26. Dragon #3
“Do I look like my hands are free to sign things?” Horse demanded.
Charles glanced at his hand and saw that I’d bolted his ring finger. The shock didn’t last long, but long enough to make me feel awkward. More awkward than just letting Horse carry me.
“Um…” Charles didn’t say anything else as Horse walked past him into the large office with a leather couch that stretched out one entire side.
Horse sat down on it, still holding me, then pulled out his phone, called someone, and then said, “I need dinner. Delivery. All the usual plus potstickers.” He put his phone against his chest and looked at me, dark blue eyes serious. “What do you want, Trix?”
I wanted to grab his tie and kiss him until all the stress and confusion disappeared. I wanted to lock the door and give that couch memories.
Instead of touching him, I said, “The usual sounds fine.” Horse always got the best food, except for Italian, but he couldn’t help it because it was Las Vegas.
And I was on the verge of nausea because of not eating, not because I’d ridden over rough terrain, including those jumps that in retrospect seemed unwise.
Wrong word. Idiotic. Unsafe. Possibly even suicidal.
“That’ll be all then,” he said into the phone before calling another number.
“Hello, Doctor. We’re in the castle compound.
The Dragon’s had a rough day, so maybe you can come over and give her a checkup.
You owe me. Thanks.” He shifted, so I was on the supple leather and he could study me.
“Trixie, are you okay?” he asked, then shook his head.
“I mean, obviously you aren’t okay when you’re hungry and have to wait five thousand hours for food to get here.
Do I have crackers?” He slid out from under me and went to rifle through his drawers, coming up with three packets of saltines, the kind you stole from cafes when you ordered soup.
“Horse, um, Nate, are you okay?” I asked, because if he wasn’t freaking out about everything, he wasn’t sane. He also hadn’t addressed my breaking into his private room and seeing all his trauma.
He stared at me, face kind of blank. “Horse is fine. The other name throws me off. Emotionally.” He smiled slowly.
“Am I okay? I’m still slightly wired from that whole adventure.
And then I’m concerned that you’re suffering a concussion, and that’s why you asked me to marry you.
Nothing else really explains it. You don’t know me very well.
I have a lot of personality quirks that lean into unhealthy territory. You saw my room.”
I took the cracker packets, ripped one open with my teeth and then chomped the two like a dragon while I studied him flatly.
When I’d eaten and my mouth was dry, he handed me a bottle of water, exactly like you’d do to a toddler, because he paid attention to things like when people would be thirsty, things that I’d never notice.
I sipped and then nodded. “Then we can be unhealthy together.”
He raised his brows. “I’m not okay with that.”
I grinned at him. “I know. You’re ridiculously responsible. That’s why you can run an ever-changing team of demons, because you’re so incredibly stable. You’re not some flighty stallion; you’re a three thousand pound cart horse named Nate, carrying everyone to the finish line.”
He narrowed his eyes at me and cocked his head.
“You’re teasing me. You know what that means?
” He grinned as he scooped me into his arms, settling us back onto the couch and then, after a moment’s hesitation, leaned close and kissed me on the lips.
It was the softest, sweetest brush of skin imaginable, everything silk and dew.
His eyes were soft when he pulled away, the softest I’d ever seen them, like the smile on his mouth.
“I’ll be the carthorse that carries you away, but don’t think I don’t know that it’s actually the dragon making off with her prey.”
I touched his face, drawing my fingers over the planes and angles. Such a strong face. Symmetrical. Perfect. “My princess, Nate. No, you’re the white knight, coming to my rescue. I never thought I’d need saving, but you do it so well, particularly in that suit.”
He kissed my forehead and snuggled me carefully against his chest. “You’re telling me that I should get more suits to match your maternity outfits. We are going to be so cute.”
I snorted and closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted, letting him take care of me because he was so good at it, and after everything, I was done. “I’m going to take a nap until the food gets here. Don’t drop me.”
“I’ll try. Happily, if I do drop you, you’ll land on the couch.
I’ve got you, mama bird dragon. And I’ll never let you go.
” He cleared his throat. “Until you wake up. If you never wake up, I’ll just sit here forever until I become mummified.
Good thing we’re in the desert so the smell shouldn’t be too bad. ”
I elbowed him, but I was smiling. “Sh. I’m sleeping.”
He inhaled deeply, a breath I could feel against my whole body. And he felt so good.