For the Memory of Dragons (8 page)

Silence filled the room as he just sat
there, staring at her.

Finally, she just shook her head and turned
back to the shower waiting for her.

Letting out another long sigh, he dropped
himself back to the bed.
Blew it again.
Dragging his sorry
carcass from the bed, he went to the pile of clothing she had
brought out. He was so screwed. There was no way for him to win,
and he knew it. Fighting with his desire was making them both
miserable, but giving in could also make them both miserable. There
was no good choice either way.
Well crap.

Alex pulled on his clothing and hated the
way it felt against his skin. Even though the shirt was soft, it
itched beyond belief. A quick flicker from his dragon told him why.
He
was
brooding, and things wouldn’t get any better for
him.

Pissed at himself, he yanked open the small
fridge and pulled out what was left of the pizza. Maybe something
in his stomach would help settle his mood. He stared at the four
slices left and couldn’t bring himself to take one. He could have
eaten all four and still been hungry, but that would mean Terra
wouldn’t get any. He warred with himself for a moment before
dropping the box on the bed with the food untouched. His dragon
side was too strong. The needs of a potential mate came first. In
everything.

Irritated, he went over and dropped himself
in the chair to wait for her to come out.

***

That was the worst shower ever!
Terra
ran the towel over her hair once again before folding it and
hanging it over the towel bar. The actual shower hadn’t been that
bad, but it was the subject matter she couldn’t get out of her mind
that bothered her. When she had taken the dragon man’s clothing out
to him, he hadn’t even thanked her. Just lay there on the bed,
staring at her with those gorgeous eyes—eyes that held a hunger
that had melted her to the core. Had he said something, anything,
she would have forgiven him for everything and fallen into his
arms. But he hadn’t said squat.

Jamming her things into her plastic shopping
bag, she scooped it up and headed out to face him. It took
everything she had to muster up the courage to open the door. Why
did he have such a profound effect on her?

The air in the room was still, and for a
moment, Terra thought he had left. Her eyes found him lounging in
the chair, watching her. Even from there, she could tell his
muscles were tense. She paused in the small entryway and stared at
him.

After a moment, he nodded towards the bed.
“Eat.” The word was not a suggestion.

Terra glanced down at the open pizza box.
The four slices of pizza from last night were there, waiting for
her. She looked back at him. The expectant look in his eyes
irritated her.

“I’m not hungry.”

She turned her nose up at the open box and
moved to put her stuff down on the small desk. Terra watched out of
the corner of her eye as the effects of her words hit him. He
actually bristled with rage.
What the hell did he have to be
angry about?
She listened to him draw in a few deep breaths
before standing up. Tension ran through her muscles as she prepared
to defend herself. She had learned her lesson once with angry men,
and she was not about to let another beat on her without a
fight.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you.” His words were
much more cordial than before, but they were still a bit clipped.
“We have a long day ahead of us. Won’t you please have something to
eat?”

Well, that was somewhat better.
Terra
considered him and his suggestion as some of the tension eased from
her. Cold pizza didn’t sound like a very appetizing breakfast. “I’d
rather not.”

She turned away from him to gather the rest
of her things from the sink but kept an ear open, listening for his
reaction. She had seen this cycle before. It was when she and
Derrick had first gotten together. He would get upset by something
she’d done and try to calm down before exploding at her. Terra held
her breath, waiting for the rush of anger from the dragon man.

His response surprised her. He laughed.
Turning back, she looked at him, confused by his reaction. He stood
there smiling like he was the happiest man on earth. Or an
idiot.

“Then would you care to go down and see what
they’re offering as the complementary continental breakfast?”

Who was this man, and what had he done with
the angry one she had just turned her back on?
Wow!
He went
up and down faster than a high-bounce rubber ball in a steel room.
She considered his offer for a moment before answering. A
continental breakfast sounded much better than cold pizza.
“Yes.”

“As my lady wishes.”

Terra stared at him, dumbfounded, as he
gathered up their things in record time and went to get the door
for her. She stood there, shocked by his actions. She hadn’t
brushed her teeth or her hair. Hell, she didn’t even have her shoes
on. A quick glance around showed that he had those in his hand,
too.

Irked, she went over and took her things
from him, then turned back into the room. “Give me a minute.” She
dropped her bag on the bed and pulled out her brush and socks,
glaring at him when he had the audacity to chuckle.

“My apologies,” he said as he let the door
swing shut, closing off the outside world. “I guess I’m just a
little messed up this morning.”

Terra glared at him more as she sat on the
bed and pulled her socks on. “A little?”

This brought another laugh from him. “Maybe
more than a little.”

Nodding, she slipped her feet in her shoes
and ran the brush through her damp hair as she considered the man
patiently waiting for her. In the matter of a few minutes, he had
gone through a whole spectrum of emotions. Maybe he had hit his
head harder than she’d thought.

Once her hair was straight, she dropped the
brush in the bag and picked it up. Turning to him, she considered
him again. “How are you today?”

A smile spread across his face. “I’m up and
down right now, but I’m all right.”

Yeah, up and down like a yo-yo.
Terra
watched him closely for a moment more before heading over to the
door. “Let’s go.”

He opened the door and let her lead the way
into the hall.

There was something strange going on with
her mystery man, and it wasn’t just the fact that he had lost his
memory. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he swung
his bags merrily. He even hummed a bit off tune. When they got to
the elevators, he stepped up and pressed the button before she
could reach it. She turned to look at him fully. For some reason,
he looked way too happy.

“Where’s the pizza?” she asked when she
noticed the missing box.

“It didn’t please you, so I left it.”

“What?” she asked, shocked.
He didn’t
just say that, did he?

“I left it,” he said again, “but it doesn’t
matter. We’re on our way to get breakfast.”

Terra stood with her mouth open. Had he
really said that he’d left it because it didn’t
please
her?
What the hell?

When the elevator door opened, the dragon
man ushered her inside and hit the button to go down. Terra stared
at him as his happy movements stilled.

“Listen.” He cocked his head and gave her a
sidelong look. “About last night…”

This shut Terra’s gaping mouth. The pain of
his rejection boiled up in her, and she turned her eyes to the
door. “You don’t need to explain about last night. I understand
perfectly. I can take a hint.” Her jaw locked up against her
anger.

“
No
.” He practically yelled the word
as he turned on her.

Before she could respond to his sudden
movement, he had her pinned against the wall. There was an
overwhelming need in the way his mouth pressed to hers. She gasped
in surprise, and he took advantage of her parted lips to deepen the
kiss. Warmth raced through her as desire melted her in his
arms.

Rubbing his hands down her sides, he
worshiped at her lips. She moaned softly as his tongue sought out
hers, rubbing against it in a very carnal dance that left nothing
to her imagination.

The plastic bag with her things slipped from
her fingers as she raised her hands to hold him to her. Suddenly,
the rejection from last night didn’t seem so important. She held on
as his hands slid farther down her sides to her hips. They paused
there for a moment before slipping lower. Grabbing her thighs, he
hefted her up so she was pinned between him and the wall of the
elevator. The hard length of his arousal pressed into her as he
ground his hips against her, fitting them together as much as their
clothing would allow. Heat pooled low in her body as she tugged him
closer, needing more from him.

The high-pitched ping of the elevator door
rang out, and Terra yanked her head back from him, gasping for
breath. The door slid open on the ground floor, but he ignored it
as he trailed a line of kisses down the side of her neck and onto
her collarbone.

Ignoring the heat and need racing through
her, Terra pushed against his shoulders. The door of the elevator
stood wide open for anyone to step in if they wanted to. They were
going to get caught!

Slowly, he pulled back and looked at her.
The pupils of his eyes had gone from being round to the almond
shape of a cat’s. He blinked a few times before closing his eyes
and leaning his head forwards to rest against hers.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he tried to get
his breathing back under control. “I should not have done that.”
Carefully, he released his grip on Terra’s thighs and let her slide
down until her feet rested on the floor.

She held on to him, unsure if her legs would
support her.
Wow!
There wasn’t just desire in that kiss.
There was passion and a need that Terra didn’t understand. It
pulled at her, wanted her. It terrified her.

Slowly, her dragon man’s hands came up to
her shoulders, and he pushed himself back from her. “Without
knowing who I am, I don’t have anything to offer you.” He opened
his eyes and stared at her. His pupils were still slitted like a
cat’s.

Terra stared at them.
No. Not cats’ eyes.
Dragons’ eyes.
His dragon was staring out of his eyes at
her.

Reluctantly, he released her and turned to
pick up the things they had dropped. “Forgive me my error,” he said
softly. “Relationships with dragons are more complicated than with
others.” He tucked both of their bags into one hand and turned
towards her. “We have to be more careful when choosing partners.
Dragons mate for life.” He held out his free hand to her.

This bit of news shocked her. No wonder he
had rejected her last night. How could she blame him for it? If one
bout of sex could tie you to someone for life, she sure as hell
would want to know who her partner was before banging him. But,
then again, there were celebrity dragons that had partner after
partner.

“From sex?” she asked as she took his
hand.

He chuckled and pressed the button for the
lobby again. “No. But sex can have a lot to do with it.” When the
door opened back up, he pulled her into the lobby. “Securing a
mating bond is a complicated process, but it starts with an act of
emotional intimacy. And there aren’t many things as intimate as a
really good orgasm.”

Terra had to hand it to him there. If done
properly, a good bout of sex would bring people closer together.
She had never really stopped to think about how bonding the
experience could be.

“So you can’t have sex?” With the way he
responded to her in the elevator, she was sure he was far from
virginal, but one could never make assumptions on those things.

The noise he made in his chest confirmed her
thought.
Oh, he had been there many times!

“I enjoy sex as much as the next man.” He
found a table in the small breakfast area and placed her in a chair
as he talked. “But casual sex with a potential mate can lead to…
lasting issues.” Dropping their things on the chair next to her, he
released her hand, then pulled off the leather bag and placed it on
the floor next to the chair. “Wait here, and I’ll bring you
breakfast.” With that, he turned and left her at the table with
their things.

Wait, what?
Terra stared at the
dragon man’s back as he went over to the bar and pulled out two
plates.
What the hell was going on?

Her mind ran over the conversation again and
again. Okay, so she understood that casual sex was out, but what
was this whole deal about a mate? She considered him and his calm
façade as he filled the plates with choice bits from the bar.
What was wrong with him?
They had just had one of the most
passionate moments in her life… in an elevator. She was still all
messed up inside, but he was amazingly serene.
And what was the
deal with his eyes?

He came back over with two heaping plates of
food.

Terra’s eyes widened as he set one down in
front of her. There was no way she was going to make it through all
of that.

“Juice or coffee?” he asked.

Looking up, Terra met his gaze. “Both.” His
eyes were still weird.

He nodded and went to get their drinks.

Still confused, Terra watched him until he
returned. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Sitting down, her dragon man raised a
questioning eyebrow at her.

Terra raised her hand in the air and waved
it around. She wanted an explanation for everything, but she didn’t
know how to voice the question. Apparently, her movement was enough
for her dragon man to get the idea.

He smiled and nodded to her plate. “Why
don’t you eat, and I’ll try to explain.”

Agreeing, Terra picked up her fork and
started into her food.