Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
He dragged himself out of the bed, took a shower mostly to help wake up, brushed his teeth, and then felt human enough to have a conversation. Well, maybe. A cup of coffee would aid him in this endeavor.
Salem headed for the coffee maker only to find a pot already made up and Gregori making breakfast. Dammit, the adage about winning a man’s heart through his stomach was true. Gregori played dirty—he knew precisely what he was about.
Salem stared at the man suspiciously as he poured himself coffee and doctored it as he preferred. Gregori cocked a brow at him, amused, even as he flipped over bacon.
“You,” Salem informed him, “are a hard nut to crack.”
“That’s my line,” Gregori returned mildly. “What is it going to take for me to convince you I’m not leaving?”
Salem believed nothing at this point. He’d heard too many broken promises. Human hearts were too fickle, and he wasn’t sure if a dragon’s heart was made of sterner stuff, honestly.
He sipped his coffee, turning to put a hip against the counter. Okay, time to face this head-on. Trying to avoid Gregori did fuck all.
“All right. You want to stay.”
Gregori removed the pan from the burner and turned toward him. “Are we talking about this?”
“Yes. Because otherwise, I’ll end up strangling you.”
“That’s fair. Yes, I want to stay with you.”
“I really, really do not get why. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment.”
Gregori grinned. The surprisingly boyish grin made him look almost mischievous. The messy fall of his hair around his shoulders—he’d obviously not done anything with it yet this morning—only reinforced the impression. “I’ve been accused of that from time to time.”
“Ha. Why doesn’t this surprise me? But fine, if you want to stay, I won’t argue, but I insist upon some ground rules.”
Gregori waved him on, all smiles still. “Hit me.”
He looked far too cheery for this conversation. It conversely worried Salem. Like he was missing something big, something Gregori knew, and it was going to bite him in the ass later.
He shook the thought off. “All right. You can stay, but only if you don’t expect something from me. I want to be clear: We’re not mates. We’re not in a relationship. Do not expect me to act like a boyfriend, or someone you’re dating, because I won’t.”
Gregori’s eyes narrowed, smile dimming. A second drew out into several seconds before he finally dipped his head.
“I can work with that for now. Sex?”
“I’m not turning down sex.” Because he wasn’t a moron. “If we can act like roommates with benefits, sure.”
“Roommates with benefits, huh.” Gregori’s head canted to the side. “Interesting. Agreed.”
Why did Salem feel like there was a high-speed armchair analysis going on over there? The way Gregori stared unnerved him. Like he could see right through to the back of Salem’s head and hear things Salem didn’t say.
Fuck. He wasn’t playing along with that.
Turning back toward the counter, he set his coffee down. “Okay, if we’re agreed, then no more arguments about this. I hate arguing more than anything. Is breakfast almost ready?”
“It is. Just waiting for biscuits to be done, which should be another two minutes. Pour me a cup of coffee?”
Surprised by the question, Salem took a second longer than necessary to respond. “Uh, sure.”
He’d just laid down the law with Gregori, but the man had rolled with it surprisingly well. Almost too well.
Why did Salem get the instinctual feeling he’d won the skirmish but he hadn’t won the war?
Gregori had no idea what had made Salem suddenly change his mind and let him stay. Something clearly had happened between their last argument and this morning. And while it wasn’t what Gregori wanted, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had the opportunity to stay with his mate without it turning into a fight. He’d take full advantage of the situation.
For a few days, he let the status quo be. He stocked up the kitchen with groceries so he could cook for Salem. His very busy pediatric surgeon needed more home-cooked meals.
In between housework and cooking, he tried to make more of a life for himself here as well. He went to the police first, introducing himself, and offered help as they needed it. They in turn introduced him to the fire department, who were delighted to see him. Fires were very prevalent in winter, as people’s heating systems misfired and caused house fires on a fairly regular basis. Gregori, with his flying speed and ice magic, could smother those flames faster than conventional methods. He was very welcome with them.
Pleased he’d found a good way to spend his time—and made friends in the process—Gregori returned to the apartment in a very good mood. He hadn’t had time to cook today, so he picked up pizza on the way in, along with a bottle of wine, with the hopes of tricking Salem into a home date. Should be easy; the man liked to eat.