Page 44 of The Dragon's Surprise
She looked up to meet his gaze. “Well, the variety means our sex life will never be boring.”
His dragon sniffed.Never.
Kyle chuckled and shared his dragon’s thoughts, and Lexi stroked his chest as she said, “I’m glad I asked if you still wanted to mate me.”
He hugged her tighter. “Why you ever doubted it, I’ll never understand.”
“Well, it was fast. Much faster than I ever thought it could happen, especially…”
“Especially what?”
She bit her lip and stared at his chest. He continued to stroke her skin, not liking how she hesitated.
His beast spoke up.Just tell her our feelings and maybe she won’t hold back. I don’t want her to think we don’t truly want her.
Kyle moved his hand to under her chin and gently made her look at him again. After pressing his lips to hers, he said, “I love you, Lexi Sakamoto. And if it takes the rest of my life to convince you I mean it and am glad you decided to mate me, I’ll do it.”
She searched his gaze. “You love me?”
Cupping her cheek, he nodded. “I do. Not only because you’re kind and funny and brave, but you see me, the real me, and aren’t afraid to call me out. As a clan doctor, it’s sometimes hard for other clan members to speak up. Not because I’d be mad—well, most of the time, since no one enjoys being wrong—but it’s a fine line. However, you pointed out how being isolated hurt everyone and helped no one, and you were right.” He laid his forehead against hers. “You knew what I needed, even if I didn’t want to admit it. You know me, Lexi. You see me. And you already love Ethan as your own. So yes, I love you. And I look forward to seeing what our future holds.”
She smiled, kissed him, and when she finally broke it, she said, “I love you, too, Kyle Baker. You’re smart, and caring, and more fun than you originally let on.” He raised his brows, and she laughed. “It’s true. You tease and get overly competitive over horseshoes, and are already moving mountains for your son. And even when I hated being a burden when I was recovering, you went above and beyond to take care of me.”
“You were never a burden, love.”
She placed a finger over his lips. “I was. But let me finish. Despite all of that, and learning to be a parent, I know you contacted the other clan doctors and clan leaders so that I can help with any of their orphan candidates as a type of mediator. You made sure I didn’t have to give up my life completely. For all that, and so much more, I love you.”
He took her lips in a deep kiss, slow and possessive, to let her know without words how much he loved her.
And when he finally pulled away, she yawned, and Kyle settled back and held her close. “Sleep, love. My dragon only has so much patience, and we have a lot of days ahead of us before the frenzy finishes.”
Snuggling into his side, she said, “I love you, Kyle. Both sides of you.”
His inner dragon stood tall as Kyle replied, “I love you, too. We both do. Now, sleep and dream of our future.”
As her breathing slowed and she slipped into slumber, Kyle held his female close and dreamed of a life with his mate, his son, and their baby. One of love and friendship, as far as possible from the self-imposed isolation he’d lived for far too long.
Epilogue
A Little Over Two Years Later
Lexi held her baby daughter, Mika, against her hip as she watched Kyle and Ethan play a game of horseshoes. During the summer, her family had biweekly get-togethers with the Torres family, and this week had been her and Kyle’s time to host.
As Mika leaned to one side, wanting down, Lexi debated putting her on the ground when Jenny came up with her son, Camden, next to her. Her daughter stretched toward the little boy. “Down!”
Once Lexi had placed her daughter down, she teetered a second before waddling over to Camden. He held out a stuffed dragon. Mika squealed, took it, and held it close. Her daughter had a penchant for stuffed dragons, and this one was bright pink with sparkly eyes.
Jenny smiled. “Camden saw it and wanted to get it for Mika. Who knows, maybe they’ll end up being true mates one day.”
She snorted. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
Rubbing her ever-growing belly, Jenny looked wistfully at her son. “I hope he loves his sibling as much.”
She hugged her friend. “Don’t be silly. There’s a bigger gap between Ethan and Mika, and Ethan is the most loving and overprotective brother ever.”
As if he’d heard her, Ethan ran over and skidded to a halt. His pupils flashed as he said, “I won! Even with Dad trying to cheat, I won!”
Kyle had reached them and sighed. “You’ve become really skilled at the game, son. Maybe I’m getting too old.”
