Page 23 of Dragon Unleashed
“Good morning,” he says, studying me warily. I can’t blame him. He likely can’t decide whether I’m going to jump him or not. Shit, what if he has a girlfriend back home? A wife?
Mortification sneaks up my spine. “Coffee?” I hold out a mug; a peace offering.
He takes it and sips gingerly at first. His eyes widen. “This is good.”
I smirk. “I’m not much of a cook, but I can make a hell of a cup of java.”
“Java,” he repeats as if committing the word to memory. How the hell can this man make that word sound so sinfully sexy?
I sip my coffee, letting the caffeine do its thing to hopefully clear my head. “So, listen. I’m sorry about last night. I can’t imagine your girlfriend would have appreciated me attacking you like I did.”
His brows furrow, and I hate that it’s so damned adorable. “Girlfriend?”
“Wife, then?”
“I am not married,” he replies. “I haven’t found my mate yet.”
Mate. Of course! Dragons mate for life. Like wolves, vampires, and nearly every other supernatural. Everyone but me, apparently.“Oh. Well. Then, I’m sorry. For attacking you.”
Aries’s eyes blaze like blue fire. “I did not feel attacked.”
Damn.“Good. Still. Sorry.”
“Understood.” He takes a drink of his coffee. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Great.”Lie. “You?”
He frowns, and something flickers behind his dark gaze. “This world is loud.”
“Is it?” I cock my head, listening to the muted sounds of traffic from the street outside. “I don’t notice it.”
I gulp more coffee, checking the time. Considering the level of awkwardness in this kitchen, maybe today will be my first time arriving early to work. I set aside my mug, deciding to get more when I’m downstairs, and head for the door.
Aries does the same. “Where are we going?”
“Whoa, not we,” I say, stopping short and holding up my hand. “Me.” I pull my hand back before his bare chest can run into it. I’m strong but not that strong.
“I cannot stay here,” he says, and if I weren’t so determined to get away from his sexy ass, I might smile at the way he’s pouting.
“That’s exactly what you’re going to do.” He opens his mouth, clearly determined to argue, so I press on. “Remember our talk last night? No one can know you’re here.”
“Or they will hunt me. Yes, yes, I remember.” But he doesn’t look even close to agreeing with me on this.
I sigh. “I know it’s not ideal and my place is kind of small, but you have to stay here today.”
“And where will you go?”
“Downstairs. I have to work. If I don’t show up for my shift, Hoc will come looking for me.”
His eyes narrow. “Who is this Hoc?”
“He’s like my dad,” I say, struggling to explain without triggering a million more questions. “And he runs the library.”
“I thought the library runs itself.”
“It does. But he’s the head librarian in charge of making sure everything remains in order.” And the books remain shut. Ugh.
“So he is your superior?”
