It was small and modern, with a table for two against the far wall. She barely noticed the counters or floors. No, she studiedMax, who was humming a tune, as he turned over bacon in the pan in front of him.
Even only glancing at his profile, she noted how different he looked when relaxed and not trying to best her to some clue or site.
A faint smile curved his lips, with no tension she could see around his eyes or mouth.
He looked like a sexy, relaxed human singing off-key.
And all of a sudden, she felt shy. Maybe she didn't really know this male at all.
Max stopped singing and said, "It'll be just a minute. Do you want tea or coffee?"
"Coffee, please."
He turned toward her, laughter dancing in his eyes. "I never thought I'd hear please from you. Well, outside the frenzy, of course."
She had vague memories of begging him to make her come, and her body heated. "I can call you a dickhead instead, if you like."
He grinned, and bloody hell, her heart skipped a beat. "Maybe we can try for a middle ground? Call me Max."
She nodded and sat at the table. Doing her best to keep her legs from bouncing, she decided to test what Max would reveal to her. "Are you ever going to tell me where you learned all the spy-like stuff you've done over the years?"
For a second, he remained quiet. And the small flicker of hope that maybe they could be normal together? It died. If he couldn't be honest with this, she'd never trust him.
Then he motioned toward the table. "Let me get breakfast dished out, and I'll tell you what I can."
He turned his back, and Lavinia rubbed her upper thighs with her hands. Her dragon spoke up.See? He might be a better male than you give him credit for.
Don't get ahead of yourself, dragon. He's lied before, so he might do it again.
We'll see.
And so she waited. Lavinia had become rather skilled at spotting lies over the years. It helped to prevent her rivals from easily misleading and beating her.
While it might seem overkill to second guess everything, she would use every trick and skill she possessed to determine if Max Holbrook was worth her time, let alone her future.
Max had sensedthe second Lavinia entered the kitchen but pretended as if he didn't know she was there.
He wasn't putting on an act but rather enjoyed singing as he cooked. He often did karaoke as his idiot persona, but secretly he loved to sing, even if he was rubbish at it.
Unable to ignore her any longer, he chatted briefly with Lavinia until the inevitable questions about his unique skills came up.
Part of him instantly recoiled at sharing those secrets. In the past, he'd only ever been able to discuss them with his brother.
However, he and Lavinia would have a child together. If he owed anyone some truths, it should be her.
Especially if he ever wanted to claim the dragonwoman as his wife.
After dishing out the food and placing both coffee and a heaping plate in front of Lavinia, he retrieved his own and sat across from her. "I hope you're not one of those no breakfast people. Sometimes I forget to eat lunch, especially if I'm off to find some clue or site, and so I usually eat loads in the morning."
Lavinia smiled. "No, if anything, food has always been my problem."
He frowned. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
But as she picked and barely ate anything, Max growled. "Eat if you're hungry, Lavinia. We're supposed to be honest, and that includes our habits."
She raised an eyebrow. "So does that mean you're going to share where you learned to sneak around, shoot slingshots with deadly precision, and all that other stuff?"