Page 38 of Desired By the Dragon

Yes, the breakfast was important, and I’d been planning on going, but this, her, she was important too. More than a mediocre breakfast and, as such as it surprised me, more than tenure.

What was tenure compared to lazing in bed, watching the sun kiss the woman I loved?

My lips parted, everything screeching to a halt as I stared at Kiernan as she began to stir.

Love. Did I love Kiernan? Was that even possible? To fall for someone in a little less than a month?

Her eyes were open and she smiled at me, the look fading quickly as she sat up. “What’s wrong?”

My mouth opened and no sound came out.

“Max. You’re freaking me out.”

Fuck, fuck. Say something. Anything! “You stayed,” I blurted out and immediately wanted to stuff those words back in my mouth when her face shut down, closing me out as she folded her arms across her chest.

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have,” she said, stiffly, and I tried to backpedal.

“It’s fine, totally fine, you can stay any time you want. I mean, not any time, because obviously you have your own space — unless you wanted to spend all your time here, which is fine too. Though I don’t think I’m allowed to have someone move in here with me, unless they’re staff. So I guess Taylor could move in,” I finished, breathing hard as I ran my hand through my hair. She’d stopped gathering her things and was staring at me.

“Are you… having a stroke?” Kiernan moved closer and placed a hand on my arm as she peered into my eyes. “Why are you talking about Taylor moving in?”

“Sorry, I just panicked. When I said that you’d stayed, I meant it like you stayed! not you stayed?. Does that make sense?”

Face softening slightly, she nodded and I blew out a breath of relief, smiling, and my heart stopped when she smiled back. Flames above, I’m so damn in love with this woman. “You’re just being weirder than usual.”

Realizing my grin had edged into goofy territory, I turned around too fast and staggered, catching myself on the bedside table before pulling at the covers to make the bed. “Am I? Huh, weird. Don’t know why that would be.”

“I knew it.” Her sharp words made me stiffen and face her. “I told you something personal and now you’re freaking out about it. Why do men always do this? I didn’t ask for your protection or whatever, you offered! But if it’s such a burden then just forget you ever said anything, okay? I already have.” She slipped on her heels and winced as she made for the door, still in her borrowed shirt as I gaped. “No, you know what? I want an explanation. I deserve one.” When she turned on me, her hair flew out around her, a red wave of fury as she folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. “For a second I thought we might… Never mind. You just all want to feel like big-dicked heroes in the moment and then, what? Reality hits and you realize I’m not worth the trouble?” Her chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily, a small plume of smoke escaping her mouth until she screwed her eyes shut and swallowed it down. “Fucking speak, Max!”

I startled, so focused on her and my absolute despair that anyone had ever made her feel this way, let alone me that I didn’t recognize the cue at first. “No, that’s not it at all⁠—”

“Well then what? What changed between last night and this morning to suddenly make you act like-like— I don’t even know what!”

“I realized I love you!”

The words were a mistake as soon as they fell out of my mouth, landing between us with what might as well have been an audible splat. My heart, catapulted onto the ground at her feet, ready for her to stomp on.

Kiernan recoiled, eyes wide, and silence reigned as my confession sat between us like an immovable object. “You what?” The words were a dry whisper, her voice breaking as she attempted to get them out.

“I think you heard me,” I said dryly, scrubbing a hand over the stubble on my jaw. “And I know it’s not what you signed up for⁠—”

“You’re right.” She shook her head, and I knew what she was about to do before she even did it. “It’s not.” The door closed quietly behind her as she walked away and a lump rose in my throat until I struggled to breathe around it.

What the fuck was wrong with me? I mean, what had I been expecting? For her to melt and rejoice and say she loved me too?

Maybe.

Idiot. I was a flame-fucked idiot.

And I’d lost her because of it.

Chapter Fifteen

Max

A knocking at the door pulled me out of my downward spiral. It opened and Taylor poked his head around the doorframe. “Hey, everything okay? Kiernan just ran out of here like her ass was on fire, so I wanted to check you hadn’t been murdered.”

I stared at him blankly, my mind still replaying the shitstorm of a few minutes ago.