The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines

Chapter Seven – Larisa

“Something smells good.” Larisa came into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her head, wearing one of his T-shirts. After spending time with Valerie, they’d gone back to Ivan’s apartment. He’d offered to make dinner while she took a shower and freshened up.

Ivan glanced down at the steaks sizzling in the pan. They weren’t the only hot thing in the kitchen. She smothered a smile, happy the dragon shifter couldn’t read her thoughts. She’d never been so attracted to a man before and kept reminding herself that was the mating bond talking.

Larisa didn’t like being manipulated, she never had. Just because this was some unseen supernatural force didn’t mean she had to give into it without question.

She’d have to filter her thoughts to try to figure out if there was a genuine attraction between them or if the bond was controlling her.

“It’s nearly ready. Do you want to grab some plates? They’re in the cupboard next to the sink.” Ivan focused on the food. The kitchen was obviously his domain and she suspected he wanted to show Larisa just how good a cook he was.

If the smell of the food was an indication of the taste, she’d happily let him rule the kitchen forevermore. No wonder he was the head chef at the hotel.

“Here?” She placed her hand on the cupboard door.

“That’s the one.” He watched over his shoulder, and she stretched up and opened the cupboard, the robe pulling apart to reveal the swell of her breasts. Larisa resisted the temptation to tug the robe back together. He was welcome to look.

But touching? Was that too early in their relationship?

She’d never been into one-night stands. Larisa preferred to get to know a man before she went further than a chaste peck on the cheek. If a man didn’t like it then he wasn’t the man for her.

Ivan was different. If she believed in the mating bond then she didn’t have to question whether he would still be around in a day, a week, or a month. He’d be there forever.

If that’s what she wanted.

“Shall I put them on the counter or the table?” She held one plate in each hand and waved them as if they were fans. Or maybe she should go back to the shower and turn the temperature down before spraying it over her head. “Ivan.” Larisa held up the plates, a questioning expression on her face.

He was staring at her rather than focusing on the food. Flattering.

“On the table.” He switched his attention back to the stovetop, “If we were at the hotel restaurant, I’d plate up on the counter and then transfer the plates to a restaurant table when I was happy with the look of the dish. Food isn’t just about the scent or the taste, it is also about the look. As a chef, my goal is to excite all the senses.”

He certainly excited Larisa’s senses. Each and every one.

Larisa placed the plates down and then sidled up next to him. Leaning forward, her wet hair draped across his hand, and he inhaled sharply. She’d gotten his attention.

“The steaks will burn.” An amused smile caused her mouth to curl up in the corners and her eyes twinkled with humor as she twisted her body so that she faced him.

Ivan swallowed hard and grabbed the pan handle, shaking the sizzling steaks before switching off the heat. “Perfect.” He locked eyes with her and winked.

“Perfect.” Once they’d gotten back to Ivan’s apartment, Larisa had relaxed. She’d gotten used to compartmentalizing her thoughts. It was exhausting to live in a constant fight-or-flight mode, and she’d taught herself to let go of the stresses of the day.

They would still be there in the morning.

“So, tell me about yourself.” Ivan plated the food and then went to the fridge for a bottle of wine.

“There’s not much to tell.” She went to the cupboard where she’d spotted the wine glasses when she got the plates.

“Not much.” He grabbed a corkscrew from the drawer and expertly opened the bottle before pouring the wine. “There has to be something.”

“I have spent most of my life working dead-end jobs to scrape together enough money to follow the trail of dragon shifters.” Her shoulders slumped as she sat down across the table from him. “Not exactly a great career choice. Or a great life choice when you think about it.”

Ivan sat down and placed his elbows on the table as he studied her. “Finding out who this dragon shifter was meant that much to you?”

She nodded, her appetite evaporating despite the incredible aroma of the food. “My dad raised us. He put his life on hold for us. Sometimes I look at him and think his life has been permanently on hold for decades.”

“And you figured you owed him.” Ivan sipped his wine before he picked up his knife and fork.

“I don’t know if I’d say it like that. I never consciously thought that I’d sacrifice my life because I thought I owed him for what he did for us. That’s not how it works.” She was on the defensive, which was unfair. Ivan was right. She had figured she owed her dad for raising them.

When Simon decided to pursue a career, Larisa had made a decision. Her brother would get a career and help others while she spent her life searching for the dragon shifter. At least one of them could have a normal life and she loved her brother enough to make the sacrifice.

Not that he’d wound up with a normal life. After Angela dumped him, he never moved on.

“I know how you feel.” Ivan cut up his steak. “When I decided to become a chef, I had dreams of owning my own restaurant. But I stayed at the hotel out of a sense of loyalty to Valerie.”

“Is that still your dream?”

“To own my own restaurant?” Ivan shook his head and then pointed at her plate. “Eat, please.”

“Yes. Do you think you’ll ever leave the hotel?” She cut her steak into pieces as she phrased her next question as tactfully as possible. “There are a lot more opportunities for a man with your culinary skills outside of Wishing Moon Bay.”

“That’s a loaded question.” Ivan skewered a piece of steak but didn’t eat it.

“I’m curious if you’ve ever thought about leaving this town. Few people I know stay in the same place their whole life.”

“How many dragon shifters have you met?” His jaw tensed.

“I see, you stay because you’re safe here.” Larisa picked up her wine glass and took a large gulp.

“That doesn’t mean I won’t leave. If it’s what you want.” He was serious. If she was talking to any other person, she might think he was telling her what she wanted to hear. But Ivan was being completely honest. He would give it all up for her. His career, his safety.

“But if we had children...” She carefully placed her wine glass down on the table, hoping he didn’t notice the way her hand shook, making the wine slosh around in the glass.

“If we have children, they would be safer here,” he finished.

“Then that answered the question. There’s no reason to debate it.” She stuck her fork in her steak and took her first taste of his food. Her eyes rolled up inside her head. “Oh, my!”

“Good for a chef from a backwater town?”

She pointed her fork at him. “I never said that.”

“I know, I just like to bait you.”

“What are you, my brother?” She laughed. “Ah, you have five brothers, so you are well trained in being baited, I’m sure.”

“Except you are definitely not my brother.”

“No, I’m not.” She ate more food, falling silent for a moment as she tried the potatoes and salad. “The world beyond has no idea what it’s missing.”

“That’s a compliment I’ll accept.” He picked up his wine glass. “As to the other part of your question, whether I still want my restaurant, the answer is no. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

“Why?”

“Valerie extended the restaurant and made her apartment smaller to accommodate the extra tables. She put her faith in me when she could have added more rooms to the hotel. For me to leave her would be...disloyal.”

“You’re afraid to upset her.”

Ivan shook his head. “No, she’d understand. She’d probably help me in any way she could. But it wouldn’t feel right. And my work is all about making people happy.”

“With food.” Larisa glanced down at her empty plate. “You made the right career choice. That was the best meal I’ve ever had.”

Ivan stood up and cleared the empty plates. “That was nothing. Wait until you taste some of my more adventurous dishes.”

“I like plain cooking.” She coughed as she sipped her wine. “I wasn’t implying that it was plain.”

“I know what you meant.” He ran the hot water into the sink. “And I am very confident in my cooking. If you told me you hated it, I wouldn’t believe you. Or I’d think you were lying. Or just plain crazy. Or that you had bad taste.”

“Even though I’m your mate?” She grabbed a dishtowel and started drying the plates as he washed them and put them on the drainer.

“Just because you are my mate doesn’t mean you know everything. Especially when it comes to food.” He pointed at himself. “Not compared to me at least.”

“Ah, there’s the good old dragon conceit that my father told me about.”

Ivan’s hands hovered over the sink of hot water. “Was my father conceited?” he asked quietly, not raising his eyes from the dishes.

“My dad loved your dad. I think my dad would probably say it was more like overconfidence than conceit.” She carefully placed the dry dishes on the counter. “He was a good man from what my dad told me.”

“What else did he tell you about my father?”

“Didn’t you talk to my dad already?” Larisa asked.

“I did. But I didn’t know if he was holding back or being polite.” Ivan washed the last of the plates and reached for the pans. “Like he didn’t want to say anything bad about my dad in case he upset me.”

“Do you blame him?”

“No, but I’d like to know the truth. I’d like to know all of it. Then I can build up a better picture of him.” He rinsed the pan. “And my mom. He never really spoke about her.”

“He never told me much about your mom. Or you. I think your father kept those parts of his life separate. Perhaps to protect you and your mom.” She swallowed down the lump of emotion that formed in her throat, cutting off her words.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Ivan ducked his head, studying her face. “It was tactless of me since you didn’t know your mom either.”

“I’m okay.” She closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. “Most of the time I never think about it. But meeting Valerie today, seeing how much she loves you. How proud she is of you.”

“And you wonder how different life would have been if your mom had been there for you. For your dad.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know what we need?” Ivan went to the fridge and opened the door. “Cheesecake.”

“You made dessert, too?” She dried her hands and hung the towel up. “I’m impressed.”

“Come on, let’s go sit on the sofa.”

“You don’t have rules about not eating your delicious food at the table?”

“Nope. Food is to be enjoyed anywhere.” He moved sideways and stared out of the window. “And after we’ve eaten, let’s go make a wish.”

“This is turning out to be one of the best first dates I’ve ever been on,” she joked.

“If you sweet talk me like that, I might even let you see my dragon,” he teased.

“Can I ride on your back if I talk even sweeter?” Larisa followed him into the living room.

“For you, anything.” He sat down on the sofa and placed the dessert on a low coffee table.

“You can’t write me a blank check.” Larisa sat down next to him. “It’s not fair to either of us.”

He placed his hand on his thigh and turned to face her. “A shifter will do whatever it takes to make their mate happy.”

“But that’s not fair on you,” she insisted. “And I don’t want to be in a relationship where you don’t push back against what I want. That would be wrong. Especially if we do have children. I’d shoulder too much power and responsibility.”

“Possibly,” Ivan answered. “Although, if you think about it, I will do whatever it takes to make you happy, if you make a decision that I don’t think would accomplish that, then I’d disagree with you. Strongly.”

“The devil is in the details.” She leaned back on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. “I’m beginning to like you, dragon shifter.”

“I was worth the wait?” Ivan asked. “You spent a long time trying to find me. Do I live up to your expectations?”

“I didn’t exactly spend a long time looking for you in particular. I was looking for a dragon shifter, for sure. But any old dragon shifter would do.”

“Are you sure?” He reached forward and sliced into the cheesecake. “I think you have been waiting for me your whole life.”

“Let’s see if the cheesecake lives up to my expectations and work from there, shall we?” Larisa wasn’t ready to admit it to him, but Ivan was already beyond her wildest expectations.