Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Samuel was a words person, though, so he said them anyway. “I’m not mad. Just come here.”
All too happy to do so, Dimitri came to him immediately, winding both arms around his waist and putting his head on Samuel’s shoulder in an all-encompassing hug.
Against his shoulder, Dimitri spoke roughly. “I’m sorry. I know I’m driving you crazy.”
Samuel rubbed a hand over Dimitri’s back, soothing. “I didn’t realize your dragon instincts were going haywire. Seriously, I don’t want to blow myself up. Okay? If there’s any danger, I’m the first to back off. I don’t have a hero complex, I promise you.”
“I know. Trust me, I do know that. It’s just I see you near something that could take your head off and my instincts go through the roof and I just…can’t.” Dimitri sighed heavily. “It’s not just the danger you’re putting yourself in. It’s…it’s also the matter of your core. It’s broken and both me and my dragon are freaking out because we don’t know how to fix it. We need to fix it, to help you so that you’re happy and feel complete. We don’t know how.”
Samuel could only stare at him in shocked silence for a second. Dimitri’s words had picked up speed as they came out so that they were running together into a panicked blur at the end.
He grabbed Dimitri’s shoulders and gave him a little shake. “Breathe, Dimitri. You don’t need to fix me. That’s not your job. You’re not a mage.”
“But—”
“Stop!” Samuel ordered sharply, but his insides were pure fucking mush. He’d never been faced with someone like this. When his parents discovered there was no quick and easy fix for his core, they moved on to assuming he was broken and couldn’t do things. But with Dimitri, his everything was devoted to Samuel’s happiness and it was threatening to make him stupid. To just hand himself over to this man and let him handle everything.
That wasn’t Samuel’s style, and he wasn’t about to start now because a sexy dragon was determined to make him the center of his world.
What they needed was to work out some ground rules. If Samuel understood the parameters better, he could avoid setting Dimitri off. If Dimitri could communicate to him before something triggered, without fear of upsetting Samuel, they wouldn’t have to repeat this song and dance.
Was there an antidote against dragon charm? Samuel was not asking for a friend.
He shook the thought off. “Let’s take five, here. Lie down, put your head in my lap.”
Dimitri promptly did so—happy dragon, all too eager for cuddles. Seriously, was the man a puppy in a previous life? Much would be explained if the answer was yes.
Samuel waited until he settled before taking the tips of his fingers and carding them through that thick, luxurious hair. Dimitri’s eyes swept slowly closed as he relaxed into it, and if he’d had any tension left, it was all gone now. He was totally lax in Samuel’s lap. In fact, that sounded suspiciously like purring. Kinda like a big jungle cat, rough and growly, but it was a purr.
Damn, that was cute. Dragons could purr in their human form? That was just insane.
Looking down at that joyful expression, Samuel felt his resistance crumble a bit more while his frustration faded into nothingness. It was hard not to soften, really. When he’d been with Kevin, Samuel had always felt like he had to perform to a certain level in order to keep his boyfriend happy. He’d been told, too, when he wasn’t doing enough. It had always stressed him out and put a strain on the relationship, which was no doubt the reason why none of his relationships had worked out in the long run.
And there was a kernel of truth to it. Samuel wasn’t good at reading people or knowing how to be there for someone. Kevin complained that he got completely wrapped up in his work and ignored him. Samuel was too often oblivious to when Kevin was upset about something. At the very least, he should know to ask what was wrong, but he missed all the signs.
And it was the exact same with Dimitri. The dragon had been struggling to deal with the news of Samuel’s core. He should have known due to their overprotective nature that he was stressed and in pain.
If he’d taken two seconds to pay more attention to what Dimitri was dealing with and ask how he was feeling, they might have been able to avoid this entire mess. See? This was why he was horrible at relationships and horrible at being a boyfriend. He was too lost in his own world.
It was amazing that Dimitri wanted anything to do with him still. Take this moment as a prime example. Samuel had done several things that had stressed Dimitri out and put him on edge, but was he complaining about it? Was he raking Samuel over the coals for it? No. He was cuddling instead, happy to spend time with him and not demanding anything more. All Dimitri wanted was his time and attention.