He shrugged one shoulder.
The silent movement annoyed her.Smacking her hands on her waist, she popped a hip out.“What do you do when you want something to eat, just radio a gorgeous Drahkelle like Chumana to come feed you?”
“Jealous.”
“Ah!What?...No.”Her fingers dug deep into her waist trying to keep her heart from pumping the green-eyed monster poison through her veins.
He pushed away from the counter and walked toward her.“It's okay to be possessive.But however I got food and whoever fed me is in my past, little lure.”
There was again the varied inflection of her nickname, like Liekki purposely saying she was tempting or enticing him in some way.The last thing she believed was that she had any level of allure to a man who could have his pick of any of the attractive available women in a stone's throw of any direction around him.
“I don’t know you well enough to be jealous.”She went to the refrigerator and removed the juice pitcher to get out of his space.Then she opened up one cabinet after another, all surprisingly fully stocked with dishes, until she located a glass.
She poured herself something to drink, purposely taking the last of the juice and taking it to the brim.Setting down the pitcher on the counter, she turned to face Liekki as she raised the glass to her mouth and drank deeply until over half the juice was gone.
The juice was sweet and refreshing, a complex flavor she couldn’t place with her limited knowledge of fruit.She’d had canned fruit cocktail when she was younger and was introduced to a few fresh fruits since she’d been here, but she was still too much of a novice to decipher what she was drinking.
His sexy, perfectly shaped mouth tilted in a cocky smile.“There is one quick way to know me.”
Avalore may have been a neophyte regarding food, but she wasn’t stupid.She comprehended his wicked suggestion.
Hell, she wasn’t even sure if he was teasing or serious, but wouldn’t entertain the idea.Well, she couldn’t control what her beguiled mind would do.But she could control her actions.
She slammed the glass onto the marble top of the island, wincing when she realized she could have broken it.“Oh, no, my dragon-man friend, I’m not having sex with you.”
“I was talking about spending time with me.”Violet flames danced in his eyes, just a hint darker than the color of his irises.
Avalore raised both her brows at him, folding her arms.No damn way was he going to try and make it appear that she had gotten the wrong impression like some sex-starved woman.
Well...No!
“Sorry, Liekki.I don’t seem to have time on my tight schedule to make new overbearing, sexy, male friends.”She tossed him a smile and started to blow past him.
He took a sidestep and he blocked her path.“We'll get back to you finding me irresistibly sexy later.”
“I didn’t say sexy—” She huffed as her slip came back to her mind.“Irresistible.”
Instead of contradicting her, he asked, “Why not?”
She made to go around his bulk again.“Because it’s in my DNA not to find cocky, arrogant men attractive—”
Avalore barely stopped herself from running into the wall of his chest when he blocked her again.
“Doubtful,” he grunted.“But I was referring to time?”
Grumbling in frustration at the actions of the insufferable man, she yelled, “Simple.I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“The fuck you are,” he growled low and textured.
“Yes I am.”She stamped her foot.“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Yes.I.can.”He punctuated his words with each one of his gigantic steps as he moved forward.
She had to scuttle back or be knocked down.
Even with her back pressed to the pantry door, Avalore refused to back down before the brute.“For your information, Liekki, I left my father on the other side of the wall....I’m not looking for another.”
He set his palms against the door, caging her in.Dark, cinnamon-whiskey aged in a honey-coated barrel filled her nose to the point she could taste it.Taste him.
