Page 21 of Prince of Tides
Constant warfare out in the Deeps didn’t exactly result in a lot of overly elderly dragons in my clan. Rotations in the guard continued for all dragons until they physically couldn’t fight on the lines anymore. Then they joined the reserves or the medical corps—places where they could still be of use but see limited combat.
Very few made it to old age, compared to the overall numbers of the clan as a whole, and to both honor and respect their efforts, most were assigned cushy jobs in the city, overseeing our presence on Earth.
The princes who had ruled before me and I weren’t about to force them to rough it. Hence the nice penthouses with beautiful views of the city.
“You okay?” she asked. “You look oddly relieved to be home. Not that you shouldn’t be. But after tonight, is everything okay? I’m sure I can get my dad to write you off work tomorrow once I tell him. You should take the day. Heck, take the week.”
“No, it’s not that,” I said, flashing her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. On the inside, I wondered how she’d picked up on my relief. I was positive I’d kept my face blank as we drove through the city, not giving away just how happy I was that I hadn’t ended up somewhere far away.
“Okay.” She shrugged, not pursuing the topic. “Well, here we are.”
“Indeed.” I made eye contact, enjoying how easy it was to lose myself in the golden depths of her gaze. “Would you like to come up?”
“What?” Laurie’s head whipped around, and she stared at me.
“For a drink,” I added swiftly.
She continued to stare.
“Like a coffee or tea,” I suggested. “To help with your drive back, maybe? Keep you awake. I’d feel awful if you fell asleep at the wheel after being so nice to bring me all this way.”
Laurie glanced at the clock. “It’s notthatlate, Rip. I don’t think I’m in any danger of falling asleep …”
I noticed she also didn’t say no. I noticed a lot of things as my eyes roamed over her face and upper body. Such as the way her breathing sped up or the fact that her lips were ever so slightly parted. A hint of redness in her cheeks, and though it was hard to tell with the rumble of the car, I was fairly certain her heart was thudding much faster than its resting pace.
“Then come have a real drink,” I rumbled, pushing but not too hard.
The last thing I wanted to do was drive her away by overwhelming her. I could tell she wanted to say yes, and IknewI did. My fingers were just about aching for the chance to explore her body, to roam freely across all its curves, the peaks and the valleys and everywhere in between. I wanted to touch her, taste her,takeher as my own, and I doubted I was doing a good job of keeping it a secret.
I could see the hesitation in her eyes, though. The way her chin and the tiny little cleft at its base pulled upward as she mulled over the idea of coming inside. She would say no, and truthfully, who could blame her? It had been an exacting day, and just because there was undeniable tension between us didn’t mean that she was ready to—
“Okay,” she said abruptly.
I blinked once in surprise at the unexpected answer.
“Great,” I said, guiding her to the underground parking and using my code to get her in.
Not much was said between there and the elevator, both of us looking at one another with covert glances and tiny smiles but little else.
The elevator took us up to the penthouse reserved for the prince. It was, as I’d expected, empty. Since my visit was unplanned, however, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was in use.
“What kind of drink?” I asked, taking her jacket from her, trying not to get too lost in her smell.
“Not too strong,” she said. “I do have to drive.”
“Right.” I took stock of what was in the bar and, going with a gut instinct I couldn’t explain, made her a gin and tonic, simple and light on the gin.
“How did you know I was a gin girl?” she asked, looking up at me.
“I didn’t, actually,” I admitted. “Just went with a gut feeling. Glad it was right.”
I poured myself a double finger of scotch over a single spherical ice cube I fetched from the freezer below the bar, sipping at the liquid and smiling as it burned a warm trail down my throat.
“What should we cheers to?” she asked, holding out her glass.
“To good people,” I said. “May we know them. May we love them. May we be them.”
Laurie tilted her head. “That’s awfully profound.”
