Page 34 of Fated to the Grumpy Dragon
The man was sotall. It was like talking into a different area code sometimes. I could swear his voice literally felt distant.
“I can tell when you’re lying, but I can’t get the actual answer I want from it.”
“Which answer is that?”
I elbowed him. “The one I’ve been asking since we left. Where are we going?”
“Somewhere fun,” he repeated.
“See, there we go again. I know you’re not lying, but you aren’t telling the truth either. Totally mixed signals. Talk about a typical male.”
“You’re confused. Sending mixed signals is the woman’s thing.”
“Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “Men are just pigs and only want sex. That’s our thing.”
“Oh, is that it? You just want to fuck me?”
Rhyse grunted but didn’t reply. He didn’t have to. Try as he might, he was unable to hide his desire for me. Or my body. The link his scale had created between us—which I’d learned was something that happened with all dragons, I wasn’t some sort of freak—couldn’t clarify all that he desired. His attitude, however, made it lean heavily toward just my body.
Which, I found myself idly thinking, wouldn’t be the worst thing. He wasgorgeous,and all those muscles could just throw me around so easily, something I absolutelyloved. It would be—
Shit. You’re doing it again.
I cut off my own arousal, trying to return to the topic at hand.
“Back to the point,” I said, failing miserably at pushing away the images of him on the edge of the bluffs in that skintight suit. “You’re full of shit. This isn’t something for me.”
Rhyse grunted. A standard noise of agreement from him, I was learning.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I said, not holding back my sigh of frustration. “It’s like pulling teeth to get answers from you sometimes. Seriously, is it so hard to use words?”
The instant the question was out, I knew the answer I was getting.
“Yes,” he said bluntly.
My anger must have been what he wanted because he took pity on me as I balled my hands into fists.
“Let’s say that while I’m not thrilled about having to bring you with me where we’re going, I also suspect you will, if nothing else, find it very interesting.”
That rang of complete truthfulness. Both parts of his statement.
“You really don’t like me, do you?” I asked, shocked to discover I was hurt by this revelation. Wanting to be alone was one thing, but actively disliking me? Was I really that bad of a person to be around?
The veins in Rhyse’s jaw popped out as he clenched his jaw. His eyes, as green as emeralds in the bright sunlight, were focused straight ahead. Never wavering.
But it didn’t matter. I staggered slightly as an absolutetorrentof emotions cascaded through my mind far too quickly for me to process. So strong, so clear, and so completely different. For a moment, I thought a third person had joined the link. Like a telephone call.
The whole experience left me with a mild headache, it was that intense.
“This thing sucks,” I mumbled, holding my head.
“Trust me, I know.”
There was truth there, but a trickle of—
“Awww. But you’re glad I’m not dead. That’s so kind of you.” I reached up to pat his shoulder as he inhaled slowly, his eyes rolling back as if he were fainting.
