Maybe she was a twenty-two-year-old virgin, but she had curiosities she’d never had an opportunity to explore, and Blade stirred all of that up. If given the chance, she probably would have let him have sex with her down there in the gym, even if it wouldn't be the most romantic way to have her first time.
If he’d come up to her room to talk about what had happened, and given any indication that he was in fact attracted to her, she probably would have let him have sex with her in the bedroom as well. That would have been a little more romantic at least.
“Why are you still thinking about it?” she muttered to herself as she crept through the halls, heading for the kitchen. Whitney had no idea what time everyone ate, but it was after eight now,and she was hoping that everyone had had dinner and retired to whatever rooms they spent their evenings in.
The last thing she wanted was for anyone to spot her. Unless it was …
“No. Bad girl. Stop thinking about him. Guaranteed he’s not thinking about you right now. He had all afternoon to come and find you if he wanted to, but he didn't. Didn't even come and say thank you for all the information. Crickets. It’s stupid anyway, you're being kicked out of here as soon as they know there’s no danger left.”
It wasn't like her little pep talk to herself did any good, but at least she was most of the way to the kitchen, and so far no one seemed to be about.
Or that’s what she thought until she was two hallways away and heard footsteps.
Muting the shriek that wanted to pop out, she opened the closest doorway and darted inside the room. It was a beautiful library, and one she would have loved the chance to explore if she were there as anything other than a tool for them to use. A tool that had already outlived its usefulness. Now she was just a burden that had to be protected. Although she doubted anyone actually cared if something happened to her or not. Rose and Cassandra had been nice to her, but she wasn't sure if it was just to keep her happy so she cooperated or if it was genuine.
The footsteps got closer, and she backed further up into the dark room, wondering if she should find a place to hide.
No, that would be silly. What were the chances that with all the rooms this mansion had, whoever was walking past would be coming into this one?
Famous last words.
When it sounded like the footsteps stopped outside the door, she whimpered and backed further into the room.
Don’t be Dragon. Don’t be Dragon. Don’t be Dragon.
But when the door opened it was indeed Dragon standing there. Was he going to follow through on what he’d started last night? Cassandra said he was just scared because she’d been in the explosion and they were together, and Whitney got that. But she still didn't want the terrifying man to kill her.
“You really should know better than anyone else that there’s no hiding from us,” he said from the doorway, not taking a step into the room.
Unsure how to respond and not wanting to say anything to anger him, Whitney just stood there. A deer in the headlights. Unsure if she should scream for help or pray that his anger had cooled enough that he wouldn't kill her.
Dragon flicked the light switch, and the room was suddenly bathed in light, making Whitney feel even more exposed. Dragon was so big, and even if they’d finished off their self-defense lesson, she wouldn't have any skills that would get her away from him. She still remembered what Blade had told her, to play it smart, catch an attacker by surprise, but she truly doubted that anything would catch a man like Dragon by surprise.
As though sensing her growing fear, Dragon stayed by the door, and she was grateful for that at least. But she did note that he was blocking her exit. Maybe she could try to get out the window if it came down to it, but she didn't doubt that Dragon would catch her before she could escape.
“Would you stop looking at me like that?” he snapped, although there was no real heat to his words. “You know I'm not going to kill you.”
“Uh … I do not know that,” she said before she could catch herself.
The huge man rolled his eyes, and the sight of it was so normal, so something she had not expected to see him do, that it actually surprised her enough that she relaxed ever so slightly.
“You're a sassy one, just like Rose,” he said, and there was some affection in his tone as he mentioned the other woman.
“I'm not sassy,” she quickly protested. She never sassed anyone back, not even before she’d been sold to Dr. Gardner and certainly not after. He would have punished her for anything like that.
“How would you know? Have you been given a chance to find out who you are?”
Her mouth opened to answer, but Whitney couldn’t think of an answer, so she snapped it closed again.
“That’s what I thought.” Taking a single step into the room, Dragon paused and speared his fingers through his hair. “I'm sorry about last night. I smelled those explosives on you and … I lost my mind. Cassandra was in there, and we split up, left her and Rose in a room because we heard someone else in the building. Turned out it was one of the mercenaries out to collect the bounty on Cassandra’s head. We were apart when the place blew up. I didn't know … I feared the worst. Thought she could be dead. Then when we got to the room, she was gone, and I blamed myself. I never should have let her come with us.”
“From what she told me, shewantedto be there,” she said softly, taking a tentative step forward, wanting to soothe Dragon’s guilt.
He chuckled mirthlessly. “Yeah, she did. But still, it’s my job to protect her. I know you’ve spent the last twelve years with Dr. Gardner, he thinks we’re monsters, but?—”
“You're not,” she quickly asserted. “I never thought you were. The drugs, they don’t remove your conscience or your ability to feel emotions, just dull them a little, you know that, right?”
“We’re getting there. Hard to change thinking you’ve had for a decade.”
