Page 20 of The Baby Dragon Cafe (The Baby Dragon #1)

Chapter 20

A iden was trying his best to be honorable. It was why, last night, he had used every ounce of his willpower not to take advantage of the situation of them being in the same bed together, despite how badly he had wanted to kiss her, lay her flat on her back, hear her gasp.

It had taken him what felt like ages to get his blood to stop pounding after he had held her in the springs, the sensation of her body pressed against him a torturous memory.

He dreamt of her all night, but there was nothing new about that.

What was new was waking up with their bodies entwined, as if in their sleep, neither of them had had the good sense to stay away.

He opened his eyes. His arms were around her, their legs tangled. He felt her everywhere.

She awoke then, too, and the moment she realized, her breath caught in her throat. But she did not retreat, or move away, as she had in the springs.

Instead, Saphira looked up at him with those huge eyes he wanted to drown in. She watched him as if waiting.

Desire poured through him. And he could no longer bear it. He felt as though he had been dying to kiss her forever, like everything had been leading up to this.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and she leaned into his touch, eyelids fluttering.

“Don’t hate me,” he said, voice hoarse, “but I’m gonna do something stupid.”

And then he brought her mouth to his and kissed her. It was a gentle, sweet kiss.

Heat lit his body, and he pulled away, wanting to see her reaction before going further.

She had a funny expression on her face, biting back a smile.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m still waiting for you to do something stupid,” she replied.

He smiled, and she pulled him close to her, kissing him hungrily. His body ached. He cupped her face in his hand, deepening the kiss as she gasped against his mouth.

She angled her body and, in one motion, he sat up and pulled her on top of him. Her thighs straddled his waist as they had in the springs last night, and this time, she let him do what he had longed to do then.

He kissed her desperately, each motion charged with longing. She pressed closer and desire shot straight through him, a low groan rising in his throat. He snatched her closer, tongue slipping into her mouth.

She nipped at his lower lip, and he briefly thought he was going to die, though there was so much to live for in that particular moment.

He moved his hands into her hair, tangling them in the curls, gently pulling her head back so he could kiss her bare throat. She made a desperate sound as he moved lower, kissing her collarbone, sucking her skin.

She grabbed his face and pulled his mouth up to hers again, all teeth and tongue, and he moved his hands down her body, settling on the perfect curve of her waist.

Her hands roamed over his body, lowering until they reached the edge of his shirt. She lifted the fabric, and he pulled it off, letting her fingers sear into his skin as she explored his bare chest with her hands. Then he gently pushed her onto her back, covering her body with his as they kissed and kissed.

They were both lost in all-consuming desire, lost in the dreamy haze of lips and skin, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

He paused, desperately hoping he’d imagined it—but then it came again.

With gargantuan effort, he dragged himself from the bed and answered the door.

It was Mireya. “It’s time for Sparky’s big day,” she said. She gave him a look over, and he remembered he was not wearing a shirt. Aiden half-hid behind the door, cheeks hot. Surely the old woman could tell what he had just been getting up to in there. But at least she finally didn’t look suspicious of his and Saphira’s relationship.

Aiden cleared his throat. “Thank you,” he said. “We will be there shortly.”

Mireya nodded, and he closed the door, turning back to Saphira. When their eyes met, she burst out laughing. Her lips were pink and swollen, and he was hit by a wave of desire again.

He lay back down beside her, and she turned her body towards his. He put a hesitant hand on her waist.

“Was that real?” he asked, unable to believe what had transpired between them. He needed to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

“You tell me,” she replied, biting her lower lip, her brown eyes wide. He moved his hand up and down the curve of her hip, relishing the softness of her skin. “Are we still playing pretend?”

“I was never playing pretend.” He took her hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing her wrist. Her pulse beat against his lips.

She smiled, relieved and happy. “Me either,” she said, face shy.

He kissed her again, feeling her smile against his mouth until she pulled away.

“We really need to go,” she said, rolling away from him. “You know how grumpy Sparky will get if he has to wait for us.”

Aiden groaned, falling onto his back. All he wanted to do was spend all day in bed with her, but she was right. They did need to go.

“Fine,” he sighed, getting up.

“You can shower first,” she said.

“I need it.”

Her cheeks went pink, and she looked away from him. Fondness spread across his chest. She was so cute. Aiden kissed her cheek, then went to get ready.

After he was done, she got ready, and together, they met Mireya and Sparky at the highest level of the Mount Echo compound.

The baby dragon looked irritated at first, his little face scowling, but then he must have noticed something was different between Aiden and Saphira because he immediately cheered up.

“How is my little baby?” Saphira asked, giving Sparky lots of kisses. “You’re going to do so great! You’re going to be wonderful.”

She stepped back and Aiden went to pet Sparky, giving the baby dragon a smile. Then, a novice came and took Sparky from them.

Mireya stood back with Aiden and Saphira, watching as the novice took Sparky and started walking toward the mountain’s edge, where Sparky would be thrown off.

Just the idea made Aiden’s stomach churn with anxiety. He watched as Saphira took measured breaths, trying to relax.

“We need to be brave,” she reminded him, “or Sparky will be afraid.”

“Mhm.” He couldn’t speak, he was so stressed.

Sparky looked back at them, and Saphira gave him an encouraging smile. Even so, Sparky looked unsettled, and Aiden couldn’t blame him. He himself was grimacing, until Saphira turned to him and widened her eyes.

She elbowed him in the gut. “Aiden!” she admonished. “We need to be strong!”

“God, I can’t do it,” he replied, feeling nauseous. He had been good about being composed during the rituals yesterday, but today he felt as though he was going to fall apart.

“Just pretend,” Saphira ordered, and he saw her force a smile.

He attempted one as well, but it must have been more of a scowl, for Saphira laughed.

“You’re gonna be okay,” she said, taking his hand. She put it around her shoulder, then entwined their fingers. He squeezed her hand, relaxing, and this time when he tried to smile, it was easy.

They both waved at Sparky, and Sparky bounced forward.

“I’m going to throw up,” Aiden said, when Sparky’s back was to them.

Saphira laughed. “I’m worried, too,” she said, holding tight to his hand.

They were both stressed-out parents, and it was lovely to share this moment with her, to know she felt exactly the same way he did.

As Sparky got closer to the edge of the cliff, Saphira caught her breath.

“I can’t watch,” she said. “But I have to! Oh, this is terrible.”

“Baby dragons are stressful creatures, but just wait until you have children of your own,” Mireya said, tone teasing. “Human babies are much more helpless.”

Her comment only succeeded in making Aiden more worried, until Saphira smiled. “Oh, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about then,” she told Mireya. “Aiden would be such a great father.”

A lump rose in his throat at her words. He knew they just kissed for the first time only an hour ago, but it was so impossibly easy to imagine having a family with her. He pulled her into him, kissing her temple.

They held onto each other tight as the novice reached the mountain’s edge. He lifted Sparky up into the air and, without further ado, threw Sparky off and into the air.

Sparky disappeared, and Saphira made a noise as if she had been struck. Aiden felt exactly the same way, like he had been punched in the stomach.

It lasted only a few seconds, but those were the longest seconds of his life as they waited to see if Sparky would rise up in flight.

And then the little guy did.

Sparky was flying, soaring in the air. His black scales cut a sharp silhouette against the pale sky, his wings spread wide. He lifted his face to the wind as he glided, his purple eyes wide and alive with wonder.

Air finally entered Aiden’s lungs, and he looked up at the sky, eyes welling with tears. He blinked them away as Saphira cheered. Then he turned to her; she looked so happy, he felt buoyant, as if he might float away.

He took her face in his hands and kissed her, savoring her sweetness, the taste of her lips. She hummed against his mouth, pleased. They pulled apart, leaning their foreheads against each other.

“Look at him go,” Saphira whispered, voice thick. Her eyes were wet as she watched Sparky fly, and Aiden felt the same ache in his chest. Their little baby was growing up.

Sparky flew over and landed on their shoulders with a cheery purr, and they all did a group hug, snuggling close.

It was one of the best moments of Aiden’s entire life.