?! Why didn’t your father tell me about this?” Janessa demanded.

“Dad doesn’t know about it. I asked Maverick not to tell him. If he had, who knows what Dad would have done.”

Janessa shook her head. “You shouldn’t keep it from your father.”

“Mom, please. Maverick saved me—I knew he would. I knew why he was at the bar, and I know why he’s here now. To protect me.”

Janessa took in a deep breath and let it out. “Fine. But you two should act like a couple; people have been watching you.”

Lyra looked around the room, and her mother was right. People were watching them. Most of them had their eyes on Maverick. But really, who could blame them? Look at the guy—he’s huge—and gorgeous.

“Well, let’s dance then,” Maverick said, taking her hand and leading her to the middle of the room.

People continued to stare at them. Lyra knew with all this padding that she looked like she could eat the tables and chairs and all the food. If only they knew. She looked up at Maverick. Her bodyguard doesn’t even know.

“You look lovely; I just thought I would let you know,” Maverick said with a bright smile as he spun her around the dance floor.

“Thank you,” she said, looking down.

He placed his finger under her chin and made her look up at him. She looked into his eyes, and he smiled.

“You are a lovely woman. I like being your bodyguard, and I hope—friend,” he said, his left eyebrow raising.

Friend, right. He doesn’t see anything but a fat, rich girl.

“Sure, we can be friends,” she said with a forced smile.

His eyebrow raised higher, and he smiled. “Good. Now, let’s return to the party you arranged.”

She nodded, and they turned from each other and headed in opposite directions.

~🎃~

Lyra wasn’t having as much fun at the party as she had been when she was with her “protector.” She smiled. She still liked calling him that in her head. Her personal bodyguard. Her Protector.

“Hello, hot stuff.”

Lyra spun around and squealed. “Mickie!” she cried out as she launched herself into her friend’s arms.

Mickie chuckled, “it’s good to see you too. Thanks for the invite.”

Lyra backed up and grinned up at her only true friend. Mickie’s the only person who knows who she really is, and she loves him so much for keeping her secret. Sisterly love—of course.

“I am so happy you came,” she said, beaming up at him. “How did you know it was me?”

Mickie looked her up and down, his left eyebrow raising. “Lyra, sweets, I would know you from a hundred miles away, with a million people surrounding you,” he chuckled and shook his head. “I saw you last month; I know you didn’t get fat between now and then. What gives?”

Lyra pulled him closer and whispered low enough only he could hear her. “My over-protective father.”

“What happened?” he whispered back.

She sighed and shrugged. “I’m not totally sure. I think something about a life threat or something.”

“He gets those every day,” Mickie grumbled.

She nodded. “Yes, but I think this one was directed at me.”

“Motherfucker,” Mickie cursed.

Lyra chuckled, “Mick, I didn’t know you had such a potty mouth.”

Mickie laughed and shook his head. “Did he hire a bodyguard?”

Lyra nodded. “Oh yeah,” she said, pointing at the large man talking to a couple women she didn’t recognize.

Mavericks’ eyes were on her, even though he spoke to the two other women. She saw something in his eyes that couldn’t be real. She must be imagining it. She just didn’t see a man like Maverick being jealous over her frumpy ass.

Mickie whistled. “Damn, girl. He’s gorgeous.”

Lyra giggled, “I know.”

Mickie looked back at her. “Is he single?”

Lyra shrugged her shoulders. “No clue. And hey, I thought you were seeing Marcie.”

Mickie grinned as he turned back to look at Maverick again. “I am, believe me, Marcie wouldn’t mind a three-some….”

Lyra punched his arm. He chuckled and pulled her into his arms, laying his cheek on her head.

“Don’t worry. If you have your heart set on him….”

“I don’t have my heart set on anyone,” Lyra said with a pout.

’Maybe my pussy, but not my heart.’

Shit, where had that thought come from?

Mickie pulled back and looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

“Ly, I know you. You fight any feelings you have for a man just so you don’t have to go through the loss when you find out they know who you are and how much you’re worth.”

Lyra sighed. Her friend was right. She is terrified of that happening. She had it happen once in college and never let it happen again. Luckily, she never slept with the guy.

“Now, come introduce me to the hot stud who is paid to protect you. He is giving me the evil eye, and I think he may want to kill me.”

Lyra chuckled, “I think he knows you’re not going to kill me.”

Mickie snorted, “not for that, my dear naive friend. I mean, that man is full on going to throttle me for talking to you if you don’t tell him that I am your friend, not a potential boy toy.”

Lyra stared up at Mickie. “But why would he care?”

“Girl, I swear, if you weren’t so cute, you wouldn’t make it in this world,” Mickie said with a shake of his head.

He took her by the arm and headed toward the angry man staring at Mickie as if he could burn a hole in his soul.

“How the fuck is he so big?” Mickie whispered as they got closer to the large man.

Lyra snickered, “he’s a Shifter.”

Mickie stopped and blinked down at his friend. “Fucking hell girl, why didn’t you say so to start with? Oh my God, he’s going to tear my head off and shove it up my ass for talking to his woman.”

Lyra laughed, “I’m not his woman.”

Mickie snorted, “keep telling yourself that, sweets. Keep telling yourself that.” He grinned and pulled her toward the giant Shifter.

Lyra watched the two women walk away from her “protector” and felt a wave of relief flood through her. Why does she care who he talks to? Her father hired him to protect her, not fuck her. Oh God, now she feels like a prostitute…

“Lyra,” Maverick said with a nod when she and the man she had jumped at a few minutes ago stopped in front of him.

“Mav,” Lyra said with a nod.

She looked up into Maverick’s face, a brilliant smile on her face.

Maverick felt a bolt of jealousy zing through his body and closed his eyes for a moment. She is his job, not his date. He has no say over who she touches, kisses, hugs, holds, or fucks. He grunted and opened his eyes.

He is screwed.

“This is my friend, Mickie. Mickie, this is my new friend Maverick. He works for my father.”

Mav forced a smile and shook the smaller man’s outstretched hand.

“Really good to meet you, handsome. I appreciate that you’re keeping an eye on sweets here,” Mickie said, wrapping his other arm around Lyra.

Maverick let go of the man’s hand before he accidentally broke it. What is going on with him?

“Mickie and I have been friends since kindergarten,” Lyra said, smiling up at her friend. “I don’t know what I would have done without him in my life. He is the only person who knows who I truly am.”

Maverick watched the two “friends.” The man’s words filtered through his mind, and he opened his mouth to say something—what—he’s not sure. He closed his mouth and looked between the two. He didn’t see any lust in either of their eyes. They truly were friends… Then Mickie’s words floated in his mind. He had called him handsome…

“Well, I need to go check out the eyeballs before the kids eat them all. They were always my favorite,” Mickie said with a wink to Lyra.

Lyra giggled, “I know, I remember.”

Mickie kissed her cheek then turned to Maverick again.

“Keep her safe, man,” he said, then winked at Maverick and headed toward the eyeball stand.

Lyra watched Maverick watch Mickie and giggled when she saw the confusion in his eyes.

“No, he’s not gay,” she said, reading his thoughts.

Maverick looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

Lyra laughed, “he’s bi.”

Maverick nodded. “You two really are just friends.”

It wasn’t a question. Lyra hid a smile as she turned to look at Mickie, who was screeching up a storm, his hand buried in the “eyeball” bowl. The kids were loving it.

“Yeah. As I said, Mickie is the only person who knows who I am. He has always known and has never said a word to anyone. And it has never changed anything between us. He wouldn’t care if I was homeless or had a billion dollars. He’s like a brother to me, and he was there for me when…,” she stopped talking; she had gone a bit too far.

“When what?” Maverick asked, watching her nibble on her bottom lip.

Maverick pulled her bottom lip out from between her teeth and looked into her gorgeous blue eyes.

“You keep doing that, and you’ll make your lip bleed.”

Lyra blinked up at him. His touch made her body tremble, and her brain shut down. What were they talking about again?

“When what?” he asked again.

Lyra shook her head to clear it. When what? Oh yeah, damn it. Now he’s going to think of her as a scared little rich girl…

“I uh, well, this guy I dated in college turned out to be a jackass. I had fallen for him—hard. But it turned out he knew my father, knew who I was, and dated me because he wanted to get into my father’s pocket. When I discovered what he was up to, he tried to deny it, but I wouldn’t listen, so he turned…well, he turned into a totally different man. If Mickie hadn’t been coming over that night, I…I don’t know what would have happened.”

Maverick growled, making Lyra jump.

“Sorry,” Maverick said, taking a deep breath. “People like that guy should be hogtied and beaten.”

Lyra tried to hide her smile, but it was hard. She liked Mav—alot. Maybe too much.

“Mickie helped me through the heartbreak. Luckily I hadn’t slept with the guy….”

“That’s a plus,” Maverick said with a nod.

“This party is the best I have ever been to. Who put it together?” a woman asked around.

Lyra smiled to herself. Too bad no one will ever know. Maybe she should set up a party planning business. Then she could throw parties all the time.

And no one would ever know that Albert Williams’ daughter had set up their party.