Page 8 of No Room at Dragon's Landing

“Oh.” Boen waved me off as I unlocked my door once we were up the stairs. “It’s okay. I know you have to get back to work and have better things to do. You don’t have to get to know me just because you’ve let me stay here.”

I allowed him to go in first, flabbergasted by his words. To him, I was just some guy who was nice. Who owned this place and was trying not to get a bad star or something. He was human and didn’t feel the craving, the need, the bone-deep knowledge of his mate. Sure, as my mate and my omega, he would be able to feel something akin to a crush at first, but nothing like the overpowering desire I had for him.

“Boen, I’m asking about you because I want to get to know you. We don’t have to stay strangers.”

He nodded, and his sweet blush had me wanting to drop his bags, pick him up, and bring him to bed—not to sleep. “I-I’m a writer, actually. So, always busy, but a lot of the time I’m in my head.”

“That’s incredible. I bet everyone is telling you that they have a story to tell—to get you to write their stories.”

He turned and gasped. “How did you know?”

I shrugged. “There have been a few writers who come to have retreats at the B&B. People pummel them with ideas. They usually go to their rooms and don’t come out for the rest of their stay.”

Boen laughed. The sound was music to my ears. A fake dragon scale hung around his neck. There were some poachers years ago, but they’d all but gone extinct, as they thought we would. “Sometimes they do but I tend to stay to myself.”

“Okay. Well, let me show you to the bedroom. It’s a small place, but it’s cozy.”

“Absolutely not,” he said, putting his hand on my forearm. I closed my eyes, trying like hell to get my dragon not to come out right here in my apartment. His wings and this tiny place would not mix. I looked down at the omega as my skin burned at the point of contact. My dragon growled at him touching us.

I had to be gentle with my mate. Humans dated and courted—they weren’t struck with the mating instinct that demanded aclaim be made. For them, love came before commitment. “You aren’t giving up your bed for me, Cyrus.”

My bed. I huffed out a noise through my snout. He didn’t know that I would give him my bed, my life, my treasure, even this damned hotel if it meant one day with him. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I had you sleep on the couch, omega.”

“And I won’t be able to live with myself if you don’t sleep a lot because of me and then have to go to work. This week is vacation for me. You are still running this place. I’m sleeping on the couch.”

I wouldn’t have been surprised if he added, “and that’s final” at the end of his statement. Feisty, nerdy little omega. Damn, he was adorable when he demanded things.

“Yes, sir,” I chuckled and put his bags down on the love seat. “The kitchen has a few things, but I mostly eat at the local tavern or diner. We only serve brunch here. Nine to eleven in the morning, and that’s included with your stay.”

Boen put his hands on his hips. Yeah, I wanted to do that. Grab his hips. Feel his skin under mine. “Except my stay is off the books, so no brunch.”

I walked over to him and took one of his hands in mine. “Boen, you are more than welcome to anything included in a regular guest’s stay. Brunch and anything else. And the cookies and coffee in the lobby are to die for.”

“Seems like you have all kinds of yummy things in this place. I looked up the brunch menu online.”

I chuckled. Sure, we had amazing food in the B&B, but he was by far the yummiest thing yet. “We have a base menu, things that are served all the time but our chef comes up with specialties every day. Get ready to be surprised.”

He smiled, and my heart almost leapt out of my chest. Fate sure was a crazy spirit. She had my omega walk right into my bed-and-breakfast with a scam of a reservation. Out of the blue.

Right when I thought I would spend my days alone.

“I already am.”

Okay, that was clearly flirting. “Is there anything else you need? My phone is buzzing in my pocket. Shampoo? Body wash? Toothbrush?” Me? My love? My cock buried deep inside you?

“Duty calls and no, I don’t need anything. No offense but those little bottles of shampoo and soap kind of freak me out. I saw a documentary where they are recycled and not cleaned and…oh, I’m sure your hotel doesn’t do that but…wow. Sorry?”

I chuckled deeply. Boen got more adorable as the minutes went on.

“I understand. Um, how about I give you my number in case you need anything, and I put an extra key on the table there.”

“Oh, yeah, your number in case I need anything. Here.” He shoved his phone at me for the second time that day. “Just plug it in.”

I put my contact into his phone. “I texted myself as well. I hope that’s okay.”

Another blush, deeper this time. “Of course it’s okay. I’m staying in your home, and I’m about to wash up in your shower.”

Shit. I wouldn’t be able to get any work done at all with those thoughts running through my head. Not one bit.

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