Read Online Taming the Dragon (Loved by the Dragon, #3) by Vivienne Savage - Free Book Online

to a few organizations.
    Kekoa rambled in text about the good deeds of his master. A smile crept onto Marcy’s face. He loves him. Together, they eliminated most of the transactions Marcy flagged and Kekoa promised to look into the rest.
    “Ugh, I can’t believe he went through all this trouble to build a resort business and didn’t hire an actual full-time accountant,” she muttered to herself after Kekoa logged off. She opened a calculator program and totaled up the missing funds.
    Her hunch was right; Teo had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, spread out over a gross amount of time. Without full access to his accounts, there was nothing to do but catalog a list of the offending transfers.
    Marcy took the time to package her findings, lingering in the office with the hope Teo might return at any moment. He didn’t, so she left his office before she risked missing her surf lesson on the beach.
    ***
    A young, dark-haired man approached Marcy on the beach the next morning where she lay on a blanket to recover from the previous day’s strenuous activities. Under his open, white shirt, he carried the build of a Pacific Islander, thickly muscled and sturdy in frame. Unlike Teo, he wore his hair short.
    “Greetings, señorita. I am Kekoa. Master Teo would like to see you in his office if you are free.”
    “Nice to finally meet you, Kekoa. Sure thing. Could you help me gather my things?”
    “Of course.”
    With Kekoa’s help, Marcy packed her belongings away and folded her beach blanket. He carried everything, including the personal tote bag filled with her snacks, laptop, books, and change of clothes.
    The blue Spix was the first thing Marcy saw when she stepped inside Teo’s office at the administration complex. The bird perched on a stand with a half-eaten peach clutched in one claw. Beside Teo’s desk, her easel awaited her, paints positioned in a neat row with her supplies and fresh rags.
    “Good afternoon, Marcy.” Teo sat behind the desk with his intent gaze on the monitor. “Allow me a moment to complete this then I will sit for you.”
    “You brought the bird here. To your office.”
    “You wished to paint one, yes? So I brought her to you.” He offered a small, brief smile. Almost shy.
    Marcy’s gaze caressed his body as he stripped, visually digesting every inch. Teo took up the exact same position as before on the chaise. The parrot answered his call and perched on his bent knee.
    Something’s different. He’s so quiet. The conversational dragon of the first portrait sitting said little and spoke only when addressed.
    “Is something on your mind?” she asked.
    “Yes.”
    “I’m a good listener,” Marcy prompted.
    “It is nothing,” he assured her.
    “Okay. Well, if you’re not going to talk, do you mind if I put on some music?”
    He waved a dismissive hand toward the computer, so Marcy crossed behind the desk and found the satellite radio. Within moments, peaceful and relaxing music filled the space.
    “Your belly has rumbled twice,” Teo interrupted her hours later. “Have a break to order lunch.”
    “I brought one with me,” Marcy said.
    “I insist. There is a menu beside the computer you may use to this purpose.” With the exception of his generous offer, Teo remained aloof, a quiet, distant man sharing the office with her. A stranger.
    Does he regret it? Did he use me? A dozen other thoughts niggled into Marcy’s mind until she dismissed them and placed a delivery order for lunch on Teo’s dime.
    “Would you like anything?”
    “No. I hunted and will be fine for some time yet.” Teo stroked his fingers down the parrot’s wing feathers and offered the bird a nut.
    Okay... What crawled up his butt? Marcy sighed and gave up on the attempt to spark conversation. She added a few more details to the artwork while she waited for her meal, which arrived in under ten minutes. She’d never get enough of the café’s scallops, but the uncertain mood between her and Teo