Page 135 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
"Of course," she said, lying back down.
He hummed as if in thought. With a tilt of his head, he said, "Probably for the best. Even if we commissioned a big enough saddle, I’m not sure if you could hold on tightly enough."
Kallie scoffed. "I’m sure I could handle you just fine. You’re notthatbig."
"Oh? Is that so?" Graeson propped himself on his elbows, a brow arched in challenge.
Kallie’s cheeks burned bright red, the cold stable suddenly becoming hot as Graeson looked at her, amused. But Kallie refused to let him win.
"You’re actually quite small for a dragon," she quipped.
"And you’re so familiar with my kind, are you?"
"Based on the books I’ve read, they’re supposed to be six times the size of humans."
"Did you see my wingspan?"
She shrugged. "Uninspiring."
Graeson laughed, the sound deep and full. "You’re a terrible liar, you know."
She shoved him, nearly knocking him onto his back. "I am not!"
"Then tell me what you really thought when you saw me."
"I thought…" Kallie fidgeted, and Graeson lifted his brow higher, patiently waiting. She dropped her gaze to his cloak. Pieces of straw clung to the wool. Without thinking, she brushed them off and mumbled a response.
He leaned forward, his breath tickling the tip of her nose. "I’m sorry. I didn’t quite hear that. What did you say?"
Kallie closed her eyes, as if she could hide from the embarrassment, and repeated herself, "I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen."
When she looked at him, she found him smirking, pride gleaming in his eyes. She went to slap him on his chest, butbefore she could make contact, he swiftly snagged her hand and tugged her toward him.
"You think I’m beautiful?" he whispered, his words lightly tickling her.
Kallie rolled her eyes. "Oh, don’t get a big ego now."
"Too late," he said, beaming.
"You are insufferable."
"As long as I’m still beautiful, I’m fine with that," he said with a wink.
Kallie laughed, and the sound bounced around the roof of the stable. Her arm gave out, and she collapsed on top of him. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt beneath his cloak. A horse released a loud huff as if annoyed, which only made both of them laugh more.
As her laughter died down, Kallie pushed herself up, her hair cascading and falling onto his chest. Graeson slipped a piece of hair behind her ear, the tips of his fingers brushing gently across her face like a whisper. His expression turned serious, and Kallie stayed silent, waiting.
"I am yours, and I will always be yours. But…" A deep groove creased his forehead, and Kallie had the strange urge to wipe it away. "But it is killing me not knowing where your head is at. So please, I need you to tell me. What are we doing?"
Kallie’s lips parted, but she struggled to answer him. Whatwerethey doing?
She stared down at him, and he watched her. In the silence, she could feel every spot where they touched: her palm on his chest, his hand on her waist, her leg brushing against his. Layers of fabric still existed between them, yet heat emanated in those very spots and blossomed deep in her core.
Graeson had become a safe place for her, and sometimes she believed it had happened too quickly. But in truth, it had happened a long time ago.
They had nearly lost each other, and she struggled to grapple not only with that fact but with what it meant as well.
There were a million things she could say, but none of them were enough. None of them would prove to Graeson how much she cared for him, how much she needed him in her life.
