Page 41 of The Dragon's Mate Proposal

“Yes.” He turned the nugget over and over again, watching it shine in the light from the bulb overhead, courtesy of the fresh power to the house. “That, and perhaps a little bit more.”

He winked at me, and my heart nearly stopped.

Chapter Twenty-One

Samantha

The gurgle of a dragon belly rumbling was unlike anything else. Especially when you’ve been riding on its back. The vibration curled up around his sides and through my legs.

“Do we need to stop for you to gulp down some farmer’s sheep or something? Maybe a cow?”

“Awfully bold of you to tease a dragon when you’re riding it bareback,” Cade said, craning his head around to stare back down his neck at me.

I stuck out my tongue. “That ‘hunger’ signal could’ve woken the dead!”

He laughed. “It might be that I’m a bit on the hungry side, yes. But we’re not far from our destination. I promise I’ll make it without absconding with some livestock.”

“Good,” I said, patting his flank. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I haven’t lied to you,” he said. “And I don’t intend to start now.”

“Okay.” I swayed back with the wind, caught off guard by the intensity of his statement.

No, you haven’t lied to me, Cade the Dragon. But you aren’t telling me the entire truth, either.

That was fairly obvious, given the gaping hole in his life where members of his family should be.

Below, water flashed past, turning briefly into sand before being replaced by the flowing grassy green hills of the main dragon isle. I leaned forward without thinking, resting my head on his neck, the golden scales warmed by the light from the sun above.

A part of me was amazed at how quickly I was adjusting to life among dragons, including riding them as they soared through the air. As Cade had said, I wore no seatbelt, no strap or rope. Nothing to secure me to his back, yet I was perfectly comfortable with it.

No, not it. Him. That was who I was comfortable with. Like a lighthouse in the storm, Cade was the calming, reassuring presence that didn’t waver or give ground. With him there to guide me, I was finding my footing among his people with ease.

Or was I? We’d spent precious little time among other dragons. The only person I was growing comfortable around was Cade.

And what did that mean? There had been no further intimacy between us. Tension still existed, of course. It was impossible to ignore what we’d done and what had almost happened. But in the week since, he’d been what most would call a perfect gentleman.

In doing so, he’d ensured I was put at ease around him.

“We’re here,” he said a moment before we descended swiftly into one of his signature smooth landings. His wings flared at the last moment, and we dropped onto the roof of our destination, his legs bending deep to absorb the impact. High on his neck, I didn’t feel a thing.

“Thank you,” I said as his right wing extended straight and stiff.

With a more practiced ease, I got up from his neck and slid down the wing, plopping my feet onto the roof as he shifted into his human form and came over to me.

“Now, do I get to know where we’re going?”

Cade nodded, guiding me to a set of stairs that led down into the building, one of the many that formed the center of the dragon city. “I’m told it’s a big human thing. I’ve never put much stock in it, but here we are.”

“Where?” I asked. “What are we doing?”

“We’re doing brunch,” he said. “I think that’s how you say it, isn’t it?”

I smiled. “Brunch, is it?”

“Don’t you humans do that all the time?”

“I suppose,” I agreed, letting myself be escorted into the building, which, as it turned out, was a restaurant.

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