Her mouth dropped open, but nothing came out. All he could do was stare down at her lips as his heart beat madly in his chest. God, he wanted to just kiss her senseless right now. Right here in the hallway, then carry her up to his bed and finish what they’d started yesterday.
Someone clearing their throat, however, made him drop his hands to his sides. “Excuse me,” Thoralf said. “I hate to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting.” Sarah smoothed her hands down her front.
Annoyed, he turned to the other man. “What is it?”
“Will you be needing me to accompany you on your hike?” he asked. “If you wish, I could fly overhead and remained Cloaked and out of sight.”
“No, Adam and I will be fine.”
“All right then, I shall stay here with Sarah.”
“Actually,” he began, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you go out and do something? Explore the town. You can’t stay in the house the whole day.” While his grizzly was not fine with leaving Sarah with another male, Daniel knew Thoralf was trustworthy and would protect her. “Sarah? What do you think?’
“I don’t know.” She worried at her lip. “There’s nothing I can think of that I want to do. I’m not much of a shopper, nor am I the type to sit and read at a cafe all day.”
“What do you like to do to relax then?"
Her forehead wrinkled. “Sleep. And maybe do some yoga.”
“You’re in luck then,” he said. “There’s a new fitness studio in town, and I happen to know the owner.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. The place is called Blackstone Bodyworx. Thoralf can go with you.”
“I’ll accompany her and make sure she is well protected,” the dragon shifter said.
“Great, I’ll give Anna Victoria a call now, and she’ll book you into a class.”
“What? No, you can’t—”
On impulse, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Yes, I can.” That seemed to stun her into silence. “I need to get ready, okay? So, go, have a relaxing day, and we can meet at Rosie’s at seven.” He didn’t bother to wait for her to protest and left her in the hallway as he sprinted up the steps. A hike should help distract him, plus, it’ll help him get to know Adam better and give Sarah some breathing room.
It was obvious she had very little time to spoil herself, having to raise two siblings on her own the last couple of years. That was going to change. At least it would once they were mated and bonded. Can’t forget that. With all the craziness of the last two days, he’d almost neglected his real focus. Winning her over would be tough seeing as they wouldn’t have any alone time, but he was determined to keep Sarah and, fake marriage be damned, make her his, permanently.
Chapter Nine
Sarah stared up at the neon-lit sign above the double glass doors that said “Blackstone Bodyworx.” The studio’s green and blue logo featured a stylized scribble of three human figures that formed the shape of a mountain range.
“This is the exercise studio Daniel recommended?” Thoralf said.
“Looks like it.”
“Hmm.” He rubbed his thumb and forefinger on his beard.
“What’s wrong, Thoralf?”
“There are too many people around.” Glancing around, his eyebrows furrowed together. “It is a challenge to assess the dangers and find an exit should things go wrong.”
The Blackstone Bodyworx studio was located along a row of shops in the trendy shopping and entertainment district of South Blackstone. It was a busy Saturday afternoon, so the place was packed. Had she known it was going to be this crowded, she would have gone earlier instead of finishing up her work for the day and leaving later in the afternoon. But she had to finish photographing the new collection, editing the photos, and put them up on the website. By the time she was done, it was already past four o’clock in the afternoon.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” she said.
“Also, people are staring at us wherever we go. Perhaps they recognize you? I doubt The Knights would be so bold.” Two women walked by them, their heads turned to rubberneck as they passed. Their eyes were so fixed on Thoralf that they didn’t see the bench in their way, and one of them smacked into it, sending her tumbling over.
Sarah suppressed a laugh, doubting that she was the reason the two women were looking at them. At nearly seven feet in height, Thoralf demanded attention, but his broad shoulders, muscled chest, and handsome looks made him more than stand out. “I don’t think it’s me.”
“I should have remained Cloaked.” Thoralf had explained to her that dragons like him had the ability to turn invisible in both human and dragon form.
“I told you, that would be weird.” And unnerving, too, as she imagined walking around town with an invisible protector looking over her shoulder. “Anyway, let’s go inside, shall we?”
She pushed the door open and strode inside, Thoralf right behind her. The waiting area by the entrance was airy and well-lit. The exposed brick and air ducts gave it an industrial modern feel that went well with the rest of the building, but the cozy couches, plants, and stacks of fitness books and magazines gave it a welcoming atmosphere. On the other side of the room was a counter where two women stood, chatting in low voices. The one behind the counter wore athletic attire, her blonde hair pulled up in a sleek ponytail. The woman on the other side wore a loose shirt and shorts, her messy mop of flaxen hair half-hidden under a trucker hat.
“… I swear, I tried to get her to come,” trucker hat said. “But I think she’s still feeling guilty about letting you down.”
Blondie sighed. “Really? The wedding was three months ago. And she didn’t let me down,
