Page 24 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

“It’s also about…” His scales darkened to ruby. “The Bible? Yes. I think that’s what’s inside.”

“Right. Of course.” I worried the neckline of my dress, suddenly as uncomfortable as he was.A jewel-studded book about humility can’t judge my choices, I reminded myself.

When we came to the last door, he opened it to reveal a dazzlingly lit room filled with sparkling jewelry. It was all I could do to keep my eyes from bugging out of my head. Pearl necklaces. Sapphire earrings. Diamond bracelets.

“Please, pick something.” Az’zael’s voice rumbled from beside me.

My whole body felt icy, and something unpleasant coated the inside of my mouth.Oneof these pieces of jewelry was years of rent, groceries, everything. Cash was a simple, straightforward transaction, but this felt far beyond what we’d discussed at coffee today.

We hadn’t even kissed yet, so it couldn’t possibly be a thank-you for services rendered, and he hadn’t attached it to a demand for more from me. But all the same, I felt a net closing around me. “It’s all very lovely, but I couldn’t possibly.”

“Take whatever you like, as much as you like.” Az’zael fixed his slit-pupiled eyes on me. His gaze was dark and hot, just like when we’d negotiated in the coffee shop and he’d asked me to count his money in front of him.

Holy shit. He was turned on. Answering heat slithered through my veins.

Maybe he had some kind of financial kink? It kind of made sense. What might a dragon find more taboo—and therefore alluringly erotic—than giving away their wealth?

I wanted to nod, to take the security of one of those necklaces, and I hated myself for my greediness.

I shook my head, my mouth dry.

His shoulders tensed. “I can afford to spoil you, Elle.”

He could, couldn’t he? He’d shown me that much with his penthouse tour, and he wouldn’t offer me anything he couldn’t afford to give away.

But in exchange for what?That’s what this was, wasn’t it? Anarrangement.

“Really, I can’t.”

The tips of Az’zael’s wings drooped, his eyes darting between me and the jewelry as if calculating where he’d misstepped.

Fuck. That wasnotthe reaction I’d expected. He looked like I’d kicked his dog. If this was a fetish, maybe he’d been looking forward to acting it out? If someone turned me down flat for something I wanted in bed, I’d be pretty upset, too.

I opened my mouth to ask, then shut it with a snap. That question would probably end up mortifying both of us.

He didn’t want me to do anything scary or painful. He could afford to give me something. So I’d just take something small.

“Okay,” I said, half breath, half speech.

A grin split Az’s face, his fangs flashing, and he moved to cover my lower back, his body crowding close to mine and warming me from the inside out as he offered information about each piece.

I perused the jewelry, my attention split between the sparklies and Az’s reactions, waiting for him to guide me to a specific set. No way was he actually setting me loose on his jewelry collection, no matter how hot he might find the idea. This was just a little game, some dragon-style foreplay.

Because this was so surreal, sounreal, I let myself pretend, for a moment, that I hadn’t sworn off relationships. That I was with a man who wanted to spoil me. Who enjoyed making me happy the same way I’d always wanted to make other people happy, before I’d learned that most people took whatever they could get.

What was the harm? It’d never really happen.

Az’s assertive hand on my body and my own fantasies in my head were intoxicating, loosening my limbs and reigniting my own desire.

“That one was once owned by Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.” His hand flexed, his claws grazing the sensitive skin of my back and raising goosebumps on my flesh. Something about his touch directed my attention away from the empress’s necklace.Must be too expensive.

“What’s this one?” I pointed to the string of diamonds in the next case. While they were beautiful, nestled in one of the pedestal display cases, they lacked the glitz and intricacy of some of the other jewelry.

He opened the case and pulled out the necklace, his toothy grin letting me know I’d chosen well. My own heartbeat pulsed between my legs in response.

“Would you like to try it on?” His claws popped open the delicate clasp. Such sharp claws, and he used them so gently, so carefully. How would they feel when he touched me intimately?

I licked my lips. “Oh, I don’t know.” When would I ever get a chance to wear something so beautiful? My chest tightened, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

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