Page 14 of Flight Risk

I clicked my tongue. “That simply won’t do, mate. Certainly not now. I know this all happened rather suddenly, and I wish I could have spent months courting you in the way you deserved.”

“Oh, you still can. We might be mated, but the romance isn’t dead, Tav. I still deserve the best.”

I leaned over and kissed him. “You’re absolutely right, mate. You do indeed deserve the best.”

Kier let out a contended sigh, and in that moment, the weight of our worries lifted, albeit briefly.

We’d return to the real world soon. We’d find out if we were indeed having children.

Right now, though, it was just us enjoying the cabin and basking in our newly mated glow.

“So you can’t recall much about the last few days?” I asked.

“Bits and pieces. I’m sure more will come to me.”

“Would you like me to jog your memory?”

Kier pushed against my chest so he was sitting upright and facing me. “Tavian. What did you have in mine? “

Chapter 9

Kier

“How did we get a car here?” I asked once we were all packed and on the road. Not that there were many things to pack—we already had our luggage from the trip, and we hadn’t worn a whole lot of clothes while we had been at the cabin.

Thankfully, Tav had brought the suitcases along for the flight.

How he got me here and two sets of luggage, I would never know. Or perhaps I could ask him to reenact it. On the days Ihad let my fantasies about Tav run wild, I had always imagined what it would be like to ride on his back in his dragon form. I knew others took their mates for rides. Of course, their mates could also sprout wings of their own. I tried to imagine what that might be like.

“I had Connor and Nathan drop it off when they brought our luggage.”

I had to smile at that. “You can just send out requests and things happen. I thought you just brought the luggage when you flew here with me.”

Tav winked. “I’m good, but not that good. I was only able to bring you. Maybe with more planning I would be able to carry it all, or perhaps a harness.”

“Did Thorne ever make it back from Europe?” I asked. “I can’t believe you kicked him off the flight.”

Tav’s lips twisted into a grin. “He did, and he racked up quite a few charges there that I now owe him for. It was worth it, though.”

“Yeah, I would not want to be stuck in a heat there,” I said, shuddering at the thought.

“Likely it was being in my presence that threw you into heat in the first place,” Tav teased. His fingers laced into mine. His thumb brushed over my skin.

“We should buy him a nice gift. After all, none of this would be possible without him.”

Tav snorted. “He got a free two days to do whatever he wanted. That was his thanks.”

“This all seems surreal,” I said.

Tav squeezed my hand. “It really does. I suspected you were mine, but I had wanted to woo you.”

“Well, of course. Like I said, you still can. I’ll provide you a list of all my favorite things so you know where to start.”

“Challenge accepted.”

As we continued down the winding road, I found myself staring at my mate rather than at the scenery. I was used to admiring him from afar, trying to keep my attraction hidden. There was no need for that now. He was mine for the admiring. He had let his beard grow in while we had been holed up in the cabin. I had to admit, I liked the look on him. Though it would probably not last once we returned to work. Perhaps his scruff could make an appearance on long weekends.

“What happens now?” I asked.

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