know.
“They’re being cleaned. You should have them shortly. We thought you might want to have your own clothes back instead of running around in ours.”
She licked her lips, her eyes traveling down to the towel tied at his waist. “My clothes are gone. Yours are wet.”
It was an observation, but one that had his blood heating.
“What is it about you that I can’t seem to keep away from?” she asked softly. “It’s like you’re a magnet. I don’t sleep around, Guy, and even though I knew I should tell you no, I couldn’t. Not even had my life depended upon it.”
He was taken aback by her words, so full of honesty and truth that they stunned him. “I doona have an answer. I wish I did.”
“This has something to do with why you want your privacy, doesn’t it?”
“Nay.” It was the truth, but that’s all he could tell her.
Her gaze lowered to the floor for a moment. “I’ve never been so reckless or careless before with my partners. We didn’t even use a condom. I didn’t even think about it.”
“You willna catch a disease from me.”
“Nor me,” she hastened to add. “As for the other—”
“Other?” he interrupted her.
She frowned at him as if he were addled. “Pregnancy.”
“Ah. Um…I doona believe you need to worry about that either.”
“You doona believe,” she mimicked in a Scottish accent. “Forgive me if that doesn’t relieve me. I assumed I’d have kids when I married, but I’m not ready for them now.”
“Trust me, Elena, you doona need to worry.”
“Can you not have children?”
It was difficult to explain. No Dragon King had a child. Their women might get with child, but the babe never lasted to term.
Guy shook his head in answer.
“I see,” she said, and walked slowly to the tray of food on the table near him. She picked up a chip next to the sandwich and nibbled at it.
He could see how her eyes kept going to his tattoo. He waited for her to ask him about it, but she seemed content to just look from the head and flames to the dragon tail that ended at his left hip bone. Would she ask to see the rest that was on his back?
Guy wanted her to see it. And more than that, he wanted her to ask about it.
“Do you like working with gems?” he asked into the silence.
She smiled and reached for a sandwich half. “Oh, yes. I love finding them and discovering what will be their perfect shape for jewelry.”
“Do you design jewelry?”
She laughed, the sound like music to him. “No. I’m not that creative. As much as I love the gems, I’m useless in anything other than determining what kind of gem it is and how best to use it.”
“That’s no’ useless.”
Her gaze lifted to him. “Many think what I do is boring.”
“Tell them to bugger off.”
She laughed again, and he found he wanted to keep making her laugh. He loved the sound. It filled him, which was odd because he hadn’t thought anything was lacking in his life until recently.
“There are those of us who actually go looking in places all around the world for gems,” she continued.
“What kinds of places?”
She shrugged and swallowed her bite. “They’ll dig in the earth, shift through rock and water, and even go into caves.” Elena’s voice faded as her eyes got large. “Oh, my God. Could that be what Sloan was after? Were there gems in the cave?”
Guy frowned, his mind working. There were gems deep in the earth, but none of them had ever tried to work them from the mountain. They had no need of gems.
“It’s a possibility,” he said, and looked at the door. “They should be returning soon. I need to see what they’ve found.”
He hated to leave her, but if she was right, it could explain what Sloan had been doing in the cave. But it wouldn’t clear Elena’s name in Con’s eyes. Guy feared nothing would ever clear her name.
Elena didn’t have long to wait before her clothes were brought to her by an older woman who not only didn’t look her in the eyes,
“They’re being cleaned. You should have them shortly. We thought you might want to have your own clothes back instead of running around in ours.”
She licked her lips, her eyes traveling down to the towel tied at his waist. “My clothes are gone. Yours are wet.”
It was an observation, but one that had his blood heating.
“What is it about you that I can’t seem to keep away from?” she asked softly. “It’s like you’re a magnet. I don’t sleep around, Guy, and even though I knew I should tell you no, I couldn’t. Not even had my life depended upon it.”
He was taken aback by her words, so full of honesty and truth that they stunned him. “I doona have an answer. I wish I did.”
“This has something to do with why you want your privacy, doesn’t it?”
“Nay.” It was the truth, but that’s all he could tell her.
Her gaze lowered to the floor for a moment. “I’ve never been so reckless or careless before with my partners. We didn’t even use a condom. I didn’t even think about it.”
“You willna catch a disease from me.”
“Nor me,” she hastened to add. “As for the other—”
“Other?” he interrupted her.
She frowned at him as if he were addled. “Pregnancy.”
“Ah. Um…I doona believe you need to worry about that either.”
“You doona believe,” she mimicked in a Scottish accent. “Forgive me if that doesn’t relieve me. I assumed I’d have kids when I married, but I’m not ready for them now.”
“Trust me, Elena, you doona need to worry.”
“Can you not have children?”
It was difficult to explain. No Dragon King had a child. Their women might get with child, but the babe never lasted to term.
Guy shook his head in answer.
“I see,” she said, and walked slowly to the tray of food on the table near him. She picked up a chip next to the sandwich and nibbled at it.
He could see how her eyes kept going to his tattoo. He waited for her to ask him about it, but she seemed content to just look from the head and flames to the dragon tail that ended at his left hip bone. Would she ask to see the rest that was on his back?
Guy wanted her to see it. And more than that, he wanted her to ask about it.
“Do you like working with gems?” he asked into the silence.
She smiled and reached for a sandwich half. “Oh, yes. I love finding them and discovering what will be their perfect shape for jewelry.”
“Do you design jewelry?”
She laughed, the sound like music to him. “No. I’m not that creative. As much as I love the gems, I’m useless in anything other than determining what kind of gem it is and how best to use it.”
“That’s no’ useless.”
Her gaze lifted to him. “Many think what I do is boring.”
“Tell them to bugger off.”
She laughed again, and he found he wanted to keep making her laugh. He loved the sound. It filled him, which was odd because he hadn’t thought anything was lacking in his life until recently.
“There are those of us who actually go looking in places all around the world for gems,” she continued.
“What kinds of places?”
She shrugged and swallowed her bite. “They’ll dig in the earth, shift through rock and water, and even go into caves.” Elena’s voice faded as her eyes got large. “Oh, my God. Could that be what Sloan was after? Were there gems in the cave?”
Guy frowned, his mind working. There were gems deep in the earth, but none of them had ever tried to work them from the mountain. They had no need of gems.
“It’s a possibility,” he said, and looked at the door. “They should be returning soon. I need to see what they’ve found.”
He hated to leave her, but if she was right, it could explain what Sloan had been doing in the cave. But it wouldn’t clear Elena’s name in Con’s eyes. Guy feared nothing would ever clear her name.
Elena didn’t have long to wait before her clothes were brought to her by an older woman who not only didn’t look her in the eyes,
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