Page 10 of The Baby Dragon Cafe (The Baby Dragon #1)

Chapter 10

A pparently one baby dragon could be a lot of work.

The next day, Aiden came by around midday to work on the garden, and Sparky spent his time hanging out with him there while Saphira worked inside at the cafe. She didn’t have much time to check in with them during the day—she barely had a minute to drop off a snack for Sparky and an oat chai for Aiden (she wanted to eventually have him try everything on her menu).

But after the work day was done and she had freshened up, she went outside to join them. Sparky bounced happily, realizing it was time for Saphira to give him her undivided attention. His euphoria lasted about a few minutes, however, as he stared at Aiden as if waiting for Aiden to leave.

When Aiden decidedly didn’t leave, Sparky stopped bouncing and started hissing instead.

“He was being good all day,” Aiden said, shaking his head as Sparky swiped a paw at him. “I don’t know why he’s giving me attitude now.”

“I think he likes having me all to himself,” Saphira said, frowning.

“Can’t blame him,” Aiden said, eyes glittering at her. Saphira’s cheeks warmed, a giggle escaping her, and Sparky growled. He jumped up between them, pawing at Saphira’s stomach.

“Oof.” Saphira turned her attention to Sparky, who was pouting. She gave him a pout of her own in response. “Can you be good? Pretty please, Sparky-Poo?”

Sparky had the decency to look chagrined.

“Good boy.” Saphira gave him a kiss, and he climbed off her.

She looked up to find Aiden watching the exchange, a fond expression on his face. She bit her lip, looking away. Saphira took a turn about the garden; Aiden had gotten a good amount of work done thus far. He had cleared out most of the old branches and was pulling out weeds now.

“Maybe we can help you?” Saphira suggested. “It’ll teach Sparky, too.”

“Sure,” Aiden said with a shrug. He turned to Sparky, adopting his nicest baby-dragon voice. “Hey, Sparky, do you want to help me?”

“Look, like this!” Saphira said, going to the bushes and pulling some old weeds out.

Sparky was intrigued by the task and trotted over. Even though Saphira was tired, she was energized by the lovely prospect of spending time with Aiden and Sparky.

As Aiden and Saphira both got to work pulling weeds out, Sparky came up between them, grabbing at weeds with his mouth and pulling. When he got his first weed out, Saphira clapped.

“Good boy!” she said. “You’re so good!”

She looked at Aiden, giving him a prompting look.

“So good,” Aiden added, though with much less enthusiasm than Saphira. Still, she could see he was trying, despite how ridiculous he found this.

Sparky perked up, pleased by the praise. With renewed vigor, the little draggo started pulling out more weeds. Aiden and Saphira got to work as well, the three of them working together under the sunshine, a soft breeze around them.

Birds chirped in the trees. Saphira smiled to herself, her heart warming.

It was such a cozy scene, and soon, she started having fun. Sparky was doing well, and Aiden looked so content when he was gardening. She could see why he found the practice so calming. There was something so grounding about touching the earth, feeling the grass and the leaves, elements of nature.

Until one weed in particular gave her a tough time. No matter how she tugged, it wouldn’t budge. Aiden saw her struggling, and came up beside her.

“Here, let me,” he said, putting his hand over hers, intending to help.

Saphira’s pulse scattered at the feel of his large hand over hers, his calloused palm encompassing her knuckles. He was sitting so close to her, his arm practically around her. She felt the warmth of his body around her, the strength of his muscles as they flexed with movement.

She turned her head to look at him, and his gaze flicked down to her mouth. She watched his throat move as he swallowed. Tension hung in the air between them, a hazy mist.

Desire pooled in her stomach. Blood pounded in her ears, her heart beating fast. His eyes darkened, lids lowered. Saphira held her breath, anticipation coursing through her.

Until the moment was cut short as Aiden let out a surprised yelp. “Ow!”

They both looked down to find Sparky had bitten Aiden’s free hand. The baby dragon growled at both of them. Saphira cringed. Oops. Sparky really did not like her paying too much attention to Aiden.

Saphira reached for Aiden’s hand and found it was bleeding. She frowned.

“Bad Sparky,” Saphira scolded. The baby dragon looked betrayed, then quickly set about having a temper tantrum. He ran away from them and jumped onto some weeds, blowing little fire bursts into the sky.

She and Aiden exchanged a wary glance.

“There’s a first-aid kit inside,” Saphira said, looking back to the little bite mark on his finger.

“It’s fine,” Aiden said. “Really.”

“Just wait, I’ll be back in a second.”

Saphira returned a moment later with a wet washcloth and bandage. Holding his hand, she tended to him, cleaning the blood away before gently wrapping the bandage around his finger.

“Thanks,” Aiden said, voice rough as his dark eyes peered into hers. He closed his hand around hers, then squeezed, and she felt a tightness in her chest, longing making her knees weak.

“Of course.” She squeezed back, lingering for a moment before standing to give Sparky a treat, but the baby dragon appeared to be angry with her.

Sparky gave her a dirty look, and when she tried to approach him, he bit at the air, growling. She squealed, jumping back.

Maybe he would be better tomorrow …

*

Sparky wasn’t the only moody baby dragon she had to contend with. The next day at the cafe, Saphira had to clean up a broken vase of flowers one of the little draggos had knocked over. Baby dragons were curious and hyperactive to a fault—like the most mischievous human toddler on steroids.

Luckily, things had been running smoothly at the cafe these past few weeks, especially after the espresso machine had come in. The lack of space in the cafe was clearly a problem, though, and the cause of the regular damage. Dragons needed open space to freely jump and play around, and Saphira was beginning to realize a cafe was perhaps not the best place for that.

But with Aiden working on the garden out back, that could potentially be a huge help—a solution to her problem. When she got a free moment, Saphira went to check in on them, stopping by the mirror in the corridor leading to the back door first to reapply her lip gloss.

Unfortunately, Lavinia chose that exact moment to notice her. She looked as if she had been looking for Saphira.

“Where are you going all dolled up?” Lavinia asked. Saphira’s face grew warm.

“I am not all dolled up,” Saphira protested. “And I’m just going to the garden.”

Lavinia was surprised by that. “Why? It’s a total mess.”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Saphira said, voice high. “Aiden is actually going to help clean it up a bit.” Saphira knew for a fact she had not mentioned this to Lavinia before.

“Oooooh,” Lavinia sang, obscenely pleased by this tidbit of information. “No you did not tell me, little Miss Sneaky.”

“There is nothing sneaky about it!” Saphira replied defensively.

“Mmhmm. How long has this been going on?”

“Only since yesterday!”

“Which means you could have told me this yesterday, or this morning …”

It was a fair point. Lavinia was Saphira’s only good friend, even though she was younger than her. They had worked together for years, and—since they saw each other every day—they were used to updating each other on every minute detail of their lives.

Saphira had been the one who had checked over Lavinia’s essay applications for veterinary school; Lavinia had been the one who had been there for Saphira when Nani-Ma passed away. They were there for each other through everything, which made it hard to hide anything from her.

Saphira had already discussed with Lavinia earlier the revelation that her mother had died whilst racing, but she had not mentioned the development with Aiden and the garden.

Which begged the question: why was she hiding this from Lavinia?

Lavinia seemed to be wondering the same thing, looking at Saphira expectantly, but Saphira didn’t say anything. She knew Lavinia would tease her incessantly, something she seemed already keen on doing.

“Now the lip gloss makes sense.” Lavinia gave Saphira an evil grin.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, sure.” Lavinia wrapped an arm around Saphira and made kissing sounds.

“PLEASE. Your brain isn’t even fully developed.” Saphira shooed her off, but she couldn’t help laughing, too.

“No, but seriously, this is actually great,” Lavinia said, putting an end to the joke. “We could use the garden space for extra seating the way you originally planned to, especially since the weather is so good!”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Saphira concurred. “See, I am making such astute business decisions.”

“Yes ma’am! She is a girl-boss and a yearner—a true multitasker!”

Saphira laughed out loud. “You’re the worst.”

“The best .”

Lavinia really was the best.

“And Aiden is going to be part of Sparky’s training, too!” Saphira said.

“Yay, I love that! How did you manage it?”

“Aiden’s family is apparently super involved in dragon racing,” Saphira explained, then felt guilty for revealing such information. But it was more of an open secret, she reminded herself. “It was why he was scared that if he bonded with Sparky, he would get pressured into racing and it would put Sparky in danger, but I told him not to worry about that now, since it’s more important for him to bond with Sparky.”

“Oooh. Yeah, I know a bit about the Sterlings’ intensity for racing because of Ginny,” Lavinia said, referencing Aiden’s younger sister Genevieve, who was Lavinia’s good friend, and any guilt Saphira felt about mentioning the Sterlings’ involvement in racing vanished.

“Anyway, were you looking for me?” Saphira asked. “It looked like it before.”

“Oh.” Lavinia blinked, a little hesitant. “Actually, yes.”

“What’s up?” Saphira asked.

“I applied for an internship at the Animal Hospital for experience before starting school in the fall, and I just heard back that they accepted me,” Lavinia said, but instead of being excited, she sounded worried. “Do you think you’d be able to spare me?”

“Oh my gosh, yes, of course! Congratulations! That’s wonderful, Lav,” Saphira said, pulling Lavinia in for a hug. “Do not worry about the cafe at all, seriously. I’ll figure it out. You should absolutely do the internship. I’m so happy for you!”

Lavinia released a sigh of relief, finally smiling. Now she looked excited. “Okay, phew. I didn’t want to leave you hanging, but it is such a great opportunity, hence why I was stressed.”

“You had absolutely no reason to be stressed, girlie.”

“It’s only three times a week,” Lavinia added. “So I’ll still be here for the other four days.”

“Are you sure you won’t get too tired?” Saphira asked, now concerned herself.

“You sound like Theo,” Lavinia replied. “He’s always telling me I’m working too much.”

Saphira smiled fondly. “I’m sure he’s just worried about you, like me.”

“It’s fine! I mean, I will be tired but I have to save up. Vet school isn’t cheap! But once I am a vet, I can be rich and rest.”

“Don’t forget about me then! I want to vacation on your private island.”

“Of course. I’m going to have two. One for me, and one for my acquaintances.”

“I’m hurt! I’m just an acquaintance?”

Lavinia laughed. “Okay, now go before all your lip gloss wears off.” Lavinia shooed her away. “I’ll cover for you in here.”

Saphira blew Lavinia a kiss, then headed outside. She said hello to Aiden, who was working on clearing out the mess while Sparky entertained himself on the side. When Sparky saw Saphira, he bounced to her, back to his cheery self. He played with her for a few minutes until she had to head back to the cafe.

It wasn’t until after closing, when she came out to the garden again, that Sparky began acting up. She brought a treat with her this time, which he happily ate, but again, he seemed to be waiting for Aiden to leave now that it was evening and Saphira was here.

“Forget it, bud,” Aiden said. “I’m sticking around.”

Sparky growled, but Saphira gave him a sufficient number of kisses to appease him.

“Is Sparky going to help me?” she asked. “Can you pick up these branches?” Saphira demonstrated for him, picking up stray branches and putting them into a pile so the area could be cleared.

Sparky set to the task, stumbling through the order a few times before understanding what he needed to do. When he successfully brought a branch to the pile, Saphira petted his head.

“Good baby,” she said. Sparky cooed, pleased, as Aiden watched the encounter.

“You’re doing really great with him,” Aiden said, coming to stand across from her. His cheeks were pink from the sun, the ends of his hair curled with sweat.

She beamed up at him. The space between them shrank; they were pulled together like magnets, neither conscious of the movement.

He smelled like moss and mint. She couldn’t get enough, the fragrance making her head spin.

She stared into his endless eyes—like the darkest hour of night—searching for stars. His lips tilted upward as he noticed her noticing him, but he was equally entranced. As his gaze fell to her lips, his eyelids fluttered.

She listened to the sound of his shuddering breath—or was that hers?—as they grew closer to one another. He brought his eyes back up from her mouth to meet her gaze.

“You have …” he said, voice hoarse as he raised his hand.

His thumb brushed against her cheek, and she felt a jolt of pleasure at the contact. Desire beat through her, tension thick in the air between them. Heat simmered low in her belly.

Heart hammering, Saphira wondered if there was actually something there, or if he just needed an excuse to touch her. Either way, she wasn’t complaining.

His hand lingered. She felt like she was glowing, like she would lift off the ground and become a star herself.

Then Sparky nipped at the end of her dress, and she felt the fabric tug down.

“Sparky!” She looked down. He was between her and Aiden’s legs, clearly annoyed by something as he glared up at her.

“Sparky, stop it,” Aiden tsked.

Sparky growled, then nipped at her dress again, this time biting the fabric with his teeth. He pulled, and before Saphira could stop it, the dress tore into a massive slit up her thighs. A gust of wind chose that exact moment to blow against her, lifting the fabric and completely exposing her legs.

Aiden stared, his mouth agape. A muscle ticked in his jaw as his cheeks turned red.

Saphira yelped, trying to cover her bare legs as embarrassment shot through her. Aiden’s gaze jumped away and up, to the clouds, his throat bobbing, desire evident on his face.

The wind settled, and Saphira let go of the torn fabric. Then, she started laughing, no longer embarrassed, just amused. Aiden looked at her, lips twitching, and he started laughing, too. He had such a deep, rich laugh. She loved the sound of it.

Saphira scooped an unrepentant Sparky up. “You are such a little menace,” she said, still smiling. Sparky responded by sulking. “Aww, are you angry we weren’t paying attention to you?” she asked in her baby-voice. “Is that it? Is Sparky upset?”

The baby dragon attempted to continue brooding, but Saphira’s laugh must have been contagious, for a moment later, Sparky cuddled against her, no longer agitated.

She kissed his little face. Sparky was a handful, but he was her little cutie-pie. She loved him already, as if he was her own, as if he belonged to her and she belonged to him.

Saphira looked up then. Her gaze met with Aiden’s, and she felt the same strong emotion rise in her chest, not just for Sparky, but for Aiden. It was an ache. She thought the sensation would pass—that it was just for the moment, but she was wrong.

The feeling settled deep within her, like roots in the soil.