Page 68 of Dragon in Denial
Epilogue
Ketu shifted closer and slipped his arm around Antoinette’s shoulders. The gigantic bed in the room of the reeve’s mansion they’d claimed as their own was, in his opinion, too large. Sometimes he’d wake up in the middle of the night and Antoinette would be sprawled out on her stomach, not even touching him at all. When that happened, he’d inch closer, wrap an arm around her waist, and rest his head on the pillow next to hers.
He liked touching her. He preferred to do it at every available opportunity but especially when they were alone like this.
“I think we should get a smaller bed.”
She stopped typing away at the laptop resting on her thighs—looked like she was reworking yet another one of the colony policies Darius had created while he’d kept his father incapacitated for all those years—and arched her brows. “Why in the world do you want to do that?”
He snagged the laptop and, despite her mild protest, placed it on the bedside table. And then he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her onto his lap. She rested her knees on either side of his hips and draped her arms around his neck.
“Because I like cuddling with you. And there’s too much room on this bed. If we were in a smaller one, we’d be forced to cuddle all night long.”
She pressed her lips to his and then smiled. “I think we manage just fine. Whenever I wake up in the morning, you’re always wrapped around me like a burrito.”
He smoothed his hands up her back and then around to cup her breasts. “Like I said, I like touching you.”
She moaned. “I like it when you touch me.”
He kissed the top swell of one breast and then the other. “So, congratulations.”
“On?” She wiggled, rubbing against his erection.
“Mrs. Voltaire told me the Elders voted to remove ‘temporary’ from your title.”
Antoinette rolled her eyes. “I think old Mrs. Voltaire has a crush on you. She’s forever telling you things she isn’t supposed to.”
“What about you? How come you haven’t told me yet?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Still trying to process, I guess.”
“Why don’t you let me help you process?”
“Mmmm,” was her reply as she closed her eyes and let her head loll on her shoulders while he massaged her breasts through her thin sleep shirt. After a few moments, she whispered, “Do you think I should accept it?”
“Me, touching you like this? Yes, I do.”
She snorted and covered his hands with her own, holding them in place. “Seriously. Do you think I can handle being reeve?”
He tugged his hands free and cupped her face, staring into her eyes. “Antoinette, you are the strongest, bravest, most amazing dragon I have ever met. I think you can do anything you set your mind to, and, yes, I think you have already been and will continue to be an excellent reeve.”
She swiped at the dampness under her eyes. “Stop making my cry.”
He chuckled and kissed her. “I’m not trying to. I’m trying to tell you that yes, I think you can handle it.”
“Okay, I’ll let them know I accept.”
“Tomorrow.” He flipped her onto her back and then stretched out above her, holding himself up with his hands pressed to the comforter on either side of her torso. “Tonight, it’s just us. Let’s have a pre-celebration.”
She reached up and pulled him closer. “Perfect.”
***
The next morning, Antoinette and Ketu stood side by side in front of the eloquently carved tomb, their fingers entwined. He was probably crushing her hand with how hard he was squeezing, but she didn’t complain, didn’t pull away.
Henri stood in front of Ketu, leaning against his legs, fidgeting but staying quiet, clearly understanding this was a somber moment. Ketu’s parents were next to them, arms wrapped around each other. Someone sniffled. Hell, it could have been any one of them. This wasn’t exactly a cheerful experience.
But it was necessary.
