Page 53 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
But that was a dangerous thought. He pushed it away, feeling better now that she was comfortable. He had been restless before but was glad to see her relaxing.
Until he recalled she had said she hadn’t eaten anything. Aiden didn’t trust her to feed herself, so he went to the kitchen on the other side of the room.
“I’ll make you something,” he said. “Just sit still for a few minutes.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he gave her a stern look and she pressed her lips together. “Okie.”
He gave her a glass of water, then went back to the kitchen to take an inventory, looking around to see what he could make. He spotted a few ingredients, a recipe coming together in his head, but his thinking face must have made him appear lost, for Saphira started to get up.
“No, no, stay,” Aiden said, holding up a hand. He looked at Sparky, who was lying down on the kitchen tiles. “Spark, go make sure Saphira doesn’t get up,” Aiden ordered. Sparky perked up, then marched over to Saphira, jumping onto her lap.
“Oof,” Saphira said, as Sparky got comfortable. There was no getting up now.
In the kitchen, Aiden started boiling a half-bag of pasta.
“The cheese is in the drawer!” Saphira said.
He chuckled. “Hint taken.”
She gave him a guilty smile, cheeks pink.
“Where are your vegetables?” he asked, searching the fridge. There was a half-moldy cucumber that he promptly threw out.
“I have potatoes in the cupboard,” she said.
“I mean real vegetables. You know, ones with nutritional value.”
“Um …” She laughed. “Well, I don’t really need vegetables.”
“Riiiiight.”
Luckily, he found a frozen pack of peas and carrots in the back of her freezer, which he pureed into the sauce to trick her.
Ordinarily, he didn’t enjoy new places, but he liked her apartment—probably just because he liked her.
A fact that he needed to grapple with now, one he could no longer ignore. Especially after seeing her hurt made him feel like he’d been punched in the gut. The memory of her fallen body was a painful one, underscoring just how much he cared.
He pushed that agonizing image away and focused instead on right now. His gaze strayed to her on the couch, where she was petting Sparky, talking to him in her baby-voice. Aiden’s chest ached with fondness.
He had never been good at relationships, which was why he’d been single for longer than he’d care to admit. And which was also why he needed to tread slowly and carefully. The last thing in the world he wanted was for her to get hurt—not to mention the fact that he had to be extra careful with Sparky involved.
Sparky adored Saphira, so Aiden needed to ensure his behavior didn’t jeopardize the baby dragon’s relationship with her.
It was probably wise to just stay away entirely—but then he saw her smile, and he knew that would be impossible.
Chapter 15
Saphira lay on the couch tucked comfortably into a blanket with Sparky on her lap, watching Aiden cooking in her kitchen. Outside, it had begun raining, and she could hear it outside the windows, the soft pitter-patter mingling with the sound of Aiden’s chopping and stirring.
Initially, it had been strange to take it easy while he was in there, working alone. Saphira was so used to doing everything herself, but there was a real pleasure in letting him take care of her, in allowing herself to lean on him. In letting herself finally relax.
And now she didn’t want to get up. Saphira felt glued to her couch, especially with the weight of Sparky on her lap. The baby dragon seemed equally cozy, with no apparent plan to move. He cuddled against her as she absent-mindedly stroked his head, petting his black scales.
The burn on her arm had been painful at first, but it was practically healed now. Dragon saliva really worked, and the rate it had healed her was especially wonderful because it meant that she and Sparky were properly bonded. Otherwise, his tending to her wound would not have worked so well.
The bond between a dragon and its rider helped to foster healing, and while she wasn’t his rider, she was still close to him. Saphira adored Sparky, her little baby, even though he’d gotten bigger now, heavier on her lap than he had been when she first started training him.
Saphira’s gaze strayed to Aiden in the kitchen. His sleeves were rolled up and he was chopping an onion, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he did. Her heart felt all gooey, and there was an ache in her chest.
