Free Dragon on Top by G.A. Aiken Page A

that sweet voice belonged to burrowed in deeper beside Bram.
    â€œUh . . . Ghleanna?”
    â€œJust another five minutes,” she softly begged. “Just another five.”
    But in less than five minutes—more like ten seconds—Ghleanna jerked away from him, wide dark eyes gawking.
    â€œWhat are you—” she began.
    But Bram quickly cut in, “I was here first.”
    â€œYou . . . oh. You were.” She closed her eyes, shook her head. “You got a bit clingy when I stretched out last night.”
    â€œDid I?” Bram sat up, ran his hand through his hair. “Sorry about that.”
    â€œNo need to apologize. And you weren’t . . . I mean, your hands didn’t go . . . I mean . . .” She let out another breath. “You were quite proper is what I mean to say.”
    â€œGood. Good.” He threw his legs over the side of the bed. “Then we can forget it ever happened.”
    â€œRight. Good idea. It never happened. We were both just . . . tired.”
    â€œAnd all that snoring.”
    â€œRight! The snoring. How could anyone expect us to sleep with that lot snoring away? We had to sleep together. It was necessary.”
    â€œAlthough,” Bram admitted after a moment, “it was quite lovely, wasn’t it?”
    â€œAye,” she replied, her voice soft. “It was.”
    â€œThank you for that.”
    â€œAnd thank you. That’s the best I’ve slept in—”
    The door swung open again, cutting off Ghleanna’s words. “Oy!” Cai yelled into the hallway. “Addolgar did see ’em in bed together! Who knew the little bastard had it in him?”
    Hew stuck his head in. “They still have their clothes on. What’s the point of being human if you’re going to do it with your clothes on? Playing with the flesh is the best part.”
    â€œMaybe they got dressed quick.”
    â€œNah. I bet they just slept.” Hew shook his head. “Boring.”
    â€œNot everyone’s like you, Hew. Running around, fucking anything that moves.”
    â€œLet’s go!” Adain yelled from out in the hallway. “I want to eat!”
    The door slammed shut and Bram closed his eyes, trying to remember that this would all be over soon enough.
    â€œThat was a bit awkward,” Ghleanna sighed.
    â€œOf course it wasn’t. We’re dragons. We don’t have all those weak sensibilities like humans.” He waved toward the door. “That was nothing.”
    â€œCome on, you two whores!” Addolgar bellowed from the hallway, most likely waking up the entire building, and if not, the brothers’ laughter probably did the trick. “It’s time to eat! Let’s move, move, move!”
    â€œOkay,” Bram told her. “Now that was awkward.”
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    After a quick morning meal in the pub, they’d gotten on the road as the two suns rose, heading toward the ocean and the port where they’d meet the boat that would take them into the Desert Lands. As they walked, Ghleanna kept thinking about what had happened that morning. Waking up in Bram’s arms—even fully clothed—had been . . . strange. Mostly because she’d been so comfortable. She’d never been that comfortable in a male’s arms before.
    Maybe it was because the royal seemed so non-threatening. He was Bram the Merciful, after all. He never ate humans and was always running around trying to create alliances and truces with their kingdom’s enemies. He’d never been in a battle in his life and hadn’t even noticed the one right outside his own castle gates.
    He was definitely not the kind of dragon she ever saw herself with. As a warrior from a warrior clan, she’d always been with other warriors. Then again, she’d rarely stayed the night and when she did, she never slept in those warriors’ arms. And Ghleanna was even less comfortable with human