He wasn’t supposed to fall for a human. He wasn’t supposed to care what happened to them. He hadn’t really cared about much of anything in this world since he’d been awakened. He hadn’t intended to start now.
But watching Kelsey, with those hopeful, luminous green eyes lit by the lights outside the window, he couldn’t help it. He was starting to care what happened to her very much indeed.
He resisted the urge to reach for his drink, wanting to stay sober for his next moments.
He scooted his chair a little closer to hers, and her eyes came up to meet his, widening.
“What—”
He cut her off by scooting a little closer, noting the little hitch in her breath, the way she tucked her curls behind her ears. Her hair had little hints of blond and brown and red if you looked closely.
And Adrien was looking very closely.
He scooted forward one more time and reached out with one hand, wanting to touch the skin on her cheek. See how she responded. Perhaps try a kiss with his mate.
Instead, she jerked back, knocking over her chair in her hurry to stand up, her drink sloshing as she took a step backward, stumbling.
He stood, his intention only to steady her, but she put up a hand.
“No,” she said sharply, her face angry now. “I’m not doing this.” She pointed at him with her drink, then set it on a table so it wasn’t in her hands while she gestured wildly. “I’m not.”
“Doing what?” he asked, eyes narrowing to slits while his hands slid back into his pockets.
Unless he’d been reading the moment wrong, she was attracted to him, too. Why was she acting as though he’d committed some kind of offense?
Given how many human women had made moves on him, he hadn’t expected this response when he finally made a move of his own.
He wasn’t unaware of his own appeal.
She bit her lip, eyes blazing angrily, arms folded, a barrier between her and him. “So this is it? This is where you ask for something back in return for what you’ve done for me? This is where we make some kind of deal?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What are you even talking about?”
“I’m not that kind of girl,” she said. “I’m not going to… earn my keep that way.”
His jaw dropped and he made no attempt to hide his shock. “You think I’m that pathetic? That I have to blackmail human females into making love with me?”
She folded her arms tighter and looked away from him. “Men always want something. People, really.”
“For what?” he asked, taking a step closer, feeling a dark anger surge through him. He was deeply offended she could think he was that kind of man. “Do I look like the type of man who has to resort to such low behavior?”
She frowned at him. “Anyone, no matter how they look, can be a bad person. And you making a move on me, when I’m one of your employees—”
“What?” he asked sharply. “You aren’t my employee. If anything, we are both employees of the same company. And I like to think we were becoming friends. I find you interesting. More than I ever have a woman before.”
“So what were you trying to do?” she asked suspiciously.
“Kiss you,” he snapped in frustration. “Because for some reason, I thought you would want me to. Obviously, I was wrong. It won’t happen again.” He threw up his hands and walked around his chair to head for the exit.
He’d never been so humiliated in his life.
He heard steps echoing quickly over the marble as she hurried to catch up to him.
“Adrien, wait.”
Her voice was much softer, so he turned impatiently to see what she wanted.
She was standing there in those worn jeans and that loose hoodie, looking at him with an expression that said she was totally lost.
As lost as he was, though he would never admit it.
Somehow, in this new world, this woman who made him care, who seemed to care about him, had felt like a lifeline.
Now she thought him a monster, and there was nothing he could do about it.
She walked closer as he waited for her to catch up. She reached out to touch his arm, shocking him. Warmth seemed to erupt in all directions from even that small touch, and he jerked back slightly in response.
What was that? What did it mean?
She removed her hand shyly. “Look, I’m sorry. I misread things. A lot of people… have tried to take advantage. I already feel like this situation is too good to be true. I don’t want it to… go bad again.”
His jaw tightened. “Understood. I won’t make a move again. I got it.” His tone was sharp, and her eyes darted side to side uncertainly. “So if that’s all, I’m going to head to bed.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and again turned to go but felt her hand grab his arm, yanking him back.
She really was surprisingly strong. Nothing compared to his human power, let alone his dragon power, but quite strong nonetheless.
She pulled him in closer, and he eyed her curiously. What did she plan to do next? He kept his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent, as she kept her hand on his arm and looked at the ground, thinking for a moment.
Then she raised up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. He froze in shock as her soft, warm lips covered his, staying closed but against him insistently.
As if she were desperate for the contact, but didn’t know what to do next.
Had she never been kissed before? He tilted his head and softly played at the line between her lips with his tongue, urging them open slightly. As they opened farther, with a little moan, he slid his tongue inside, gently claiming her mouth, stroking her sensitive places as he felt her begin to melt against him.
Both her hands were holding his arms now, and her lips opened hungrily as her tongue came out to meet his, twisting with him in a passionate, heated exchange that seemed to send heat rushing straight to his soul.
And blood rushing other places.
He’d never known kissing could be so heady, so engulfing. He wanted to drink from her like he was dying of thirst, wanted to feel her want and need for him and never let her go.
But eventually, she did pull back, struggling away from him with a huge gasp, as if she’d somehow forgotten to breathe properly due to the heat of their kiss.
He felt he’d forgotten his first name.
Except he hadn’t. He was Adrien. He was a dragon. He’d just found his mate, a human, and she’d just kissed him, right after a fight.
Life had suddenly become very unpredictable. As she put a hand to his cheek, lightly caressed it, and then blushed and ran from the room, waving good night, he stared in shock.
Damn. With that kind of passion, maybe having a human mate wouldn’t be so bad.
Eight
She’d kissed Adrien last night. It still didn’t feel real, and she could feel knots in her stomach as she looked through the racks with Robbie on the previously promised shopping trip.
Robbie had shown up bright and early that morning with Kelsey’s first paycheck (much higher than she’d ever expected) and insisted on going to pick up new clothes.
Kelsey wasn’t offended by it at all. She badly needed new clothes and really looked forward to Adrien’s face when he saw her without the old things she’d had to wear so far.
She blushed, thinking of his face last night, wondering why she cared what he thought of her.
She’d felt bad for misunderstanding him. Bad enough to come forward to apologize, but then, looking at him, so handsome, standing there rigid and offended, reminding her of the proud way he’d stood in the alley when coming to defend her, she’d wanted to kiss him.
More like, she had to admit, she’d been wanting to kiss him for some time now.
He was gorgeous, and despite what everyone said, he was kind to her. Maybe his words and demeanor were sharp, but his actions were different.
His obvious offense at her thinking he was taking advantage, his insistence that she was on his level as an e
mployee, his stomping away and promising not to do anything ever again all had made her more than sure he’d never meant to attack her.
He wasn’t trying to use her.
Or at least, he wasn’t trying to say he’d take away her apartment or job if she said no to him.
Being able to say no made it so much easier to say yes.
“What are you thinking about over there?” Robbie asked, giving her an amused smile. “You’re going red as a tomato.”
“Am I?” Kelsey said, laughing nervously and moving to another rack.
“I noticed you didn’t end up vacuuming last night. Which is fine. I’d already told you there was no need. But am I right in guessing you maybe hung out with Adrien?”
Oh no, she was for sure going to be redder now.
“I knew it! What happened? Did you kiss him?”
Kelsey jerked her eyes up. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t,” Robbie said, her tone triumphant. “But I do now.” She laughed and dodged Kelsey, who swatted at her in mock annoyance. “Plus, I can kind of pick up on these things.”
“I can’t,” Kelsey said. “I totally misunderstood his intentions at first.”
“Oh?” Robbie asked.
“Yeah.” Kelsey pulled out a pair of dark-wash jeans and held them out, appraising them. “I thought he was coming to take what he felt he’d earned for helping me find a place to land.”
“No,” Robbie said, wrinkling her nose. “Besides, you earned your place. Watching you take out that bad customer was more than a little satisfying.”
“What happened with that, anyway?” Kelsey asked.
“Eh, after talking with Citrine and Dante, she seemed totally changed. Apologized for any issues, promised not to come back. It was weird.”
“Yeah,” Kelsey agreed.
Robbie shrugged. She was wearing a purple blouse with cutouts on the shoulders, and her rich brown skin looked amazing and smooth. She was curvy like Kelsey but really worked it, wearing clothes that emphasized every aspect of her tall, generous figure.
“Ooh,” Robbie said, holding up a blouse. “This would look amazing on you.”
“It would?” Kelsey said, looking at it curiously. “I’ll be honest. I don’t know how to dress myself. Cute like you do, I mean.” She’d always had to buy what was cheap or what fit or what would last longest.
There hadn’t ever been money for anything extra.
Her eyes wandered across the hall to rest longingly on a store that sold makeup, and she wondered briefly how she’d look made up cute like Robbie.
She’d never had money to spend on something like that. And hadn’t needed it for the temp gigs or restaurant jobs she’d had doing manual labor.
Robbie caught her wistful glance and smiled. “Come on, girl. Let’s get you in the dressing room with some fun jeans, and we’ll head over for makeup next.”
Kelsey grinned as Robbie ushered her to a curtained dressing room, shoving clothes in her arms and promising to return with more.
It was nice to have someone looking out for her. She felt so grateful she didn’t know what to do about it. She didn’t know how to pay back Robbie and the others for how good they were being to her.
She just hoped she’d get the chance somehow.
“You kissed her?” Dante’s grin was glowing as he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes triumphant.
“Don’t make such a big deal of it,” Adrien said, scowling. He’d taken off the bandage when he showered that morning, thinking it no longer necessary.
“You called me and said you’d found your mate,” Dante said, pouting. “I’d say that was quite a big deal.”
When Dante had found a human mate, Adrien had been confused about how that worked, and he figured Dante might be able to enlighten him on a few topics of interest.
“Yes, I kissed her. So what now?”
Dante folded his arms, golden eyes narrowing. “What do you mean what now?”
“She’s a human. I’m a dragon. She has no idea who I am, and I can’t show her my form until I’m mated.”
“Well, that’s not exactly true,” Dante said. “I was able to get the ring off by simply demonstrating my intention to mate. I had to in order to save my mate.”
“Exactly,” Adrien said. “Not to mention you harassed the emerald dragon until he’d do anything to get you off his doorstep.”
“Grump that he is,” Dante muttered.
The door to the club opened, and Citrine appeared at the doorway. “You two ready for the staff meeting in a half an hour?”
“Yes, boss.” His tone was more than a little sarcastic. He turned back to Dante, ignoring Citrine, who walked forward. “So what now?”
“What do you mean what now?” Dante asked.
“How do I get from here to mated?” Adrien asked. “I don’t have the first idea how to court a human woman.”
“Back when Citrine was teaching us, didn’t you pay any attention?”
“Not really,” Adrien said, drawing a shocked gasp from Citrine, who swatted him on the back of the head. “Hey…”
Citrine sat on a chair across from them, his big body slumping. “I’ll be so glad when you are out of my hair.”
“I guess it’s good I found the one person who doesn’t think I’m an annoyance,” Adrien muttered, rubbing his head.
“Yes, it is good,” Citrine said.
“How do you know she doesn’t think you’re an annoyance?” Dante asked curiously.
“She kissed me,” Adrien said. “That has to mean something, doesn’t it?”
“Every woman wants to kiss you,” Citrine said. “You have an almost mythical ability to make them want you.”
“This one is different,” Adrien said. “She didn’t want another woman to kiss me.”
“Or she just hates seeing anyone taken advantage of,” Citrine said.
Did he have any other purpose than to annoy Adrien?
“Has anyone seen Robbie around?” Adrien asked.
Citrine colored slightly. “She’s shopping with Kelsey.”
“Oh yeah? Did she tell you that before she left?” Adrien asked, folding his arms, enjoying switching the attention to Citrine.
Citrine frowned. “Of course. Why wouldn’t she? We work closely together.”
“Is that all you do ‘closely’ together?” Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
Citrine’s handsome features tightened. His dark brows lowered over his warm, yellow-orange eyes. “Watch it, Adrien.”
“Ooh, getting protective,” Adrien said, pointing. “Maybe I’m not the only one who has found his mate.”
Citrine stood abruptly. “Shut up. I’m not going to listen to this.”
“Good, go,” Adrien said, wondering at the other man’s ability to stay in denial.
Dante just watched curiously, but Adrien had seen Robbie and Citrine together much more than Dante had. The chemistry between them, though they both furiously refused to acknowledge it, was obvious to everyone who took notice.
And Adrien often did. What else did he have to do before now?
Citrine muttered something under his breath as he left the room, and Dante narrowed his eyes at Adrien.
“Did you have to upset him?” Dante asked.
Adrien shrugged. “I didn’t have to, no. Just like I don’t have to drink this scotch, but I do because it’s tasty.”
“I’ll never understand you,” Dante said, rubbing the back of his head.
“You’ve known me forever,” Adrien said. “If you don’t, then I assume you won’t ever.”
They’d met up when they were young, both sons of illustrious families, both lonely due to having busy, traveling parents. Both taught that their place in society was at the top, far above others.
But Dante had changed since meeting Ella. Now his eyes got soft when he looked at his mate, and he no longer talked about riches or his clothing or peasants.
He just seemed happy.
Adrien wanted something like that, and he needed to swallow his pride and truly ask for help in achieving it.
“I’m serious,” he told Dante, crossing one leg over the other. “I want to win her over. I want her to agree to mate me. And I have no idea how to get to that point. I almost screwed things up just kissing her. I have no idea how to proceed without spoiling things, let alone how to get to the point where I can tell her I’m a dragon.”
“All right,” Dante said, a wide smile spreading over his face as he leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s get down to business, then. I’ve learned a few things about human women, and I’m happy to impart them.”
Adrien pulled out his phone, opened up the notepad, and got ready to write everything down.
If anything Dante said meant the difference in winning Kelsey, he’d better not miss even one word of it.
Nine
Kelsey was feeling awesome, carrying several bags of clothing and accessories, ready to head over to the makeup store with Robbie, when Robbie stopped abruptly and jerked Kelsey’s arm, pulling her around a pillar and then into a nearby store.
“Whoa,” Kelsey said, rubbing her arm as she looked at her friend, who was staring out carefully around the doors of the store as if she didn’t want to be seen.
“That was a close one,” Robbie muttered.
“What’s going on?” Kelsey asked, but Robbie put a finger up to her lips, and Kelsey shushed.
Robbie’s usually sunny, positive disposition had changed to one of stress, and there was a deep crease between her brows. “Dammit, what are they doing here?”
Then she did something that shocked Kelsey utterly. She raised her wrists and sniffed gingerly, then nodded. “No, I’m still wearing masking agent. They couldn’t scent me.”
What? Masking agent? Was Robbie just babbling in shock or something?
But no, as Robbie gently took Kelsey’s arm and pulled her to the other side of the store to look out of a window, Kelsey could sense her friend was feeling very real tension over the situation.
“What is masking agent? Some kind of perfume?”
“Something like that,” Robbie said. She scratched her head and stared out the window nervously. “Okay, I think they’re leaving. Phew.”
Silver (Date-A-Dragon Book 2) Page 6
