10. Bree
Frozen in place, I stared at Dominic Sato as if I were seeing a ghost. My jaw—and ability to function in general—went slack.
Oh, for the love of Tethys.
The mop handle slipped out of my grip and sailed toward the ground. I lunged to grab it, afraid it would tip the entire yellow bucket over, only to trip over the bucket myself. I windmilled my arms as if they would somehow transform into wings and keep me from falling on my ass.
Especially in front of the hottest man to ever exist on this planet.
But instead of hitting the ground, a strong hand grabbed me beneath the arm and hauled me back onto my feet. Dominic’s foot shot out and caught the rocking bucket’s lip, keeping it from tipping over. Only a small amount of water sloshed over the side as the bucket settled.
Yeesh. His reflexes were insanely fast.
We stood there for a moment with his hand holding my arm, our bodies pressed together, my heart racing. Unlike during the massage, he didn’t smell like the oils I kneaded into his skin.
Today, he smelled like a campfire, a smoky, slightly spicy scent that was similar to sandalwood but wasn’t quite the same. He smelled absolutely delicious.
As our eyes locked, a spark passed between us.
Or maybe it was static.
Either way, my panic returned in a rush.
Oh coconuts, he was here. The last time I’d seen the man, my last word had been, “Toodles.” Toodles, for flounder’s sake. As if that weren’t embarrassing enough, now I had to see his stupidly handsome face again.
Shaking my head to break the spell his gaze had over me, I stepped away and he released my arm. “What are you doing here?”
Real smooth, Bree.
“Marissa told me where to find you.” He bent to pick up the mop and placed it back in the bucket’s holder before grinning at me. “The real Marissa, I should add. She mentioned something about you stepping in for her because you owed her.”
“What!” My mouth dropped open again. Leave it to Marissa to turn things around like that. “That lying little… She owes me. Never the other way around.”
My exasperation only seemed to amuse Dominic further. “After meeting her, I can believe that.”
I sighed. “Well, on behalf of us both, I apologize. I’m not in the habit of impersonating my sister, in case you were wondering.”
He chuckled. “Duly noted. Though I can’t say I object to the results.”
I wasn’t sure what results he referred to, but I also hadn’t noticed the bouquet of red roses in his hand until just then. Not a single petal or leaf had fallen during his rescue of my clumsy near-fall.
The romantic gesture was surprising for someone like him but also had me rolling my eyes internally. Roses. Pretty, but typical. “Stopped by before a date?”
“That’s the plan.” Delight twinkled across his whiskey-hued eyes.
The thought of him taking another woman on a date made a knot twist in my stomach. Which was just ridiculous. My little fantasy of a steamy night together was just that—a fantasy. “Don’t want to keep her waiting. Did you need something else?”
“I need you to answer a question first,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Go for it.”
“I’d like to take you to dinner.”
I blinked at him. Wait, what? He wanted to take me out? Like, for real? I must be high on bleach fumes or still daydreaming back in the bathroom. This couldn’t be real life.
For one, I looked and smelled atrocious. He had gotten an up-close-and-personal whiff when he caught me.
For two, he was way out of my league. Fathoms. Whatever was deeper than fathoms, that far. There was no way he actually wanted to take me on a date knowing what he did now.
The silence stretched on until he finally asked, “Well?”
I shifted my weight slightly. “Well, what?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Technically, you didn’t ask a question,” I pointed out and immediately grimaced.
Was everyone this awkward around impossibly good-looking men?
Or just me?
He grinned. “I sense a family resemblance in more than looks. Are you always this difficult?”
“Yes, now go away. The gym’s closed for cleaning.” Mentally kicking myself for not locking the door earlier, I reached for the mop and bucket, ready to get back to work. With any luck, he’d take the hint.
“Can I take you to dinner?”
Today was not my lucky day. “I mean, you can because you’re physically able to. But you may not. Scram.”
Spinning away from him, I pushed the bucket in front of me. My face practically caught on fire, and my heartbeat thudded loudly in my ears. I didn’t think I could get any more awkward, yet here I was, spouting off grammar rules and words like “scram.”
“Give me a chance, Bree. One dinner.”
This man was persistent. I blew out an exasperated breath, refusing to face him again. I’d give in if I did. “This is ridiculous. You don’t even know me. Why in the world would you want to take me to dinner?”
“Because I know you’ve got an interesting story to tell,” he said softly against my ear, his breath raising goosebumps across my skin. I hadn’t even heard him move. “And I want to hear it.”
Shrugging to hide a shiver, I ducked away from him and finally met his gaze. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m just a janitor. Nothing interesting to see here.”
“That’s not what I see at all.” He studied me intently, heat rising within me wherever his gaze fell. “You move like a skilled fighter. Graceful, alert, balanced. And those scars across your knuckles suggest you’ve thrown more than a punch or two.”
I froze, my heart pounding almost painfully against my ribs. His ability to read me that easily after so little time together filled me with fear.
Who else might have realized I was hiding something?
I needed to get away from him. Far, far away.
But before I had a chance to escape, Frankie walked out of her office and bumped into me. She had a stack of paperwork in her hands, flipping through them with a look of confusion. She hadn’t noticed our intruder yet.
“Oh, good, you’re—” Her words cut off when she finally looked up, peering at me over the ridge of her pink glasses. Her gaze narrowed as it landed on Dominic, and she straightened her back. “Dominic Sato. What in the Otherworld are you doin’ here?”
Exactly what I’d asked and now wished I hadn’t.
Frankie knowing who he was didn’t surprise me. She made it a point to stay up-to-date on the who’s who of the Gifted community, if only to know who to bribe and when to keep this place off the radar.
I did the opposite. Getting caught up in something like a forbidden romance novel was much more satisfying than trying to keep up with the latest gossip.
To his credit, Dominic smiled. “Just keeping our favorite janitor company. Always a pleasure to see you, Frankie.”
She snorted and crossed her arms, unconcerned with the papers she crumpled beneath her armpit as she did so. “You call me Frankie one more time like we’re buddies and I’ll be sure you never step foot in here again.”
Despite the threat, his smile only widened, and he pressed a hand over his heart. “You wound me. Surely after all this time you consider me a friend.”
Frankie muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like making dragon stew. “What d’ya want, dragon?”
Dominic raised the bouquet of roses and nodded toward me. “I’m wooing your girl here. Trying to, anyway. She’s playing hard to get.”
I glared at him and considered tipping the bucket of dirty water over, aiming for his expensive shoes. Almost, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it since I’d be the one mopping it all up. “I’m not playing anything. I said no, move on.”
Frankie’s expression changed from dark suspicion to pure, wide-eyed amazement. She pushed her reading glasses into her mess of curly hair and blinked slowly. “You turned down Dominic Sato? A dragon? The Red Dragon?”
Considering how long he’d fought at her gym and she organized all the fights, it wasn’t a complete surprise that she knew he was also the Red Dragon. I was mildly miffed she hadn’t confided that juicy tidbit to me at some point over the years, but I also knew all I’d had to do was ask. Except I hadn’t cared enough to know his identity before now.
“Why is this so hard for the two of you to understand?” I asked, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “I’m busy.”
Frankie let out a hoot of laughter. “Too busy with your newest book boyfriend, you mean. Which one is it this week? Viking or highlander?”
My cheeks blazed with heat, and I never wanted to crawl beneath a rock more than at that moment. Usually, I didn’t mind anyone knowing what I read or discussing the merits of romance. But usually, I wasn’t standing in front of the hottest man on the planet, one who’d just asked me out to dinner.
How did one handle this sort of situation?
Dominic turned his grin on me, appraising me from head to foot. “Wouldn’t a real-life dragon be more exciting than one in a book? I’d be happy to reenact any favorite scenes.”
I closed my eyes and groaned, ready to be swallowed up by the floor. Any moment now. Come on floor, don’t let me down. “For your information, not that it’s any of your business, but he’s a grim reaper, and I’m not?—”
“Why don’t you challenge her to a fight?” Frankie’s voice cut in.
I snapped my eyes open and stared at her. She couldn’t be serious.