Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
He doesn’t say anything. Not that I expect him to.
We get a brief respite when Chanel comes with our dinners.
I inhale the robust aroma of tomatoes and spices.
“Can I get the two of you anything else?” Chanel asks.
“I’d like a refill on my water, please,” Dragon says.
“For you?” she asks me. “Maybe another margarita?”
“No, I’m going to switch to water, but thank you.”
“Not a problem. I’ll bring that right back for you.” She whisks away.
I grab my napkin and place it in my lap, take my fork, and slice off a piece of the enchilada. I’m about to open my mouth when Dragon clears his throat.
“It was more to me too,” he says.
My fork stops midair.
“I see that surprises you.”
“Maybe a little.” I put my fork down. “You want to elaborate?”
“No.” He looks down at his plate and starts to scoop food onto his own fork. “I don’t want to elaborate.”
Shocking. Dragon doesn’t want to talk. I keep myself from audibly sighing.
But hey, he feels something. Better than the opposite. Right?
I pick my fork back up and bring the bite of enchilada the rest of the way to my mouth, chew, and swallow. It’s delicious. And maybe even a little bit more delicious now that I know Dragon is feeling something.
What does he feel specifically? I don’t know, but he wouldn’t have bothered saying anything at all unless he meant it.
After I take another few bites of enchilada, I put my fork down. “You want to tell me anything more about your parents? About why you’ve been looking for them?”
He swallows his mouthful of food. “I’d like to, Diana, but I don’t know that I’m ready to yet.”
“It’s a start,” I say.
We don’t talk for the rest of dinner.
“Dessert?” Chanel asks when she comes to take away our empty dinner plates.
“Not for me,” I say.
“I’ll have the fried ice cream,” Dragon says.
I’m instantly envious. I love ice cream, but I have to be careful.
“Can I have a bite of that when you get it?” I ask.
“Sure. We can share it if you’d like.”
I crack a small smile. “I would love that, but you know, the lactose.”
He strokes his chin. His eyes are almost…playful?
“So what happens if you eat too much?”
“My stomach gets all growly, and…I go to the bathroom. A lot.” My cheeks warm.
“Ah. I see.” He chuckles. “You fart and poop.”
I can’t help a giggle. “God, Dragon.”
“Hey, we all do it, Diana. Did you really think that I thought you didn’t have any bodily functions? That Diana Steel would never do anything like that?”
I just shake my head and take a drink of my water.
If I wasn’t sure I was falling in love before, I am now.
When Chanel brings Dragon’s dessert, the smell of sweet cream and cinnamon wafts toward me.
Dragon offers me a spoon. “First bite to you.”
“Thank you.” I crack through the hard exterior and get some of the ice cream, making sure I get the caramel sauce and whipped cream as well. I bring it between my lips. “Oh,” I groan as it slides over my tongue.
Dragon gives me a semi-smile.
I swallow. “What?”
“I don’t know, Diana.” He narrows his eyes. “That look on your face is pretty close to something I’ve seen before.”
Despite the coldness of the ice cream, my entire face grows hot.
I clear my throat. “Try it. It’s delicious.”
He lowers his eyelids slightly. “I intend to.”
Tingles shoot through my body. This man. He’s so dangerous, so sexy.
I hand him the spoon. “So you want to try to find your parents tonight?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. Before we go back to the rooms, I want to at least drive by the address that I have.” He takes a bite of the ice cream. “Holy shit. This is good.”
I smirk. “Good enough to warrant the look it put on my face?”
He takes another bite and swallows. “Guess I have some competition on that front.”
I smile, biting my lip gently. “I’m happy to go with you if you’d like. To your parents’. That’s why we’re here.”
He nods, silently finishing the rest of his dessert.
Chanel comes by with the check, and Dragon takes out his wallet. I want to offer to pay—as this is pennies to me—but he already accused me of emasculating him. That’s the last thing I want to do.
As if I could ever possibly emasculate this man.
He’s the most masculine guy I’ve ever met.
And that’s saying a lot, as I grew up with the Steel brothers.
He counts out cash, adds enough for a tip, and leaves it on top of the check.
“Funny,” I say. “I can’t remember the last time I used cash.”
“I don’t use a credit card right now,” he says. “Just a debit card.”
He doesn’t say anything further, and I don’t ask. My guess is that Jesse wired him some money, and he took it in cash. I don’t know. Whatever happens, I’ll make sure that Jesse is paid back.