Page 15 of An Accident Waiting to Dragon

It was quiet enough in their magical hiding spot to hear a tiny gasp that barely reached his ears, and suddenly Asher knew instantly what she was thinking of.

The day he’d kissed her.

The one and only time he’d kissed her.

She remembered.

Inside, his dragon growled. And gods, so did he.

CHAPTER FIVE

Gwen

* * *

Memories weren’t worth the pain they caused.

Gwen tried to convince herself of that. Busied herself checking on the egg, which was secure in its little pouch strapped around her.

Thankfully.

But the memories still tugged on her despite her best efforts.

That kiss had been fourteen years, two weeks, and five days ago, but it felt like yesterday. Gwen could still feel the touch of Asher’s lips against hers, his hands against her cheeks.

She’d only had her wings a short time and had maybe been showing off for her brother’s best friend who she’d been in love with for…well…what had felt like eons at that point. Since hitting her twenties, she’d caught him watching her, a certain light in his eyes. More and more she’d caught those looks. Looks that had sent her heart fluttering around inside her. She’d thought maybe he’d hesitated because he thought she was too young.

Pixies and dragons aged similarly, about the same as humans until they hit their twenties, and then aging slowed significantly.

But that day, the day she’d gotten her wings, she wasn’t too young anymore, and she’d wanted him to know that.

In the moonlight, she’d flown out above the water of the loch near her home, wanting him to see her. Truly see her. But she’d overestimated her control to both fly and wield her power at the same time and ended up falling into the water.

Gods, even now her cheeks heated with mortification.

Back then a shadow overhead had her jerking her gaze upward in time to see Asher shift to human and drop into the water close by. He’d surfaced right in front of her, wiping the water and his dark hair out of his deep blue eyes with a grin that he seemed to reserve only for her.

He’d looked different back then.

She’d always thought of him as the best looking man she knew with his lean but muscular build, strong nose, thick, jet-black hair worn short, and eyes so dark blue they appeared black. Dragon shifters found mates all over the world, and for Asher, the Japanese ancestry of his great-grandmother was hinted at. He’d always claimed his unshakable courage came from that side. But when he’d kissed her that one and only time, he’d been…softer maybe? Despite the fact that he’d already been a proven warrior. Maybe the dragon wars had hardened him.

The steady strength was still the same.

“I’m here to rescue you,” he’d teased.

And her heart had fluttered even harder.

Gwen had raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like I need rescuing?”

Asher had looked around them. “Can you fly?”

“No. My wings are too wet.” She hadn’t tucked them away in time, and they were waterlogged by then.

“But you don’t need rescuing,” he said, voice dropping as he swam nearer, closing the distance between them.

And the expression in his eyes, the way he looked at her, sent her heart flipflopping all over the place and a swarm of butterflies swirling through her stomach.

She couldn’t look away. “No.”

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