The doorbell rang, and he quickly wiped his hands on a towel and went to open it. On the other side stood a frazzled-looking Emily, as well as his mum. The latter was smiling and far too happy. “What did you do, Mum?”
“Me? Oh, nothing. At any rate, she’s all packed and ready to move in. I expect to see you both for dinner in two days’ time since Emily is busy tomorrow. Bye, son.”
With that, his mother walked away before he could say another word.
Emily shuffled her feet, and he grabbed her suitcase. “Come on in. Before anything else, I think you could use a glass of wine, aye?”
She frowned. “Is that wise? Dragon-shifters and alcohol don’t mix well.”
“I’m more than aware that we get drunk easily. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone on Seahaven that doesn’t have a bottle of whiskey tucked away somewhere.”
She stepped inside. “Well, itisScotland after all. But why do you have wine? Are you a secret sommelier or something?”
He nearly smiled, loving that her spirit was back. “No. Some humans gifted it to me a while back, after we helped put out their house fire. I tried to refuse, but they wouldn’t hear of it, and so the bottles have been gathering dust in my kitchen. You drinking them would actually help me out and free up some space.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Does that mean I’ll be eating whatever’s nearly expired in your cupboard whilst I’m here?”
He set her suitcase near the wall and gestured toward the kitchen. “I was teasing you, lass. I’m making spaghetti bolognese, which requires wine. So I have a bottle out already.”
“Oh.” She paused, shuffled her feet, and blurted, “I’m not very good at this.”
“Good at what?”
“Chitchat. I’m also not spontaneously witty. Ask me two days later, and I’ll have the best reply you’ve ever heard. But in general, I’m a bit awkward.”
He frowned. “You’ve been clever and witty since the moment I met you.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I’m not sure about that. At any rate, maybe the wine will help.”
He studied her face but decided not to provoke her further. It’d been a long day for her, so he gestured with his hand. “This way.”
As he led her down the hallway, she avoided his eyes, although her cheeks were still pink.
Was she embarrassed? This was completely different from earlier, when she had no problem calling him out or even arguing.
His dragon spoke up.Her entire world is turning upside down. She’s had a few hours to think and examine everything that’s happening. It’s your turn to be charming.
I’mnotcharming.
His beast sniffed.You can be. At least try to make her feel at ease. No doubt she’s worried about what will happen if the hunters find her.
I won’t let that happen.
I know that, and you know that. However, to Emily, we’re still a stranger. One she probably thinks resents her for being her.
Rubbish.
Convince her of that.
They entered the kitchen and dining area. He pulled out a chair at his two-person table before stepping back. “I won’t try to help you sit down, as that didn’t work out well last time, even if it was in reverse.”
She smiled, and the sight eased his dragon a little. She said, “Thank you. For all we know, I could trip backward, tip the chair, and you’d crash against the wall.”
Once she was seated, he retrieved a wine glass and the wine as he replied, “I haven’t lost a fight against walls for a long, long time, lass.”
As he poured her some wine, she asked, “What happened the last time you lost, then? Can’t say I’ve actually lost against a wall before. A table leg, sure, but walls tend to stay in one place.”
He could brush aside the question and jump into what rules they should follow while living together.
