Page 37 of Fated to the Grumpy Dragon
But it wasn’t tiny either.
“Is this yours?”
He laughed. “What use does a dragon like me have for a boat? No, I borrowed this for the day for us to use.”
I smiled. He was thinking of me.
“I still want that margarita, by the way.”
“No drinks on board. But I’ll go slow, and you can tan yourself upon the bow if you’d like,” he said. “Does that work?”
“What girl doesn’t enjoy the prospect of tanning on a nice boat in the ocean?”
I went below to change. While down there, I pulled both swimsuits from my bag.
Choices. Choices.
Or was there? If I was going to be suntanning …
It was a copout to choose the one I wanted, and I knew it. But at the moment, I just didn’t care.
Nor could I have come up with an answer aboutwhyI wanted to wear it anyway. Was it some sort of reverse psychology? Because he didn’t like me, I wanted to change his mind?
There was also his reaction when I’d simply mentioned being in a bikini. Talk about confusing.
I made my choice then and got dressed, ignoring things like logic and just going with what I thought I wanted. While I was putting my suit on, I felt the engine fire up, and then we slowly got underway, cruising away from the dock very sedately just as Rhyse had said.
“Everything okay down there?” Rhyse called as I checked myself out in a mirror, making sure everything was—
No, that was a lie. I knew the straps were done up, the girls were in place. I was looking at myself, trying to figure out what Rhyse would think.
Why do you care? He’s been nothing but a jerk to you!
Except for those few times he hadn’t …
Annoyed at myself, but also knowing I wasn’t going to take it off, I spun away from the mirror with a huff and took the stairs back to the main deck.
“Oh, wow,” Rhyse muttered from where he stood beside the steering wheel, one hand lazily guiding the boat direction.
There was a flicker. That was the only warning. A spark shooting through our bond. A second later, the fires lit within him, pouring into me like superheated melted being cast. The heat was the same, billowing clouds of it that infused my blood, pumping it through my body faster and faster.
Rhyse’s eyes traveled along my body, lingering at my breasts before continuing to my waist and legs. His chest rose and fell. At some point, he’d gotten rid of his shirt. His pecs tightened sharply as his stomach went taut.
I watched each muscle move, admiring the entire show, even as he stared at my breasts and body. A quick glance showed my nipples were rock solid, poking through the fabric, on full display for his greedy gaze.
“I can feel you,” I whispered as blood swelled every organ, including the one between my legs, igniting an urge to be touched that had been dormant since I’d awoken on the beach that first time.
“I know,” Rhyse rumbled, not caring. “I—”
The boat hit a wave, and I stumbled.
His arm snaked around me, pulling me in tight. My breasts pressed up against him, and his abs tensed under my touch as I put one hand up to stop myself from hitting him.
Neither of us moved. A barrier of some sort had been breached. The veil of personal space fell away in that instant, leaving us both vulnerable.
The boat rocked with another wave, and I swayed away from him.
Just like that, the spell was broken.
