Page 24 of Dragon in Denial
“I’m going to head to my hotel, grab a change of clothes,” Ketu said. He canted his head. “Do you want to come with me?”
She took a few steps away from him and nearly tripped when her foot hit the edge of the pavement. “Uh, why would I do that?”
Ketu shrugged. “Talk. Or whatever.”
Or whatever?
“What do we have to talk about?”
He arched one brow. “Is that a serious question?”
Shit. He did know what happened while they’d flown together last night. Crap. Hell. What was she supposed to do now? She didn’t particularly want to be alone in a hotel room with him, but neither did she want to have this conversation with his parents and Henri around.
With a resigned sigh, she said, “Do you mind waiting while I shower and change?”
“Nope.”
She headed inside, gave Henri another hug and told him she had to get ready for work but she promised to be home tonight, and then she hurried down the hall to the bathroom.
When she stepped back into the kitchen a short time later, Ketu, Henri, andMamásat around the table, playing Sorry. Ketu looked up and grinned at her, and she stuttered to a stop as if someone had placed an invisible force field in front of her. Why was she reacting so strongly to his presence? Surely not because they were fated mates. She and Ketu had known each other for most of their lives.
“I’m winning,” Ketu announced.
“Not anymore,” Henri said as he carefully counted, using the yellow game piece to guide him, until he triumphantly placed it in “home.”
Ketu groaned whileMamáclapped enthusiastically. Antoinette’s heart squeezed as she sucked in air and tried to remember how to breathe.
She hadn’t dated much since Henri’s birth. On the rare occasion someone had tried to talk to her in the grocery store or at Mitch’s, she usually blew them off. She hadn’t let anyone close enough to even meet Henri, let alone do all those sweaty, sexy things she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about doing with Ketu.
She closed her eyes and stifled a groan. How could it seriously be Ketu? Hell, how could she trust that he wouldn’t run away again when the going got tough?
He was hurting too, her dragon said.Everybody reacts to grief differently.
Be that as it may, what did her dragon think she should do? Let him get even closer with her kid? Hook up with him? Then what?
He didn’t want to be in New Orleans. He said himself that he hated the constant reminders of his dead sister. Antoinette hated them too, but, slowly, she was getting used to them. The triggers were becoming fewer and farther between. A little happiness was breaking through all the sorrow. It was something.
“Come sit with us,” Ketu said, lifting his arm like he wanted her to sit in his lap. No, he was simply inviting her to come closer to the table. She moved to Henri’s chair, picking him up and settling him in her lap. She needed the barrier.
“We’re almost done,” Ketu said whileMamátook her turn. “And then we can get going.”
Ten minutes later, Henri won the game. He leaped from Antoinette’s lap and ran around the table, giving everybody high fives.
“This victory deserves some cookies and milk,”Mamásaid, climbing out of her chair and moving to the counter, where she pulled the cookie jar close so she could look inside.
“All right, I’ll see you later this evening,mijo,” Antoinette said to her son.
“Will you back be, too, Ketu?” Henri asked.
Ketu gave Antoinette a look she couldn’t read and then said, “Yep. I’ll see you later, kiddo.”
At the hotel where he was staying, Ketu used the key card to open his door, and then he held it so Antoinette could walk into his room first. The maid had obviously been by because the bed covers were tucked so tightly between the mattresses you could bounce a quarter off them. His suitcase rested on the luggage rack in a corner. A pair of sneakers sat next to it, and she spied his toiletry bag on the bathroom counter. The guy was neat, at least when he traveled.
“Make yourself at home. Feel free to order something to eat, if you want. It shouldn’t take me long.” And then he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
Antoinette kicked off her shoes and wandered deeper into the room, straying over to his suitcase and flipping up the top.
Man, I’m nosy.
