Page 4 of Dragon His Heels
“Don’t do that. It’s not a good look.” He took another swig. The glass was half empty already.
“Look, aside from the fact that you’ve discovered your illegitimate child, you need this.”
He arched that sexy brow again. Which was not sexy. If olive-skinned, dark-haired, muscular, cocky dragons weren’t sexy.
“Is the kid gonna turn me into a chick magnet? Because that’s really all I care about.”
“Luckily, you and I both know that’s a lie. The rest of the colony unfortunately doesn’t, which is where I come in. And Ruby. She’s going to help clean up your image. It would be even better if you’d take a mate as well.”
“You offering?”
She stared at him. Was he serious? Gabe has never expressed any remote desire to—
He laughed. “I’m just kidding. Oh man, the look on your face.”
Talia glared at him. Maybe she should shift into dragon form and rip his head from his shoulders before he realized what was going on and shifted as well, thus balancing out the odds.
“I would never,” she sputtered.
“No? Huh. I might have considered it if you had said yes.”
Talia gritted her teeth. “You’re such a—”
“Reeve,” he cut her off. Yep, a reeve. And she was a member of the Zilarra colony, which meant he was her ruler. Oh, and her boss. “I have no interest in taking a mate, you or anyone else. Although I will admit to this: If I had to, like if there was a gun to my head and I had literally no other choice, I’d pick you.”
Why did this infuriating dragon have to say things like that?
“You’re the only female I know who I could tolerate for longer than a night or two. And besides, you know what my sexual appetite is like, so I know you wouldn’t give me shit about seeking out a piece of ass on the side every now and then.”
She wouldn’t? This conversation was ridiculous and would never, ever become true, yet Talia could actually see red in her vision as she imagined Gabe cheating on her. He was an idiot if he thought she would be okay with such a lifestyle. She didn’t evenlikehim, but the fact was, dragons were, by nature, jealous creatures. They protected what was theirs with a fierceness that couldn’t be rivaled.
She shook her head. “This conversation is stupid. Can we get back to reality, please?”
He refilled his glass and handed it to her. She didn’t even hesitate to accept it this time. Her nerves were shot already and Ruby had been in his custody for all of an hour. Gods above, this was going to be her most difficult project to date.
“Sure,” he said, taking his drink back after she’d consumed a fair share. “And the reality is, as soon as the unmated females in this colony find out I have a kid and there’s no mom in the picture, it’s game on. I’m not gonna lose this game.Mygame.” He stabbed at his chest. “Which is why you’re moving in here.”
Talia canted her head and studied her boss. “Since I know considering me is bullshit, why are you so afraid of the idea of taking a mate?”
Ice clinked against the side as he lifted the glass and drained the rest of the drink.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“Look, I just don’t want to lose control over my own life, okay?”
“Uh huh. You do realize I practically control your life, right?”
“Nope. You make my life look prettier than it really is. I do whatever the hell I want, and you make sure the local gossipmongers don’t run with it. That’s our relationship. Well, and now you’re going to show me how to raise my daughter.”
“What makes you think I know anything more than you do about raising a kid?”
“Because you—”
“If you want me to continue on as your PR manager, you will not say what I think you are about to say.”
“You can’t quit. You just moved in.”
