Bridget shook her head. “Your family is out of control, Bas. You can’t leave me alone with them, or I’ll die of embarrassment.”
Bas only nuzzled her again, and she took that as agreement.
It took a bit of coaxing and some mild threats from Taranis, but Bas let Bridget go long enough for her to use the bathroom. Cosimo gave her a pillow and another blanket, and she made herself a nest in the space between Bas’s chest and the foot he held open for her.
“You better not squish me in my sleep,” she warned, curling up into a ball. Bas just stared at her with his big glowing eyes. They were alone in the darkness, and Bridget didn’t know how to help.
Pussy power,she thought and laughed softly.Like that would work.
She rested a hand on his scales. “Come back to me soon, okay? I don’t get along with anyone like I get along with you. Orgasms are great and all, Bas, but that’s not all I need you for. I’d miss talking to you too much. You’re the only one who understands me.”
Bridget’s throat hurt just saying it, but she pushed on. “I’m in love with you. You get that, right? I don’t know how to deal withthis alone, Bas. I don’t know how to process this much emotion without you here to kiss my fears away. Because this whole thing scares the shit out of me. Magic and dragons and a Brollachan awake and hunting. I need you back so I don’t freak out and run away from it all.”
Bridget wiped at her cheeks. “Look! Actual fucking tears. I don’t cry over anything, Bas. I’ve cried more in the last week than in the last decade. What the fuck. That’s not natural. Just...come back and explain it all to me.”
She curled up in her blankets, exhausted and unsure if he understood her words. He hadn’t touched her mind again, and only the dragon was staring out at her.
Bas, the dragon, must have realized she was distressed because its claws curled around her. Trying to comfort her or stop her from running away, Bridget couldn’t guess. She clutched her pillow to her and tried to focus on the warmth and gentle whooshing sound of his breath, hoping it would calm her enough to finally sleep.
Bridget wokewith a gentle rocking motion. Strong arms held her tight, and she was wrapped up in her blankets. Bas was carrying her inside, and dawn light was creeping over the horizon.
“You’re... You’re back,” she said and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank fuck, you’re back.”
“I am. I had to fight the dragon about it, but it eventually concluded that you needed the human me more. You are its weak spot,” Bas squeezed her tighter to him. “And mine too.”
“Put me down. You must be exhausted,” Bridget said, and he lowered her to her feet. He was naked and swaying a little.Bridget took off the robe that she was wearing and held it out to him.
“Here, put this on, and I’ll make you some breakfast,” she said. She helped him put it on over his large shoulders and tied it for him.
“Bridget, I’m okay. You don’t need to fuss,” he said gently.
“Fuck you, Bas. Let someone else take care ofyoufor once. I’m allowed to worry about you after you changed into a fucking dragon for the first time,” Bridget snapped.
Bas looked so surprised by her outburst that he only nodded. “Okay. I’m really hungry?”
“Thought you might be. I have to warn you, I can only cook bacon and scrambled eggs without burning them, so that’s what you’re getting,” she said, taking his hand and tugging him into the kitchen.
“Bacon and eggs would be perfect,” he said, sounding tired.
She pushed him down on a chair and ensured he could sit upright. “Stay there.”
“Staying,” he said and kissed her hand before letting her go.
Bridget got Bas a glass of water before tackling the kitchen. The fridge was enormous but meticulously organized. It made her think of her stacks of books back in her apartment compared to the absolute wreckage that was her wardrobe. The kitchen was Bas’s domain, so it shouldn’t have surprised her. It made her heart squeeze a little with love that he was allowing her to rummage around in it without comment.
“I’m sorry that all of this ruined our moment,” Bas said. Bridget dumped the eggs, bacon, and butter on the counter.
“You apologize again, and I will hurt you. You didn’t ruin a thing. We will have plenty more moments,” she said, waving a spatula at him.
Bas’s lips twitched. “We will? The dragon thing hasn’t turned you off?”
“Are you kidding? It makes you even hotter, which I didn’t think was possible, but here we are.” Bridget found the frying pan and set it on a burner. “You really need to check out your Auntie Quinn’s website following if you think that dragons will be a turn-off.”
Bas laughed. “I need to be able to look her in the eye at family gatherings, so I can’t do that.”
“I don’t know how much information was being filtered through to you in dragon form tonight, but watching Quinn explain Mpreg to Taranis was a thing of beauty.”
“Oh, no, how did he take it?” Bas asked, and Bridget told him everything about the night while she cooked. She may have left out the part about her begging him to come back because she loved him. It wasn’t the right time. Absolutely not because she was a coward and found admitting her messy feelings to a dragon easier than a human.
