He tried asking his beast how he could be so certain, but as his dragon had done all day, he remained silent whenever Bram tried to find out specifics about why he trusted Evie.
Rather than think about that, Bram studied the human female’s eyes. They were steady, like a calm sea. Despite being in a stressful situation and her life on the line, the woman remained cool.
Sure, she had a temper, but it only seemed to affect her mouth and not her brain. He rather liked that about her. Glancing down at her plump lips, his dragon whispered, Kiss her.
No. Instead, Bram looked back into those cool eyes with a hint of fire and forced himself to focus. “Well, are you planning my downfall or should we go fetch your things and bring them
here? I think I’ve growled and glared enough as a warning for you to not fuck with me. I have an early meeting, and whatever you may think, you’ll be safer under my roof.”
Her eyes widened. “Why? Did the dragon hunter say something during your interrogation?”
Okay, her remembering his errand impressed him a little. “Nothing he said was important. As long as you don’t try to stab me in the back and you stay out of trouble, I will let you know if there’s an increased threat to your life.”
She stared at him and Bram resisted a sigh. He hadn’t lied about the early meeting. He was about to say he’d fetch her things himself and lock her in the bedroom when Evie said, “Promise me you’ll show me around your land tomorrow for a few hours and I’ll stop fighting you for the rest of the night.”
Out of nowhere, he couldn’t resist saying, “Even if I toss you into my bed?”
Her cheeks flushed and he tried his hardest not to laugh, but failed. The instant he did, Evie straightened her shoulders and tilted her head. “Somehow, I think you like a little fighting in your bed. Compliance is boring.”
She turned around and her words created an image of him and Evie naked, rolling around in a meadow, each fighting to be on top. He’d win, of course, and she’d be breathless, flushed, and beautiful as he thrust his cock into her tight, wet heat.
His dragon hummed. It will be fun. Maybe tomorrow.
Careful not to reach down to adjust his now semi-hard cock, Bram looked up to see Evie standing at the door staring at him. She cocked an eyebrow. “Well? Say the word and promise me that tour, and I’ll go without a fight to collect my things. I might even throw in me only asking a handful of questions instead of everything on my mind during our walk.”
All of a sudden, he wondered exactly what was going on inside that mind. This human female’s sass was different from any of the females he’d met before.
If he were honest, he might even be enjoying himself right now. “I could just lock you in a room and go myself. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with any of your questions tonight.”
“Ah, yes, but how do you know I can’t pick the lock?”
“It’s a deadbolt.”
She gave a mischievous smile that sent blood straight to his cock. “I could find a way. I’m quite resourceful.”
The picture of Evie standing near the door, her head tilted so her red hair cascaded over her shoulders as she smiled with confidence made his dragon hum. You like her too. Play some more and sleep later.
He knew exactly what kind of “play” his beast was hoping for.
Enough. He didn’t have time to argue with his dragon. For the sake of his clan, his meeting tomorrow with the Scottish dragon-shifter leader, Finlay Stewart, was too important to attend without any sleep. It’d taken him months of convincing Finn to meet him in person for alliance talks against the dragon hunters. He wasn’t about to fuck that up over a female, no matter how enticing she might be.
He walked toward the door, but noticed Evie only had a light coat. He plucked an extra one from the coat hooks near the door, tossed it at her, and said, “Come or stay, it doesn’t matter. I’m getting your things now. If you try to run away, just know that my people are watching you and you won’t get far.”
Without another glance, he walked out the door.
~~~
For a moment, Evie had been enjoying herself. Teasing the dragonman had been a lot more fun than she’d ever imagined.
Then Bram had shuttered his expression, tossing aside the amusement in his eyes. With it gone, she realized how much more attractive he became when he didn’t wear his hardass dragon leader face.
Well, then, she’d just have to work on getting the teasing version of Bram Moore-Llewellyn back again. That version she wouldn’t mind waking up next to for the rest of her life. Or, at least she hoped it would be for the rest of her life. Bram’s half-arsed “maybe my mate” stage bullshit was vague. How she was supposed to convince him to trust her in three days was beyond her. Maybe after a night’s rest she could figure it out.
Putting on the coat Bram had given her, she followed him into the dark.
And by dark, she meant pitch-black. The dragon-shifters had exceptional eyesight. According to her textbooks, while their night vision wasn’t as keen as their sight during the day, they could still make out shapes in the dark. Evie, on the other hand, was all but walking blind with the lack of street lamps. Then the inevitable happened and she tripped.
Before she could mutter, “fuck,” strong arms stopped her from falling. As the large, rough hands maneuvered her upright, she knew it was Bram. Her display of weakness pissed her off. She’d been doing so well with him.