“Come on in.” I tried to sound confident, but mostly, I was incredibly uncomfortable. I never let anyone this close. Like most shifters, I went to extremes to ensure my secrets remained hidden. There’d been no one in my room other than Fredo and Mishal…ever.

“Okay.” Maggie smiled, but there was a sparkle in her green eyes as she tucked some loose strands of her long black hair behind one ear. Then she followed me into the room.

As soon as we entered my bedroom, I heard her sharply inhale, which had me whipping around to figure out the cause. “What?” There was no hiding the edge in my voice.

Maggie obviously picked up on it. Her brows rose, but she seemed to have decided against calling me out on it, which was no less than I deserved. “I’m simply in awe of the space. Look at the ceiling.” She motioned above her head. “And you sleep in this huge bed? Is it even a king-sized? Seems bigger.” She moved to press on the mattress. “Oh my God. I bet it’s like lying on a cloud.” She strolled around to the end of the bed where I had a loveseat and curled up in one corner. “Tell me you sit here and watch the fire.” She stared longingly at the stacked stone fireplace. Scanning the room, Maggie hopped to her feet and squealed as she pulled open the French doors to the patio.

I covered my mouth with my fist. She was so distracted. This was the safest time. I backed up slowly as I pulled the key out of my shirt where it usually dangled from the leather thong around my neck. When I reached the door to my secret room, I whipped around and locked it. This was a strange, new experience. Usually, I only locked it from the inside to assure my privacy. Hiding it, securing it from prying eyes was completely different.

“Hey, what’s in there?” Maggie’s brow rose. “I saw you lock it. Red room?” She snickered.

“Something like that.” I could feel a sweat break out over my brow. “How about that patio though…or have you checked out the bathroom?” I motioned for her to follow me to the other side of the room, which was about as far away from my burn room as we could get.

“You can have your secrets, Blaise. We all do. I’m just teasing.” She shrugged and I actually mostly believed her.

“Somehow I can’t imagine you having any secrets.” I tugged on my chin, an act that reminded me, once more, I needed to shave.

Maggie’s eyes flashed. “Don’t do it.”

“What?” I frowned as I moved to peer at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. “You like this scruff?”

She leaned on the door frame and nodded slowly. “I do. I really do.”

“Okay. We’ll see if I can stand it, since it seems to mean so much to you.” I winked at her.

Her head tilted. “That’s nice, but why are you listening to me? What does my opinion matter?”

I turned and laid my hands on her waist. “Because you matter to me.” Almost as soon as I spoke the words, I regretted them. Too soon. It was far too soon. My feelings made no sense. Inside my chest, I felt the strange flutter from earlier, like wings.

Turning away from me, Maggie strolled over to the balcony. “This balcony is an architectural wonder,” she murmured, as if to deflect. I didn’t blame her.

“Yes, it’s right over the cliffs.” I inhaled the salty air, filling my lungs completely. If I held my breath, I couldn’t speak. That would be the smarter move.

“I could sit here all night.” Her shoulders loosened some as she stared at the starry sky.

Then I exhaled. “We could have our wine and dessert here. I could start a fire, if you’d like. Hell, I could even massage you while you lay on my bed.” Fuck. Words. So many desperate sounding words. I rubbed my temple. What was this woman doing to me?

“That sounds really nice.” Maggie faced me and leaned back against the thick cement railing.

A knock on the door had me jumping. Fredo appeared in the doorway. “Sir.” I marveled at the way he could convey so much disapproval in one simple word. “Wine? On the patio.”

“I know what I said,” I snapped. “Last time I looked, I still wrote the checks around here.”

Fredo stiffened. “Yes, sir,” he mumbled sadly.

“Alfredo,” I growled, “don’t forget to bring dessert.”

He nodded slightly, eyes downcast. “As you wish, sir.” Then he disappeared again.

I could feel my blood boiling. Laying a hand on my chest, I could feel the skin changing, growing more leather-like. I knew scales would soon follow and everything that made me a man would quickly be replaced by my dragon. I closed my eyes as I struggled to calm down. Happy thoughts. I needed a happy thought fast. I heard the carpet whisper as Maggie walked across it. My pulse accelerated. This was no good. I’d be a fucking fire-breathing dragon before she touched me at this rate.

Then I felt her hands on my biceps. The cool touch soothed me slightly. I peeked at her with one eye, just in time to see her rise up on her tippy-toes. Her face was level with mine. My eyes widened as I realized her touch was a balm. In an instant, she pressed her lips to mine. My fists opened, and instead of pushing her away, which would’ve made more sense, I wrapped my arms around her. The closer she came to my body, the more I could feel myself regaining control. Never before had I reacted to anyone like this. Surely, it meant something.

A throat cleared behind me. We pulled apart like we’d been caught in a compromising situation. In Fredo’s eyes, I probably had been. “Shall I set this up on the patio or on the side table?”

My mouth opened, but before I could speak, Maggie jumped in. “Side table, please.” She followed him for the first few steps and paused in front of the fireplace. Laying a hand on the mantle, she asked, “And who’s in charge of stoking this bad boy?”

“That would fall on me, Miss Maggie,” Fredo responded. “I see you have stoking that bad boy covered.” He gestured toward me and ignored my glare as he moved to make Maggie her fire.

By the time the wood was crackling and the wine was poured, I’d regained my composure. “Goodnight, Fredo. That will be all.” I smiled, but made sure my eyes conveyed my irritation.

“Of course, sir.” He wore a sardonic expression that had me questioning, for the second time today, why I employed him.

While I stared after him, mostly to ensure he truly left, Maggie had reached my side with a glass. “Here’s yours. I’d hate to drink alone.” She giggled.

“Why do I think you drink alone all the time?” I looked at her from the corner of my eye.

“Because you’re wildly perceptive?” Her brow rose.

“Are you always this honest?” My eyes narrowed in on her.

“Sadly, yes. It’s one of my biggest flaws.” She took a big swig of the wine. “Wow. This is good.”

“Well, for starters, it’s out of a bottle and not a box.” I snickered.

“Right.” She took another big gulp.

“You know, you could slow down and try enjoying it.” My brow furrowed.

Maggie chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m a sleepy drunk, not sloppy in the least. And I really need some sleep.” She blew out a breath.

“Tell me,” I murmured, as I steered her toward the patio. “I want to understand.”

* * *

“I’m going to need more wine for this,” I whispered as I moved from his grasp over to the bottle. Acting purely on instinct, I filled my glass and moved to top his off.

“What keeps you up at night? What has you so in knots you need alcohol to help you sleep?” Blaise smoothed my hair back from my face.

“Can’t you let me be happy for one night?” I pleaded. “For a few minutes there, I was almost able to let it all go. For a tiny bit of time, I felt like myself.” I turned away and wandered lazily out to the patio. I could sense him, standing slightly behind me, watching. I felt his eyes on me a lot. I liked it. There had been no dating since my mother’s diagnosis. My life had stopped then. I’d accepted my fate. Still, having someone as attractive as Blaise Draco staring at me with such tenderness made me feel like a woman again.

“You’re getting tense again,” he murmured as he moved closer to me. I could practically feel his warm breath on the triangle of my exposed neck. Blaise set his glass on the bistro table beside me. Then he placed both hands on my shoulders. “Yes. You’re definitely just as tight as you were before. I can fix it. I promised, remember?”

“I remember. You promised you’d feed me too.” I felt pathetic, but I was trying desperately to return to the happy-go-lucky girl I’d been for a little while. I turned to face him. “Why do I feel comfortable with you?”

His brow furrowed. “I don’t know, but I do understand. I feel it too.”

“No, like from the moment I walked into this room.” I wrapped my arms around my body, causing the wine to slosh in the glass. Blaise reached out and removed it from my hand. “I don’t often feel like I fit anywhere, like I belong. Even in my own house, there’s a level of discomfort. But for some reason, this room had me opening up. Being near you has changed something in me.” I laid a hand on my chest. Something strange was going on behind my ribcage. Something really disconcerting. I felt all off balance.

“I’ve never brought anyone home, let alone entertained anyone in my room.” He licked his lips. “I don’t understand it, but when I saw you at the show, I had to get to know you. So, indulge me. Let’s figure this out together.”

I reclaimed the wine glass from his hand and downed the rest of it in a few not so lady-like gulps. With a nod, I murmured, “Sure. Together. Yeah.” As exciting as it was to have him like me, it also terrified me. “Food first?”

“So, the wine made you hungry and now you’re going to rush it through your system with food.” Blaise blew out a breath. “Right. I can’t imagine how this could go wrong. Fine. I’m here for you. I’ll take care of you.”

“Thank you.” I grinned. Then I wandered over to the table. While the wine had held my attention when Fredo delivered the tray, he’d set more than that on the side table. Finally, I wanted to know what was under the silver lids.

Blaise beat me to it. “Ah, miniature strawberry shortcakes. Oh, and look, he brought us roast beef sandwiches on homemade sourdough bread.” He chuckled as he pulled a flag out of the sandwich and passed it to me.

“Eat me first,” I read. “I don’t remember falling down a rabbit hole, but it would explain so much.” I shrugged. “Fine. I’ll play the game. Gimme.” I held out grabby fingers and he shook his head as he passed it to me.

“And at first glance, you seemed so civilized.” Then he lifted his sandwich and took a hefty bite. His lids lowered. After he swallowed, he mumbled, “You wouldn’t think a guy that cranky could make such a good meal.”

“I don’t know that one has anything to do with the other.” I took a bite and shrugged.

“How’s that? What happened to cooking with love?” Blaise raised a fist to the sky and I actually snorted.

“Please, I cook so we can live, but I do it well.” The wine was already hitting me. No longer trusting my balance, I took a few steps, sat hard on the loveseat, and curled up in the corner.

“You’re looking sleepy,” he noted minutes later as I finished devouring every bit of the food.

My chin was propped up on my elbow. “Yup. Sure am.”

“Perfect time for that massage.” He helped me up and walked me over to the bed. “Why don’t you lay on your stomach so I can work some of the knots out of your back?”

The man had a point. I basically flopped face first onto the mattress. “Okay, work your magic,” I mumbled even as he began to knead my shoulders.

“Is this good?” He paused. “Not too hard?”

I snickered. “Sadly, too soft.”

“And she insults my manhood.” Blaise sighed. “I must like you. No one else would get away with that.” He leaned low and kissed my neck.

“This is nice.” I giggled. “But there’s still no way I’m falling asleep.”