In a Dragon’s Dream by Riley Storm Page 0,54

reaching out and taking his hand, looking him right in the eye. “No more walking in circles and cryptic-talk. What is it you know, that you want to tell me so badly, but you’re scared to say?”

He swallowed noticeably. She watched his pupils widen in what she assumed was panic as she forced him to address it head on.

“You feel right,” he said quietly. “I feel right around you.”

“What are you saying Rak?” she urged, knowing he was looking for a prompt, but not giving it to him. This had to come from him.

By now she was more than confident she knew what he was trying to work his way up to saying, but Laura needed him to know it enough to tell her on his own.

“I love you, okay?” he blurted out suddenly, pulling his hand back as if he expected her to reject him over the statement.

Except Laura had anticipated that, and she clamped down on his hand. Hard. Rak didn’t move, frozen in place by her unexpected resistance to his movement. He didn’t know what to do.

That was okay. Laura knew, and now that he’d come out and said it, she could help him out some.

“I know,” she said, reaching up to stroke his face with her other hand, staring deep into the bright greens, letting herself get lost. “I know.”

“You do?”

She nodded. “I figured that’s what you were working toward. But I needed to hear you say it yourself. Without me giving you any lead in. I needed to know you meant it, that you felt it strong enough to work past your own barriers.”

“I do,” he said quietly. “I know it’s crazy, but like I told you, fate just…I just know.”

Laura squeezed his hand. “I believe you Rak. Truly, I do.”

His eyes looked down, away. “But you didn’t say it back.”

“No,” she said, not hesitating. “I didn’t. That doesn’t mean, however, that I don’t care about you.”

“You do?” Rak sounded suspicious.

“Yes, you dummy. I do. I don’t think I could convince myself otherwise at this point. You’ve become something far more to me than just a bodyguard. That’s obvious to anyone. Am I your mate? You seem to think so. Lara seemed to know that was why you must have brought me here. But Rak, like you said, I’m human.”

He nodded.

“I’m still coming to grips with all this. With you being a dragon. For real. Reading about them was one thing, but this is different. Then add falling in love with you? Falling in love with a dragon shifter? That’s a whole new ballgame.”

Her feelings were just pouring out of her at this point, and Laura didn’t hold back. She let him know everything, exactly how she was feeling.

“I don’t know whether I’m ready for that yet,” she said quietly, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

“Oh.” Rak tried to pull his hand away for a second time, but Laura had also anticipated that.

She squeezed even harder, holding it, bringing it over into her lap, where she could stroke his arm, and feel the physical connection to him, just like she could the emotional one.

“But, Rak, I’m also not sure that I’m not ready for it. I just don’t know, is my point. I only began to think in those terms today. I need more time. I don’t want to slow down, I don’t to speed up. I’m not leaving, unless you kick me out, and I’m not about to agree to settle down with you for the rest of my life. I just want to keep being with you.” She bit her lip, not realizing just how much that was what she wanted, until she’d said it out loud.

Maybe Rakell isn’t the only one who needs to discuss his feelings with the other.

“Okay,” Rakell said, nodding. “Okay, I can do that.” He started to rise.

“What are you doing?” she asked, still holding his hand.

“I’m going to give you time,” he said, as if he was doing exactly what she’d said.

Men. Have to lead them right to the water or they’ll never drink.

Laura hauled on his hand as hard as she could. Rakell wasn’t expecting the extra force, and he tumbled forward, landing on top of her. He managed to catch himself with his free hand so that she wasn’t squished.

“I said time,” she whispered. “Not space. I just had space. Right now I just need to spend more time with you. To continue learning what life is like with a dragon shifter. That means you need to