Chapter 32 #3
She chuckled. “You are shameless. But yes, I would. I will.” She kissed me lightly. “Especially if means more than one wedding night.”
“More than one wedding night?” My chest rumbled, and I took advantage of her nearness to graze her shoulder with my teeth. “In that case, we could marry more than three times. Once a week, even.”
“Oh, dragon,” she said, exasperated. “As if you need any excuse like a wedding night to be deep inside your little mate.”
I cupped her face in my hands. “I thought so thoroughly about marrying you, but I neglected to think about the wedding night.”
She laughed, the sound like the pealing of bells.
“Funny—I did the same until just now, when I realized if you carried me down to the lake and we got married right now that tonight would be our wedding night. I haven’t done anything to get ready.
I don’t have anything special to wear. I can’t decide if I like the idea of a spontaneous wedding night or not. ”
“I think I like the idea very much.” I kissed her. “You do not need anything special to wear. And I am so grateful you would like to marry me on my homeworld.”
“I think I’m staking a claim on you by marrying you here,” she mused. “You know, I wonder—”
I silenced her with a kiss.
“For once, we should not let our scientist brains run away with questions,” I said when our kiss ended and she rested her head back on my chest. “My hearts, soul, body, and instincts have no questions. They want me to take you down to the lake right now.”
“Mine too.” She tucked an oth’canto leaf behind her ear. “Marriage decoration,” she explained at my puzzlement, and tucked another behind my ear. “And one for you.”
I must look utterly ridiculous with a large purple leaf stuck behind my ear, but I could not bring myself to care.
Very carefully, I moved to the side of the hammock, scooped Elena up in my arms, and rose.
“To the lake, dragon,” she said, and kissed my jaw.
My hands trembling, I carried the love of my life down the path to the lake.
Rather than walk out on the dock, I veered off the path and made my way to the edge of the lake, stepping carefully over the rocky edge and into the shallow water. I carried her until the water was waist deep, past the rocks to the soft sandy bottom, and then put her on her feet beside me.
Elena slipped her hand into mine. “Oh, you’re shaking,” she said with a frown. “If you don’t want to do this now—”
“I do,” I promised. “I have no doubts at all. I just feel…a lot of things.”
“Me too. I think we’re supposed to.” She squeezed my hand. “I’ll go first, if you want.”
My hearts racing, I squeezed back. “I am ready.”
With a smile that made my hearts sing, she closed her eyes, spread her arms, and tipped over backward, vanishing beneath the surface of the water with a splash.
I followed the shadow of her hand with my eyes, counted to three, and reached into the water. Her hand found mine and grabbed tight.
I hauled her from the water, set her back on her feet, and helped her wipe the water from her eyes. And then I cradled her to my chest.
“Elena, little mate,” I said into her hair.
“I will always care for you and love you. I will find you when you are lost and support you when you need strength. Anything you need, I will do my best to provide it. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and warm and sheltered. You are my hearts. Please be my wife.”
Sniffling, she looked up at me with wide eyes and wet lashes. “That was not the script I read,” she said. “I think you made some of that up on the spot.”
“I did.” I cupped her head. “My research indicated improvisation is encouraged.”
Her laugh was edged with a little sob. “You and your research.” She managed a smile. “Yes, I will be your wife.”
My hearts soared. I fell back into the water still smiling, and swallowed a bellyful of lake water as a result.
Elena’s hand found mine four seconds after I went under. She did her best to pull me upright, but I had to do most of the work to get on my feet since I outweighed her a great deal. I came up coughing.
The moment I was upright, she leapt into my arms.
“Ardruc Husiorithae,” she said, her expression so fierce and earnest I wanted to kiss her and never stop.
“I will always care for you and love you. I will find you when you are lost and support you when you need strength. Anything you need, I will do my best to provide it. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and warm and sheltered. You are my heart.” Her beautiful blue eyes shimmered. “Please be my dragon and my husband.”
That was the easiest question of my life to answer.
I rested my forehead against hers. “I will very happily be your dragon and your husband.”
It was not the traditional wording—far from it, in fact.
We were standing in a peaceful pink Fortusian lake rather than a fast-moving Fylorian river, neither of us had worn the customary yellow clothing, and I was still coughing up water, but ours was the most perfect marriage ritual I could have imagined.
I kissed my wife for the first time, and that was perfect too.
My wife. And I was husband. Dr. Elena Regis’s husband. I felt radiant with pride—so much so that I expected to glow as brightly as the setting suns.
When our kiss ended, I asked, “Tell me, wife…do we really have to wait for nightfall to celebrate our wedding night?”
She pursed her lips and pretended to consider the question very seriously. “Probably so, husband, if we want to be traditional about it.”
“Traditional?” I raised my eyebrows. “I do not think any aspect of our courtship has been traditional. Why start now?”
She chuckled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I squeezed her ass in both hands. With a moan, Elena kissed me and wrapped her fingers in my wet hair. She pulled hard enough to make my eyes water, my balls tight, and my cock drip. When her little teeth closed on my lower lip, I rumbled.
My mate’s fierce desire told me she might like to play a little differently today. Perhaps even dominate her dragon for a while. The restraints I had brought could accommodate my body as easily as hers.
Hmm. Perhaps I would like to try some…new things on our first wedding night.
I carried Elena up the hill to our cottage. We left a trail of wet clothing all the way to the door.