CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gemma
Something felt different that night – and it wasn’t just that Gemma was wearing a dress – there was something in the air, Gemma thought, that made the mansion suddenly seem a lot less foreboding than it usually did. The dark passages and long hallways usually made her think of ancient times and hidden secrets, but tonight, the light of the setting sun that crept in through the tall windows and cast a glow on the art as she passed them, was somehow reassuring and full of hope.
Gemma smiled slightly to herself, trying to keep from twisting the end of the shift dress she was wearing. She kept telling herself that she wasn’t dressing up or anything, and definitely not for Devon, but as she closed in on the dining room, even she had to admit that maybe it was for him. At least a little.
Oh god, he’s getting to you, she thought to herself, though the note of worry she’d expected to feel was curiously absent. Could it be that she was actually enjoying his attention? No way, Gemma concluded, grinning a bit to herself.
She pushed through the heavy door into the well-lit dining room, finding a table stocked with delicious treats and a heavy candelabra sitting in the middle of it all with three blue candles burning in it. Even their flame had a blue glint to it – no doubt one of those Bluewing oddities she’d been noticing more and more. From her studies, she had learned that every dragon family had a certain affinity to not only gold but also particular gemstones, and obviously for the Bluewings, it was sapphires. So, they liked keeping things around them that reminded them of the stones they felt were so precious.
Gemma looked down at her dress, which was almost the exact same color of blue as the bracelet that Devon had given her earlier that day. So yeah, maybe she was trying to impress him.
Devon looked up, two glasses in his hands and seeming not the least bit surprised to see her there though he had invited her every night, and she had neglected to show each time. She felt his eyes on her the entire way from the door to the dining table, and with each step she took, the intensity of his gaze seemed hotter on her skin. It was like he was undressing her with his eyes, and she had to admit, she didn’t mind it one bit – quite the contrary. Gemma bit her lip a little, sucking in a breath as he inclined his head in greeting and handed her the rum and coke drink.
“Did someone tell you I was coming?” she asked dubiously, wondering if a servant had spotted her and ran ahead.
“Tsk, tsk, princess. A dragon has to have his secrets,” he said, smiling thinly. “You look beautiful, Gem. I’m glad you took me up on the offer.” His appreciative gaze rolled over her again from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and her core pulsed violently. At that moment, if he’d proposed skipping dinner altogether and doing something more fun with their night, she wasn’t sure if she would have wanted to say no.
“Thank you for having me,” she said a little awkwardly, taking a sip of her drink as a form of liquid courage. She was going to need it, she felt.
Devon walked her to her chair and helped her in her seat in a display of gallantry she’d hardly known to expect from him. He took his own seat, and Gemma once again remarked to herself how well he could command the room. He was in all black, as usual, and the thin gold chains around his neck seemed to catch the blue light of the flame, giving him a hazy, golden glow. Leave it to a dragon to make even a simple dinner a bit over the top.
She didn’t mind, though, finding that sitting and eating in his company was as comfortable as the chat they had had in the library earlier that day – though it still made her stomach flutter with a million butterflies every time he glanced at her or asked a question.
They ate mostly in silence, and Gemma grew more and more at ease. She sipped her drink from time to time, but as the night progressed, she found it harder to blame the alcohol for her brightened mood and her willingness to share with her host, fiancée and captor. Being truthful with herself, she realized that she wanted to talk to him and that being around him was something she’d come to enjoy, rather than get irritated by. Hell, the best time of her day was when Devon was in near vicinity of her, and surprisingly enough, the urge to flee from his fascinating presence was all but gone. Of course, the whole wedding bit was still complete nonsense, but she wouldn’t have to worry about that for a few more days, right? So why not have a bit of fun?
Yeah, why not? Gemma asked herself, smiling slightly.
The food was scrumptious as usual, and the spread laid out before them could have satisfied even the pickiest of eaters. When they moved on to chocolate lava cake served with whipped cream and fresh strawberries over velvety ice cream, Gemma thought she must have died and gone to culinary heaven, even if her appetite had been escaping her for most of the meal – wondering whether she was losing her mind because she liked being around the brazen, dastardly billionaire bad boy did that to a girl, it seemed.