Page 49 of Dragon in Boots

“I can’t deal with this right now.” She looked at her watch. “Shit. The animals. Can you give me a ride home?” She had heart meds, antibiotics, and dewormers to give out.

“Sure,” he said coldly. “You want to put on some clothes first?” His eyes darted to her chest.

She looked down. She was only wearing panties.

“Shit.” She covered her breasts, suddenly remembering losing at Twister. Strip Twister!

She looked around the room. “I don’t know where my clothes are.”

“Here.” Dash rolled his eyes and peeled off his tee, exposing his killer abs and pecs. He handed her the shirt. “Nice breasts by the way. Bigger than I thought.”

“Thanks,” she said curtly. She knew he had a very cavalier attitude toward nudity, but this was not the time for compliments.

She slid the shirt on, happy to see that the hem reached her thighs. He was a tall guy.

She grabbed her purse and followed him to the elevator. They got inside, and he turned to her, fury in his blue eyes. “I only want to know why, Jac. Do you know how many years it took to find a female immune to me? One who’s interested in me as a person instead of my body?”

“Uh, no?”

“Five hundred and sixty-two.”

She tilted her head to one side. “You mean you’ve never—”

“No. Never. Not even sex.” He added under his breath, “So fucking ironic, too.”

She inhaled sharply. “Dash, I-I…this is a lot to take in. I mean, up until a few days ago, I didn’t know there was a whole other world right under my nose. And last night, I laid a fucking egg. Like a damned bird. Then a kitten turned into a little dragon, and after that, I spent the night doing shots with a god in his underwear, a sex fairy, and a ghost who kept fighting with some guy who claims he’s just a tailor, when I know he’s anything but.

“All the while, they kept talking about a goddess who wants to destroy the world with an army of vampires, Chihuahuas, and unicorns.” She blew out a long breath. “Now you’re accusing me of cheating on you with my egg? I mean, come on! Give me a fucking break.” She hung her head. “God, I miss Larry.” He was always such a soothing force in her life. He smiled and chewed his leaves no matter what life threw his way.Just happy to be alive.

Dash stared for a long moment.

“What?” she spat.

“You sound like you need pancakes.”

“I’m not in the mood to eat out. I’m also not wearing shoes. Or pants. Or a bra.”

“Good thing I know how to cook.”

“How were they?” Still shirtless, Dash removed her tiger-striped apron and laid it over the back of the chair in her kitchen.

She set down her fork and wiped her buttery lips with a napkin. “The best ever.” He’d added cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest, a pinch of cayenne, and chocolate chips to the batter, calling them his Mexican coco pancakes. He’d then smothered them in butter, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. She’d never eaten anything so good for breakfast.

“Aren’t you going to have any?” she asked.

“Watching my carbs.” He sat across from her and sipped his black coffee.

“Well, thank you for that breakfast. And thank you for helping me get the meds out.” It took over an hour to dose the animals currently on regimens.

“Don’t mention it,” he said coldly, his ruffled feathers still showing. “When you’re ready, I’ll take you to the club to pick up your truck.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it. But, Dash, just tell me why you’re so angry. Because for the life of me, I swear I don’t know what’s going on. None of last night makes sense.”

He raised his blue eyes to hers, nearly stopping her heart. Raw emotion poured out of him like nothing she’d ever seen—anger, disappointment, longing, and confusion, all rolled into one.

That was the moment that she realized how truly fearless this man was. No fear showing who he was, what he felt, or what he wanted. His eyes spoke his mind in a way that both terrified her and felt refreshing.

“Part of you must’ve known what you are,” he said.

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