“Like you?” Curiosity got the better of her. “You’re a dragon, right?”
“A water dragon, yes.” He took a large bite out of a piece of toast.
“Water dragon? There’s more than one kind?”
“Yes, several in fact. My kind is different from the Blackstone dragons, who are mountain dragons. They are perhaps what you imagine when you think of dragons—large wings, sharp claws, and they breathe fire. Our queen, Queen Sybil, is one of them and is sister to Jason, Matthew, and Luke Lennox.”
“Huh. I did remember something in the news last year about an American marrying some king of a small European nation. Do you miss home?”
A nostalgic look passed across his face. “Yes, I do, terribly. But I must complete my quest before I set foot on the Isles again. I must restore my lord’s dragon.” Pushing his empty plate away, he stood up from the kitchen counter stool. “Again, I thank you for this meal. I would be happy to clean up the dirty dishes as my share of the labor.”
Hopping off the stool, she laughed. “I hate doing dishes, so yes, please. I’m going out to the car to get my stuff now.”
She was grateful Christina thought to check her out and send her things—along with the overnight package from Darcey—saving her a trip back to the motel. Then she went in search of the laundry room to wash her dirty clothes and changed into fresh underwear and one of the dresses Darcey had sent.
As she did that, she checked her phone—still no reply from Adam—and her email and social media accounts for SLW. There were a number of interview requests from media outlets, but she ignored those. Surprisingly, she found a few nice messages from people who had discovered her website and well wishes on her marriage to Daniel.
There were also some not-so-nice ones. Though she was used to getting one or two pieces of hate mail from crazy people, she’d never received anything like this, specifically, those that called her a “shifter lover,” “human traitor,” and a bunch of other vile and disgusting names. It was a good thing Darcey didn’t have access to these accounts. Though she was tempted to reply to all of them and give them a piece of her mind, it wasn’t worth the trouble and brain cells, so all those messages were trashed and their senders blocked.
Feeling hungry sometime around one o’clock, she headed back to the kitchen and made herself a tuna sandwich. Thoralf was nowhere to be found, but she made him a couple of sandwiches in case he was hungry. There were more emails to answer, from her accountant, from the bank, and a few more orders and customer inquiries had come in. With all the busywork done, she could now get down to photographing the samples and put them up on the website.
With no extra cash to hire models, photographers, or even a website designer, Sarah did everything herself, learning how to use all the apps and programs to take and edit photos and put them up on the site. She modeled the lingerie pieces, used her phone and a tripod to photograph herself—from the neck down, of course—and a nifty app on her tablet to erase her tattoos so no one knew it was her. Thank God for photo editing apps. The last thing she needed was pictures of her in lingerie splashed all over the news.
Now, where to take the photos? Usually she used the white wall of the bedroom she shared with Darcey. There were a couple of white walls downstairs, but Thoralf might walk in on her. She didn’t even want to think about having to explain that to him. The bathroom! Yes, the shower stall was huge, and the wall should work. The white tiles would be easy enough to erase.
After setting up her tripod and tablet in the bathroom, she selected her favorite among the samples—a red sheer lace teddy embroidered with roses and a T-strap choker. There were also matching garters and stockings which completed the look. She took a few test shots to adjust the settings and the positioning of the camera before she proceeded.
Modeling her creations was her least favorite part of the process, and she vowed that once she could afford it, she’d hire professionals to do this part. It took a long time because she had to take hundreds of shots before she could narrow it all down to about half a dozen or so that would be featured on each product page. As the timer on her tablet clicked away, she bent back with her hip cocked, stretching out her torso to elongate her body and show off the design.
“Sarah? Are you in here?”
The familiar masculine voice sent a jolt through her, which was unfortunate timing giving her current position. She yelped out as she started falling back, so she extended her arm. Grasping for anything that could prevent her fall, her fingers gripped the tap and twisted it, and a cold blast of water burst from the shower head.
“Motherfucker!” She steadied herself before she did fall, but the water continued to spray at her, blinding her. Her hands found the tap, thankfully, and turned it off. “Damn it!” She was soaking wet. “Goddamm—oh shit.”
The door had burst open, and Daniel careened into the bathroom. “Sarah! Are you hurt? Is—” He stopped short, his jaw dropping as his eyes landed on the camera set up—and her.
Kill me now. “I can explain.” Warmth crept up her … well, everywhere. “T-this isn’t what you think it is.” Oh God, I’m in trouble. Daniel probably thought she was a cam girl or worse, that she was using his home to turn her tricks.
A spark of something lit
