Page 3 of The Goblin in the Sink Drain
“So…” I squished a dust bunny under my thumb. “You’re serious about the betrothal thing.”
The way I sought his assurance was pathetic. I was embarrassing myself. Again.
“I am.” He grunted as he stood. “But you don’t have to be.”
The desire to reach out and grip his pant leg, to hold him here, with me, made me squirm.
Never had I been one for casual touch, but I couldn’t squash the urge to offer—or take—comfort from members of this clan.But if he shook me off him, I wasn’t sure I could handle it. So I kept my hands to myself.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he rumbled from above me. “Please don’t scan this, Ana.”
“Scan what?” I jerked my head up to find him standing at the breakfast tray. “What am I missing?”
Scrubbing his face with a wide palm, he swept a hand over the options. “Coffee, tea, or cocoa?”
“Oh.” Curious about dragon-toasted marshmallows, I chose the sweetest option. “Cocoa works for me.”
Without another word, he handed me a mug Goldie hadn’t doctored with the creamy, burnt topping. Our fingers brushed, and his breath hitched, his eyes dilating. I wasn’t faring much better, the way my heart kept throwing itself against my ribs.
Luckily, the awkwardness faded when I got an eyeful of what he meant.
“Ha.”I slapped a hand over my mouth too late to stop my laugh. “That girl is something else.”
A thin layer of whipped cream had been added on top of the hot chocolate and styled until it lay flat. Then Goldie had taken a stencil, placed it over the mug, and sprinkled cocoa powder to form a design.
A QR code.
The same one, I bet, from her business cards.
“I apologize for my sister.” He tipped his head back, but divine intervention was slow in coming. “Room and board are free, no strings, and you absolutely donothave to tip her.”
Clearly Goldie had taken one look at me and confirmed a sucker was born every minute, because it took restraint not to pull up my camera app in front of Rían.
“I don’t usually toot my own horn, but you deserve the warning. Goldie is my sister, and I love her, but she is pure dragon. She will do anything to increase the size of her hoard,which, in her case, means the money market account I opened for her last spring to stop her from sleeping under a duvet stuffed with dollar bills. Don’t let her act trick you into thinking she rose at dawn and slaved over a hot stove to make this spread. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a little of everything from the bakery across town.”
“Youdid this?” I swallowed through a tight throat. “For me?”
“And Sloane.” He rubbed his nape, the scar on his bottom lip tugging. “But, yeah, mostly for you.”
“Thank you.” I took a sip of cocoa, recognizing the taste as familiar, but one thing still puzzled me. “Goldie painted a tray and dressed for the occasion. How did she know your plans?”
“She has access to my account on GrubDash, the food delivery app. She probably saw a notification on her phone when I placed the order last night, and the wheels of commerce began turning in her head.”
As dangerous as it was to admire her ruthless streak, I couldn’t help wishing I was more like her.
Bold. Clever. Motivated.
“Good morning,” a rich voice poured over my shoulder, and I jumped, sloshing my drink.
“Liam,” Rían growled, steadying me, and he slid his gaze past me. “Why can’t you use the front door like a normal person?”
“Normal is boring, and the window was open.”
Careful to return the mug to the tray, I pivoted in time to watch a smaller, prettier version of Rían climb into the room with an ease that left me curious if he was the one who taught Goldie her stealthy moves.
“Are you brothers?”
The family resemblance was too strong for either of them to deny a connection, and he had called Fayne hisGran.
