Dragon's Fake Wedding Date - Riley Storm Page 0,65
other women.”
Rann cringed. “That was before I met you.”
“I know,” she said, patting his chest softly. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just, I handled it all poorly, because my trust level with men right now is rather low. But you have never given me reason to mistrust you Rann. I should have handled that better. I should have asked you about it instead of jumping to conclusions like I did. That was rash and immature of me. So, for that, and what I said, I am very, very sorry.”
He looked up at her, one side of his mouth curling up in a gentle smile. “I’m sorry too, Gayle.”
She blinked. “What? Why on earth are you sorry?”
“Because,” he said. “It’s not like my reputation was a secret around the clan. I didn’t brag about what I did, but I never made any attempt to hide it away. Yet, when I took you there, among the people who really know me, I never bothered to think about how that might affect you. I never stopped to think how other people might view you, since you’re with me.”
“Oh,” she said. “I mean, you shouldn’t have to though.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” he said. “But it would have helped. I’m sorry.”
“Well then, we’re both sorry,” she said, laughing softly for a brief moment.
“I guess we are,” he agreed wryly. “Should we kiss and make up?”
Gayle nodded. “I would like that very much.”
She bent down to him, careful not to press her weight against his battered body, and she kissed him. It was gentle, soft, and tentative. Nerves on both sides were shooting around like sparks, but beneath it all was that familiar feeling of ‘right’ that she’d experienced from the very first time they’d kissed.
Eventually, they parted. Rann settled down into the bed comfortably at her side, and Gayle resumed stroking his head, her mind stirring with a million questions.
“Rann,” she asked eventually, her voice soft and distracted.
“Yes?” he replied, tired but still alert.
“Is this…” she trailed off, unable to get the question out the first time.
The big dragon shifter waited patiently, giving her time to work through her own mental roadblocks and ask the question she truly wanted to ask.
“Is this…serious?”
Rann exhaled in a very slow, controlled manner. “I want it to be,” he said. “Which, I’ve never wanted before, with anyone. It’s new and unusual for me to want it. Scary, even.”
Gayle bit her lip as she listened to Rann open up to her, voicing his insecurities and fears. She’d never bothered to think that a strapping dragon shifter with beautiful looks and a body of a god would ever be scared of emotions, but here they were. It just made her care for him even more.
“The thing is though,” he continued. “I don’t want to rush you, Gayle. I know you’re in a weird place right now. With everything that’s happened, I get it if you don’t want to jump into another relationship. If you need to take time off to think about life. I want you in mine, because I’ve waited long enough for my mate, but if waiting even longer is what it takes to have you, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“Mate? What do you mean by that?” she asked cautiously.
“Dragons aren’t quite like humans,” Rann confessed, meeting her eyes.
She was taken aback by the solemn regard in them. Gayle had never seen him look this serious before, and she paid extra attention to his next words, not wanting to miss anything.
“We have one partner. Emotionally, I guess,” he said with a bit of chagrin. “Only one. Until we find them, emotions with other women are like ash. Gray, dull, fall to pieces. There’s no vibrancy, no pleasure. It’s only when we find our mate that everything comes into full, bright color. It might sound weird, but it’s true. For each of us, there is only one person out there who will give us that completeness. So, when we find them, we’ll do anything to keep them.”
Gayle bit her lip. “Are you saying…that I’m your mate?”
Rann nodded. “I believe so, yes. I’ve never felt this way about someone before. My dragon, it… it wants nothing but you. All of you, all day, every day. I’m sorry if that’s too much, and I promise we can take it as slow as you need. But I’m not going to lie to you, I’m not going to hide it from you, Gayle. I want you. I need you. You complete me.”
She drew in a slow,