Dragos Takes a Holiday (Elder Races #6.5)(13)

She tugged at Dragos’s hand.

He ignored her. The tension between the two men ratcheted higher, hovering just on the edge of violence.

Pia wasn’t sure what happened next, but the other man’s stance changed. He shrugged, said something again in his strange language, and turned away to lean his elbows on the bar where he and his companion muttered together in low voices. Neither man glanced at Pia.

Dragos took a step back. She let go of the breath she had been holding. The crowd relaxed and conversation picked up.

She asked Dragos telepathically, Was that really necessary?

He looked at her. Yes.

She studied him with a frown. His expression and his body language had relaxed, but his molten gaze was still murderous. They’re just *s, she said gently. Can you let it go, or do you want to go somewhere else for dinner?

If anything his expression turned angrier at the thought of leaving. Fuck, no. He paused and his eyebrows knit together. Unless you do.

She smiled up at him. Thank you for asking, but I’m fine.

He considered the crowded space, eyes narrowing. We can find somewhere else to wait for a table.

I told you, I’m fine. You already backed them down. They’re just two dumb jerks, and they’re probably drunk to boot. They’re not that important.

His expression lightened with approval. She wiggled around him, opposite the other men, and came up to the bar. Dragos came up behind her until his hard body pressed against her back. He slid an arm around her, and she felt totally surrounded, protected and at ease. She couldn’t have been safer if she had been locked in a secret vault at Fort Knox. She leaned her head back against his chest to smile at him and finally felt him relax a little. The other two men ignored them as if they were in another room.

The bartender came up to them. Pia ordered a Mai Tai while Dragos ordered scotch, and they put their name on the waiting list for a seat at one of the tables.

She raised her voice to be heard over the music. “So when do you want to start your search?”

“I thought I’d get going first thing tomorrow morning,” Dragos said. “Would you and Liam like to come with me for a little while?”

“I’d love to.” She sipped her drink. It was delicious. “If you don’t mind help, I thought I might check out museums and libraries to see if I can find any mention of the Sebille.”

He smiled down at her. “I don’t mind at all, but don’t you want to spend some time on the beach?”

“Sure,” she said. “But Bermuda is only, what, twenty miles from end to end?”

“Something like that.”

She shrugged, enjoying the excuse to snuggle back against him. “I doubt there will be many places to do research on ancient Elder shipwrecks. I could look around in the morning, and Liam and I can go to the beach afterward.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dragos said. “We’ve got a plan for tomorrow.”

Something snagged her attention, and she turned her head. The two men beside them had stopped talking. They both leaned against the bar and stared into their drinks, their bodies tense and still.

Her gaze narrowed, and she caught the bigger, younger male glancing at them. All sexual innuendo and crudity had left his expression, leaving him looking cold and hard.

She turned away again quickly. What the hell was his problem? The men might speak a strange language, but they could know English too. Was he listening to her conversation with Dragos, or was he still mad at the unspoken pissing contest he and Dragos had been in? She shook her head. He was going to live a very short life if he didn’t either learn to be polite or to let things go.

A waitress came up behind them and took them to their table, which was right by the beach. Pia was so delighted, she put the unpleasantness from the bar firmly behind her and settled in to enjoy the rare treat—a date with Dragos, while he was on vacation.

She ordered a salad with mangos and artichokes. Dragos ordered steak and lobster, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. The server brought the wine right away.

Even before they got their meal, she started plotting.

Due to the inter-demesne functions they had attended over the last year, she had learned how to dance in a formal setting. The experience of waltzing with Dragos was something she would never forget, his power and assurance as he swept her around a ballroom while he looked down at her, unsmiling and severe in his black tie.

She had never seen him dance just for the fun of it, though.

She sighed happily as their server set a beautiful salad in front of her and gave Dragos his meal. When they were alone again, she told him, “I sure love to dance.”

Dragos said, “No.”

She almost burst out laughing. Instead she raised her eyebrows pointedly. “Don’t you love to dance with me?”

Amusement creased the sides of his mouth. He cut into his steak. “What a talent you have for asking loaded questions. You made a political chore very enjoyable. It’s important to present a united front and to demonstrate to everyone that we are a team.”

“You don’t have a romantic bone in your body, do you?” She grinned and thought about teasing him some more, but he had been so responsive about taking a vacation, she decided to take pity on him and relent. “Never mind. I’ll just have to enjoy those waltzes enough for the both of us.”

They talked more about plans for moving upstate, and the decision became more real with conversation. While they had made the decision because it was best for Liam, by the end of the meal Pia started to look forward to the change.