The door to the bathroom creaked open.
Alex froze as Terra stepped out and laid his pile of clothing on the corner of the bed. Now was his chance to apologize and explain himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He hadn’t looked at her when she had extracted herself from his arms this morning. Wow! What a sight he had missed. He must have made some kind of sound because she stood there staring at him like she was expecting him to say something, but he couldn’t get two brain cells to bump into each other. She was stunning, standing there in that rumpled shirt and mussed-up hair. Absolutely beautiful!
Silence filled the room as he just sat there, staring at her.
Finally, she just shook her head and turned back to the shower waiting for her.
Letting out another long sigh, he dropped himself back to the bed. Blew it again. Dragging his sorry carcass from the bed, he went to the pile of clothing she had brought out. He was so screwed. There was no way for him to win, and he knew it. Fighting with his desire was making them both miserable, but giving in could also make them both miserable. There was no good choice either way. Well crap.
Alex pulled on his clothing and hated the way it felt against his skin. Even though the shirt was soft, it itched beyond belief. A quick flicker from his dragon told him why. He was brooding, and things wouldn’t get any better for him.
Pissed at himself, he yanked open the small fridge and pulled out what was left of the pizza. Maybe something in his stomach would help settle his mood. He stared at the four slices left and couldn’t bring himself to take one. He could have eaten all four and still been hungry, but that would mean Terra wouldn’t get any. He warred with himself for a moment before dropping the box on the bed with the food untouched. His dragon side was too strong. The needs of a potential mate came first. In everything.
Irritated, he went over and dropped himself in the chair to wait for her to come out.
That was the worst shower ever! Terra ran the towel over her hair once again before folding it and hanging it over the towel bar. The actual shower hadn’t been that bad, but it was the subject matter she couldn’t get out of her mind that bothered her. When she had taken the dragon man’s clothing out to him, he hadn’t even thanked her. Just lay there on the bed, staring at her with those gorgeous eyes—eyes that held a hunger that had melted her to the core. Had he said something, anything, she would have forgiven him for everything and fallen into his arms. But he hadn’t said squat.
Jamming her things into her plastic shopping bag, she scooped it up and headed out to face him. It took everything she had to muster up the courage to open the door. Why did he have such a profound effect on her?
The air in the room was still, and for a moment, Terra thought he had left. Her eyes found him lounging in the chair, watching her. Even from there, she could tell his muscles were tense. She paused in the small entryway and stared at him.
After a moment, he nodded towards the bed. “Eat.” The word was not a suggestion.
Terra glanced down at the open pizza box. The four slices of pizza from last night were there, waiting for her. She looked back at him. The expectant look in his eyes irritated her.
“I’m not hungry.”
She turned her nose up at the open box and moved to put her stuff down on the small desk. Terra watched out of the corner of her eye as the effects of her words hit him. He actually bristled with rage. What the hell did he have to be angry about? She listened to him draw in a few deep breaths before standing up. Tension ran through her muscles as she prepared to defend herself. She had learned her lesson once with angry men, and she was not about to let another beat on her without a fight.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you.” His words were much more cordial than before, but they were still a bit clipped. “We have a long day ahead of us. Won’t you please have something to eat?”
Well, that was somewhat better. Terra considered him and his suggestion as some of the tension eased from her. Cold pizza didn’t sound like a very appetizing breakfast. “I’d rather not.”
She turned away from him to gather the rest of her things from the sink but kept an ear open, listening for his reaction. She had seen this cycle before. It was when she and Derrick had first gotten together. He would get upset by something she’d done and try to calm down before exploding at her. Terra held her breath, waiting for the rush of anger from the dragon man.
His response surprised her. He laughed. Turning back, she looked at him, confused by his reaction. He stood there smiling like he was the happiest man on earth. Or an idiot.
“Then would you care to go down and see what they’re offering as the complementary continental breakfast?”
Who was this man, and what had he done with the angry one she had just turned her back on? Wow! He went up and down faster than a high-bounce rubber ball in a steel room. She considered his offer for a moment before answering. A continental breakfast sounded much better than cold pizza. “Yes.”
“As my lady wishes.”
Terra stared at him, dumbfounded, as he gathered up their things in record time and went to get the door for her. She stood there, shocked by his actions. She hadn’t brushed her teeth or her hair. Hell, she didn’t even have her shoes on. A quick glance around showed that he had those in his hand, too.
Irked, she went over and took her things from him, then turned back into the room. “Give me a minute.” She dropped her bag on the bed and pulled out her brush and socks, glaring at him when he had the audacity to chuckle.
“My apologies,” he said as he let the door swing shut, closing off the outside world. “I guess I’m just a little messed up this morning.”
Terra glared at him more as she sat on the bed and pulled her socks on. “A little?”
This brought another laugh from him. “Maybe more than a little.”
Nodding, she slipped her feet in her shoes and ran the brush through her damp hair as she considered the man patiently waiting for her. In the matter of a few minutes, he had gone through a whole spectrum of emotions. Maybe he had hit his head harder than she’d thought.
Once her hair was straight, she dropped the brush in the bag and picked it up. Turning to him, she considered him again. “How are you today?”
A smile spread across his face. “I’m up and down right now, but I’m all right.”
Yeah, up and down like a yo-yo. Terra watched him closely for a moment more before heading over to the door. “Let’s go.”
He opened the door and let her lead the way into the hall.
There was something strange going on with her mystery man, and it wasn’t just the fact that he had lost his memory. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he swung his bags merrily. He even hummed a bit off tune. When they got to the elevators, he stepped up and pressed the button before she could reach it. She turned to look at him fully. For some reason, he looked way too happy.
“Where’s the pizza?” she asked when she noticed the missing box.
“It didn’t please you, so I left it.”
“What?” she asked, shocked. He didn’t just say that, did he?
“I left it,” he said again, “but it doesn’t matter. We’re on our way to get breakfast.”
Terra stood with her mouth open. Had he really said that he’d left it because it didn’t please her? What the hell?