Carly stared in dismay at the reflection of her red face in the mirror. If that spectacle hadn’t been enough to nominate her for Biggest Fool in the Guinness Book of World Records, wearing makeup to go hiking should give her the extra points she needed. The image staring back at her looked like a red raccoon – if there was such a thing. She’d need to Google it when she got home. She looked like she had two black eyes thanks to the remains of her mascara creating dark patches around each eye. If that wasn’t bad enough, her shoulder-length brown hair was a mass of tangles, sticking out in all different directions like a troll doll after a kid with sticky fingers had played with it.

“That’s it… I need a shower. Even if it means wearing the same dirty clothes again, I really need a shower,” she retorted in defiance at her reflection, before pointing at the mirror. “And if you dare smirk or say one nasty thing, I’ll break you. I don’t care how many years of bad luck it gives me. It isn’t like I don’t have enough on my own!”

Carly waited. When the mirror didn’t react, she breathed in a sigh of relief. A least this magic land didn’t appear to have an enchanted mirror. It was probably a fantastic thing considering she realized she needed to use the restroom and would have probably peed her pants if it had responded. It was then that she noticed she wasn’t wearing any pants.

“How the heck could I lose those on top of everything else?” she groaned with a shake of her head.

Refusing to look at her reflection again, she turned her back to it and walked over to the toilet. After relieving herself, she glanced around the room. She pulled a towel out of a cupboard before opening another one near the sink. Thankfully, she knew where everything was after her cleaning spree yesterday. Some of the items had seemed strange, but it didn’t take her long to figure out that the tin of powder next to the toothbrush was a type of toothpaste.

She wrinkled her nose at her lack of toothbrush. She glanced at the one on the shelf. She wasn’t about to use Drago’s. No matter how cute the guy was, there were some things that were personal and a toothbrush was one of them. Maybe if they had been together for a while, but using his toothbrush so soon after meeting him wasn’t happening. On a side note, she couldn’t help but be pleased that she had only found one when she was cleaning. If she had discovered a second one, well – that would have been a huge warning sign that Drago wasn’t unattached.

Carly released a sigh and picked up the tin. It wouldn’t be like she never had to use her finger as a toothbrush before. She popped the top on the long, thin can and was about to pour some onto her finger when the door behind her suddenly opened.

“What the…?” she exclaimed, almost dropping the can. “How the heck did you get in? I locked the door.”

Drago leaned against the doorframe and grinned. “I am King of this Isle. No door can be locked against me,” he retorted with a slight shrug.

“That’s just wrong on too many levels to count,” Carly replied with a shake of her head and placed the tin on the counter before her gaze caught on the items he was holding in his hands. “What are those?”

Drago glanced down at the articles of clothing he was holding. He straightened and walked toward her. He didn’t hold them out to her; instead, he kept them just out of her reach. Carly’s gaze moved over his bare chest. Her fingers itched to run over his smooth skin again. It took a few seconds for her brain to catch up with her eyes. Holy crud! His legs were bare! Her eyes shot up to his face.

“Please tell me you aren’t – I mean – you are wearing clothes behind those in your hands,” she asked in a strained voice.

Drago’s eyebrow rose. “No. I thought you would like a change of clothing. These belong….” His lips pressed together in a straight line for a moment before they relaxed. “These belonged to my mother. I thought they might fit you.”

Carly didn’t miss the sorrow that flashed through Drago’s eyes. Her hand lifted in response and she laid it against his cheek. She brushed her thumb across the coarse hair of his beard.

“Thank you,” she said.

Drago’s lips twitched. Carly should have known he was up to something. Her lips parted when he swiftly bent and pressed a kiss on them.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, gazing down into her eyes before pulling back and handing her the clothing. “I will prepare our meal.”

“Okay,” Carly replied.

She blinked, refocusing when he turned. The strangled gasp that escaped her drew an amused chuckle from him. Her eyes narrowed on his muscular back and firm buttocks.

“If you need help washing your… back, call me,” he threw out over his shoulder.

Carly shook her head. “I’m locking the door,” she called out when he pulled the door shut behind him. “But… I wouldn’t be opposed to you coming in to wash my back. Wow, what a cute butt!” she whispered, staring at the door.

Her face flamed again when she heard his muffled laughter. Damn dragons! She needed to remember that Drago had super-power hearing.

Carly warily glanced at the door one more time before she placed the clothes Drago had given her on a small bench near the large, open shower. She blinked when she saw that on top of the clothing was a transparent cloth bag with a toothbrush in it. A smile curved her lips at the thoughtful gesture. Her fingers moved to her lips when she remembered his brief kiss.

“I so have to tell Jenny about this guy,” she said, blinking back the tears. “I just hope I’m not dreaming all of this.”

Twenty minutes later, Carly peeked out from the bathroom. Her gaze swept over the neatly made bed with relief. She had a few more minutes to make sure she had a firm control over her emotions.

Running her hands over the soft tunic and pants, she couldn’t help but admire the quality of the fabric. The tunic was a deep rose color with tiny mother-of-pearl buttons sewn along the bottom and the pants were an ivory color. Both were absolutely gorgeous and so soft she swore they felt like silk. She’d bought a silk blouse once at a fine boutique in Portland. The blouse was still one of her favorites.

She had washed her panties out and dried them on the body drier built into the floor. The device had scared the daylights out of her yesterday when she had stepped on the grate and felt a warm blast of air enveloping her. It reminded her of the Marilyn Monroe pose and it sure made drying off a lot faster!

Her toes curled against the polished floor as she padded barefoot over to the end of the bed. She noticed that Drago had brought her backpack into the room and placed it on the chair near the window. Walking over to it, she unzipped the back section and slid her dirty clothes inside. She zipped the bag closed again and set it on the floor. Sitting down, she pulled on the pair of socks that Drago had added to the pile of clothing and then pulled on her boots that he’d placed next to the chair. She wasn’t used to having someone be so thoughtful – well, besides Jenny.

Carly glanced up when she heard a slight sound near the door. She straightened in the chair and gazed at Drago. His expression was thoughtful, as if he was contemplating some serious issue. Running her hands down her thighs, she nervously stood up and gave him a tentative smile.

“Thank you for the clothes. They are really nice,” she said, trying to break the awkward silence that had descended between them.

Drago shrugged. “I hoped they would fit; you are plump like my mother. I have prepared food to break our fast. It is simple, but should be filling until I can secure more supplies,” he replied.

A surge of anger and hurt washed through Carly. Plump like his mother? Wow! She had heard a lot of insults and put downs over the years, but this was the first time she had ever been compared to a guy’s mother.

“No problem, I’m not that hungry,” Carly stated in a deceptively calm voice as she walked by him.

She ignored the frown that creased Drago’s brow at her frosty tone. She continued down the hall to the living room. Her gaze turned to the open French doors. On the balcony table, where they had dined last night, were several covered dishes. Carly turned toward the doors and proceeded out onto the balcony.