Page 15 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

Idiot.He wanted to hire me, not romance me.

I selected the oat milk latte.

Dating a man who would pay for something as small as coffee without pulling out a calculator and demanding I chip in half would be a delightfully novel experience.

He sat there and watched me sip with avid interest.

Okay, conversation was on me, then.Deep breath. “What did you get?”

“Jasmine green tea. Their tea selection is a bit…lacking, but I don’t much care for coffee.” He grimaced, his thin lips curling down. “I’ve tried it. I just don’t understand the appeal. It smells delicious, but it tastesterrible. Especially espresso.”

I relaxed back in my chair. That seemed like such a normal thing to say. “You sound almost offended.” As intense as he was, it was probably a good thing he didn’t like coffee. A heavily caffeinated Az’zael would be way too much to handle.

“Espresso is supposed to be high quality, more concentrated than coffee, and it requires more skill to make, but it’ssobitter.”

The way his face scrunched up, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I can’t stand straight espresso either. I much prefer it with some extras.” I waved my cup, full of oat milk to cut the strong taste.

He tracked my coffee cup’s movement. “If something is high quality, it shouldn’t need to be watered down. You should want as much as you’re able to get.”

That avaricious statement, especially from a dragon, shouldnothave turned me on. “Have you been to this coffee shop before?”

“No, I try to rotate where I go. I don’t want to show any favoritism.”

Considering the reactions he garnered in this small coffee shop and at Norma’s Kitchen—people shooting him glances, patrons leaving early, the bump in business we experiencedafterhe left—I could see why he’d rotate.

“You’ve been to Norma’s Kitchen a handful of times.” Far more, I suspected, than he’d been anywhere else.

“Yes. I’m very fond of it.” His eyes gleamed, and I swallowed.

“Right. Okay.” What did I say tothat?

“Elle.” His voice dropped, and he leaned closer. “Would you like your gift?”

5

Elle

Ifelt like a deer caught in the headlights. He was just going to come right out and ask me? Weren’t we supposed to negotiate first? He hadn’t even told me what he wanted in exchange. But I’d also agreed to this for exactly one reason. “Yes.”

The dragon grinned. Actually grinned. Then he reached into his wallet and pulled out a wad of money.

“Thank you,” I croaked.

But when I went to stuff it into my purse, he asked, “You aren’t going to count it?”

It was a fat stack of hundreds, and the way his eyes fixed on my hands, he seemed towantme to count it.

I thumbed through the cash, shooting him nervous looks, and my heart rate ratcheted up each time I hit another thousand. His eyes were half-closed by the time I finished, and hot desire tugged at my lower belly.

Five thousand dollars.Chills and relief hit me in equal measure. I could walk out of here now, and with what I made from my regular jobs, I’d be set for months. I’d been drowning for so long, and it was like I’d finally found the surface and sucked in a breath of air.

I stuffed the money into my purse and stuck the purse in my lap.

Except. Except I had five figures in credit card debt, student loans for a degree I’d never finished, and even though Mama would never admit it, she usually needed a hundred bucks a month or so for things Dwayne didn’t approve of. New mascara, or the pain-relieving lotion for her joints that Dwayne “didn’t believe in,” or a million other small things.

If I stayed andnegotiated, I could wipe out my debt and stop feeling like I was treading water. Maybe even get ahead before the wheels of Az’zael’s plans crushed me beneath them.

So I straightened up, all that warmth flushed right out of me. What did he expect in exchange for five thousand dollars?

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