Page 4 of The Dragon's Stormwoven Bond

“Oh, I doubt that,” I said.

Eventually, he went away, which was good because I was ready to thoroughly embarrass him if need be. But this was better. This gave me time to learn more about Pep.

Pep smiled up at me once he was out of earshot. “Thank you for that.”

I shook my head. “No problem. Can I buy you a drink?”

“Or maybe I can buy you one. After all, you helped me save face there. I didn’t even really want to come out tonight.”

And as much as it pissed me off that he felt pressured into being here, I couldn’t be too mad about it. That was what led me to be here, by his side, surrounded by his scent.

“I’m so very glad you did.”

“I think I am too. What are you drinking?”

We could argue about who was paying later, an argument I’d win. But for now, I gave him my drink order and led him to a table where we’d be able to chat with a little privacy. I wanted to learn everything there was to learn about Pep.

I also wanted to strip him bare, taste every inch of his body, and make him come so hard he’d forget his own name. Pep officially had me under his spell, and I still didn’t even know his last name.

Chapter 3

Pep

“I’m glad you two are having a good time, but it’s about time for me to close down for the night.”

I looked around the bar, and sure enough, we were the last two individuals there. I’d been so distracted by the sexy alpha that I’d missed the place clearing out. My focus had been soley on him, to the point the rest of the bar faded away.

The other waitstaff had even begun putting the chairs up and sweeping the floor already. Valen and I had managed to talkthe entire night away. It had been such a long time since I met anyone I had a decent conversation with, and I’d never met anyone who I connected with so quickly and seamlessly.

Craig and his date had left soon after Valen came to my rescue. And the weird thing was, I didn’t care. Not that he was there or that he left. Once Valen stepped in, Craig lost all his power over me.

Rhythe and Drayden had left a while ago, according to the text messages I saw when I had to excuse myself for the restroom. I missed their departure entirely. I still wouldn’t have known they were gone if it hadn’t been for those messages.

I knew that my brother would cover for me as far as getting home. Not that I needed to be home at a certain hour, but my parents did like to know if we weren’t going to be there so they didn’t worry. I didn’t blame them, I felt the same way in regards to them. It was a respect thing.

I pulled out my phone. “Holy shit, it’s two thirty already,” I said. I texted my brother to let him know I was still at the bar and not dead in a ditch somewhere.

“We can go back to my hotel,” Valen offered, and it was that… an offer or possibly a promise.

I bit my lip. I didn’t want to walk away from this man. Something about him called to my dragon. Even if we exchanged numbers and planned to meet up later, my dragon was not going to accept that. Heck, I wasn’t sure he’d allow it.

“That sounded like a pick-up line,” Valen said, “but it’s more than that, Pep. I’m—” He laughed and ran a hand through his long hair that had begun to fall out of the bun it had been wrapped in all night.

He was right, it did sound like a pick-up line. But honestly, I wasn’t sure I was ready to be picked up. I had no idea what would happen from there, but for now, I wanted to get out of here and run my fingers through his gorgeous locks.

“Let’s go back to your hotel,” I said. “We can figure out the rest later.”

There was a connection here. Something real. Something rare. I was grabbing on with both talons and not letting go.

“Great.” He grabbed my hand, and the two of us went out into the night. The air was warm, and the streets were quiet.

“Thankfully, I’m not far,” he said. “I walked here.”

“That’s good.” The walking part was neither here nor there for me, but the close… that mattered, because I wanted the four walls of a room keeping his scent in, instead of it being taken away on the breeze.

“So, you mentioned you’re starting your job on Monday. Are you excited?” He’d paid attention to everything I’d told him and showed me over and over again how true that was during our conversation. This was just one example.

It was safe to say I probably liked this alpha too much for someone I just met. Oh well, not like I could change it.

---