Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

E ron felt his dragon roar beneath the surface when Jenna placed her hand on his forearm again, and he fought hard to keep the rumble in his chest from escaping. Feeling her hand directly on his skin was like nothing he'd ever felt before, and he desperately wanted to peel off all of her clothing and feel her body pressed against his with no barriers between them.

Taking her to that alcove had been an exercise in control.

He'd only wanted to have a private moment with her, away from all the curious stares of everyone else in the restaurant, but as soon as they stepped into the tiny space, the scent of her arousal had surrounded him like a warm blanket. He couldn't remember the last time food hadn't been his main priority, but in that moment, he could think of nothing else except his mate and what it would feel like to sink his cock into her warm channel.

Beneath the surface, his dragon had agreed, and it had taken him a minute to reign in his beast. His mate was already feeling vulnerable, and even though she wanted him, too, he didn't want her to think that sex was all he wanted. Especially not after she'd just been stood up by some asshole.

He was going to get the details of what exactly happened soon, but first, he was going to give her a dragon sized meal.The next time they ate together, he would be the one making all of her food—at least he hoped that he would be—but until then, he would give her the next best thing. The hotel's restaurant was damn good, and he wanted her to try all of his favorites.

He led her back inside the dining room, and was glad to see that no one really paid them anymind. Because of his size, he often drew attention from strangers, and the glances sent their way were mostly directed at him. When he glanced at Jenna, she was walking tall by his side, but he didn't miss the way she surveyed the room as if looking for hostility—or mocking—from the crowd. He was glad that she didn't find any, but the way she faced the possibility head-on made him proud, and he placed his free hand on top of hers.

Her small intake of breath called his attention to her face, but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking at their hands resting together on his forearm, and seeing her hand completely covered by his palm filled him with a sense of satisfaction. She was his mate—his to protect—and he would always take care of her.

Her hand gripped his arm slightly, as if agreeing to his unspoken words, and this time when he looked at her face, she was smiling back at him. In that moment, it was only years of practiced control that saved him from stumbling. He was a Royal dragon, prince to the King, Second-in-Command of their clan, and leader of the Royal Guard. He was used to being in control, and of reigning in his emotions in tense situations, but nothing in his life had ever prepared him for a true smile from his mate.

When they reached the booth, he motioned for her to slide in, and then, not wanting to be separated from her, he slid in beside her. Realizing what he was doing, she moved in further without missing a beat, and he was glad that she kept the distance between them minimal. His knee was touching hers beneath the table, and the tiny bit of contact satisfied both him and his dragon.

He opened his mouth to explain about all the food he was about to order, but the waiter chose that moment to arrive at the side of the table.

"Good evening," the man said, looking directly at Jenna. "What can I get you to drink?"

While he didn't like the other man looking at his mate, he did like that he was giving her the attention she deserved. He didn't want men ogling over her, but he wouldn't tolerate anyone treating her like she wasn't good enough.

"I'll have a water, please," she smiled, and the man smiled back at her and nodded.

A low growl rumbled in his chest, but once again, he tapped down the possessive response. It was an odd feeling to want to challenge anyone who talked to his mate, especially when he didn't believe in unnecessary violence, but the feeling was stronger than he'd expected it to be. Still, he didn't want to come off as an asshole to his mate, or to the waitstaff, so he silenced his dragon, let the waiter know that he'd be having a water, too, and focused on Jenna.

Fuck!

She was so damn beautiful, he lost his train of thought for a moment.

At least until it was broken by the waiter setting their glasses of water on the table. Next, the man handed them each a menu, and then left them alone again. He already knew what he was ordering, but he had to make a few things clear before the waiter returned. More so because his mate had only ordered water, and he wasn't sure of the reason behind that move. If that's all she wanted, then he didn't care what she drank, but if it was for other reasons, then he was going to silence any worries she might have.

"In case it wasn't clear," he started, "I'm paying for this meal. In fact, I will be paying for every meal that we share together—ever—so order whatever you want. I am going to order a ton of food. Way too much for one person. You can either share with me, get something of your own, or both, but I want you to have whatever you want."

"Okay," she said. "Thank you."

The look on her face was wary, as if she didn't know exactly what to make of his comment, and he wished he knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. Had he insulted her? Or made her feel self-conscious in some way? He didn't think so, but what the hell did he know? While he was pretty sure that she could afford her own meal, that didn't mean that others had treated her the same.

Maybe men like the one who stood her up insisted she pay her own way, or tried to dictate what she could order. He wished she'd talk to him, but he knew it was too soon. They'd barely met a few minutes ago, and she wasn't shifter. She might feel a strong connection toward him—and that feeling was probably more confusing than anything else—but she didn't know him, and he had to remember that it would take time to earn her trust.

Luckily, they had all the time in the world, because he wasn't going anywhere.

She opened the menu, glanced at the contents, and then looked back at him.

"So," she started, clearing her throat. "What are you going to order?"

He started listing off all of the dishes, beginning with the appetizers and ending with dessert. The list consisted of three appetizers, two main entrees, and a dessert sampler that had six different bites on it. He also included the bread basket, although he didn't have to order that because it came free with the meal, but the excess had the desired effect, and her smile grew as her guard came down.

"Are you being serious?" she laughed. "You're really going to order all of that?"

"I am," he nodded. "I don't come here often—I prefer to cook for myself—but this restaurant is one of my favorites. Whenever I come, I order all of my favorites, sometimes throw in something new, and then I just take home the leftovers. Except for the dessert. That I always finish here."

"But how?" she laughed again. "How can you even think about dessert after eating all of that?"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a big guy, sweetheart, and I can eat a lot." More so because he was a dragon shifter, but he couldn't share that part of himself yet. "I also love sweets, so I make sure to always leave room for dessert."

The way her cheeks heated told him she understood his desired meaning, and once again he fought the urge to skip the meal and haul her off to his room. He had a feeling his mate was going to be his new favorite dessert.

"Everything you're ordering sounds delicious," she said, "so I think I'll just share with you if you really don't mind. Except for the dessert. I saw a few of those plates on some other tables, and they're small. I'm not sure you'd actually let me have a bite."

She granted him a real smile again, and he loved that she was relaxed enough to tease him, even if it was just a little. But, even though it was too soon to declare his intentions to keep her forever, he had to keep one thing straight.

"I'll let you have whatever you want, whenever you want it, sweetheart. All you have to do is ask."

J enna tore her gaze away from Eron, and shifted in her seat as she reached for her glass of water. The move immediately broke the tiny bit of contact they had under the table where their knees were touching, and she immediately missed his warmth.

Even if she was burning up inside.

The pull she had toward this man—this stranger—was like nothing she'd ever felt before, and his declaration that she could have anything was beyond believable. Or maybe she just desperately wanted to believe it. Hell, he probably said those exact words to all of his conquests, but even though it was stupid, she didn't care.

If all she had to do was ask him to take her to his room, then she was definitely going to ask. She hadn't had sex since her ex dumped her almost a year ago, and while his actions had been a blow to her self-esteem, she missed the feeling of having a man fill her completely as the weight of his body pushed her into the mattress.

Or pushed into her from behind... Or licked her pussy.

God damn!

She cleared her throat again, and took another sip of water, thankful when the waiter arrived with their first round of food.

One plate had calamari and stuffed mushrooms, but the other two plates were things she'd never tried before, and she soon learned that Eron had excellent taste. Every single thing she tried was like an explosion of flavor in her mouth, and she understood why he wanted to have so many different things.

She also understood that he wasn't joking when he said he could eat a lot, but she'd seen a lot of guys eat a lot, and Eron was nothing like them. He took his time with his food, and though itwasn't dramatic or weird, theway he savored each bite with a sort of controlled elegance made herwonder what it would be like to have him feasting on her.

Normally, she would feelself-conscious eating around someone like him,but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to care. Probably becauseeven though she wasn't lacking in manners, she was used to people watching her eat. Strangers were always wondering what was on the chubby girl's plate—even though it was none of their damn business—but the look on Eron's face wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before.

In fact, it almost seemed as if he liked watching her enjoy the food, and she didn't know how she felt about that. Her ex had claimed he liked watching her eat, too, and yet, it wasn't enough to keep him around. Not that it mattered. He let her go because she wasn't good enough to be on his arm in public, and though she knew she would never see Eron again after tonight, this restaurant was a very public place.

Liquid heat dampened her panties again as she thought about how it felt to press her palm to his skin, and the memory made her bold. There was a strand of condoms in her purse—just in case—and for once, she'd like to return home without the protection in her bag.

"Do you have a room for the night in this hotel?"

She looked directly at him and he stilled, holding his fork half way between his plate and his mouth. His dark, amethyst eyes looked almost black, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still as he watched her. Suddenly, the idea of being bold seemed stupid, and she silently wished they could go back to the easy small talk they shared before she had to go and ruin everything.

The food had come out in record time, so they'd only scratched the surface on the normal talking points for a date before they started eating. He knew that she was a data analyst, and that she was good at her job even though she didn't necessarily enjoy it, and she knew that he liked to spend his time in the kitchen, but that he didn't work in a restaurant. He'd made most of his money in investments, so he was free to pursue his love of food on his own terms.

Cinnamon rolls were his specialty, and he made a new batch almost every single day.

But who ate all of the food he made? They'd never gotten to that part, and as she replayed the conversation in her head, she knew she was missing something.

Oh, god! How could I be so stupid?

He was married. He had to be. And she was having dinner with someone else's husband.

Her stomach rolled, and she reached for the water, but changed her mind when she saw how bad her hand was shaking.

"Hey," he said, gently placing his hand on her bicep. "What happened?"

She flinched, and he immediately pulled his hand away at the same time she grabbed her bag. Her intention was to scoot out of the other side of the booth, but the look on his face made her pause. It was a combination of hurt and confusion, and though he might be a very good actor, his response made her pause.

"Are you married?"

"What? No, of course not. Why would you even think that?"

Fuck! Had she made a mistake?

No! He said he made cinnamon rolls every day. Who was eating all the food he made? Of course, now the thought crossed her mind that he could donate it somewhere, or give it away to friends or homeless people on the street, and once again, she felt like an idiot.

Instead of acting like a crazy person, she should have just asked him. Instead, she'd almost ruined a wonderful evening—and a chance to have great sex—because she'd made an assumption.

"You said that you make cinnamon rolls almost every day, and I..." God, this was so embarrassing. Why couldn't she have just kept her big mouth shut? Except she knew why. Because deep down, she now understood that her ex had cheated on her. Not by having sex with another woman—at least, not to her knowledge—but with the time and energy he spentlooking for someone suitable to hang on his arm. She didn't want to accuse this man of cheating, or worse, cause him to think she was one of those women who always expected the worst in everyone, but she'd already messed up, so she figured she'd better finish it. "I didn't think you were eating them all yourself, so the logical explanation seemed to be that you're married."

"And my wife is the one eating all of the cinnamon rolls?"

His huge smile revealed that he was teasing, and a sense of relief washed over her.

"Well," she smiled, "her and your six kids."

He laughed out loud, causing several people to throw annoyed looks in their direction, and she started giggling, too.

"Shhh," she laughed, mock scolding him. "You're making a scene."

"Me?" He whisper yelled. "You're the one going on about the six kids I have hidden somewhere."

"Fine," she laughed, enjoying the banter between them. "It's both our faults."

He leaned closer, and whispered in her ear.

"Pretty sure it's all your fault, and I definitelythink you need to be punished for that later."

She wasn't into punishment or submission, but she had a feeling she would like whatever Eron had in mind, and another gush of liquid dampened her panties.It was embarrassing that she was already soaking wet for a man she'd just met, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Especially not when he inhaled deep beforepulling away, and when he pulled back, hisamethyst eyes were almost black again.

"No wife, and no kids," he smiled. "But I do live in a... mansion with my family. My two siblings—who are both adults—my three best friends, and all five of their spouses. I know that sounds weird, but once I show you the place, you'll see how it all makes sense. Anyway, I don't make every meal, but I do cook for everyone sometimes, and I also just make a lot of food in general. The guys all have big appetites like me, and all bets are off when I pull a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls out of the oven."

He was right, it did sound a little weird that he lived with his siblings and friends. That meant that there were eleven people living in that house, but if it was a mansion, then she guessed they all had plenty of room. Still, the idea was foreign to her. Mostly because she didn't have any siblings, and she didn't have any friends close enough that she would ever want to live with.

Hell, she wasn't even close with her parents, and moving out of their house as soon as she was able was the best thing she'd ever done. For all of them. Her parents didn't want her around, and she had no desire to live under the same roof as them after she graduated.

"I'm sure that's a sight to see," she smiled.

She liked how he kept making references that she would be in his life longer than one night, but she wasn't an idiot. Men like him didn't want a woman like her to last forever, and even though this night was fun—for the most part anyway—she wasn't an idiot.

All she had to do was think about her ex, or the way her blind date from tonight had practically run out of the building, and she knew the truth. After tonight, she would never see Eron again.

"Yeah," he laughed, "sometimes it's a lot, but the place is huge, so for the most part—except when food is involved—we all keep to ourselves. Are you splitting my dessert, or do you want one of your own?"

She glanced up to see the waiter walking toward them, and made a quick decision.

"I want my own. But let's get them both to go, and take them back to your room."

"I like the way you think, sweetheart."