Page 73 of The Dragon Recruit
He gripped her hand tighter in his. “Yes, I’m sure. There’s a lot I can do from behind-the-scenes.” He hesitated, but didn’t want to ever hold back with Iris. So he added, “Besides, if we kiss and there’s a mate-claim frenzy, it means I can stay home with the baby whilst you continue working.”
She didn’t bat an eyelash as she replied, “I have a hard time imagining you as a stay-at-home dad.”
“Well, I can work when the baby naps. I am the king of surviving on little sleep and multitasking.”
“We don’t even know if there will be a frenzy, aye? So let’s not count our chickens before they hatch.”
He studied her a second before stating, “Would you be all right with a frenzy, Iris? If not, I’m sure Dr. Turner can think of a way to suppress it. She often goes on about how ridiculous it is that if she kisses some stranger, then she doesn’t get a choice in whether she wants to have a child or not, unless she wants to drug her inner dragon for months.”
He rather agreed with her. But he’d find ways to fund her research more later. Right now, he held his breath as he waited for Iris’s answer.
After searching his gaze for a few seconds, she replied, “I’m open to it on three conditions.”
His lips twitched. “Go ahead, my dear. What are they?”
“First, I want to work with you and your Wicked Security team, department, whatever it is.”
“Of course. That one’s easy.”
She blinked. “It is?”
“Yes. That was my plan all along, remember?”
“Aye, well, I wasn’t sure after everything that happened. And it was a sort of test, to show you were sincere about me doing the type of job I love, despite the possible dangers.”
“I may not always like where you go or who you have to fight. But I also know asking you to give it up would make you slowly die inside. Besides, I love you exactly as you are, Iris Mahajan. Apart from maybe laughing at my jokes more often, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Your jokes are occasionally funny.”
He grinned. “I knew it! You’re a die-hard Antony Holbrook fan.”
“Let’s not get too crazy, aye?”
“And the other conditions?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Well, the second is that I still want to spend most of our time on Lochguard. Aye, we can visit Max and Lavinia on Skyhunter, but I don’t want to leave my parents.”
“Oh lord, your parents. You’re going to have to tell me how to charm them.”
She snorted. “My mum will be happy I’ve found a male at all. My dad, though, will probably quiz you and maybe challenge you to some inane contest with snooker or cricket or some other sport I never really cared about, but he loves.”
“I’m quite good at cricket, especially bowling. So winning over your father should be easy. And yes, we can mostly live on Lochguard. Whilst my dragon-shifter team members have their own secret living arrangements, us living there might jeopardize them all if we have to visit Lochguard often. The more comings and goings, the more chance of discovery, after all.”
“All these secrets of yours are going to take a lifetime to unravel, aye?”
He squeezed her hand. “I’ll try my best, love. Although I’d rather focus on our story for most of it instead of the past. After all, we’re just getting started.”
She traced his jaw as her pupils flashed. “Sometimes, I still can’t believe this isn’t all an act and I’ll wake up to find you walking away.”
“Iris, listen to me. If I were healthy again, I’d pull you close and tell you in no uncertain terms that I’m here to stay. Once a Holbrook makes a decision, we stick to it.” He tried to scoot over, and pain shot through his side.
“Stop that right now, Antony. You’ll hurt yourself again, and giving you my dragon’s blood will be all for nothing.”
“Ah, that must be why I’m not in complete agony. Your blood must be as sweet as every other part of you.”
He winked, and she sighed. “Oh no, there’s going to be a lifetime of this, isn’t there?”
“Yes, love. And it’ll be a grand time, too. Well, I think so. There’s still one more condition you haven’t shared with me yet.”
