Page 43 of Rescued By The Dragon

Which would give me the entire day to get the house ready.

She stood at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of coffee and tapping her fingertips against the granite. “Amara,” she said sharply. “About time you got up. Do you still have the list I gave you?”

I waved it before sitting it down and tying my hair into a bun. “What do you want for breakfast—,”

She scoffed and pushed her ebony hair from her aging face. “Nothing. Nothing for the girls. They need to look trim for the ball tonight.” She eyed me up and down. “You too if you make it. That list is long.”

“What about the rule stating all single females must attend.”

She shrugged. “That’s on you, Amara. If you don’t get your job done it’s your fault. You should have taken better care of the house. It’ll be yours one day,” she said with a smile.

I watched the sarcasm on her face as she took the final sip of her coffee and put it in the sink. “We’re leaving soon. We’ll be gone most of the day, so I can’t watch over you. Do everything on the list, Amara. I mean it. I don’t want our neighbors thinking we live like pigs.”

She left me in the kitchen and went to get the girls. I couldn’t even care. My body was still reeling from the touch of his fingers.

Dorran’s husky voice, the deep groans, it was all too much to handle. I bit my bottom lip as the girls scurried around behind me, getting ready to leave. I didn’t even care when Zella bumped into me from behind, and I was shoved into the oven.

I was spent.

I shut the fridge door and caught the step-monster staring at me from the doorway. She had her keys in one hand and the girls yelling at her to come on behind her.

“You’re ... different today, Amara.”

I shrugged. “Excited about a fun-filled day of cleaning.”

She quirked an eyebrow before slowly shutting the door.

Cleaning the house from top to bottom was an everyday thing. It was the extra stuff like alphabetizing the bookshelf and rearranging the China that would take up the most time.

Before I knew it, lunch rolled around, and I hadn’t eaten anything.

My stomach growled, but I didn’t dare stop to eat. I was afraid I’d miss my chance, and that was one chance I couldn’t afford to miss.

I made it to the top floor to clean the girl’s room when I felt him. It was magnetic. A pull. A knowing.

Dorran stood in the doorjamb of Stasha’s room, chewing on a piece of gum with one boot tucked behind the other, and his shoulder perched against the frame.

“Well, look who has been cleaning so she can dance with me tonight.”

Just the sound of his voice warmed my stomach and threatened to immobilize me. I smiled, though I felt my cheeks turning bright red and Dorran seemed to enjoy it.

“Are you blushing, Amara?” he asked in my ear, suddenly closer than before. “Have you been thinking about last night?”

I slid my tongue over my teeth and put the vacuum against the hallway wall. “I’m thinking about getting this list finished so I can attend the ball.”

Dorran grabbed the handle of the broom I clutched in one hand and leaned it against the doorframe. “This is going to be taken care of, Amara. Now it’s time for you to get ready.”

I turned to get a good look at Dorran. His green eyes were light, the mouth that’d tasted me the night before plush and smiling. He was dressed so simply in a gray t-shirt and jeans, but he made them look so good.

“There are still many things on my list—,”

He pressed his index finger to my mouth. Grabbing my waist, he ushered me downstairs and into the midst of what looked like a cleaning spree. There were dragons from the castle on every inch of the house, tidying, scrubbing, and straightening things that weren’t even on the list.

“Dorran,” I whispered. “What is this?”

Dorran played with a piece of hair that’d fallen from my twist and rubbed it between his thick fingers. “My promise. I told you this would get done. It’s being done. Now,” he cleared his throat. “Sasha is waiting for you upstairs in your room.”

I glanced at him as if I didn’t believe him. Dorran ran his thumb against my jawline. “You’ll learn to trust me, Little Mouse. I told you that the list would get gone, didn’t I?”

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