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Freed from obligations, Ivy then hot-tubbed until she got too warm, took advantage of the fancy massaging showerhead in the cabin’s bathroom (twice), put together a cozy outfit from the random assortment of clothes she’d packed from the dryer, and then curled up on the sofa with a fleece blanket and one of the paperback novels that lined the shelves by the stone fireplace. It was a historical romance about a grumpy duke and a sunshiney shepherdess getting snowed in at a Scottish castle, and she was here for it.
9
Ivylookedupfromthe book in the late afternoon when, just as it was getting dark, Tairon walked in with an insulated carrier in one hand and a bulging tote bag in the other.
“Hungry?” he asked as he hung up his jacket. He’d changed in town; now he wore dark jeans and a button-up. Looking far too handsome, he rolled up his shirt sleeves to expose his tattooed forearms, unpacked the food onto the counter, and started popping open lids. Ivy put aside the book and rose to join him in the kitchen to inspect what he’d brought. There had to be twenty dishes, each one emitting its own delicious bouquet of herbs and spices that filled the cabin with mouthwatering fragrance. There was a bottle of champagne, too, and a deep-dish apple cobbler with a toasted oat crumble on top.
“This all looks amazing! Did you leave any for the rest of them?”
He beamed. “They wanted to send more, but I convinced them that two people can only eat so much. There’s no way we’re going to get through all of it as it is.”
“Challenge accepted,” she said, already getting out dishes and silverware. “How was the drive?”
“Easy. Only had to melt the ice a couple places before I got to the highway, and after that it was plowed. Did you get your stuff done?”
She nodded as, elbow-to-elbow, they filled their plates to overflowing with roast turkey and a dozen rich side dishes. “As much as I could on a holiday, anyway.”
It was unlikely that she’d hear back on any rental possibilities for a few days, and the realization that she’d have to return to the shared house with James hit her. Even if she found a place with immediate availability, they still needed to have all the awkward discussions about dividing their joint possessions. She still had to do all the work of packing up her belongings and arranging the move. And she had to do it while living with the man who’d rejected her and cheated on her.Ugh.
She plopped down in the dining chair that Tairon pulled out for her, and all the discouragement she’d managed to shake earlier came back in full force. She stabbed at her food, moving it around the plate but not eating it.
“You okay?” he asked, fork poised over his own meal. “If this isn’t to your taste, don’t feel obligated to—”
She sighed. “It’s perfect. I shouldn’t let this bother me, but I’m dreading the end of the weekend and having to go back to the house with James. I don’t really want to spend any more time with him, but we need to have a lot of conversations. I just—don’t wanna.”
Tairon growled under his breath. “Can’t say I’m a huge fan of his, either. Come stay with me instead.” She laughed, thinking he was being flippant, but he shook his head. “I mean it. You know dragons nest communally? My hive is the old public school on Blair that’s been converted into lofts. We have plenty of space. You could have your own room and everything. And there’s a gym and an indoor pool and a huge commercial kitchen with all the bells and whistles that everyone can use. You’re welcome to stay there as long as you want.”
A commercial kitchen? It sounded too good to be true. She stared at him, trying to work out whether it was a serious offer, as they ate. “How much is the rent?”
He snorted, and a tiny puff of smoke exited his nostrils. “I’m insulted you would ask.”
“Oh, come on. I am not going to mooch off you. You don’t even know—” She broke off when he gave her a very odd, intense look. “What?”
“I know you,” he said in a low voice. He hooked his tail around the bottom rung of her chair and dragged her closer. “Not to brag, but I’m something of an Ivy expert. Ask me anything, and I’ll prove it.”
Giggling, she moved her plate to her new spot at the table. “What’s my favorite color?”
“Green. Dark green.” He answered quickly and confidently, and damn it, he was right. He extended his arm toward her, brushing his fingers over the dark-green, tattooed foliage that twined through his scales. They were ivy leaves, she realized. His tattoos wereivy. She raised her eyes to meet his, and he answered the question in her mind even though she hadn’t asked. “I got them the week I met you.”
“That’s awfully…permanent,” she breathed. He gave a slow nod, that wary look on his face again. TheI-don’t-want-to-scare-you-offlook. But he was trying to tell her something by showing her those tattoos. Something important. “You can’t cure your fixation with me, can you?”
Another nod.
“It’s not going away.”
“It’s a forever thing,” he agreed, voice rough.
“So you’re going to follow me around for the rest of my life?” she blurted out disbelievingly.
He lifted his chin, eyes glowing at her. “Yup. Pretty much. On your terms,” he added. “I can respect your boundaries. But I will need to be…near.”
“So you’re saying that it’d be pretty convenient if I lived in your building.”
“Even more convenient if we shared a bed.” He raised his brow and then calmly proceeded to eat his dinner as if he hadn’t just made her thighs clamp together against the naughty thrill that’d run through her at the suggestion.
“I don’t know what to say.” She stared at her plate and its gorgeous array of food that he’d brought back through the snow for her. That his people had made for them. What would it be like living with a bunch ofdragons?!
“No pressure to answer now. Let’s have dinner. Let your human brain catch up.” He winked at her, and she couldn’t help the giggle that erupted. “I’ll answer any questions you have, or we can just enjoy the food. It’s all going to work out, I promise.”
