Page 49 of Happily Ever Witch
“None of your business! Do you hear me asking you how many peopleyou’veslept with?”
He rolled his eyes, like the question was ludicrous. He probably couldn’t even count that high. “But you’ll sleep with me, even though you don’t like me, right? Since we’re stuck with each other andonly each otherfor the rest of ever-after?”
She wasn’t sure whether he was nagging about the monogamy thing because it bugged him or because he wanted to remind her that she couldn’t go date a guitar player. Somehow she thought it was the latter. “Today, I’m not going to sleep with anyone,includingyou. I agreed to consider letting you touch me, so you could get your scent on me. That’s it.”
He seemed okay with that, weirdly enough. “Have you considered it, then? You said you’d get over being mad, after a couple hours.”
“And it’s only beenonehour and fifty-seven minutes.”
“Will you be finished hating me, sometime over the next hundred and eighty seconds?”
“I’m considering it.” Esmeralda arched a brow. “Have you considered ways you’re not going to screw this up?”
“Yes.”
“Really? What did you come up with?”
“I’m going to be kind.”
“Kind?” She echoed and wondered if she was hallucinating. “You?”
“Yes. I can do that.”
“No, you can’t.” She scoffed, because he absolutely couldn’t.
“I’m a dragon. I can do anything. I can be extremely… kind.” Just saying the word was killing him. He made it sound like a fatal disease.
“Trev…”
He cut her off. “Your skin is delicate. I understand that. And you yourself are very,” he frowned a bit, like he was delivering a dire prognosis, “virtuous. You’ll require special handling, so I don’t break you.”
Esmeralda pinched the bridge of her nose. “I swear to God…”
“It’s not my fault that you’re the way you are. I’m just reporting what I see.”
“I’m a wicked damn witch, you moron. I’m not virtuous.” If Grimhilde, President of the Cauldron Society, heard him, Esmeralda would never live it down. “Virtuous people are Good and I’m Bad.”
“Barely.” He waved a palm, forestalling her protest. “Whatever you call it, you’re different than most of the women I fuc…” He stopped mid-syllable. “Most of the women I’ve beeninvolvedwith.”
She didn’t miss the last minute word substitution. The dragon really was trying to be kind. It was a doomed effort, but she appreciated the attempt. Esmeralda was marginally encouraged.
“Obviously, it will take some time to adjust to your peculiarities, but I’m confident I can do it.” He went on. “Dragons can do anything. And it’s not as if either of us has much of a choice.”
“We’re stuck with each other.” She agreed snarkily.
Trevelyan frowned, like he wanted to argue with that phrasing, but she was just repeating his exact words. He cleared his throat, instead. “So we can try touching, then?”
Esmeralda checked her watch. Close enough. “Alright.”
He blinked at her casual agreement. “Really?”
“Sure.”
There wasmaybesome progress with his attitude…? Maybe. And Esmeralda’s body was constantly on fire for the man, so her own desires needed to be taken into account, too. In fact they were themostimportant consideration. She really wanted him. And all her instincts screamed he was the one she’d been waiting for all her life. He was her True Love and that bond was rock-solid, right from the jump. And Trevelyan was a very possessive guy. Having his scent on her would calm him down and possibly make him less of a handful. And she really, reallywanted him. Did she think about that consideration, already? Because, shereallydid and nothing else seemed to matter.
Anyway, this plan was worth a shot. “Want to go upstairs?”
“No.” His brows compressed, suspicious of a trap. “You could change your mind on the way.”
