Read Online Danburn: The English Dragon ― Erotic Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance by Kathi S. Barton - Free Book Online Page B

a little before noon to go with him to two meetings, one of which was going to involve Julia and her brother, he asked him what Kendrick was doing. He didn’t seem to want to answer him, kept fobbing him off on other information that he didn’t need. Finally, he told him to tell him.
    “She’s very delicate.” Not a word he might have used for her, but he listened to his friend. “I don’t mean in the fragile sort of way, even though there are times when she is that as well. But what I mean is she’s not had anything nice done for her or given to her. I would imagine all her life. And when she sees something, like the cut flowers in the hall that were put out this morning, she went on and on at their fragrance and color. The beautiful way that Beth had put the colors together to make them seem brighter. I sent her to the yard with Pierce to have him show her the castle walls. I know I find them beautiful.”
    “I like her.” Noah said that he’d figured that out. “No. I mean I really like her. She’s not like the other women I’ve met. She’s straightforward and doesn’t seem to care that I’m a lord with money. Of course it’s never come up, but I have a feeling that should it, she’d just tell me to fuck off.”
    “She would at that. I think, and I have less experience with women than you, but I do think she’s like a breath of fresh air.” Noah looked slightly embarrassed for a moment, but continued. “I had it in my head that she wasn’t good enough for you. Not in any way but as a bed partner. But I have since changed my mind into thinking—and please do not take this the wrong way—but I’m thinking that you’re not good enough for her.”
    It hurt. He would only admit that to himself, but he thought Noah was right. He’d been overbearing to her. Mean even. Ordering her about like she was a minion. And the incident in the bedroom had shown him that he wanted more from her than just a good fuck. He wanted to make love to her.
    The meeting seemed to go on for hours with Conrad, Julia’s brother, and his lawyer. They thought that since he had the money that they should be able to go on as usual. He, however, thought that he should keep his money and bring in some of his own people to run the place. After he spent a fortune in getting things up to code. The complex of new homes was nearly in ruins when he’d stepped in.
    Four weeks ago he’d bought the bank note on two housing developments. One was in the upper side of town, the other mid-range income homes. Most of the houses were empty, the work done on them shoddy and short. As he walked through the house they were using as a demo, he started snapping pictures to compare to the ones he knew were to be sold to the public. The man with them and his attorney had taken exception to that.
    “There is no reason to think that the other homes are going to be this nice. That’s just not the way that things are done around here.” He asked them why not. “Well, this is a model of what they can be doing to them, not what we have done in them. Of course this house is going to look better. People who buy them should figure that out right away.”
    “No, this house should be the same as the one that they’re buying. When you put this model home here, to let them see what you’re selling, it should be the same if not less than what the consumer gets.” He pulled up a picture that he’d taken a couple of weeks ago when the paperwork had been approved for his purchase. “This is the house that is currently on the market. What do you think the person who has paid for the model home does when he gets in his home and finds that he not only has no countertops in his kitchen and baths, but that the flooring is only subflooring and that the walls aren’t painted? I would be very upset with you and demand my money returned to me. I do believe that’s why you’re behind in your payments here, as well as having several clients suing you.”
    “Well,