How Not To Fall For A Dragon
Chapter 82 82- Never Accept A Ride From A Dragon
LEXI
“So… That went well I think?” I comment awkwardly, brushing grass off my hands and pretending my legs don’t still feel like they belong to someone else. Blake nods immediately. Not the stiff, guarded nod he gives professors. Not the polite one he uses when he’s barely tolerating someone. This one is easy, loose. He’s sitting close beside me, forearms resting on his knees, and there’s a softness to him I don’t see very often. His posture isn’t defensive. He isn’t scanning the courtyard for threats. He isn’t scowling at anyone who looks too long. He looks… Content.
“I agree.” He says.
“Did… You enjoy it?” He adds after the smallest pause, like he’s bracing himself for the answer. There’s something careful in the way he asks that. I remember, distantly, the first week we met. Him asking how I felt about heights. I’d thought it was random at the time. Now I’m not so sure. He really seems to love flying. It’s his thing. His space. The place where he’s most himself. Has he been thinking about taking me up there since then? That’s… Kind of ridiculously sweet. I’m really glad I enjoyed it. I think it would have genuinely disappointed him if I hadn’t. Not in an angry way. Just… Quietly. Although if I’m honest, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much with anyone else. Flying is fun. Flying is also terrifying. You are completely at someone else’s mercy up there. You have to trust them not to drop you. Not to panic. Not to get distracted. I trust Blake. I don’t think I’d be comfortable enough with anyone else to actually relax and laugh the way I did. With anyone else I probably would have spent the entire time gripping on in silent fear.
“With you? Yeah. I did.” I say finally, grinning a little. His shoulders loosen just slightly at that.
“But next time, remind me to tie my hair back. Or braid it. Or shave it off entirely. It’s going to take forever to comb this out nicely. I’m a mess.” I add quickly as I take my fingers through my hair and immediately encounter a knot the size of a small animal. Blake laughs.
“You look beautiful. All windswept.” He says casily as he reaches out and lightly tugs on a lock of my tangled hair, letting it spring back. The gesture is gentle. Familiar. I like how relaxed he is right now. So I keep going.
“Actually, give me a warning next time and I’ll wear a mask or tie a scarf over my head or something. I swear I kept getting bugs flying into my face. And my nose is running so bad from being smacked in the face by air for the last hour.” I continue then I sniff dramatically for emphasis. Blake grins, a full, unrestrained grin. It’s gorgeous. Open and bright and completely unguarded. If he smiled like that at everyone, I swear even the most hardcore dragon haters would fall over themselves for him. I don’t know if I want that. There’s something about that smile being mostly reserved for me that I like a little too much. He seems especially pleased that I’m already talking about ‘next time.‘ He doesn’t say it, but I can see it. The quiet pride. The way he sits a little taller. And I DO mean it. It is something I’d like to do again. Maybe not in front of an audience though. Maybe somewhere quieter. Just us.
“Maybe we could go flying properly sometime.” I say, trying for casual and probably missing slightly.
“Not for class. Like… Actually go somewhere.” I suggest. Blake’s eyes sharpen just a little at that. Interest. Possibility.
“Somewhere?” He repeats.
“Yeah…” I shrug.
“Somewhere that isn’t full of witnesses and rat professors. Somewhere scenic. Or dramatic. Or both.” I tell him. His mouth curves slowly. I can almost see the ideas forming behind his eyes. And I have a feeling I just unlocked something very dangerous. In the best possible way. Yeah. That idea definitely
appeals to him too.
I check my schedule and see that someone, the Academy I guess, has cancelled my tutoring with Layla for this afternoon. Honestly? That’s probably wise. I am a mess. My hair is an unholy knot, my face still feels wind–battered, and I’m fairly certain I smell faintly like dragon smoke and adrenaline. There’s a direct message waiting for me on the SCRI app from Layla confirming the cancellation and telling me to have a nice afternoon. I squint suspiciously at it. The Academy definitely meddled.
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Chapter 82 82- Never Accept A Ride From A Dragon
“Well, class is over and it’s been pretty fun, but I definitely need to go back to my room and get cleaned up. I’m kinda gross now. A shower is absolutely in order. I announce, slipping my phone back into my pocket. Blake studies me like he’s debating whether to argue with the ‘gross‘ comment. He wisely doesn’t.
“I’ll walk you.” He says immediately, already pushing to his feet. Of course he will. He offers me his hand and I take it, letting him pull me up. My legs wobble just enough to justify it.
“Thanks.” I say, smiling up at him. We head back toward the dorms at a slow, lazy pace. I hook my arm through his and lean in slightly, pretending it’s purely affectionate and not at all because my knees still feel vaguely unreliable. The afternoon sun is warm. My skin still buzzes faintly from the wind and the adrenaline. I feel pleasantly exhausted. Blake seems… Charged. There’s an energy under his skin. A quiet hum. Like he’s still riding the high of the flight. We reach my door, and before I can even process what’s happening, Blake pulls me against him. Hard. One hand at my waist, the other at the back of my neck. And he kisses me. Not his usual measured, deliberate kiss. Not the slow, teasing kind. This one is different. Reckless. Warm. A little bit breathless. It’s like all that adrenaline he burned in the sky is still crackling through him and now it’s focused entirely on me. I make a soft, surprised sound against his mouth that he immediately takes advantage of, kissing me deeper. My hands slide up his chest without me thinking about it. He tastes like warmth and
something sharp and clean and very distinctly Blake. For a second I forget about my messy hair and jelly legs. I forget about the courtyard. It’s just him.
When he finally pulls back, it’s not abrupt. It’s slow. Like he doesn’t particularly want to stop but knows he should. I’m definitely a little lightheaded.
Possibly from oxygen deprivation. Possibly from him. He steps back just enough to look at me properly. And the smirk on his face? Infuriatingly satisfied. He
looks like someone who is celebrating something.
“I’ll come get you for dinner.” He says, like he didn’t just completely derail my brain. I nod.
“Okay.” 1 manage, trying very hard to sound normal and failing spectacularly. He leans in slightly again, not to kiss me this time, just close enough that I
can feel the warmth of him.
“And Lexi?” He adds, voice lower now.
“Yes?” I whisper automatically.
“I would love to fly somewhere private with you.” He tells me softly. Then he winks. My entire face goes red. He turns and heads toward his own room, perfectly composed again, like he didn’t just leave me standing there short–circuiting. I stare after him. Then I slip into my own room. The door shuts behind me and I immediately slide down it until I’m sitting on the floor. My heart is still racing. My lips are tingling. My brain is replaying that wink. I think it may have been burned into my mind. It is definitely going to be keeping my thoughts company for a while.
“Woah.” I mumble to myself. That was definitely something.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
