Page 67 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“Okay.” Even so, she would still be anxious for Sparky until his first flight was successfully over.
“Shall we?” Aiden asked. She nodded, and they walked toward the dragon. Torch was so much bigger up close, and Saphira felt a little nervous.
“Oh, and before I forget,” Aiden said, reaching into the breast pocket of his shirt. He pulled something out, holding it out to her in his palm.
It was a ring. Just a simple gold band, but still.
“Oh,” she said, her heart skipping a beat. She reached to take it from his hand, her fingers brushing against his palm. Saphira looked up to see him clench his jaw.
Aiden cleared his throat, watching as Saphira slipped the ring onto the third finger of her left hand. It fit perfectly. The breath lodged in her throat.
Her eyes glanced up to him, and his dark gaze pierced through her, an emotion on his face that she couldn’t quite place, but one that made her chest ache all the same.
“I didn’t bring—”
She stopped when Aiden showed her his left hand, where he wore a matching ring on his third finger, though his was silver instead of gold. It was a small detail, and of course this ring was just for pretend, but she appreciated that he had noticed she only wore gold and not silver, and had gotten a ring accordingly.
It felt so …righton her finger. As if that was exactly where it was meant to be, where it had always meant to be.
Oh god. She seriously needed to control her emotions before they got out of hand. This was pretend, she reminded herself. Only pretend.
But then Aiden’s hand brushed against hers, both rings catching in the sunlight, glinting, and she saw something on his face that she recognized now, for she felt it, too: longing.
Could it be that he felt the same way?
The air was charged between them, as if some obvious fact hung between them, but she could not quite put her finger on it.
Maybe Lavinia was right—maybe Saphira did need to be brave.
“This way,” Aiden said, leading Saphira to where she would mount Torch. He clearly knew his way around dragons; he was very competent, which was terribly attractive to her.
Aiden handed Saphira her jacket, which he had put on the saddle. Though it was warm out, he had told her to pack for colder weather, as it was always winter up on Mount Echo.
Saphira put her jacket on, and Aiden did the same, both of them preparing to mount.
“Here,” Aiden said, pulling an extra scarf out of his bag. He stepped toward her and wrapped it around her neck, his fingers brushing against her jaw as he did. She shivered.
“Thank you,” she whispered, inhaling the sweet scent of moss and mint from the fabric. It calmed her frayed nerves for a moment, until she realized that she now had to mount the beast.
Anxiety buzzed through her. She had never been on a dragon before.
“You can do it,” Aiden said, standing beside her. He pointed out what to do. “Hold on here, then step there with your right foot and swing your left foot over.”
She took a deep breath, stepping up with her right foot as instructed. She held onto the saddle, then went to swing her left foot over, but hesitated, feeling afraid as the dragon moved.
“Hey, I’ve got you,” Aiden said, stepping behind her to help her up. Even through the layers, she could feel his strong hands on her waist.
Saphira took another deep breath, swinging her left foot over. Aiden’s hands lifted her up as she did and, with a surprised yelp, she landed directly on the saddle, in perfect position. Torch settled under her, and she gasped at the large animal’s movement.
“Good girl,” Aiden said, giving Saphira a smile. A jolt of heat shot through her at his words, and she buried her nose in her neck scarf, hoping he wouldn’t see her blush.
Aiden took a step to the front of the dragon to face Torch. “Ready?” he asked, scratching under Torch’s chin. Torch huffed, and Aiden nodded.
He came toward the saddle and, in a quick motion, climbed up behind Saphira. His thighs bracketed her on either side, his arms coming around her body. Desire pulsed through her at having him so close, his strong body flush behind hers. She felt him everywhere, heat stirring low in her belly.
He settled behind her on the saddle, pressing closer, and her breathing hitched. She gasped, her heartbeat quickening.
“Is this okay?” he asked, his voice a whisper in her ears. She felt his warm breath against her skin from behind, and her body ached. She nodded, unable to speak.
