Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
“I like to make you happy.” Warin didn’t know how else to say it and cursed the words for their inadequacy.
“Aww, Warin. You don’t have to buy me things to make me happy.” North popped up and leaned in for a chaste, sweet kiss. “You make me happy. Kissing you really makes me happy.”
Warin took the hint and kissed him, a slow, sensual glide of give and take. He might have been a bit too smug doing so. North wanted only him? Warin could definitely supply that. And kissing the man in his arms was absolutely his pleasure.
He ignored the ringing phone in his pocket for a long moment before it finally annoyed him enough he pulled back with a sigh. North stayed in the circle of his arm as he answered the phone with a gruff, “What?”
Gunter responded, “Surely you’ve found him winter gear by now.”
“We have.”
“Then tell me where you are. I’ll drive up and get you.”
North leaned into the phone and suggested, “It’s nearly lunch time. Can’t we eat first before we get on the road?”
“We might as well. Text me the address, Warin. You two find a place to eat while waiting on me.”
Warin had absolutely no intention of doing that. He’d text Gunter the address, fine, but if he wasn’t going to get to kiss North the rest of the day due to their chaperone, he was going to make every minute count now.
North stared out the car window at the ever-increasing amount of snow covering the ground as they drove higher and higher into the mountains. The roads looked as if they’d been plowed recently, pushing the white stuff into tall piles on either side of the road. The late afternoon sun cast the pine trees in golden light while the snow sparkled like mounds of diamonds.
They were riding through a fairytale scene, which was only enhanced by the fact they were fast approaching a real German castle with dragons lurking inside.
While North was toasty warm in the car, he was grateful Warin had insisted he acquire some more appropriate winter attire before they went another step farther. Munich’s temperate hadn’t been too bad, but everything looked colder now that they were climbing to a higher altitude. Naturally, it had been hard to be cold with all the kisses he stole from Warin. His concern and tenderness, his touch and deep laugh warmed North in ways no other person ever had.
They were arriving later at the castle than Warin had planned, forcing him to report back to his king at least twice to explain the hold up. Not that it was North’s fault! At least not entirely.
Except that maybe the shopping excursion had taken a few hours. By that time, it was just sensible to stop for lunch. And then, there was the fact that they were in Munich at Christmastime. Come on. North had been shocked to find himself in Brussels, but now Munich? He couldn’t pass up the chance to see just a tiny glimpse of the city decorated for the holidays. And he was much safer now that he had two dragons crowding close to him like he was some secret European prince in desperate need of protection.
Warin was proving to be the worst kind of enabler, and North was trying soooo hard not to take advantage of it. He really was being good. The new coat and warm, colorful clothes were already too much, but when they’d slipped into the Christmas market, Warin had also picked up a box of fresh baked Lebkuchen for him as a sweet treat, and North had been pretty sure he was going to cry right there in the middle of the crowd.
Who did these kinds of things for a guy?
No one he knew. At least, not until now.
He hadn’t even wanted to open the box because then he’d give in and eat them, and he didn’t want to lose them. He wanted to save everything from this trip. He wanted to hold tight to every scrap of memory, every picture, and every experience because it all felt too good to be true. Any minute now he was going to wake up or be summoned home, and this perfect moment was going to pop.
It was only when Warin had started to return to the stall to buy him a second box that North caved. He was so glad he did. Lebkuchen was like a gingerbread cookie with either white or chocolate-glaze icing with bits of fruit in it. They tasted like Christmas. Between himself and the dragons, they had demolished half the box in the blink of an eye. Now North was hoarding the remains.
Drawing in a deep breath, North blinked slowly and released the breath in a slow sigh. His head rested on Warin’s chest, and the dragon had his arm wrapped around North’s shoulders, keeping him tucked against him. The man was his personal heater, and North was so tempted to drift off to sleep again. He’d already slept most of the two-hour drive, and he knew they had to be getting close to the castle.