AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His impossibly long eyelashes fluttered. He opened his eyes and yawned hugely. “What time is it?”
“Around six-thirty.”
“Tell me I sent my driver home before we fell asleep.”
“You did.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried that the meter was still running.”
“Do you want some coffee, or—”
He tightened his embrace. “Let’s just doze for a while. I don’t often have the pleasure of sleeping with someone. Feels good to wake up to someone warm and friendly.”
His words surprised her. She’d assumed that he had an active and varied sex life.
“You’ll have to tell me about the tattoos.”
He looked down at himself and smiled almost reminiscently. “They all mean something.”
“I hoped they would.”
“You did? Why?”
“I didn’t want them to be whims. I wanted them to be on your body because they were things you wanted to say about your life.”
He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “You get it,” he said. “Not many people do.”
“The dragon?”
He sighed and moved away from her on the bed. Sophia was afraid that she’d asked the wrong question and was momentarily frozen with the fear of upsetting him. He must have seen it because he said, “It was a long time ago, but it’s still hard to talk about. I was married once. She died and I was almost insane with grief. My great-grandmother Buchanan took me up to her home in the highlands and told me that grief would transform me into who I would be for the rest of my life. She said it would make or break me.” His gaze seemed to fix on something far away in both time and space.
“Her family crest is a dragon, and it was common to see dragons in many forms all over her house, almost like talismans. I remember thinking that if I could let my grief turn me into a dragon, fierce and dangerous, I was all for it. So I concentrated on my internal dragon.” He rubbed his face with both hands and laughed. “I was so young. But it helped. I stopped grieving and started being angry, which was a good first step. And then my grandmother taught me about the wisdom of dragons. I got the tatt to remind me that life is complicated, but strength and intelligence can help you through anything.”
“That’s a sad and amazing story,” Sophia told him. “I never thought much about dragons before. Is that why your first company was Drake Scientific?”
He gave her a look of surprise. “You’ve been studying me,” he accused.
“Guilty. I felt the need to know more about you.”
“That’s wise, though being a public figure doesn’t make me safe. If anything, it gives me more scope for crazy behavior.”
“Don’t scare me.”
He hugged her close. “I don’t mean to. This is a nice room,” he said, looking around. I like the way it feels.”
“What’s your home like?” she asked, imagining something opulent and way out of her league.
“Oh, it’s just a condo. Living room, bedroom, bath, efficiency kitchen with a breakfast bar. I bought it because I didn’t feel like renting, but I haven’t done anything with it.
“Does it have a wonderful view?” she asked, imagining a panoramic view of the lakefront.
“No, it overlooks the railroad tracks. Really, it’s nothing special. It’s still the standard builders’ white with brown wall-to-wall carpeting.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
He shrugged. Nothing feels like home, really. Not enough to make the effort.” He must have noticed her expression of non-comprehension because he said, “I grew up in boarding school, then went to Cambridge, so home was an abstract to me. The only place that ever really felt like home was the little apartment Siobhan and I shared. It was only a couple of rooms, but she made it beautiful. Nothing else has ever felt right to me.”
Sophia propped herself up on one elbow and stared down at him. “You know what? We’re going to decorate.”
