He eyed his scotch. “Yes. I think I do.” The next time the waiter came by, he ordered one. Then he turned back to their previous conversation. “So. Where is this restaurant and this Bernard? Or would you prefer to just break into your apartment and get your money?”
“I’m sure he’s found it by now,” she said sadly. “Besides, it’s fine. I can earn more now. I couldn’t put you in that situation. It’s a very rough group, and you’ve already been hurt once for me. I couldn’t let it happen again.”
“Why not?” he asked. “You saw that I am capable of handling myself with ruffians. I can be even more careful this time, since I know what I’m going into.” He rubbed the ring on his finger gingerly. “We can go after dinner.”
“Are you sure?” she said. “Won’t it ruin the night?”
He shook his head. “Seeing justice done can never ruin my night.”
“You just have very strong principles, don’t you?” she asked. “The others think you’re snobby and selfish, but actually, you just have very strong rules you adhere to, and you get angry when people go against them.”
He nodded, surprised at how well she’d nailed him when no one else saw past his walls. “I suppose.”
“So is it just that you’re trying to make things right for me because you think they’ve gone too wrong?”
He chuckled. “I think that’s giving me too much credit. I have principles, but I’m not that selfless. I’m doing things for you because I want you.”
She bit her lip. “Want me?”
He waved a hand. “Not only sexually. Not even primarily sexually. I want you permanently.” He ran his tongue over his lower lip. “Is that wrong to say? I feel that a man should state his intentions up front to avoid confusion later.”
She looked shocked. “I… don’t know. What do you mean, like marriage? You’ve only just met me. You barely know me.”
He sighed. “You’ve already understood me better than anyone I’ve met. Sometimes people just meet and it’s meant to be. We barely know each other, yet I helped you and you helped me. And when we kissed… you have to admit that was exceptional.”
She blushed a pretty pink over her lightly freckled cheeks. “I… suppose.”
“You suppose?” he asked.
She laughed and sipped her drink again. “Yes. It was nice.”
Nice. Just what every dragon wanted to hear about his lovemaking.
He needed a chance to show her more of what he could do, but he was determined not to scare her away by going too fast with it.
“Well,” she said. “I guess you’re right. We do get along. It just seems too good to be true. I don’t want another Bernard situation where I realize too late that there were strings.”
“That’s why I’m being open, and if you feel about me like you felt about Bernard, tell me now so I can stop humiliating myself and go back to being only your friend.”
She shook her head, her curls bouncing prettily. “No, I don’t feel the same about you and Bernard at all. But I do barely know you, and I’m going to be cautious until I do.”
“How could I make you less cautious?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.
“I don’t know. You could tell me more about yourself.”
“Does it matter?” he asked. “There isn’t much to tell. I was born rich to a family who was distant, and now I’m not in touch with any of them. The dragons at Date-A-Dragon are my family now.”
She gaped. “Dragons?”
“Just what we call each other. An old inside joke from a time so long ago that it feels like another life.”
“School or something?” she asked.
“Or something,” he said. “Look, all you need to know is who I am now. I’m a man who works at Date-A-Dragon but has the money not to. I’m head over heels for you, and I’m going to find Bernard and get your money back, whether you want to come or not.”
She sighed. “I’ll come.”
“Fine,” he replied. Her coming made it easier to keep Bernard from denying everything, and Adrien could protect her from whatever might happen. Plus, it might be satisfying for her to see Bernard get his well-deserved beating.
“You’re really something,” she said, leaning on her palm and looking at him with soft, baffled eyes. So green they reminded him of fresh mountain grass.
“You’re the first person to say that like it isn’t a bad thing,” he joked, his eyes meeting hers for a moment. The heat that immediately flashed between them made him pull back, looking around for the waiter and their food.