Page 5 of Wild for the Wyvern

He releases me. “The bath is in my en suite. I won’t touch you. I promise.” He crosses to the wooden barn door and pushes it aside to reveal the steaming tub. “There’s a latch inside if that makes you feel better. But I promise not to enter unless invited.”

Drawn to the scent of roses and the giant claw foot tub, I step inside the room and turn to close the door.

Watching me, he shifts from foot to foot. “Put your clothes outside the door. I’ll take care of them. I left a robe inside for you.”

I nod.

Before I get the door closed, he stops it with one hand. His eyes shine with intensity like nothing I’ve ever seen. “You’re not crazy, Kori. You did see something. But dragons have four legs. You saw a wyvern.” He closes the barn door.

I back up and stare at the spot where he was. Nothing makes any sense. A wyvern? I pull my phone out of my pocket. It had no service in the woods but I have three bars here. I type in wyvern and a two-legged dragon pops up.

“Idiot.” I swipe away the internet and dial Dean’s number. The phone goes dead. I try again, but the battery is dead.

With a sigh, I strip out of my clothes and put them outside the door with my useless phone on top of the pile. Once I latch the door, which I’m certain Drayce could push open without much effort if he wanted to, I get in the rose-scented water and sink all the way down. This is heaven. My aching muscles all seem to sigh at once.

Before he told me I wasn’t crazy, he said he wouldn’t come in unless invited. Does that mean he’s as attracted to me as I am to him? No. He’s so far out of my league, he's in a different stratosphere. Men who look like him don’t date struggling chefs.Men who live in houses like this on the tops of mountains don’t rescue lost city girls either. This may all still be a dream. I’ll wake up and none of it will have happened.

Closing my eyes, I wish the dream would never end.

Before I get too pruney, I wash and get out of the tub. There is a stack of fluffy white towels on a chair and I wrap myself in one before securing a second around my head. On the vanity, which is made of the same white-and-black marble as in the kitchen, is a brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hair dryer.

This guy might be the best host in the world, besides being the best-looking human ever. Rather than dry my hair, I give it a good brushing. I put on the robe and hang the towels on the brushed-gold hooks that match all the lovely fixtures.

Mustering my courage, I step out of the bathroom. I’m on the fence as to whether I’m relieved or disappointed that the bedroom is empty. I pad down the hall and find Drayce in the kitchen, stirring a pot of sauce. “That smells great.”

He turns and smiles. There’s no surprise in his reaction. He knew I was here. “I’m no chef, but I can make sauce, which I can myself, and I thought I’d wait for you to tell me if you like meat or only basil in your sauce with penne.”

“I’m in favor of both. Can I help you?”

He shakes his head and his long brown hair shifts from side to side.

I can still feel the texture of those strands.

“You should let someone cook for you once in a while.”

I sit on one of four stools and watch the muscles of his broad back flexing under his shirt. “Should I?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you say there are dragons?”

“Wyvern, but there are dragons too. There are many monsters in these woods. This is our home.” He stiffens his back.

“Our?” I know what I heard, but my brain is not processing the information. “What do you mean? Are you a monster?” I don’t even believe in monsters, so it’s a stupid question.

With a heavy sigh, he turns to face me. He switches off the fire under his pot, then crosses so only the island separates us. His eyes are full of need and passion. “Maybe we should eat dinner first. I think if I tell you everything now, you’ll grab your phone and call someone to get you out of here. I’d really like for you to stay for dinner.”

“My phone?”

He points to it sitting on a small table near the front door. It’s plugged into a charger.

“Thank you for charging it.” If I was smart, I would grab that phone and call for a ride immediately. No one has ever accused me of being smart. “I will stay for dinner, Drayce, but I don’t believe in monsters.”

His smile is panty-melting. “You say that now, but you know what you saw in the woods, Kori Devers.”

What did I see? I saw a dragon or a wyvern. “What’s the difference?”

Cocking his head, his beautiful full lips purse. I can’t take my eyes off them when he finally asks, “Difference?”

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