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“I’ve been telling myself that, whenever I worry I’ve…”
His brow quirked. “Made a mistake?”
“Oh no, I didn’t mean that.” Min scrubbed two fingertips over her tight forehead. She seemed to be saying everything wrong. “It’s just, I’ve never really done anything that demanded I be remotely, shall we say, adventurous. It was just me and Dad for many years. I was even home-schooled—it was too far to attend school in Tween every day, and I point-blank refused to go to boarding school.”
Did she imagine it, or did those ice blue eyes soften?
“You must think I’ve led a very dull life.” She sighed.
To her surprise, he threw back his head and laughed. Min found her eyes fixating on the roped muscles above his shirt collar as his throat moved. “Ah Min, what I’d give for a dull life. My mother has regular panic attacks and sets fire to her room. My brother went off the rails after Dad died and prefers to party instead of attending college, and I’m so busy with work I wouldn’t notice if someone set my tail on fire. Really. A dull life sounds wonderful.”
She saw a tiny puff of smoke curling out of one nostril.
“Jokes aside, Min, I will do everything in my power to make this easy on you, I promise. I am eternally grateful you’ve agreed to help me further my dad’s dream. And… I do genuinely want to help you to keep the Westerly open.” He smiled brightly, and he looked so devastatingly handsome, Min’s breath caught in her throat. He truly was a gentleman. Her hunch had been correct—his scales and horns clearly hid a kind interior.
They stood now, and he walked her to the elevator. When he extended his hand she took it without hesitation. It was warmer than the first time they’d shaken hands, but just as firm. An honest handshake. “Thank you, Ethan. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss all this in more detail.” She smiled up at him and bade him farewell.
It was only the second time she’d met him, but she’d come to the conclusion that Ethan Blade wasn’t just a handsome dragon. He was a really nice guy, too.
CHAPTER 6
Min hated lying. She’d never had to lie to anyone about her whereabouts; never stayed out late at wild parties and had to pretend she was at the library. Never done anything she was ashamed of and had to cover up. Not that she was ashamed of dating a dragon. Far from it. Each meeting with Ethan had left her with a warm glow inside her. As for the little frisson she felt low in her belly when she recalled his broad shoulders, his tail, the intensity of his gaze resting on her… well, that was something best not dwelt on.
Truth be told, fake dating Ethan Blade wasn’t going to be such a chore. There were worse ways to ensure her father’s beloved bookshop remained open.
That didn’t stop her from feeling bad about lying, though—particularly to her good friend Bonnie, who was now helping her bring her bags down the rickety staircase to the front door of the shop.
“I am so excited for you.” Bonnie grinned, the snakes on her head dancing as she added Min’s final bag to the pile. Bonnie lived in a government housing scheme just the other side of Motham’s gates. Gorgons often had it hard in Motham due to the erratic behavior of their snakes, but Bonnie had been granted rental assistance as a minority species. They’d been firm friends for five years, since Bonnie had come to the bookshop one day looking for books on snake taming and the two girls had immediately hit it off. Bonnie had been Min’s biggest support after her dad died, and it was wonderful to be able to give her work from time to time.
Bonnie had been overjoyed to be offered a whole month live-in.
“I’ve left a bag of kibble for Gingerbread in the cupboard in the laundry.” Min said, glancing up at Bonnie’s squirming curls. “When you interact with him, maybe keep your head well away from his claws. He might think your snakes are, um, something to play with.”
“Oh yeah, I’ll remember that.”
Min glanced out the open door to see the hover limo touching down outside. “Ah, here’s my ride.”
“Wow!” Bonnie’s eyes popped as she stared out at the sleek green vehicle. “That’s a spiffy ride.”
“Yeah, the company likes to pick up new interns.” Min internally winced at yet another lie.
“Half your luck!” Bonnie hugged her, and Min hugged her back, gently untangling a couple of snakes from around her neck as she pulled back.
“You are going to kill it, babe,” Bonnie said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, hon. I’ll call in a couple of days. And feel free to phone me with any queries.”
“Sure, no worries. Should be fine, I’ve worked here often enough. Enjoy the ride in that limo.”
Min vowed she’d buy Bonnie a flight in one once this was all over.
As she opened the door, she hesitated. She’d already said goodbye to Gingerbread. Twice, in fact. Even so, she was having trouble leaving him. Dashing back inside, she found him in his usual spot in the snug and kissed the top of his head. He opened one eye a mere slit, then shut it again. Surely he wasn’t miffed at her?
“You encouraged me to do this,” she whispered in his ear. His tail flicked, but that was the only acknowledgement he offered.
By the time she got back to the front door, a liveried chauffeur was grabbing her bags. “Ma-am.” He smiled, tapping his cap with a claw. “I’m Vincent. At your service.”
Bonnie’s eyebrows waggled. “I might apply for that scholarship next year.”
