smile. It was deep and soothing, and something she'd like to hear more often.
Pushing aside that realization, she asked, "What?"
He grinned. "You're cute when you're irritated."
She almost smiled at that. "Just don't be on the receiving end or you may change your story. I don't anger often, but when I do, I tend to lose most of my head and shout like a bloody banshee."
He shook his head. "You're on dragon land now, Dawn. It takes more than shouting to scare any of us."
She grunted. "We'll see. I'm sure someone will put that to the test some day."
He raised an eyebrow. "And it'll just show that I'm right."
As they stared at one another, exchanging smiles, Dawn had a realization—she wouldn't say no to Blake and the frenzy.
However, she was having too much fun with him to give her answer just yet. She could have at least a little more time before she committed and set things in motion. Maybe she could ask Sasha or even Evie some more questions to better prepare herself.
A knock was followed by a blond-haired male doctor entering the room. She didn't know his name, but he spoke with a Scottish accent. "We haven't officially met, but I'm Dr. Gregor Innes. And I'm afraid visiting time is over for now. Cassidy said you can come back later, Dawn, and have dinner with Blake if you like. But we need to do an examination and a few tests in the meantime."
Dawn stood. "Okay." She looked at Blake again. "I'll have another game for us to play when I visit later, so make sure you're ready."
The corner of his mouth ticked up, the slight change making him even more handsome to Dawn. Not that it was hard to do. His hazel eyes and slightly disheveled hair made her want to go over, smooth the wild locks, and touch the stubble on his cheeks just to feel the raspiness against her fingers.
Maybe even place a hand on his chest and see if he had the same toned muscles as the other dragon-shifters she'd seen so far.
She also recalled his scent from the day before, when they'd been working in close quarters. An earthy mixture of man, woods, and something she couldn't define.
It was official—it really had been too long since she'd been with a man.
Blake answered and brought her back to the present, "I look forward to it."
Before she could get lost in another daydream about Blake and what he hid under his clothes, Dawn waved goodbye.
And she couldn't stop smiling as she met up with the dragonwoman named Nikki and headed out of the surgery. It'd been so long since she'd dated and she'd feared it would be boring, awkward, or both. However, she had actually enjoyed herself.
Maybe, just maybe, Blake was her second chance.
Chapter Seven
Hours later, Dawn did her best not to swing the tote bag in her hand. Her daughter wasn't the only one who became fidgety when they were anxious—Dawn did, too. She wasn't so much nervous as eager to start her almost second date with Blake.
Mostly because she might have to start the frenzy the next day, to be on the safe side, and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before the massive life-changing event.
Walking at her side was the dark-haired form of Sasha Atherton. She'd volunteered to escort Dawn to the surgery so that Nikki could spend some time with her young daughter. Sasha wasn't a Protector, but her brother Zain was. And a rather good one that no one wanted to mess with, meaning they should be safe enough for a short walk.
The dragonwoman spoke up. "This isn't a race, you know. Blake will still be there if we walk at a normal pace."
Dawn didn't realize she'd been power walking and slowed her speed to normal. "Sorry, but it's been so long since I've been eager to see a man for a date, let alone have a night free without worrying about Daisy. I'm just excited, I guess."
She'd talked to her daughter about forty-five minutes ago. Daisy had been her usual, cheerful self, and seemed to be enjoying her time with Emily's family.
Dawn still missed her, though. It had been just her and Daisy for so long that it was strange to spend any length of time away from her.
But it couldn't be helped, not if she was to ensure Daisy could keep up her relationship with Freddie and the other dragon children. So Dawn focused