Page 6 of Love Bites Extra Hard

“It’s normal.”

Oh.

Relief rolled through me.

Losing scales was normal for dragons. Having me on his back had probably just triggered it or something. Like brushing your hair.

He pulled another scale off the thin strip of bare belly my shirt left on display. He slipped it into a different one of my pockets.

I should’ve hated the way he was manhandling me, but I didn’t.

I should’ve been concerned about the erection he was still definitely sporting, too. But for whatever reason, I wasn’t.

He captured my wrist in one of his hands and strode toward a sliding glass door right off the balcony. His chest was still rumbling dangerously.

My suitcase had been abandoned a few feet away from us, but I wasn’t going to test Talon again by asking if I could grab it.

Not while he was actively growling at me.

We stepped into an open, expansive room. There wasn’t much furniture—a big couch, a cozy rug, and a gigantic bed with a canopy attached to it—but there was a fire burning in the fireplace, and there were dozens of bookshelves built into the walls.

I assumed it belonged to Talon.

When he pulled me into an oversized bathroom and turned on the shower like he’d done it a hundred times, I decided I was right.

The room was his.

And he was… showering.

While holding onto my arm like he wasn’t going to let go. And growling?

Yikes.

I tried to take a step back, but he had already turned toward me.

“I’m not showering with you,” I warned. “I agreed to go with you to protect my sisters, but?—”

“I never said anything about taking a shower together.” His voice was gravelly, his chest still rumbling with displeasure. “You’re bleeding all over. You’re going to shower until it stops. I can’t fucking handle the blood.”

Oh.

I blinked.

Then frowned.

“I’m not going to shower while you watch,” I said.

He growled again, more fiercely. “I didn’t say anything about that, either.”

He finally dropped my wrist, though it seemed to take a lot of effort, and stalked away. The door shut hard behind him, but it didn’t slam like I expected it to.

I stared at the wood for a long moment before deciding he probably wasn’t going to give me a whole lot of time. I didn’t dare lock the door and risk pissing him off, so I quickly pulled my phone from my pocket, checking to see if I could text my sisters to let them know I was okay. They probably hadn’t noticed I was gone yet, but still.

The tiny symbol at the top of the screen told me I had no service.

Great.

I set my phone down on the counter and peeled my clothes and shoes off. My toes still felt like ice, so the hot water was going to sting blissfully.

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