Page 20 of The Dragon in the Corner Office (Monstrous New York #1)

Chapter 20

L ater in the evening, we sit around the kitchen table, enjoying Maggie’s cooking. Living on my own for most of my life, I’m not used to home-cooked meals like this. I nearly moan as I chew another bite of roast beef and mashed potatoes. This might be my new comfort food.

“This is really delicious, Maggie. Thank you for cooking.” In my lap, my fingers twist in the cloth napkin. All day, Maggie has been nothing but kind and gracious, something I’m not entirely used to.

Maggie smiles. “You’re welcome. We’re happy to finally meet you. Cyrus has told me so much about you; I feel like I already know you.”

My head whips to my right, toward Cyrus. He told his sister-in-law about me? Those all too familiar dragonflies break free from their cage again, swarming my tummy.

“All good things, I hope,” I say, eyes glued to Cyrus, waiting for a clue as to what he’s told Maggie. Right on cue, the tips of his ears redden to match his sculpted cheeks.

He clears his throat, but Maggie speaks first, putting him out of his misery. “Nothing bad. Don’t worry.” She winks before taking another bite of her food.

A tug at the left sleeve of my sweater has me looking down. Lily’s hand is clutched in the soft material. “I really like your shirt. And your boots. You’re really pretty.”

My cheeks heat. It’s not that I’m not used to being complimented, but it doesn’t usually come from a small child. So I’m not entirely sure how to respond. “Um, thank you, Lily. That’s very nice of you. I really like your… leggings.”

Her eyes nearly double in size, the green in her irises shining bright. “You do?”

I nod, eyes skimming over the vibrant print encasing her legs. “I love rainbows, especially the purples and blues.”

“Rainbows are my favorite, too.” One of her front teeth is missing, making her smile even more endearing and adorable. “Momma said you’re a dragon! Like in my books? Can you fly? And breathe fire? Can I see?” She bounces in her seat .

“Liliana Marie!” Maggie’s raised voice comes from across the table, and both Lily and I turn toward her.

“What?” Lily whines.

“You can’t go around asking people personal questions like that.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” I say, hoping to deescalate the situation. “I don’t mind. Dragons are rare, so most people don’t know much about them.”

Maggie picks up her fork again. “As long as you don’t mind. Lily doesn’t really have a filter yet, so she likes to ask inappropriate questions a lot. We’re working on it. Right, Lily Bug?”

“Right, Momma!” Smile back in place, it’s like she was never scolded. Peeking over at me beneath her thick lashes, she lowers her voice. “So can you fly?”

I burst out laughing. Lily might be my favorite, too. “Yes, I can fly.”

“What does your dragon look like? Can I draw you?”

“Lily!” Maggie scolds again.

“Sorry, Momma.” Turning to me, she says, “Sorry, Antoinette.”

“It’s okay. And you can call me Annie.” I smile, patting her leg. “How about I give you a little Dragon 101?” I offer, folding my napkin and placing it on the table next to my plate.

Lily’s eyebrows scrunch. “What does that mean?”

I hum, forgetting she’s only five and doesn’t understand everything. How can I explain things in her terms? “Are you in school?”

Her head bobbles with a nod. “Yeah! I love school!”

I smile. “Okay. So, like in school, you have math lessons or reading lessons. Well, how about I give you a quick lesson on dragons?”

“Okay!” Sea glass-green eyes light up, dinner totally forgotten.

Across from me, Maggie is smiling, eyebrows raised expectantly. And Cyrus’s gaze shimmers with an emotion I’m not ready to face yet, like he can see me fitting in with his family for years to come.

Ignoring the cocktail of hope, fear, and love churning in my gut, I focus back on Lily and something I can control—teaching her the facts about dragons. “Okay, Miss Lily. Get ready to learn about dragons.”

She squeals, and I launch into the basics of shifting, flying, and breathing fire. All the while, Cyrus’s cerulean eyes nearly melt my skin with how intently he’s watching me.

I think I’m out of my depth, and I don’t know whether to dive in headfirst or run for the hills.

My heart is screaming, telling me to take the risk and fall, let Cyrus catch me with open arms.

But my head is telling me it’s too soon.

It’s too much .

He hurt me before. He could do it again.

T he plate rattles against the drying rack when I set it down. Turning off the water, I wipe my hands on the dish towel next to the sink.

“You didn’t have to do the dishes.” The deep voice rumbles in my ear and my skin erupts with tingles as his lips brush the shell.

Leaning against the hard wall of his body, I let Cyrus’s dark vanilla scent wrap around me while he hugs me close. Warm hands rest against the curve of my stomach, where it presses against the denim of my jeans. “I felt bad since Maggie cooked. It’s the least I can do to help out.” A breathy moan works its way up my throat when Cyrus brushes his lips against the side of my neck.

Sobering, I spin to face him, bracing my butt against the counter. As I swallow, my tongue is like sandpaper stuck against the roof of my mouth. “Do you think they like me?” I wince at how needy my voice is.

I’m not this person.

Usually, I don’t give a flying fuck what others think of me.

But I’m starting to realize, Cyrus is important to me, so it’s important that Maggie and Lily like me.

The wry smile melts off his handsome face, and he pulls me against his chest. I relish the steady drumbeat of his heart and the soothing warmth radiating from him. “Are you kidding, princess? Maggie loves you. And I think you’re Lily’s new role model. Before bed, she told me she wants to be a dragon when she grows up.”

Foreign wetness coats the rims of my eyes. I sniffle, subtly rubbing my face against the worn fabric of his gray t-shirt before I pull back. Cyrus cups my cheek, thumb stroking under my eye and wiping away any stray moisture.

“She’s amazing,” I say, running my hands over his chest until they meet at the back of his neck. “If I was going to have kids, I’d want them to be just like Lily. So much enthusiasm for life packed into an adorable little package.”

Before my eyes, his face morphs into a wry smile. “Finally, something we agree on, princess. I don’t see myself ever having kids of my own. Lily is all I need. She’s what kept me going after my brother died.” His voice lowers, serious and somber.

Reaching a hand up, I cup his strong jaw, the stubble rough against my palm. In a low whisper, I ask, “Will you tell me about him?” I hold my breath, hoping he’ll let me in.

Sadness flickers across his face. Gripping my hands, he pulls me toward the back door. “Yeah, but not here. Let’s go for a walk. The orchard is magical this time of day.”

T he brisk fall air ruffles my hair as we walk through the rows of apple trees. Tugging my trench coat tighter around me, I try to stave off the biting evening chill. Even for a hot-blooded dragon shifter like myself, the October breeze has goosebumps rising on my arms.

But Cyrus is there, anticipating my every need. His fingers lace through mine, heat radiating up my arm from our joined hands.

A hint of sweetness wafts through the air, evidence of the remaining apples weighing down the branches of the trees surrounding us. Yellow and red leaves flutter to the ground with each gust of wind, and I bundle closer to Cyrus.

We walk in silence for a bit. His mind is probably racing from our earlier conversation in the kitchen. I don’t know the whole story yet, or the level of grief he’s dealing with, so I let the silence hang between us until he’s ready.

Once we’ve been walking for a few minutes, he blows out a sigh. The hand clutching mine is slightly clammy, so I give his fingers a reassuring squeeze.

“I had a brother,” he rasps, the words almost lost to the wind.

Had. Past tense. An invisible fist clenches around my heart, nausea looming close behind.

The sun sinks behind the treetops, casting a golden glow on Cyrus’s profile. “He was my shadow growing up. Wherever I went, Roman went, too. When I started playing football, so did Roman.” The blue in his eyes is like an ocean, crashing with waves of grief. His lips pull into a watery smile. “He was three years younger than me, and we were inseparable. Then he met Maggie, and it became the three of us against the world. When I graduated college and started working in the city, we drifted apart. Something I’ll regret for the rest of my life.”

This time, I squeeze his hand for my own comfort, swallowing over a dry spot in my throat. “What happened to him?”

“This place was his dream.” Moisture shines in his eyes. Letting go of my hand, he spins in a circle, taking in the trees around us. “Roman never wanted to be a city slicker like me. No. He preferred the quieter life out here. He’d bought this place for a steal when they found out Mags was pregnant with Lily. He was so excited to spend his life out in the fresh air and sunshine.” He’s smiling, but it doesn’t meet his eyes, and his voice wobbles when he continues. “A few years ago, at the start of harvest season, Roman said goodbye to Maggie and Lily in the morning, going out for his routine check on the workers and the trees, but he never came home. One of the workers found him.” The thick muscles in his neck constrict when he swallows. “He died of a brain aneurysm that we never even knew was there.”

Some instinct deep in me takes over, and I collide with Cyrus, wrapping my arms around him in a suffocating embrace. My eyes well with tears, and I choke out, “I’m so sorry, Cyrus. You don’t have to keep going if it’s too much. I understand.”

The rough skin of his thumb scrapes along my jaw before tipping my chin up to meet his somber gaze. He shakes his head, bending to rest his forehead against mine. “I want you to know everything about me, Antoinette. Just like I want to know everything about you. The good and the bad. I want you to know it all.” A single tear cascades down his cheek, glittering in the fading sunlight. “We lost Roman four years ago, and it was the most painful thing I’ve been through besides losing my parents when I was in college. I’ve healed a lot over the past few years, but there are days I pick up the phone to call him and remember… I can’t. It fucking hurts my heart.” He clutches the fabric of his t-shirt where it rests over his heart. “But I still have Lily and Maggie, so I focus on them. Helping them fix up the house. Spending every birthday and holiday with them.”

Sniffling, I brush away another tear from his cheek. “I can’t imagine losing a sibling, let alone one you were so close to. I’m so sorry, Cyrus. Thank you for sharing your pain with me. I know I don’t deserve it— ”

His grip on my chin tightens until a zing of pain hits my nerve endings. “Why the fuck would you think you don’t deserve it?” The command in his voice has me biting back a whimper that threatens to claw its way up my throat.

Peering up beneath my lashes, I whisper, “Because I hated you. Because I misjudged you.”

In a hypnotic rhythm, his thumb strokes over my windblown cheek, warming the skin. “I thought we already straightened this mess out. I don’t give a rat’s ass that you hated me in the past. We both made mistakes. It’s over and done, okay?”

I nod.

“You deserve to be here. You deserve to be touched and cared for and…” he trails off, eyes shutting when he clears his throat. And what?

When his eyes open again, they’re burning fiercely, like the most extravagant sapphires. “Let’s get one thing straight—I’m not in the habit of doing things I don’t want. And I want you here, princess.”

This time, when I shiver, it’s not from the cold but from the possessiveness flaring in those beautiful eyes.

The gravel in his voice coats my skin, landing right between my thighs. How did we go from heartfelt and bone-deep to horny and feral in the blink of an eye?

Before I find the answer, his lips land on mine with a guttural groan that vibrates through my whole body.

I melt against him .

As his lips tangle with mine, my dragon roars to the surface and my skin heats.

Suddenly, my thin trench coat is too much and sweat beads down my back. I need to shift. I need to chase. I need to fuck him.

Now!

“Run,” I order against his lips.

Wide eyed, he breaks the kiss. “What?”

“Run. I need you to run for me, Cyrus. Will you be a good boy and let me chase you?”

It’s second nature for a dragon to hunt its prey, but it’s something I’ve never let myself indulge in.

Like I’ve been waiting for the right prey. And Cyrus Wilcox is the perfect little lamb to chase through the woods.

Tonight, under the rising autumn moon, I yearn to let my dragon have a little fun.

Stroking his face, I reassure him. “I won’t hurt you. I promise. In fact, I think you’ll rather enjoy being caught.” I wink, the gesture full of filthy promise.

Full lips tilt into a wicked smile, and he backs away from me, hands raised. “Whatever you say, princess. Why don’t you give me a head start?”

Then he disappears into the rows of apple trees.