Page 48 of See You in Your Dreams

“Most dragonriders are Welsh,” Robbie offers out of the blue.

Ash blinks, his eyebrows shooting up. He glances at me, and I shrug. As usual, I have no idea what Robbie is talking about. After a moment’s consideration, Ash turns toward Robbie.

“That makes sense. Seeing as Wales has a dragon on their flag.”

Robbie nods sagely while I look between them, astonished. Ash has barely met Robbie, and he’s already better at interpreting him than I am. Go figure.

The rest of lunch passes in a halting stream of conversation. I can tell Ash remains on edge, but he does a decent job holding his own. Gradually, I relax. It’s still surreal seeing Ash interacting with my friends, but at least it’s not the unmitigated disaster I’d feared it might be.

“Oh, one last thing,” Cat says as we gather our stuff to head back inside. She narrows her eyes at Ash, jabbing a finger his direction. “Hurt Dylan again, andwe’llhurtyou.”

“Cat!” Alexis exclaims, aghast. “No one is hurting anyone! Violence is never the answer.”

“Except in horseshoes and hand grenades,” Robbie says. He pauses. “And taxes.”

“It’s all right,” Ash tells a sputtering Alexis. He meets Cat’s eyes, his gaze steady and his expression determined. “I swear I won’t do anything to hurt Dylan. Ever.”

Cat studies his face a few seconds longer. Then, she breaks out in a fierce grin. “Good. In that case, see you around, Tall-Dark-and-Moody.”

His lips quirk as he nods his head at her. “Later, Tiny Dragonrider.”

My eyes widen at the nickname, but Cat only broadens her smile. Robbie trails after her while Alexis offers her own polite goodbye. Soon enough, it’s just me and Ash.

“Sorry about that,” I say with a wince.

Ash shrugs. “I don’t blame them for wanting to look out for you. It’s nice to have people that care about you like that.”

The wistfulness in his voice sends a dull ache rippling through my chest. I reach out, snagging his hand. “I don’t know exactly what happened to you in the past or what went down with your grandparents. ButIcare about you. And I’m pretty sure your aunt does, too.”

The hard planes of Ash’s face soften. He leans in and kisses me, our noses rubbing lightly together. “Thank you,” he whispers when we part.

“Of course.” I give him a mischievous grin. “After all, what areboyfriendsfor?”

He groans and lengthens his stride, tugging me toward the school. But my heart skips a beat when he doesn’t correct my use of the term. My thoughts return to the folder now tucked away in his bag, and I tighten my grip on his hand. There will be plenty of time to convince Ash to reconsider how to handle his superpower later.

For now, we’re together, and that feels like more than enough.

eighteen

Ash

A groan rips frommy throat as my fingers trace the soft skin on Dylan’s back. He shudders, arching into me, and I crash my lips against his, desperate to taste him. Stubble scrapes against my cheek, but that only turns me on even more. My tongue tangles with his as my hands continue their quest to map the hidden contours of his body, shifting lower and lower down his back to cup his surprisingly firm ass.

“Watch yourself, Ellington,” Dylan murmurs. Breaking our kiss, he buries his face in my neck. I can’t hold back another groan as his teeth nip lightly at my skin. “Don’t start something you’re not willing to finish.”

“Oh, I’m ready and willing to finish,” I pant, grinding my hardness against his. He moans into my neck, the sound sending heat careening through me.

My fingers slide down the sides of his ass and around his thighs, brushing against his bulge before they find the button onhis jeans. Before I can do more than tug at it, I hear a door open on the floor below.

“Hi, Ash, I’m home!” Aunt Claudette calls. “Mrs. Haverty needed to reschedule, but I had themostheartwarming reading with Mr. Lawrence today.”

Fuck.Both Dylan and I freeze. I hesitate with my fingers still on the button of Dylan’s jeans for another few heartbeats. Then, I let out a frustrated groan and flop back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Or at least, Iwas,” I mutter. “Why does the universe have to be such a cock-block?”

Dylan chuckles, still a bit breathless. My bed creaks as he stands, and I glance at him just in time to see him surreptitiously adjusting himself. He notices me watching and grins.

“Cut the universe some slack. It’s your aunt’s erratic appointments that are the problem.”