His kitchen was nigh pristine compared to the rest of the house. She couldn’t believe how empty the counters were until he opened a cupboard and the shelves inside were empty. He shook his head and ducked to open the dishwasher. The dishes inside were dirty and crammed in.
“Step aside,” Mina said softly. She snapped up two mugs and rearranged the dishes so they would actually get cleaned.
Ryker returned to the coffee maker as she turned on the tap. In the blink of an eye, she handed him two clean mugs.
“What would I do without you?” he asked, clearly joking.
But his words made her stop. They wrapped around her heart like ribbons and pulled her even closer to him. It was all she could do to stand her ground and stay away from Ryker. The answer to his question was that he’d live a slightly filthier life. She was in no way necessary.
“How do you take your coffee?” He asked over his shoulder, head nearly inside the fridge. “Wait. Let me guess. If you don’t like it, I’ll drink it.”
While Ryker made coffee for the both of them, she put a detergent tablet in the dishwasher and set it to run. When she turned around, Ryker had two cups of coffee and a slab of cake on the counter. Beside it was a spoon and a butter knife.
“My cousin’s mate makes the best food. Try this cake.” Ryker offered her the spoon, handle first.
She took it from him, fingers grazing his skin. Her breath rushed out of her and the room seemed to shrink around them. Suddenly, Ryker was too close. He looked down at her, his lips parted like he might taste her instead of the cake.
Quickly, Mina turned away and dug the spoon into the cake. She jammed it into her mouth, all the while aware of the heat Ryker was throwing off. She could barely taste the sweetness while he stood beside her. Ryker was the only thing she could process.
Then, he stepped back. Mina could breathe again, but she found herself missing his closeness. A shiver raced between her shoulder blades. Had she been in her dragon form, she would have flexed her wings to chase it away.
“I’m glad you picked the biggest mug. I had a long night.” Ryker commented. He was standing with his back to the counter, the heavy green mug in one hand. “How did you sleep?”
She’d slept more soundly than she ever had before. Truthfully, she’d woken refreshed. But all she could manage to say was, “Fine.”
Ryker watched her. She couldn’t bear his gaze on her face, so she dug the spoon into the cake once more. This time, the flavor of chocolate cookies and sweet cream melted on her tongue. It was hard to resist another bite, and then another. By the time Mina had eaten a large chunk of the cake and shame rose to stop her, she realized she hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning.
Beside her, Ryker turned toward the cake. He set down his now half-empty mug and picked up the butter knife. He used it like a fork, bringing chunks of cake to his mouth.
“You’re out of clean silverware, too. Aren’t you?”
He grinned. “Maybe.”
Mina laughed. It was sudden, trickling out of her like bubbles in water.
“There it is! I told you I could help with your broken laugh box.” He bumped her with his hip.
“And I told you there’s no such thing as a laugh box.” Maybe it was the sugar going to her head. Maybe it was the distance from everyone she knew, alone in the kitchen with Ryker. All Mina knew was that she was comfortable.
Ryker never seemed to get angry with her for overstepping boundaries. He laughed at her sass and offered her cake and coffee for breakfast. Heck, he’d even let her get away with flicking his nipple. Any other dragon would have flipped out on her. Not that she would have tried any of this with anyone else.
This was just between her and Ryker.
“I really should get back to work. There’s so much cleaning…”
Ryker gestured to her coffee mug with his butter knife. “You should drink that first. You’ll need the extra energy. The place is a wreck.”
Mina smiled and slowly grabbed the mug. Her intention to take a sip before beginning her work fell away as the warmth of the drink flowed through her. She leaned back against the counter like Ryker had been. A smile split her lips and made her cheeks ache in the best way.
Ryker turned toward her. It looked as though he might say something, a kind of trepidation softening his features, but he shook his head and disappeared through a nearby door. Her stomach dropped, and her smile faded. Mina didn’t know what she’d done wrong. The morning had been going great.
Then, she felt the subtle vibrations of music begin to fill the house. The volume turned higher and higher until she could barely hear herself think. It drowned out the uncertainty trying to take over her mind. In a way, it was welcome.
Mina set her now empty coffee mug into the sink and went to fetch her cleaning supplies. At the base of the stairs she glimpsed another army of carboard boxes. While she wanted to start scrubbing the first floor, she knew that getting the boxes out of the house should be her first priority.
***
Ryker had almost asked a stupid question earlier.
It was dumb to even think about it. Mina was clearly trying to keep space between them. She was quiet and reserved in his presence because of the barriers between them. While he didn’t pay her directly, there was still money passing between them. Mina was still an employee. The maid.
And Ryker had been so tempted to disrespect her barriers because he felt…what? The beginning of attraction? A bit of lust? Ryker wasn’t sure of himself or the things he felt when she was around.
When he first saw her that morning, he wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a bit of make-up on her eyes. She’d swiped sharp black eyeliner over each eyelid in a way that made her lashes flutter when she blinked. Her hair had a gentle curl to it, soft as it cascaded over her shoulders. It enchanted him, made him wonder what kind of beast lurked inside her.
Before he could think about it too long, he’d shaken his head. Mina’s life was her own. He couldn’t insert himself into it and expect everything to be about him. Perhaps she had a date after work and had no time to do her make-up after. Though he wanted to think she’d done it for him, he couldn’t be so arrogant.
So, he left her alone. She had a job to do and he shouldn’t get in her way. He turned on the music so his mind would leave him alone, but it didn’t work. The music didn’t numb him the way it usually did. His beast was restless in Mina’s presence. So long as her scent filled his house, the beast tracked her. It dragged him from room to room in search of her.
He tried to fight it, to grab onto something and hold on tight, but he couldn’t overpower the creature inside him. It was far stronger than he’d originally thought. How long had it been since he’d actually listened to the beast? Since he acknowledged it?
The creature had been unruly the day before. It’d prowled inside him and filled his head with thoughts of mating, claiming. Perhaps it was just his sudden proximity to the dragon women of Grove, but he knew it could get him in trouble. He’d dragged the guitar outside and wrecked it in an effort to expel the beast’s commanding energy.
But Mina had seen him. She’d been present while he unleashed his rage on the instrument. Ryker thought he’d scared her away for good. It was why he’d gone to such a great length to send her an apology. Never before had he wanted to show a softer side. Ryker had always been all sharp edges and spikes.
Mina made him want to be a teddy bear.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Intending to leave Mina alone, he climbed the stairs. From his recliner on the second-floor landing, he could see all of the mountains. He thought of it as guard duty, but most of the time he just napped.
He didn’t expect to find Mina there. He paused, intending to turn around, when she spotted him. The music drowned out anything they might have said to one another, but her little wave and smile tugged him forward. He looked past her to the stack of boxes. It was taking on a shape, but Ryker couldn’
t figure out what shape it was trying to be. Her cheeks were dark when he looked back at her. A veil of black hair fell over half her face when she ducked her head.
He wanted to push it back behind her ear. The desire hit him so hard that his hand was half way to her hair before he stopped himself. To keep from doing it again, he jammed both hands in his pockets. There, they twitched and begged to be free, to reach out and pull Mina into his arms.
Ryker glanced at the stairs and thought about heading back down, but he couldn’t will himself to move. Standing in her presence and taking in her scent kept him in place. It made him feel like a moth beating itself against a candle flame. No woman would ever want him as a mate.
If he let himself get attached to Mina, she would only leave when she realized how much work he would be. He needed to keep his head on straight if he was going to be any help to his court, to his king. If he let the burn of her flame destroy him, Ryker would be of no use to anyone.
Mina pulled something from her pocket and aimed it in the air. The music turned down, and Ryker raised a curious brow.
“I found the remote under some junk mail in the foyer yesterday.” She smiled sheepishly and handed him the remote, almost apologetically.
He shook his head, avoiding brushing her fingers again even though it was the only thing he wanted. The feel of her skin on his had overwhelmed him earlier. She was like fine silk, soft and slick. The beast told him to wrap himself in her, but Ryker kept his distance.
“Go ahead and keep it on you for now,” he told her. “I’m sure the music is too loud for you. I wasn’t thinking…”
Mina shook her head. “No. I like it most of the time. I only turned it down so we could talk. That’s why you came up here. Right?”
He’d intended to take a nap in his recliner, but this was better. Or worse, depending on how close he let himself get to her flame. Finally, he nodded his head toward her pile of boxes.
“Oh,” she mumbled as she nervously pushed her hair behind her ear.
He sucked in a breath now that he was able to see her face. The light streaming through the windows behind her outlined her features and made her skin glow. Though she soon dropped her chin again, Ryker was still struck by the image of her burned in his mind.
“I was having a bit of fun. That’s all.” She began to dismantle her box monstrosity.
“But what was it? In case I want to make my own?”
Mina paused, box in her hands. “Well…it was supposed to be a robot, but I couldn’t get the shoulders to stack properly. It had no arms, either. That part didn’t quite work out.”
He grinned and flopped back into his recliner. Now that he looked back at her stack of boxes, he could see the shape taking form. It was a bit crooked and haphazard, but it was recognizable all the same. He thought about it for a moment before propelling himself out of the chair. He snatched three boxes from the floor. Mina paused when he came up to her. She didn’t move as he replaced one of her boxes and situated the other two into either shoulder of the carboard robot.
The shoulder boxes wobbled, but eventually stayed in place. He stepped back, proud of himself.
“This would work way better with someone inside it,” he noted.
Behind him, Mina laughed. His stomach tightened at the sound. The beast filled with pride, knowing it was Ryker that caused the fey-like sound. He wanted to hear it again and again. Every day, if he could.
He grinned. “I could get inside it for you.”
He expected more laughter, but she only shook her head. She took the top box off the stack again and tugged at the taped flaps, flattening it and throwing it onto the floor.
“I should be working.”
He licked his lips, but no matter how he tried to come up with a plan, the moment was gone. Ryker knew he should retreat and put some space between them, but he couldn’t bring himself to move on. He reached for a box in the stack and did the same. Soon, the sound of snapping tape filled the air.
Was he cleaning his own mess? Wasn’t that why Kennedy and Wyatt paid for the maid service? Not even they could convince him to clean his house, but here he was working right alongside Mina like it was his job.
“What made you become a maid?” he asked, trying to fill the air with sound. With her voice, he realized.
She gave him a dry smile but didn’t look up at him. “Why do you think?”
“Let me guess. You get a kick out of cleanliness and want everyone in Grove to have a pristine home?”
Mina’s mirth from moments ago was gone. In its place were shadows. They lingered over her eyes and hid her feelings from him. He wanted to kick himself in the pants for whatever he’d done. He wished he could wipe them away and bring back her smile, but that was a step in a direction Ryker knew he shouldn’t walk.
“I’m sorry if I crossed a line. I was only joking.”
“It’s okay. I needed a job. This is a job.” She tossed a flattened box onto the pile. “I don’t even know what I would want to do if I wasn’t doing this, so it doesn’t matter.”
Ryker watched the weight of the world drop onto her shoulders. It fought to press her into the ground. He had no words to make the situation any better. He’d never been any good at talking to women. He framed himself as the strong and silent type to get out of having to participate in any conversations.
He slid toward her. She looked up at him with wide eyes. His gut tightened with the need to pull her into his arms, but he pushed it back and reached into her pocket instead. He found the small stereo remote and held it in the air. The pounding music returned before he tucked the remote back into her pocket.
A second ticked by. Then two. And Ryker still hadn’t moved away. The space between them warmed. Mina looked up at him, no hint of fear in her eyes for once. If anything, Ryker thought he saw expectation. His hand rose to touch her pointed chin.
No. He shouldn’t.
Ryker spun away. He almost ran for the nearby stairs. The beast tried to haul him back to Mina, but he fought it. Ryker wondered if he needed to get laid. Maybe he was wound up because it’d been so long since he last slept with a woman. If he could get it out of his system, then maybe he wouldn’t be bothering Mina so much.
The way she stepped around him and avoided his gaze was a sure sign that she wanted to keep their relationship strictly platonic. To ask anything more of her was disrespectful. No matter how badly he wanted her.
Downstairs, Ryker hid himself in the mud-room. There were no more guitars to break. The lawn was already littered with the remnants of the last instrument. All he could do was fall onto a bench and rest his head against the wall behind him while he wrestled with the beast’s lust.
Chapter Six
Mina thought about that moment on the second-floor landing over and over. The entire drive home, she thought about the things she should have done. Ryker looked like he’d wanted to kiss her. She found that she wanted it. She wanted to know what his lips tasted like, what they felt like between her teeth.
It was forbidden fruit, though. Perhaps that was the appeal of it. Ryker was someone she should have never interacted with. They fact that they’d gotten so close was a fluke of fate. Some threads had gotten twisted. Eventually, they would right themselves and Mina would go one way while Ryker went in another.
She finally pried herself out of her car. Exhaustion made her limbs heavy. She had to shut her door twice because she didn’t push it hard enough the first time. Ryker’s house was nearly free of boxes. Tomorrow, she would start the deep clean, though he hadn’t lived there long enough for it to take too long.
That was when she would go her own way. The job would be finished soon. She didn’t think the board at Aurum Bank would want her service to be a regular thing. All they wanted was someone to help clear out the mess Ryker made when he moved in.
At the front door, Mina stopped. Cold poured over her. She’d been so caught up in doing her hair and make-up that morning tha
t she’d forgotten to make dinner again. Her uncle would be waiting at the kitchen table. He would have words for her, would see the make-up she’d put on and how she’d done her hair. Mina didn’t want to deal with any of that tonight.
She crept around the side of the house. There was a forgotten trellis that led up the side, remnants of the days when her mother and aunt lived in the house. Her aunt had passed from a human disease and her mother had run away, leaving Mina in the hands of her uncle.
While Mina tried to imagine feminine flowers growing up the side of the house, she couldn’t envision it. The flowers didn’t fit the home she knew. They were too bright and cheery.
She sighed and shook free of the thoughts rolling through her mind before tilting her head back. Her window was to the left of the trellis. All she had to do was climb and pry the pane open. It took some work, and more than a few times she thought the whole thing would come crashing to the ground before she made it to the window, but she reached the top of the trellis.
The hard part was opening the window from the outside. Mina had dragon strength, but it meant nothing if she couldn’t get a grip. Finally, she pressed her hand flat against the glass and pressed as she pushed up. The window fought her, but it finally began to slide up.
Careful to make no noise, she climbed through the window and onto her bed. She smothered a giggle, realizing how ludicrous she’d been. Never in her life had she attempted anything so wild. She’d never been the kind of person to sneak out in the middle of the night. Mina was a dutiful person, always doing as she was told and answering to those above her.
Tonight was the first time she’d ever purposefully avoided her uncle. She could hear him tapping the table downstairs. Eventually, he would see her car parked outside and come upstairs. He would know that she snuck through the window.
Yet, Mina couldn’t bring herself to care.
Ryker had almost kissed her.
The thought filled her with glee. She pressed her knuckles against her mouth to silence her girlish laughter and rolled over to pull the stuffed dragon into her body. Her stomach growled hungrily. The last thing she’d eaten had been the cake Ryker shared with her, but she wasn’t about to go downstairs.
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