just one trainer, either, but three.
Three big, muscular men who were so damn delicious she had to struggle to stop looking at them, especially because when she did look, she had to look up. She’d never felt so small in her life. It was wonderful.
Not to mention her dragon made weird little rumbly sounds inside her head whenever she glanced at one. What the hell was that about?
“I’m Jacob, this big guy here is Gunther, and the smartass is Teague,” the brown-haired, beardless one was saying.
“Hey, now,” the black-haired Teague said. He smirked at her and jabbed a thumb at Jacob. “He’s the smartass, I’m more of the comic relief.”
“And what are you?” Ksenia asked, looking at the blond-bearded Gunther who stood a couple inches taller than the other two.
“I’m the glue, I guess.” He gave a shrug and eyed his comrades as if they both tried his patience.
“Are you guys brothers? I don’t have any siblings, but I do have a cousin who I’d lay down my life for.”
Teague smirked. “No, we aren’t related—that would be awkward—but we did grow up together.”
“We can get to know each other more later,” Jacob said, cutting Teague off. “You must be hungry. Can we feed you while we discuss the training plan? We have a lot of work to do if we want to enter you in a tournament this season.”
Teague narrowed his eyes at Jacob and started to say something, but the glare Jacob cast back at him shut him up fast. Ksenia didn’t miss the slightly miffed expression on Teague’s face and wondered what he’d been about to say. But her appetite overrode any of her other needs She hadn’t had a proper meal since she’d left home.
“I could eat.”
“Excellent,” Jacob said. “Where’s your place, or are you local? Either way, we can drop you off somewhere to get changed first, if you want.”
“Um . . .” Ksenia mulled over making something up, but decided she’d have to do enough lying as it was. She didn’t want to dig herself any deeper than she had to. “I just got into town yesterday. Mrs. Wilder put me up at her hotel last night, but I don’t want to impose on her again. I get the feeling she values her privacy. My bag is in the locker room, so I can pretty much go wherever.”
“Well, let’s go get your things and head out. I’m starving,” Teague said, starting toward the ramp leading below the arena.
“Are you following the Baxter-Maurin diet?” Jacob asked. “If so, that limits our dining options to one restaurant, and . . .” He glanced at the round face of a gleaming bracelet on his wrist, then cursed. “Fuck, I didn’t realize how late it was. I guess any restaurant is out. Gunther, do we have the right fixings in our pantry for some dragon fare?”
The big quiet one made a vaguely affirmative noise, and Jacob grinned at her. “Guess you’re coming over for dinner, then. We can sort out lodging for you after we eat.”
“You can stay at our place!” Teague called back over his shoulder. “It’s not like we don’t have room.”
Jacob’s jaw flexed, but his smile only faltered a little when he looked at her. “You are welcome to, of course, but don’t feel obligated. No pressure.”
“It makes sense,” Gunther said, strolling along beside her. “We’ll want to start training early. Better if you’re already there.”
“You guys are the boss—es,” Ksenia said, grinning. “I have no clue what a Baxter-Maurin tastes like, but I’m game for anything.”
Her dragon was especially game for checking out Teague’s ass in his snug pants. Holy wow, was she dreaming? Her nipples pricked against her leathers and she gritted her teeth, realizing she really shouldn’t let her libido run wild. Going all sex-crazy on these three would be unprofessional. If she wanted to actually learn from them, she needed to get the horny beast inside her under control. What the hell was up with her dragon?
“Baxter-Maurin is a diet plan for champions, not a specific food,” Gunther said. He cast a sidelong look at her and added, “You’ve heard of Nessa Baxter and Pomona Maurin, haven’t you? They’re the two chefs that came up with the recipes. Nessa also happens to be Jacob’s stepsister, so we get to test their new recipes before they go out to the public.”
Ksenia’s face heated and she looked straight ahead, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “Sure, I was only joking. But you can’t tell