How to Date a Dragon(93)

Drake chuckled. “When does it air?”

“Not until next week. That gives me about a week of relative peace. I don’t want to squander it.”

“Come to my place.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Terrific. I’ll come and get you.”

“Aren’t you at work?”

“Yeah, but my shift is almost over. The guys can cover for me for a little while.”

“No. I don’t want to take you away from your job, and I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

“Are you sure?”

“What… that I can take care of myself?”

He chuckled. “No. I’m completely sure of that. I meant are you sure you don’t want me to come and get you? I have something to tell you, and we’ll need complete privacy.”

“Oh yeah? I have something to say to you in private too—or rather, my body does.”

“I like the sound of that. So, I’ll see you at my place soon?”

“Can’t wait.”

“Me neither.”

They hung up and she hailed a cab. She’d had no time to think for so long. First there was the fire, then Zina, then the other fire, then the competition… It was good to have a little breathing room.

Drake had said Zina was no longer a problem, but he said he’d explain later. His evasive tone left her uneasy, despite assurances that the she-dragon was really out of the picture.

Don’t waste your time thinking about her, she told herself. You have much better things to focus on.

One of those things was Drake’s sort-of proposal. He said he wanted her in his life. That didn’t mean marriage. Bliss didn’t dare ask for clarification with her mother standing there. If he’d meant simply living together, Malinda Russo would have had a fit and her father—good God. Who knew what Romeo Russo would have blurted out?

The judges would have looked like fools too. Why did they have to turn her vacation into a wedding? And why, oh why, did it have to be Hawaii? It was beautiful and everything, but the air travel from Boston was brutal. She had been hoping for the Caribbean or Europe.

Ah, well. It was probably too late to do anything about what the show would air. That didn’t mean she and Drake couldn’t just turn her prize back into a vacation and quietly ask her mother to put away the guest list for a few years.

All the way to Drake’s place, she ruminated over the little things she hadn’t been able to focus on for the past day and a half. Her prize money was going to be eaten up by a new apartment, new furniture, and a new wardrobe. Sheesh. On the other hand, what would she have done without it?

She thought about the stores that catered to her eclectic taste. When her sister had made her weekly phone call from India, of course her mother talked about the “engagement.” Her sister wanted to know if Bliss would like some beautiful bed linens she could buy over there. Next time Bliss spoke to her sister, maybe she’d know what size her bed was and if she was engaged or not.

Bliss finally arrived at Drake’s front door and rang the bell. She didn’t even have a key yet. Their relationship had moved so far, so fast, some basic milestones had fallen by the wayside.

She was just about to ring the bell a second time when Drake opened the door and pulled her into a tight hug. “I just got home. If I’d had more time, I’d have met you with roses.”

***

Drake inhaled her fragrance and detected the faint scent of lilacs. It was wonderful to hold her in his arms again. She had been either off limits or surrounded by hoopla lately, and this was the moment he’d been looking forward to for days.

“No roses needed. I just want to curl up with you and talk.”

“Just talk? Damn.”

She chuckled. “Of course I want to shag you silly, but there are a few details I need to clarify for my own peace of mind first—then I’ll shag you silly.”

He stepped back and made a sweeping gesture. “Please, come in.”

Drake had a few things he needed to clarify for peace of mind too. During his visit with Gaia, he’d told the goddess he was in love with a human. She seemed strangely okay with that and wanted to meet her. How and when the meeting would happen was anyone’s guess.

His major dilemma now was how he could prepare Bliss for it. If he didn’t, she might get upset and cope by saying something snarky… something she’d regret. On the other hand, maybe Gaia would get a kick out of their shared attitude. Probably not.

“Can I get you a glass of wine?”

“Oh, yes please. That would be perfect.” She fumbled with a small piece of paper, stuffing it in her purse, and mumbled, “Jeez, I have receipts up the wazoo.”