Page 56 of Fated to the Grumpy Dragon
“Then, open,” he said.
I dropped my hands and opened my eyes at the same time.
“Surprise!” he cried, holding up a piece of shiny black fabric.
His eagerness to give it to me was palpable without our bond. I could see it written on his face, in the way his cheeks dimpled slightly and how his eyes were bright and wide, drinking in my reaction.
“Rhyse, it looks beautiful,” I said, reaching out to touch it. “And soft. But … what is it? A dress? What are those loops for? I don’t get it.”
Despite my confusion, Rhyse didn’t seem hurt, which was good.
“It’s called aglani,” he explained. “It’s traditional wear for women. Dragon women. You put it over your head, two layers on front, two layers on the back. Then you lift the loops over your head, and they snug it tight over your waist and chest.”
I eyed it anew now. “This looks like it’s going to fit,” I said slowly, suspicion building, “and fit well. How did you get it so accurate?”
He looked down and away. “I, uh, I may have asked Janos to help. He’s very good at sizing people up without actually taking measurements.”
“Sneaky,” I said, wondering at that. It had been several days since I’d visited the shop. He must have been planning this for some time.
Which meant Rhyse had been thinking of me. Despite saying he didn’t want anything to do with me.
And you’ve had no thoughts of him even after saying the same, have you?
“Thank you. Let me put it on,” I said, taking it from him and going to change.
The fabric was soft, and true to his word, Janos had picked the perfect fit. I wasn’t sure about the amount of exposed skin. Wearing a bra with it was simply out of the question. Not if I wanted to look stylish. The loop was tight, and it gave a hint of support, but I would be bouncing freely in it, that was for sure.
Probably why Rhyse wanted to see me in it. That and the amount of leg.
There were no side panels to the outfit. Just smartly cut material draped down the front and the rear. My legs were visibleallthe way up. Which didn’t mean much for me, but a taller dragon woman would be showing some serious curves.
Yet the loops were placed perfectly to ensure nothing of note was set loose. I did a little twirl before leaving the bedroom just to make sure. Everything was tucked in. I wouldn’t be jumping around like a madwoman, but I had no fear of giving anyone a show either.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked, stepping slowly out into the main room, letting Rhyse look me over while I did a slow twirl for him.
Halfway through it, a wave of heat struck me like a pickup truck, knocking me off-balance and sending me into the wall asmy hindbrain exploded with heated desire I’d only experienced once before.
“Whoa,” I said, one hand on the wall to brace myself as my knees threatened to give out. “Easy, tiger. Easy. Down, boy! I need to breathe.”
My chest was constricting as Rhyse’s intrusive thoughts continued to win over. I noticed he was several steps closer to me now, chest heaving as he sought for control. Green flames burned in the depths of his eyes. Eyes that were staring at me with unblinking focus.
“Rhyse,” I said, trembling, pulled in toward him. “Rhyse!”
Blinking rapidly as he snapped back to it, he turned away. “Sorry. Shit. I’m sorry, Emma.”
“It’s okay,” I said, still holding myself up using the wall. “That was something else.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t say it was bad. Just … a lot. Okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” he said, taking a shaky breath and then another. “I’m sorry. You just look … whoa.”
“I look whoa?”
He turned to me with a look. “You know what I mean.”
There was a brief spike of heat this time as his gaze ran over me, and I turned left and right for him, but he managed to retain control.
