Page 46 of Daddy Billionaire Dragon

I only grin and scoop her up into my arms. I wrap her up in a soft terry cloth robe and wrap one around myself as well, then carry her back to the bedroom. Nic feels so right in my arms.

Just as I am putting her down on the bed, I hear a growling noise emanating from her stomach. She presses her hand to her stomach and giggles even as her cheeks are tinged with rose.

“Did you have anything to eat at the party at all?” I ask.

“Some hors d’oeuvres from the passing trays,” she shrugs.

“We have to remedy that.”

I lead her by the arm out of the bedroom, down the stairs, into the living room, and then into the kitchen. Her head keeps swiveling right and left as we move through the penthouse.

“You’ve got a great place here,” she says, sitting on one of the tall stools on the kitchen island. I walk to the refrigerator and pull out a couple of eggs, a stick of butter, some cheese.

“First let’s get some food into you. Then I’ll give you a tour.” Within a few minutes, I whip up a decent cheese omelet. I slide the plate in front of her

“That’s what you said before you carried me off to your bedroom and ravished me,” she pouts. “Not that I minded it very much. I might have even liked it. A lot. I like having sex with you, Lex. I don’t want us to stop having sex,” she says, suddenly looking vulnerable. I want to gather her up in my arms and promise her the world. But I can’t.

“I like having sex with you a lot too. So I guess we’ll keep doing it,” I grin, trying to keep the conversation lighthearted.

She nods, running her fingers over the gleaming walnut wood top of the kitchen island. I bite back a sigh, wishing I could tell her everything.

“Nic, I like you a lot. If things were different, we could have tried our hand at a real relationship. But I can’t have a relationship. I have never had a relationship.”

“Why?”

“It is too risky.”

“You’ve said that before.”

I take her hands in mine and look deeply into her eyes.

“It’s true. I’m doing it for the both of us,” I say emphatically, but I realize that I’m trying to convince myself more than her. The talk with Mom and Dad has me questioning whether I am doing the right thing after all.

You’re not doing the right thing. She belongs to you. You belong to her, my dragon pleads. I shake my head subtly. I can’t have him influencing my decisions right now.

“What I’m trying to say is you mean a lot to me. I have never felt so emotionally close or physically attracted to any woman before. But I absolutely cannot let you believe that we might have any sort of future together. I never intend to get married.”

Her shoulders slump and the corners of her mouth turn down for a microsecond. Then she looks up at me with a bright smile, sitting up straighter on the stool.

“You know, I’m the exact opposite. I want to get married. I want to have kids. I want to be in a committed relationship.”

I sigh and rub a hand over my face. I guess I’m never having sex with Nic again.

“But, I can’t keep myself away from you, Lex. And the sex is phenomenal. So I say we keep doing this till one of us horribly breaks the other person’s heart and we can’t stand the sight of each other,” she says with a wry smile.

“Sounds like a plan! Now eat up.”

Although it seems as if we have come to an arrangement that suits both of us, it doesn’t sit well with me at all. I know Nic was only joking when she said we’d come to hate each other, but I feel my stomach churn uncomfortably. Could it really happen? Could Nic begin to hate me? Just thinking about the possibility is making my dragon go berserk. His fear is affecting me as well. My heart begins to beat faster and my palms have gone sweaty.

“Are you alright?” Nic says, looking at me with concern.

“Yes. Yes. I think I’m hungry as well,” I say weakly. “Do you mind sharing?”

Chapter 22 - Nic

Well, that didn’t go as planned at all. After talking to Mom and Nic’s mom, I actually thought I had a chance with Lex. When he almost came to blows with TJ after finding me in his arms, I was actually secretly delighted. Manuel unexpectedly showing up had me worried for a minute, but I finally had the chance to put him in his place. Besides, Lex’s relief when he heard me say that I was never going back to Manuel had me believing that he had a thing for me.

Apparently not.

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