At the end of the day, Adrien found himself in front of the windows that looked out on the city, enjoying a drink as usual.

It had been weird earlier, having an appointment with Kelsey in the room, watching out for them from the corner, keeping her eyes on all proceedings.

He sort of liked having her around, even though the idea of him needing her for protection was ludicrous.

A human protecting a dragon? He’d never thought he’d see it in his lifetime. Either lifetime.

He sipped the scotch and checked the watch on his wrist. He wanted to talk to Kelsey before she went back to her room for the night, and last he’d seen her, she was in the office, talking to Citrine and Robbie about the schedule the next day.

It was interesting how quickly they had all adapted to having another person around. After acclimating to Robbie, it was probably that much easier.

He took another sip and then set down the scotch, deciding to go wandering in search of the woman who might be his mate.

He wasn’t sure, but the way she’d come to his rescue like an angry Valkyrie had only added to his suspicions. She was the opposite of the other human women he’d been exposed to. Well, not that all of them were bad, but he supposed after a few bad experiences, he’d sort of written off the rest.

Combined with the way he’d been raised to feel that humans were beneath him, it meant he hadn’t really tried that hard to get to know them and undo his own prejudices.

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his suit pants (he’d long ago shed the jacket and tie and rolled up the cuffs of his dress shirt, as he always did after a shift) and opened the double doors to look down the hallway toward Citrine’s office.

He was surprised to see her in the hallway, plugging in a vacuum, presumably to clean.

He strode up to her, waving to get her attention, and when she looked up, he saw tired satisfaction in her eyes.

So much different from the fear and desperation he’d seen the night before.

“I was coming to see if you wanted to join me for a drink,” he said, trying not to feel nervous about it. He was a dragon. She would be lucky to accompany him, yet… she was the only human he’d ever met whose opinion mattered to him.

Odd.

She gave him a wary smile. “I told Robbie I would clean up a bit.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Did she tell you to?”

“No,” she admitted with a grin. “But I just—”

“We have someone that comes in to clean,” he said, leaning on one hip. “You’re taking away their job.”

She looked down at the vacuum and seemed to realize how tired she was. “I guess I can’t get over trying to earn my place here.”

“You deserve to be here as much as anyone,” he said. “More, in my opinion, since you’re the only one who has done anything for me since I’ve been here.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Why is that?” She was winding the vacuum cord back up. He wondered if he should help, but he’d never used one of the things.

“You can just leave that there,” he said. “You deserve a moment to relax.”

“I guess I could use one,” she said. “You said there were drinks involved?”

He nodded.

She raised an eyebrow. “Should you be drinking with a head injury?”

Hm. She might have a point there. “I have an extraordinarily hard head.”

“I see. All right, then.” She laughed and walked over to him, and he opened the doors to the club room for her.

“You’ll like the view in here I think,” he said. “At night, everything is just so lit up and peaceful.”

She followed him in, looking around at the furnishings that looked wholly different cast in moonlight and semi-darkness. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “Then again, this whole building is so much nicer than anything I’ve seen that I hardly know what to do with it.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, picking up the scotch and pouring her a drink. She took it, and he led her over to two oversized chairs he’d set by the window earlier when he’d thought of her joining him.

She sat hesitantly, holding her glass tightly in one hand and looking out the window. “I just… There are a lot of people out there who barely have enough to eat. Somewhere to sleep. But I’m enjoying something so nice. It’s not like I deserve it more.”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. It shouldn’t bother you. We are where we are, whether we like it or not. We have to deal with it, and so do they.”

“You’re awfully cavalier about your privileges,” she said, taking a sip of the scotch.

He watched in amusement as she coughed and looked at the liquid in shock. “Strong,” she croaked out.

“Yes,” he said. “High quality. Drink it carefully. Or would you prefer I get you something else? We have an entire cabinet over there.”

“No,” she said, wrapping her hands around the glass. “I like this. It’s warm.”

“Yes,” he said. “With luck, you won’t have to worry about being cold ever again. Did I mention I’m sorry for chasing you away last night?”

“Did I mention I’m sorry you had to get your ass kicked for me?” she asked.

“Did I mention I’m grateful for what you did to that lady for me?”

“Did I mention that I’m grateful you saved my life?” she retorted.

Damn. She had him there.

“You’re welcome,” he said quietly, looking out at the window and resisting the urge to stare at the beautiful lines of her face.

When she was honest and open with him, she was almost too beautiful to see.

Thunder cracked overhead, and rain began to fall, making soft pattering noises as it landed on the glass at a slanted angle. It dripped down in long, sparkly lines, and he enjoyed watching the buildings and street become glossy and wet all around them.

“It really is peaceful here,” she said, leaning back and crossing her legs, keeping the scotch in one hand.

He studied the lines of her body. As he’d suspected, wonderful breasts and generous hips. A sturdy build that was still unmistakably feminine. To his pleasure, he noted she had a slight belly. He’d always seen that as a particular luxurious asset on a female, suggesting wealth and ease.

She’d had neither, but she was shaped pleasingly nonetheless.

And he was beginning to realize wealth didn’t matter as much as he’d always thought it did. After all, the woman today had been wealthy, and the woman who had stood up for him had little to nothing.

“Where were you before you came here?” he asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, uncrossing and crossing her legs, turning in a slightly different direction, away from him, as if she were trying to hide something.

“Come on,” he said. “We’re friends now, aren’t we? You can tell me.”

She sipped her scotch and coughed again, making him mildly concerned. She waved a hand at him. “I’m fine. I guess… I was living with someone. It went bad, and I had to get out fast. I had to leave a lot behind. But it doesn’t matter. Stuff is stuff.”

“So you were working?”

“Oh yes,” she said. “I’ve always been working. My entire life it feels like.” When she saw him looking at her with pity, she frowned. “No, it’s fine. I like working. It takes my mind off things. Makes me feel worthwhile.”

Imagine feeling you had to do common labor in order to feel worthwhile.

“Where is your family?” he asked suspiciously. “Why did they allow you to be in this position? A woman shouldn’t be allowed to wander alone in the world.”

She raised an eyebrow. “That’s a very old-fashioned concept,” she said. “But as for family, I’m afraid I drew the short straw there, too. I emancipated myself at sixteen and moved here, to the city, thinking I was going to make something of myself. Instead, I ended up homeless. An agency helped me, and I worked a few temp jobs before meeting some friends and finding something longer term.”

She leaned forward thoughtfully. “I thought I finally had something. Had saved a lot up for, you know… plans I had.” She shrugged. “Instead, I wound up homeless again. And everything just went worse this time. I’m an adult. I shouldn’t find myself in these positions, but I didn’t learn basic life skills. Like having a bank account or…” She looked away, flushing. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about it. This is my new chance, and I’m not going to ruin it.”

His throat was tight as he set aside his scotch, his stomach churning as he thought about everything she’d been through. She’d given him only very vague details, yet it was enough to grasp that something infuriating had happened.

Maybe many times in her life.

He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair and looked out the window, at the world he hated even more now for being cruel to his mate.

Mate.

The word was becoming almost commonplace in his mind. He snuck a sideways glance at her. She was strong for a human. Maybe she was part shifter?

He scented the air. Nothing. No, he didn’t think she was anything but human, which made his fascination with her that much more baffling.

He wasn’t supposed to fall for a human. He wasn’t supposed to care what happened to them. He hadn’t really cared about much of anything in this world since he’d been awakened. He hadn’t intended to start now.

But watching Kelsey, with those hopeful, luminous green eyes lit by the lights outside the window, he couldn’t help it. He was starting to care what happened to her very much indeed.

He resisted the urge to reach for his drink, wanting to stay sober for his next moments.

He scooted his chair a little closer to hers, and her eyes came up to meet his, widening.

“What—”

He cut her off by scooting a little closer, noting the little hitch in her breath, the way she tucked her curls behind her ears. Her hair had little hints of blond and brown and red if you looked closely.

And Adrien was looking very closely.

He scooted forward one more time and reached out with one hand, wanting to touch the skin on her cheek. See how she responded. Perhaps try a kiss with his mate.

Instead, she jerked back, knocking over her chair in her hurry to stand up, her drink sloshing as she took a step backward, stumbling.

He stood, his intention only to steady her, but she put up a hand.

“No,” she said sharply, her face angry now. “I’m not doing this.” She pointed at him with her drink, then set it on a table so it wasn’t in her hands while she gestured wildly. “I’m not.”

“Doing what?” he asked, eyes narrowing to slits while his hands slid back into his pockets.

Unless he’d been reading the moment wrong, she was attracted to him, too. Why was she acting as though he’d committed some kind of offense?

Given how many human women had made moves on him, he hadn’t expected this response when he finally made a move of his own.

He wasn’t unaware of his own appeal.

She bit her lip, eyes blazing angrily, arms folded, a barrier between her and him. “So this is it? This is where you ask for something back in return for what you’ve done for me? This is where we make some kind of deal?”

He raised an eyebrow. “What are you even talking about?”

“I’m not that kind of girl,” she said. “I’m not going to… earn my keep that way.”

His jaw dropped and he made no attempt to hide his shock. “You think I’m that pathetic? That I have to blackmail human females into making love with me?”

She folded her arms tighter and looked away from him. “Men always want something. People, really.”

“For what?” he asked, taking a step closer, feeling a dark anger surge through him. He was deeply offended she could think he was that kind of man. “Do I look like the type of man who has to resort to such low behavior?”

She frowned at him. “Anyone, no matter how they look, can be a bad person. And you making a move on me, when I’m one of your employees—”

“What?” he asked sharply. “You aren’t my employee. If anything, we are both employees of the same company. And I like to think we were becoming friends. I find you interesting. More than I ever have a woman before.”

“So what were you trying to do?” she asked suspiciously.

“Kiss you,” he snapped in frustration. “Because for some reason, I thought you would want me to. Obviously, I was wrong. It won’t happen again.” He threw up his hands and walked around his chair to head for the exit.

He’d never been so humiliated in his life.

He heard steps echoing quickly over the marble as she hurried to catch up to him.

“Adrien, wait.”

Her voice was much softer, so he turned impatiently to see what she wanted.

She was standing there in those worn jeans and that loose hoodie, looking at him with an expression that said she was totally lost.

As lost as he was, though he would never admit it.

Somehow, in this new world, this woman who made him care, who seemed to care about him, had felt like a lifeline.

Now she thought him a monster, and there was nothing he could do about it.

She walked closer as he waited for her to catch up. She reached out to touch his arm, shocking him. Warmth seemed to erupt in all directions from even that small touch, and he jerked back slightly in response.

What was that? What did it mean?

She removed her hand shyly. “Look, I’m sorry. I misread things. A lot of people… have tried to take advantage. I already feel like this situation is too good to be true. I don’t want it to… go bad again.”

His jaw tightened. “Understood. I won’t make a move again. I got it.” His tone was sharp, and her eyes darted side to side uncertainly. “So if that’s all, I’m going to head to bed.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and again turned to go but felt her hand grab his arm, yanking him back.

She really was surprisingly strong. Nothing compared to his human power, let alone his dragon power, but quite strong nonetheless.

She pulled him in closer, and he eyed her curiously. What did she plan to do next? He kept his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent, as she kept her hand on his arm and looked at the ground, thinking for a moment.

Then she raised up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. He froze in shock as her soft, warm lips covered his, staying closed but against him insistently.

As if she were desperate for the contact, but didn’t know what to do next.

Had she never been kissed before? He tilted his head and softly played at the line between her lips with his tongue, urging them open slightly. As they opened farther, with a little moan, he slid his tongue inside, gently claiming her mouth, stroking her sensitive places as he felt her begin to melt against him.

Both her hands were holding his arms now, and her lips opened hungrily as her tongue came out to meet his, twisting with him in a passionate, heated exchange that seemed to send heat rushing straight to his soul.

And blood rushing other places.

He’d never known kissing could be so heady, so engulfing. He wanted to drink from her like he was dying of thirst, wanted to feel her want and need for him and never let her go.

But eventually, she did pull back, struggling away from him with a huge gasp, as if she’d somehow forgotten to breathe properly due to the heat of their kiss.

He felt he’d forgotten his first name.

Except he hadn’t. He was Adrien. He was a dragon. He’d just found his mate, a human, and she’d just kissed him, right after a fight.

Life had suddenly become very unpredictable. As she put a hand to his cheek, lightly caressed it, and then blushed and ran from the room, waving good night, he stared in shock.

Damn. With that kind of passion, maybe having a human mate wouldn’t be so bad.