Page 28 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

“That sounds lovely,” I said. It would never come to fruition, of course. Cities were always making these kinds of bullshit promises, and then nothing ever happened.

But Az’zael settled back in his chair, a wide grin on his face.

After dinner, I expected him to steer the conversation back to his still-obvious erections, but instead he pulled me to an oversized couch, the back of which was only attached at the center so his wings could slot between the seat and the back. Then he suggested we “Netflix and chill.”

Apparently, Az was still content to let me set the pace tonight, and my shoulders relaxed another notch.

He claimed he’d been trying to watch more human media, so I suggestedThe Company. He put it on and stretched an arm across the back of the couch. The second I nestled my body against his side, his arm wrapped around me, anchoring me to him.

I was full, warm, and relaxed, and if he had been my boyfriend, I’d have been tempted to doze off against his wide chest.

He’s not my boyfriend. I don’t want a boyfriend.At least with mine and Az’s contract, what we got and what we gave were clearly laid out. No room for resentment or misunderstandings.

I mentally shook myself awake.

About twenty minutes into the first episode, I let my hand wander to his thigh. It tensed beneath my fingers, but he made no move to hurry me along. His lack of urgency both relaxed me and had heat building in my core all over again.

“Why does Kameela allow Richard to speak to her like that?”

I glanced at the television. “He’s her boss.”

Az’zael leaned forward. “He’s awful.”

“Yeah, that’s whyit’s funny.”

His forehead wrinkled. “It’sfunnythat he told her she has to break the law or lose her job?”

“Maybe not funny ha ha, but funny, you know. Relatable.” I winced as soon as the words left my mouth. Dragons didn’t have bosses. He wouldn’t find a single goddamn thing relatable about this scenario. Why had I chosen a workplace comedy?

His face snapped toward me. “You had a boss ask you to steal someone else’s credit card information?”

“No.”

“But something similar?” Inhuman slit-pupiled eyes zeroed in on my face.

I’d worked customer service jobs for sixteen years, ever since I got my first work permit. I had a treasure trove of stories I could pull out any time someone wanted to bitch about bad bosses, but I doubted Az wanted the nitty-gritty details. “This kind of stuff is overblown for television. Usually it’s smaller things, like not paying overtime.”

“Someone didn’t compensate you for yourtime? Who?” Smoke curled from Az’zael’s nose, and his chest went from warm to hot.

I edged away with the strange feeling that answering that question would not end well for whoever I named. I briefly considered it anyway.

“Lots. It doesn’t matter.” My face grew hot as embarrassment over all the times I’d let that kind of treatment go overpowered my petty revenge fantasies.

His lips pressed together. “Of course it matters. How could they be so rude?”

“Rude?” I snorted. I’d never quite equated their money-hungry douche-baggery to something as remote as etiquette. Mostly, I took it as a sign that I needed to find a new job. “I guess you could call it that.”

Az waved a hand. “Yes, yes, you humans are always so coy, but refusing to thank someone for gifting you their time is unforgivable. Time is finite. You could never recoup the loss.”

“Gift? It’s ajob.”

“Wherein you agree to exchange time for payment. They broke the contract. That alone would get someone shunned by dragon society. To be stingy on top of it…? Inexcusable.” His head jerked around to look at me. “I wouldneverdisrespect you by violating our contract.”

I glanced around at the literal hoard in Az’zael’s apartment. He didn’t get rich by giving everything away at the drop of a hat. “Dragons dislike stinginess?”

His eyes went to my hands, now folded in my lap. Taking the unspoken hint, I returned one to his thigh, assuming the conversation was over. Instead, he preened under the gesture but continued talking.

“It’s not just about stinginess, it’s…” He paused, like he was hunting for the right words. “It’s about taking our obligations seriously. If I went around breaking contracts and withholding proper gifts, why should I expect anyone to want to trust me or gift metheirtime? I’d be afrumser.”

---