Page 10 of The Dragon 2
I’d rain hell if I had to. “Tora?”
Her voice was shaky. “I’m sorry. I know it’s late.”
“Are you okay?”
“God yes.”
My body calmed.
“This is. . .crazy, but. . .I just wanted to hear your voice.”
Relief swept through me.
My grip on the phone softened.
Heading back to my private suite on the plane, I exhaled. “Good. I’m glad you’re okay. And anytime you want to call me to hear my voice, you can. I don’t give a damn if I’m asleep or busy.”
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
I got to the room, opened the door, stepped inside, and then shut the door behind me. “Don’t worry, Tora. I haven’t slept yet.”
“Oh. When do you plan to go to sleep?”
I glanced at my watch, though time meant nothing tonight. “I’m not sure yet.”
She went quiet.
I sat on my king-sized bed and scanned the space, wishing she were here.
Soft golden lighting spilled from custom insets along the ceiling. One wall held a built-in shelf of rare books—first editions bound in worn leather. Another housed a temperature-controlled drawer of cigars, though I rarely smoked them. There was a glass decanter on the floating console, half full of 50-year Yamazaki Whisky, untouched.
To my left, the bathroom—a cathedral of as much opulence as one could put on a jet. Polished stone floors that shimmered. A rainfall shower carved from black marble. Heated towel racks. A vanity of matte gold. My toothbrush monogrammed. My razors arranged in military precision.
Her voice disrupted my thoughts. “Why haven’t you slept? Has it been that big of an emergency?”
“Yes.” My voice dropped low. “So big that I was going to call you later and cancel our date for this evening.”
A beat passed.
I gritted my teeth.
“Oh. . .” She whispered. “Well. . .I understand.”
“Do you?”
“Of course.”
“I hope so because I only want to be with you. Next to you. Kissing you again. I loved the taste of your mouth. I loved your body soft against mine.”
She inhaled sharply. “Fuck. . .”
The beast—that dragon inside me yearned not for war, but for her. I thought of what she had just said several seconds earlier.
“This is. . .crazy, but. . .I just wanted to hear your voice.”
Her words lingered long after she said them.
I rose from my bed. “Why did youreallycall me?”
