Page 57 of When the Baker Met the Dragon

He turns his head and his eyes go hot.

“Time for us to leave,” I say, grabbing Argos and dragging him toward the door. “Come on, Laini. And you, too, Sio. It’s way past all of our bedtimes.”

I silently wish my friend a good mating and grin with satisfaction that I was able to play a role in what will be her ultimate happiness. I refuse to think about my earlier meddling. It’s in the past, right?

Chapter 32

Kaya

“Cyrus.” It’s all I get out before we are kissing, devouring one another as best one can with lips and tongue and teeth. Every inch of me is fully awake now and pain-free.

“I’m so sorry, Kaya.” He drives his tongue into my mouth and swipes it over mine.

Pleasure floods me and heat builds in my core. “No, I should have been honest with myself. Even if you do end up leaving, I can handle it. You are worth the risk of a broken heart.”

His hands are in my hair, his talons lightly scraping and digging into my scalp, and I feel like I’m the dragon because my body is on fire.

“I will never, ever leave you. I was a fool to think I could give you up even though I should.”

“Don’t say that,” I gasp as he kisses a trail down my throat to my chest. “You aren’t a fool.”

“Kaya, my Kaya,” he murmurs against my shoulder as he rolls on top of me. “I went to the place the ghost showed me on the map.”

“You did? I thought maybe you had.”

“I’m sorry I left like that. I am an idiot.”

I kiss the side of his neck and move my hips to feel his cock against my center. Desire rips through me and I suck in a series of quick breaths.

He is shaking like he is barely hanging on to his self-control. “I found a city of dragon shifters.”

“That’s wonderful!”

“But no, Kaya. It’s nothing without you at my side. I don’t give a whit about my kind if I can’t have you.”

His wings spread over us, blocking out the light. His eyes are sparkling and half-lidded. I know he has a mate mark before I see the edges of it peeking from his tunic. I know it like I know myself. We are fully aware now of our feelings for one another. It’s like we are connected in mind, body, and spirit.

“This is…” I giggle and can’t stop smiling as he draws a hand down my shoulder and my arm.

“It’s intense, isn’t it?” His breath dusts over the tops of my breasts and my nipples peak. “Kaya, will you marry me?”

I freeze, thinking of the map. “Don’t you want to go back?”

“No. I want to be here, in our hometown with you. Forever.”

His words are the song I always wished to hear, but I don’t want him to miss out on being a part of his kind’s community.

I put my hands on his big chest to slow down his kisses. “Cyrus, I have an idea.”

He leans over, and his tongue flicks out to touch my ear. I’m melting. What was I about to say? My mate mark is throbbing, but this time it feels perfect.

“We can visit the city, can’t we?” I ask.

Pulling back, he stares at me. His gaze is a touch on my cheeks, nose, and forehead. “You are a goddess. I will never deserve you. Of course, we can visit if you are up for the flight.”

“I trust you.”

Cyrus’s eyes shut momentarily, and he takes a deep breath, his body pressing into mine in the most glorious way. “I know you do. And you are teaching me to trust myself. I can never thank you enough for that, for seeing me as more than a gambling partier who has more bad habits than all the folks in the king’s dungeon.”