Page 41 of Draco's Defiance

“How much of that did you hear?”

She leapt at the sound of Draco’s voice, spinning to find him looming in the now open doorway. His gaze was dark, the expression stirring unease in the pit of her stomach.

How long had he been standing there?

“Erm...” Her heart raced faster as he strode in her direction. He was still naked and looked absolutely magnificent, but all of a sudden, the taut body she’d lusted after seemed filled with ill intent. “I don’t know what you mean. I wasn’t listening. I just came over when the phone rang.”

“Don’t lie to me, little girl.” Stopping short of her, he glowered as his hand rose to stroke her cheek. She flinched at its approach, but remained rooted to the spot as though he’d entranced her. “I know you were listening, and I know you heard every word of what Cole had to say.”

“Who’s Cole?” Her heart skipped a beat as his fingers traced a line over her cheekbone.

“I’m serious, little girl.” His fingers nestled in her hair. “You and I need to talk.”

Chapter Seventeen

Draco

THE DAY WASN’T SUPPOSED to have played out like this. They were going to get to know each other better before she gave him her professional opinion on his father’s contract, and then, once he’d come again, he was going to take her for dinner. Draco had it all planned out in his head. It was going to be perfect.

Until Monroe had fucked with his carefully devised plan.

Fucking Monroe.

He’d stirred the hornet’s nest and rattled his brother’s cages, and that was always going to have consequences. The largest of which was staring him in the face with wide, green eyes. Moira had heard Cole’s message. He couldn’t be sure how much of it she’d consumed since he’d only arrived halfway through, but it had been enough.

She’d heard Cole mention dragons and chimeras. Even if he tried to roll back on his brother’s words, the damage was done, and he didn’t want to have to tell her an untruth. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be, either. Draco had no idea where the blossoming passion between them might lead, but he wouldn’t tarnish it with lies.

Monroe, Sebastian, and Cole had forced his hand. He’d have to tell her the truth.

The truth.

An icy chill resonated through him at the appalling thought. The truth was all well and good, and Draco was normally a fierce advocate of it, but the truth didn’t consider his abnormal situation.

Draco was a dragon-shifter. A man whose body burned, morphed, and burst from human to dragon. Some things were not explainable to the average person. Some things were scarcely explainable at all.

But Moira’s not average, is she? The thought jarred as it bounced around his chest. I know she’s not. That’s why I like her, why I want her, why I have to admit the truth and deal with the fall-out.

“Let’s sit down and talk.” Sliding an arm around her shoulder, he steered her back to face the sofa.

“Talk?” What is he going to say? Her eyes searched his face as they walked back to the couch. Something’s different, something’s wrong. I can tell. “What do you want to talk about?”

He almost laughed at her question. What did she think he was going to broach? Moira had just discovered something that few other living mortals knew about. They couldn’t just pretend it hadn’t happened.

“We need to discuss what you heard.” Gesturing to the place they’d been cuddling together less than ten minutes before, he waited until she sat down.

Oh, God. Panic spiked in her thoughts. What does he want me to say? “I told you.” She sighed. “I didn’t hear anything.” It doesn’t matter.

“It matters a lot.” His jaw tightened as he took a seat beside her.

“What?” Her brow creased as she glanced his way. “I... I didn’t say anything...”

“You thought it.”

In for a penny, in for a pound. If Draco was going to divulge his shifter status, he might as well share everything with her, including his unexpected ability to read her thoughts. After all, once the confession was made, Moira wouldn’t be going anywhere. Transparency was one thing, but he couldn’t allow her to leave with the new information. At least not until he was content that she was calm, that she understood, and wouldn’t run off to the media.

How long will that be? His brow rose at his own query. How could anyone understand the hybrid genetics of his family? Hell, Draco didn’t even understand.

“What?” Her breathing accelerated as she drew away. “What do you mean, ‘I thought it’? How can you know what I’m thinking?”