Page 73 of Charming the Dragon
He threaded his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips. After kissing it, he said, “The only adventure I ever want to have again is with you.”
Her gaze softened. “Are you high on pain meds? Because I thought you said you couldn’t be charming.”
His dragon laughed, but Nathan ignored him and grunted. “I’m not on any pain medication.”
She caressed his cheek, and his irritation faded. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Once you’re better, we’re going to have a rather intense discussion about never keeping important things from me again. You should’ve told me you were hurt.”
“I know, love. But I didn’t want to see you suffer any longer down there.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thank you, but you still should’ve talked with me.”
His dragon spoke up.Don’t upset her. She’s thinking of the future and mentions us in it. Don’t fuck it up.
I’m working on it, dragon.
After raising his free hand, he traced a finger over Hayley’s cheek. She leaned into the touch and he said, “I promise to do so.”
“Thank you.”
As he stared into her eyes, he wished he could close the distance between them and kiss her.
But he couldn’t. Not until she agreed to be his mate.
So he decided to focus on something else. Because he sensed she wasn’t quite ready for that conversation yet. “You haven’t told me how you’re holding up, love.”
“Fairly well, considering the circumstances. I got to chat and spend time with Melanie, Samira, Dawn, Sarah, and Percy, and it was lovely. I haven’t had a lot of time to make friends over the last decade, and it made me realize that whilst I love my sister topieces, I miss hanging out with others and merely talking about this and that.”
“By this and that, do you mean me?”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “The world doesn’t revolve entirely around you.”
“So, that means yes.”
Hayley laughed, and the sound somehow made him feel better, which wasn’t exactly scientific. But when it came to his human, science didn’t always make sense.
His dragon laughed.Dragon magic.
Not you too.
Hey, I couldn’t resist.
He was about to ask what else Hayley had talked about with the others when there was a knock, followed by Bram and Kai entering the room. Hayley stood, and Nathan nearly reached to bring her back.
But his clan leader spoke before he had a chance to do anything. “Sid tells me you’ll be mostly mended by the morning. I can come back if you want, but I thought you two might have some questions for us.”
Hayley didn’t miss a beat. “More than a few. But will you answer them truthfully, or just give vague answers that don’t really reveal anything?”
Bram’s lips twitched. “Straight to the point, eh, lass?”
She readjusted her glasses. “Well, I spent days living out my worst nightmares, so, yes, I want to know why that place even exists.”
Bram’s expression softened. “I’m sorry it was that bad for you, Hayley. But the fireplace should’ve required pushing two buttons on opposite ends simultaneously to move. We checked it out a few weeks ago, and everything was fine.”
Kai nodded. “I already have a team working on it, to ensure it won’t happen again.”
Hayley asked, “But that still doesn’t explain why the bunker was stocked. Or why there were easy puzzles to solve in the control room and for the treasure room.”
Bram gestured toward a chair in the room. “You might want to sit down, Hayley. This could take a while.”
