And then I stand right there for far too long, pathetically hoping he’ll knock again. Why would he? I don’t know.
He doesn’t.
Chapter 27
I set the pink wine down, changing my mind before I take a sip. Just because I’m bummed that a certain dragon shifter isn’t coming doesn’t mean I need to get lost in the blissful ignorance of the drink. I have a big day tomorrow. We have a lot to discuss and a lot to plan.
If I can ever get just the three of us alone again. It’s becoming increasingly harder lately. It almost feels like the world doesn’t want us to be alone. Like it’s pushing these people on us.
“Raef, don’t you dare!” I chastise him as he peruses the table of nox wine beside me. “I don’t ever want to see you like that.”
“Like what?” he asks, pouting.
“Gloomy. Not smiling.”
“I can be gloomy.”
“No, you can’t. I’ve literally never seen it. Even when you were almost d—”
His eyes grow wide. He for sure thought I was about to say that out loud at a social gathering with far too many pointed ears around.
I almost did.
“Anyway…” I say nonchalantly. I knock the cup of wine in his hand to the ground, spilling it everywhere. “Don’t drink that.”
I throw a nearby cloth over the spill and absently wipe it with my foot.
He looks at me, aghast, and it’s the exact reaction I was hoping for. Teasing Raef seems like the perfect distraction right now.
“You know I can just get another one,” he says slowly, eyeing the table that has ten more filled glasses of nox wine.
“Oh. Yeah. Don’t do that.”
“Do it? Okay.”
He grabs one and pours the contents of it in his mouth before I can do anything to stop him.
“Well, friend. Have fun on your journey, I suppose…”
“Thank you,” he grins.
“You know what? This might actually be the entertaining distraction I was looking for.” I change my mind and grab the pink wine, taking just one sip. I don’t want to go too far.
He lifts an eyebrow, grinning ridiculously. “What did you need a distraction from?”
“Oh, you know. Life. Things.”
“Things like… a certain dragon dick?”
I slap his arm. “What is up with you all saying that.”
“It has a nice ring to it.”
“Dragon dick,” I say jokingly, pretending to try out how it sounds. “Dragon dick,” I say again, enunciating slowly.
Raef tilts his head back and laughs, his long, bronzed neck contracting.
He looks behind me and tries his best to stifle a smile, but of course, it’s impossible for him.
