by Romi Hart
Linda blinked as she looked into my eyes. “Sometimes I see flames in your eyes, Tieris.”
I’d had no idea she’d seen that. “The lights can play tricks in eyes as light blue as mine are.”
She wasn’t finished with me yet. “You put a mark on my back without me knowing it. You’ve enticed me into agreeing to have your child and to be your mate in a record amount of time. You have flames in your eyes at times. You growl like an animal in your sleep and your feet did turn red and shiny scales covered your feet that had been normal before.”
She did have a lot of evidence against me. So, I did what any good dragon-shifter would do when faced with unsurmountable and damning testimony against them. I took her in my arms, pulled her to sit on my lap and kissed her hard, wanting, needing, and hopefully making her forget a word she’d said.
Another bout of lovemaking would end her qualms and we could get on to better business. At least that’s what I hoped for. But when I released her lips to move my mouth to her neck to drive her crazy with love bites, she asked, “If I ask you to leave, will you do it? Or will I have to fight you to get you to go?”
Nope, it didn’t work.
“Linda, why would you ask me to leave you?” She must’ve been really shaken up by what she’d seen. “You might be carrying my babies right now. Why would you want to send me away if you’re with child? Won’t it be better to have me to help you with our babies?”
“I need space.” She climbed off my lap then went to pick up my clothes off the floor, handing them to me. “Please get dressed. I need you to leave.”
Arguing was getting us nowhere. So, I put my clothes on then smoothed my hair as I eyed her. “And where would you have me go? I didn’t rent a room as I had every intention of staying with you until you agreed to come home with me.”
“Inviting yourself to stay with me after not communicating with me in a week’s time wasn’t a smart thing to do. And it’s not my problem.” She went to open the door. “So, you can figure out your own place to stay.”
Moving toward the door, I hesitated for a moment. “You told me that you loved me last night. Was that a lie?”
For a moment, she looked guilt-ridden, but the expression soon vanished. “I don’t know what you are. I meant what I said last night. Why I said those words to a man I hardly know is a thing I’m wondering about now. If you are some sort of an evil creature, you might how a power to make me say things that I wouldn’t normally say.”
“I don’t have a power like that.” That much was true. I couldn’t make anyone feel about me a way that they didn’t. “So, you must really love me even though we don’t know each other well yet. And I love you too. See, we both are in love. So, why send me away?”
“Because I feel apprehensive about you now. I know that my roommate and I both didn’t mistake what we saw your feet turn into. No matter what you say, she and I couldn’t have both hallucinated nor made more of what we saw.”
I had to figure out how to get her off that train of thought. “Well, the fact is that my feet don’t look like that now and I never saw them looking the way you say they did. So something isn’t right with your eyes.” It felt a little bad to lie to her, but she wasn’t ready to know what I was.
Taking a seat on the sofa, she sighed. “Are you afraid that if you leave, I won’t want to see you anymore?”
I knew she would want to see me more. I also knew that me walking away from her while she was in a state of mind that had her thinking that we could be over would only serve to hurt her. But, trying to explain that she and I were now bonded didn’t feel right at the moment.
“Do you think that you don’t want to see me anymore?” I went to sit across from her in another chair as I watched her thinking.
“I want to know if I have that choice.” She crossed her legs as she looked at me. “In my opinion, if you are some sort of an evil creature, you won’t give me the choice of ending things with you.”
Lucky for me, she did have a choice. Granted, if she made the choice not to be with me, things wouldn’t go that great for her and the mark I’d left on her back would become quite the nuisance, but she did have a choice in the matter. “Linda, you are free to make any choice you would like to. I cannot keep you with me if you want to leave. I can’t stay if you want me to go. But I want you to know that I want to be with you. And I think if you will stop being afraid of what you thought you saw, that you would want us to stay together.”
“You might be right. I really have no idea since I did see something that has shaken me to my very core.” Getting up, she went to the front door, then opened it. “So, I will exercise my right to ask you to leave. If I change my mind, I will find you, I suppose. I have your cell number after all.”
“And I have yours. What if I call you? Will you take the call or ignore it?” Getting up from the chair, I went to her, taking her hands in mine, then lifting them to place a kiss on top of each one.
“I’m not sure what I’ll do.”
“It seems rather silly to end this just because you think you saw something.” I had a feeling it was her insecurities that had her sending me away more so than her fear of me being a monster.
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, Tieris.” She looked at our clasped hands.
I tightened my grip on her hands. “Can I ask you if you feel as if I am too good for you?”
“Of course, not.” She blushed as she shook her head. “It’s the thing I saw is all.”
“So you have miraculously gotten over all those insecurities you had? I see. How wonderful for you. I’m glad you conquered them.” I kissed her cheek. “I will miss you every second that I am away. And I do hope you ask me to come back or you ask me if you can come join me. My answer will be yes, either way.”
“If I ask you to come back, it will be a very long time. I have much to think about and the fact is that I don’t think you are what you say you are.”
“You don’t think that I’m human?” I laughed as she had to be able to see and feel that I was human. I was more than just human, but part of me was just that.
“I don’t know, Tieris. This is weird and complicated. I feel uneasy. And it’s obvious that my roommate is afraid of you as well. I can’t very well have you here when she’s so afraid of you.” She looked out the door with a frown on her face. “You must understand that.”
And I did. “You could come with me to my home. I think you’re right about your roommate. She shouldn’t have to be around me if she’s afraid of me.”
“I think that leaving here to go with you is a very dangerous thing to do. I am sorry, but you must go now before I change my mind.”
Nodding, I let her hands go then walked away without saying a word. I knew my mark would go to work on her, getting hotter with each step I took.
Out of my peripheral vision, I saw her leaning her back against the doorframe, moving up and down to scratch the mark that had to be giving her fits as I got further and further away.
My heart began to swell when I finally heard her say, “Wait! Tieris, please come back. I don’t know what I saw, but I know that my heart is aching, and my brain is telling me to stop sending you away. Come back to me and let’s forget that I said anything. I’ll figure out how to make Flora see that she and I were wrong.”
Turning around, I smiled. “Okay then.”
At least now I know that I will have to sleep much lighter until I find a way to tell her what I really am.
14
Linda
My head felt a bit fuzzy as Tieris and I sat in a small café, eating breakfast. Things still felt odd between us, but I was sure we’d thaw out eventually. “How’re your crepes?”
Taking a bite, he nodded. “Good. And your eggs Benedict?”
“Alright.” I made them better. “Before I moved out of my parent’s home, I made the meals for my family often. I love to cook. But our apartment’s kitchen is just too small for me to enjoy cooking in. Plus, we have lim
ited pots and pans, so I don’t have everything I need to make most of the meals I like to make.”
Cocking one brow at me, he grinned. “We have a gigantic kitchen back home.”
“And you live with your brother, right?” I was pretty sure he’d told me that before but wasn’t positive.
“Yes, we share our home. It’s very big as is the property it’s on. I would love to take you home to show you everything.” Reaching over the table, he took my hand. “We would have lots of privacy, I assure you. Plus, my quarters are larger than your entire apartment. We would have lots of room to play in. If you know what I mean.”
“You mean that there’s lots of room for us to get down and dirty, huh?” I blushed as no one had ever wanted me sexually so much before. It felt a little weird.
“Exactly.” Taking in a deep breath, his broad chest rose. “With the recent repairs, the place looks better than ever. And getting home would be a great idea. The faster I get you comfy, the better I will feel.”
The whole have my baby thing came back to the forefront of my mind and I knew it was time to deal with that. “Look, Tieris, last night I was kind of in a dream-like state. I kind of agreed to things that I don’t really agree to know – in the light of day. You understand, right?”
Cocking his head as he grinned at me, he looked rather mischievous. “Linda, you are aware of how the birds and bees work, right?”
“I am.” I wasn’t sure what he was getting at.
“Then you know that there is a possibility that you are already with my child or children.” He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles as the grin wouldn’t leave his lips.
I didn’t want to think that way. “That was our first time and the first time in years that I’ve had sex. I don’t think I could possibly get pregnant that quickly.”
“Let’s just say that you are.”
“No, I would rather not just say that I am. And I would rather not be held accountable for anything I said last night. I was in this dream-like state – almost as if I were drunk – you can’t take anything I said last night as the truth.” I wanted to be absolutely honest with the man.
Letting my hand go, he rubbed his chin. “Drunk, huh? So maybe that is why you mistook my feet for something they are not. It makes sense now.”
No, it does not.
“Not that I want to revisit all that mess, but my roommate saw that too, Tieris.” I waved my hand in the air as if to clear the bad thought. “So, do we have a deal then? Can we forget anything I said last night and start all over?”
With a shrug, he let me off the hook, “I suppose so, my sweet. To hear you tell me that you love me for the first time again will fill my heart with joy once more. And to hear you say that you will have my babies will send me over the moon, just as it did last night. But I do believe that hearing you say that you will be my mate for life will be the icing on top of the most wonderful cake ever.”
I had no idea why he was so sure that I would agree to all of those things again. “You have a high opinion of yourself.”
“No. I have insight that says you want to be with me and only with me.” Picking up his cup of coffee, he peered over the edge of it at me.
The way his blue eyes twinkled melted my heart. And somewhere deep inside I pictured a child that looked like us both. Perhaps more rounded features like me, but with his eyes and his unique temperament and charm.
While true that we didn’t know much about one another, it was also true that I felt a connection to the man that I had never felt before. “Tieris, can you tell me why you like me so much?”
Shaking his head, he put the empty cup down. “I don’t like you. I love you. I adore you. I want to spend eternity.” He stopped as the waiter came to refill his cup with steaming hot coffee. Then he went on after we were alone again, “I want to spend our lives together. You complete me in ways no one ever has.”
I found that hard to believe. “You must’ve had other women in your life. How come I am the one you wish to spend your life with?”
“Ah, the other females who have been in my life.” A slight smile only made him appear more handsome. “Let me tell you about the others, Linda. They were quiet and when they did speak, it was only to say the most mundane things. To be perfectly honest with you, it was only their beauty that attracted me to them. Not that you are not equally as beautiful – if not more so – but you have more to you than any one of them ever did.”
“Were they uneducated? Is that why none of them spoke much?” I hadn’t met a quiet woman in my lifetime, so I had no idea where he’d met these quiet women. “And did they come from the place you’re from? If I do ever go back to your home with you, will I meet any of them?”
“You will never meet any of them, that is for certain.” He took another bite of his crepes as he seemed to be thinking about the women in his past. “And as far as education goes, not even one of them had a lick of it. It wasn’t a thing a woman was allowed to do.”
Now, he’d stumped me. “Tieris, that makes no sense at all. These are not the dark ages. Where did you find these women who were not allowed to have an education? The middle east?”
His eyes went wide, and he looked like an animal who’d suddenly found itself standing in the headlights of a car. “Oh, um, well, let me just tell you that none of the women I have ever had a thing to do with were from any country that you know of.”
“Shady, Tieris, very shady.” I sipped my coffee as I contemplated the truthfulness of anything he’d said thus far. “It is rather hard to believe you. Surely, you can see that.”
I felt his foot move up and down the lower part of my leg as she asked, “But you will believe me, won’t you, my sweet? For I am not lying to you. I swear that to you. Where I am from is far different than any place you’ve ever been to. So, you will just have to trust that I am telling you the truth.”
I still wasn’t sure about him and things he said. “So, you are telling me that all the other women in your past were ignorant and had little to say.”
“Precisely. And you are far different. You stimulate me with your conversational skills. And I have yet to dive into your brain. Tell me where you were educated?” He sat back, ready to let me tell him all about myself.
Since I never got the chance to talk about my college days, I took advantage of the listening ear. “St. John’s University is where I went to earn a degree in literary arts. My goal was to one day teach. But so far the best I’ve found to do is work in the bookstore. One day though I will become a teacher and help students learn how to write, edit, and let their minds soar free as any bird.”
Cocking his head back and forth, he looked bird-like himself as he seemed to be contemplating something. “Why them and not you, my sweet? If you love the art of literature so much that you have made it your field of study, why don’t you write and let your mind soar as free as any bird?”
I lacked the most important thing to do that. Self-esteem. “Oh, that’s not for me to do. I’m the type that teaches. I can’t see myself going on book tours to peddle my books the way authors must do to gain sales. And to put my picture on the back of the book cover is just too intimidating.”
“Nonsense,” he said easily as if that made all my insecurities vanish. “You are lovely, and people would love to talk to about what you write about. So, what do you like to write about?”
“I haven’t written a thing since my college days.” I’d put away all the old manuscripts I’d made as assignments.
“When you did write, what did you like to write about?” He was not going to let it go.
So, I knew I had to let him know what I’d written about in the past. “Love and sex. Not that I had any experience in either, but I lived vicariously through my characters. My heroines were strong and took charge of things. They didn’t wait for a man to tell them what they needed or wanted - they knew it already. And my heroes were also strong, but they had good hearts and knew how to let their heroines do what they needed to.�
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“Wonderful insight into the real you, my sweet.” Tieris nodded at the waiter who came to clean up our table. “A couple of coffees for the road, please.”
“Of course, sir.” The young man gathered our dishes as he tried not to make eye-contact with me.
I too avoided looking into his eyes as I’d been to the café plenty of times – just never with a man before. Tieris noticed the mutual discomfort. “Do you two know one another?”
I had no idea what to say, but the waiter did. “She is a regular customer, sir.”
“Then why haven’t you two exchanged greetings?” Tieris took my hand, giving it a squeeze. “This is Linda. And your name is?”
The waiter smiled shyly at me. “It’s nice to put a name to your face, Linda. I am Paolo. It’s always a pleasure to serve you. You are polite and kind.”
I felt as if Tieris was trying to show me something, although I wasn’t sure what that was. “I am also glad to know your name, Paolo. You are always very efficient and also polite.”
“I’ll be back with your coffees to take with you, Linda and?” He raised his brows at Tieris. “Your name, sir?”
“I am Tieris, Paolo. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He slipped plenty of Euros into Paolo’s hand to pay for the meal and the gratuity.
“Thank you so much, Tieris. It’s been a pleasure to serve you both.” Hurrying away, he went to fetch our drinks.
And I found a smile on my lips for the man who continuously surprised me. “So, you are going to make me come out of my shell, it seems.”
“It is a shell that needs to be dropped. You are a wonderful woman and it’s time you saw that about yourself. No more hiding. No more ducking that beautiful head of yours. It’s time you look around and see who else is noticing your unique beauty.” Leaning his head to the right, he asked, “Do you see the two gentlemen who are sitting together at that table over there?”
I cut my eyes to the right and saw two men glancing at me. Not at the man I was sitting with. At me and only me. “So, why are they looking at me? Is there something on my face? Is my hair messed up? Did I spill something on my dress?”