Page 12 of Marked By His Alpha Dragon's Desire

“No. Not at all. I—I want you here. I want to hang out and keep an eye on you. Did you have other plans? I don’t want to ruin your evening.”

I shrugged. “I’ve got nothing going.” I looked around the room. “We might be more comfortable at your home, though. Could we go there? I don’t mean to invite myself—”

“You’re more than welcome,” Luca said. “Are you sure you don’t mind moving again? You’re supposed to be resting.”

“Sounds like I’ll be able to rest as soon as I get there.” I flashed him my best grin, and Luca smiled back.

“Then let’s go.”

The drive to his house was short—not that I expected it to be long, considering how small the town was. But I was shocked when he pulled into the driveway of the very house that had caught my attention that first day in town. My dragon’s intuitionnever ceased to amaze me. Of course he had led me to the home of the man I suspected was my mate.

“This is me,” he said as he parked outside of the garage. “I can’t fit my car in there. I’ve got way too much stuff, and I haven’t sifted through all of it.”

I swallowed thickly. “The house is adorable,” I said. “Looks very cozy.”

He chuckled. “Like the rest of the town, right? Yeah, when I saw this one for sale, I couldn’t pass it up. Something about it just screamedhome, you know?”

I nodded. I had that very same thought.

Inside the house was just as cozy as the outside. The scent of Luca was strong. My dragon rumbled his approval.

“Are you all right?” Luca asked.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Oh, I thought you sounded like you were in pain.”

Luca put his things down and guided me toward the living room. It was located in the back of the house, with a large bay window that overlooked the yard. A white picket fence enclosed the yard, and a swing set sat in the center with a large sandbox.

“I’ll get you something to drink, then we can relax.”

“Sounds good. I’m fine, really. Almost as good as new.”

Luca narrowed his eyes. “You may look fine, but you still need to take it easy.”

I settled onto the sofa, sinking into the plush cushions.

Luca returned a moment later with a glass of water.

“Thank you for looking after me,” I said. “I do appreciate it.”

“Of course. I know what it’s like to be new in this town.”

“Yeah, and I’m staying at the fire station right now, I haven’t found an apartment yet.”

“Really? You moved here without a place to stay?”

I chuckled. “Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. I didn’t want to seem like the type who didn’t plan or think things through, but how did I explain to Luca that I was just trusting my dragon?

“My brothers and I all sort of left our hometown around the same time, each heading in a different direction.”

“That’s kind of fun. Are you close with your brothers?”

I nodded.

Luca settled next to me, tucking his feet under him and grabbing the blanket that rested on the back of the couch. “I don’t have siblings, but I always wondered what it would be like.”

“It’s great. We’re close. They’ve always supported me, and I support them. Even when we don’t understand each other’s decisions.”

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