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“Give me a chance, Bree. One dinner.”
This man was persistent. I blew out an exasperated breath, refusing to face him again. I’d give in if I did. “This is ridiculous. You don’t even know me. Why in the world would you want to take me to dinner?”
“Because I know you’ve got an interesting story to tell,” he said softly against my ear, his breath raising goosebumps across my skin. I hadn’t even heard him move. “And I want to hear it.”
Shrugging to hide a shiver, I ducked away from him and finally met his gaze. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m just a janitor. Nothing interesting to see here.”
“That’s not what I see at all.” He studied me intently, heat rising within me wherever his gaze fell. “You move like a skilled fighter. Graceful, alert, balanced. And those scars across your knuckles suggest you’ve thrown more than a punch or two.”
I froze, my heart pounding almost painfully against my ribs. His ability to read me that easily after so little time together filled me with fear.
Who else might have realized I was hiding something?
I needed to get away from him. Far, far away.
But before I had a chance to escape, Frankie walked out of her office and bumped into me. She had a stack of paperwork in her hands, flipping through them with a look of confusion. She hadn’t noticed our intruder yet.
“Oh, good, you’re—” Her words cut off when she finally looked up, peering at me over the ridge of her pink glasses. Her gaze narrowed as it landed on Dominic, and she straightened her back. “Dominic Sato. What in the Otherworld are you doin’ here?”
Exactly what I’d asked and now wished I hadn’t.
Frankie knowing who he was didn’t surprise me. She made it a point to stay up-to-date on the who’s who of the Gifted community, if only to know who to bribe and when to keep this place off the radar.
I did the opposite. Getting caught up in something like a forbidden romance novel was much more satisfying than trying to keep up with the latest gossip.
To his credit, Dominic smiled. “Just keeping our favorite janitor company. Always a pleasure to see you, Frankie.”
She snorted and crossed her arms, unconcerned with the papers she crumpled beneath her armpit as she did so. “You call me Frankie one more time like we’re buddies and I’ll be sure you never step foot in here again.”
Despite the threat, his smile only widened, and he pressed a hand over his heart. “You wound me. Surely after all this time you consider me a friend.”
Frankie muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like making dragon stew. “What d’ya want, dragon?”
Dominic raised the bouquet of roses and nodded toward me. “I’m wooing your girl here. Trying to, anyway. She’s playing hard to get.”
I glared at him and considered tipping the bucket of dirty water over, aiming for his expensive shoes. Almost, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it since I’d be the one mopping it all up. “I’m not playing anything. I said no, move on.”
Frankie’s expression changed from dark suspicion to pure, wide-eyed amazement. She pushed her reading glasses into her mess of curly hair and blinked slowly. “You turned down Dominic Sato? A dragon? The Red Dragon?”
Considering how long he’d fought at her gym and she organized all the fights, it wasn’t a complete surprise that she knew he was also the Red Dragon. I was mildly miffed she hadn’t confided that juicy tidbit to me at some point over the years, but I also knew all I’d had to do was ask. Except I hadn’t cared enough to know his identity before now.
“Why is this so hard for the two of you to understand?” I asked, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “I’m busy.”
Frankie let out a hoot of laughter. “Too busy with your newest book boyfriend, you mean. Which one is it this week? Viking or highlander?”
My cheeks blazed with heat, and I never wanted to crawl beneath a rock more than at that moment. Usually, I didn’t mind anyone knowing what I read or discussing the merits of romance. But usually, I wasn’t standing in front of the hottest man on the planet, one who’d just asked me out to dinner.
How did one handle this sort of situation?
Dominic turned his grin on me, appraising me from head to foot. “Wouldn’t a real-life dragon be more exciting than one in a book? I’d be happy to reenact any favorite scenes.”
I closed my eyes and groaned, ready to be swallowed up by the floor. Any moment now. Come on floor, don’t let me down. “For your information, not that it’s any of your business, but he’s a grim reaper, and I’m not?—”
“Why don’t you challenge her to a fight?” Frankie’s voice cut in.
I snapped my eyes open and stared at her. She couldn’t be serious.
CHAPTER 11
