“I was planning on it,” he says with a smile.
He lifts me up, in the middle of this little clearing in the forest, and I wrap my legs around him as he kisses me deeper. I don’t know how long it lasts. I don’t care. His lips feel like a dream, and I never want to wake up. I want them on every part of me.
Finally, he pulls his head back and looks at me, still holding onto my ass.
I rest my arms on his shoulders and smile at him. “What?”
“Just taking you in. I like the way your lips look when I’m done kissing you.”
“Oh yeah? What else do you like?”
“Everything,” he murmurs as he leans in to plant another kiss on my lips.
“You know, you never even got to show me what you can do. I have high expectations for the highly sought-after wannabe dragon prince.”
He laughs, taking a knee as he sets me on my back on the cloth he laid out. He looms over me, a wicked smile pulling at his lips. “Is that right?”
“Yes.”
He leans down and kisses my neck softly, then slowly trails more kisses down to my collar bone.
I grab onto his back, feeling all of his hard, chiseled muscles. There’s a strong need growing in me, one that’s felt from my stomach to between mythighs. I arch my back as he kisses up along my jaw, then works his way to my mouth again.
A soft moan escapes me as I press myself against him, feeling how hard he is. My desperation for him outweighs my unease of being in the middle of the forest. I don’t care.
“Daegan,” I breathe, pressing against him more.
A deep, soft moan passes through his lips as he pulls back, resting on his knees. He gazes down at me with a look that could make me come undone all on its own. His hands rest on my thighs as he twists his neck, looking pained.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not here in the fucking dirt.” He presses his thumbs into the crease of my hips roughly as he grabs them and pulls me closer to him. “I want to take my time with you.” He leans down and places one more kiss on my lips before standing, grabbing my hands, and helping me up with ease.
“Are you sure about that?” I ask, running my hand down his chest.
He grabs my hand and stops it, keeping it against his chest. He tilts his head up to the veil, his neck bobbing as he swallows. “No,” he says as he lowers his head to look at me again.
But then he releases my hand and moves to pack up our stuff. I help him, and before I know it we’re back on a horse, riding back to town.
This was a dream, but we really need to meet with everyone else and discuss how we’re going to retrieve that damn necklace.
Chapter 59
“I just want to make one more stop before we head back,” Daegan says in my ear as he pulls up to a spot to tie up the horse.
“What do you need?” I ask.
“They sell potions and tinctures here. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to grab a few extra.”
“Where did you get all of that money, anyway.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he says with a wink.
I laugh as he grabs my hand and pulls me along after him. And then it hits me. Today, it almost feels like we’re a normal couple, the kind who can go shopping together and escape to a romantic grove in the forest. If only that were true. I don’t know if things will ever be easy for us, but for today, I’m going to pretend. And I’m going to enjoy it.
The shop is small, and I’m immediately hit with a powerful aroma, layered with natural scents I can’t quite place.
I begin to wander, curious about all the small bottles and vials that line the walls. Daegan stops at the front to speak to shopkeeper. I have a specific thing in mind, one that I hadn’t even thought about until we stepped foot in here. When I reach a small, dark corner in the back, I find what I’m looking for, and I reach out and take one without hesitation. Fertility potion. It’s for Daegan, because only males must take it to protect against unwanted pregnancies. I’m not even sure if a baby between a dragon shifter and an elf is possible, but I don’t want to take any chances right now.
