Dragon Ugly (Dragon New Year) by Selena Illyria Read Free Book Online

like possibly hiring extra help or trying new products that they’d been holding back on. It was like a dream was starting to form, and she didn’t want to burst the bubble, not with reality and not with logic or her usual careful planning.
    Anna gushed, “We can even turn one of the rooms into a yoga studio and another into the meditation space. You know what? I’ll call the landlord tomorrow and see if I can get a tour of the upstairs spaces. No need to worry about it.” She waved a hand in dismissal.
    Carissa opened her mouth to object when the line began to move. “Don’t get all excited yet. It’s only the first day. Let’s see how the rest of the week pans out. And besides, that would take construction, permits, permission from the landlord, enough space to ensure that we can handle overflow. We need to plan.”
    Jezebel pouted. “Spoilsport.”
    Carissa shook her head. “I’m not trying to dampen your fun here; I’m trying to keep us from investing in things that won’t have the money to pay back once it gets rolling. Look, let’s talk about this when we get inside?” Thinking about Scentify took her mind off Brent. Heat rippled around her body as she pushed away thoughts of him. Later. She would think about him later.
    They shuffled along until they were inside the pub. Carissa spotted Louisa immediately. She flagged them over and they followed her to a lakeside table outside of the pub. “Sorry for the wait, guys. It’s a madhouse. I can’t serve you, but I’ll send over one of the boys to take care of you. Drinks are on me.” Louisa darted away before they could object.
    Carissa, Jez and Anna all looked at each other and then they picked up the menus that Louisa had left behind. A look around the restaurant-pub showed it was packed wall-to-wall. Still more people were waiting outside and milling about against the walls. The noise level was getting louder and louder by the minute, and that didn’t count what was going on outside. Mini-parties were breaking out on the sidewalk.
    Jez whistled. “Looks like we’re not the only ones to be benefiting from the festival. I’ve never seen this place so packed.”
    Carissa nodded and looked over the menu. She decided that since she was completely off her diet, she would indulge tonight. She put the menu down and looked up as the server arrived. His head was down, but she could see spiky hair, tipped in blue. A thrill raced through her as a pang of another kind started low in her belly. She licked her lips. Blood bubbled up in her veins, going straight to her head as hope bloomed inside of her. The urge to move closer to him rushed up her limbs. The palms of her hands tingled. She found herself leaning towards him, only to stop once she realized what she was doing. The seconds ticked by as she waited for Brent to lift his head and look at them. At her.
    When he did look up she sucked in a breath as her heart stumbled in its rhythm. The same eyes that had gazed at her in Red’s looked at her now, wide with surprise. His tempting lips parted and she glimpsed a hint of his white teeth. His gaze darkened to the shade that reminded her of the skies at dusk. He cleared his throat, introduced himself, and gave them the specials without looking away from her. She felt as if she was under a lamp with so much attention on her. She shifted in her seat in an attempt to dissipate the energy that buzzed throughout her body. Jezebel and Anna said something but she didn’t catch what. All she saw was Brent.
    “And you?” he asked, voice raspy.
    It took a moment before she found her voice. “Mozzarella sticks,” she said at last, her voice just as low and husky as his.
    He nodded. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
    Her gaze slid down to take him in. His uniform shirt was tight enough to see the definition of his pecs, and his pants were baggy, but not so much that she missed the slight bulge at the fly. So he felt it too. Satisfaction purred through her.