Jade listened to Dragon telling Valerian that he would see him in twenty minutes. She teased him by brushing his thigh with her fingers, inching closer to his nest of blond curls.

His hand clamped on hers before she could reach his manhood. “Stop it,” he whispered with a naughty smile as he wrapped up his conversation with his lieutenant. “We need to shower and get presentable,” he said, taking her wrists and pinning them above her head. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” He kissed her hard before taking her in his arms.

Cocooned in his embrace, she leaned her head against his shoulder and let him take the lead. “What’s your secret?” she asked, smiling against his skin.

“Secret?” His large hand roamed over her back, warming her but also awakening her senses anew.

“You’ve found a way to tame a ferocious Master Assassin.” She trailed feather-light kisses all over his throat and finished by nibbling his earlobe.

“That secret,” he chuckled and shivered at the same time. “Not sure, but if you don’t stop what you’re doing, I’ll never talk to Valerian, and it didn’t sound like the kind of conversation that could be delayed. He gave us a few hours for ourselves, but now, I need to confront reality once again.”

Dragon’s suddenly serious tone dampened her playfulness. “What did he say?” she asked.

“It seems that his investigation has already yielded results.” He kissed her crown and entered the bathroom. With his free hand, he opened the shower stall and placed both of them under the large glass umbrella with working gears hanging from the ceiling.

“A steam bath. What a luxury.” She appreciatively eyed the transparent, clockwork apparatus that produced a warm cloud, bathing them in scented vapor. “Not something I ever experienced as an assassin. Traveling with the High Lord has its advantages after all.”

“Indeed.” He planted a kiss on her nose. “Wait until you bathe in our chambers at Sol Manor,” he said matter-of-factly. “As soon as we’re back home, I’ll block out an entire week for ourselves just to show you the baths.”

Jade was taken aback by his statement, not because of what he said, but because of her reaction to his words. Dragon always used “we” and “us” when he talked, but it was the first time that it had sounded perfectly normal to her ears.

“I’ll introduce you to the many pleasures we can have in the water—” His whisper reached deep inside her, spurring her imagination toward new frontiers.

Playing with his hair, she stood on her toes to brush his lips. “You’re expanding my horizons.”

“My absolute pleasure.” He took her mouth for a punishing kiss.

Soon they were drenched, water drops gliding along their united bodies. Dragon finally released her to the floor, but only to lather his hands with a cleansing foam he thoroughly applied to every inch of her. The scent of red lavender filled the stall, saturating the space, relaxing her. He rocked her as if they were dancing, his touch soothing, and his words sweet promises.

“Valerian is waiting outside,” Dragon said several minutes later.

She smiled. “Probably for quite some time.”

They exited the shower stall, and he dried her with a warm towel, his hands lingering between her legs and over her breasts. Dragon kneeled in front of her and hugged her waist, his face resting against the swell of her stomach.

“I need you so much it drives me crazy.” He kissed her bump, then leaned his forehead against it. “Baby, I love your mother to perdition and can’t wait to see you.”

For the second time, Jade was taken aback by Dragon’s words, and again, it was her own reaction that surprised her. Warmth radiated from her heart, encompassing her entirely as she thought of this big mountain of a man holding their small child in his arms. It was perfection. What dreams were made of.

“I’ve imagined our baby with your eyes,” she said, her voice quivering with emotion.

“As long as our child has your resilience, I’ll consider myself the luckiest father alive.” He kissed her sweetly before adding, “We really should let Valerian in.”

She sighed. “So be it.” Playfully pushing him away, she said, “You better wear something, though.” Her eyes lowered below his waist. “I can’t vouch for my actions to remain civil a moment longer if you parade yourself naked in front of me.”

With a jolt, she realized she was being flirtatious. She didn’t even know she was capable of such behavior.

“I rather enjoy this new attitude of yours—” He smiled, winking at her. “You do talk a big talk, my love. Are you ready to follow through with your threat?” On the last word, his expression changed, and he canted his head to the side as if he were listening to something before adding, “Valerian is pacing outside.”

“Let’s get this over with.” Jade stepped to the side to let him hastily dress. She found herself ogling Dragon as the muscles on his back flexed when he raised his arms to put on a fresh shirt. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as beautiful as you are. Your body is perfect.”

Dragon turned. “And I don’t think I’ve ever so thoroughly enjoyed a compliment.” He stepped closer to Jade and kissed her. “Thank you.”

“I thought women fell at your feet on a daily basis.” Jealousy snuck into her mixed emotions.

“They did,” he said with another wink, his dimple showing in his contagious smile. “But confronted with such an example of masculinity, they usually fainted before they could utter a single word of praise.”

“Good thing I’m not the fainting type.” She hugged the towel tighter against her chest and walked back to the bedroom to grab a new change of clothes for herself.

“It’s a blessing, truly.” Dragon followed her, hopping into his pants as he walked.

As usual, Jade chose leather pants and a lawn shirt she tucked into the waistband of the tight pants.

Dragon’s palm skimmed her stomach. “You’ll need new clothes soon.”

Jade placed her hand on top of his, liking the feeling of his large palm against her belly. The warmth of his skin radiated beneath the flimsy layer of cotton, and something magical happened. A small bump formed under their united hands.

“Is it—?” Dragon’s eyes widened.

She nodded, unable to talk, and pressed their hands down against the moving bump.

Keeping his hand where it was, Dragon kneeled once again in front of her. “Baby, I love you so much already.”

As if answering him, their child pressed back.

Out of nowhere, Jade’s eyes welled. Never before in her life had she had so much to lose.

Unexpectedly, a few errant thoughts she recognized as memories hit her, leaving her breathless.

In the midst of her dramatic escape, Jade realized a truth that had been eluding her. She didn’t want to kill any longer.

She wanted to retire and live a simple life. Maybe at the side of a man who made her dream of better things. But that too didn’t matter, because Assassins didn’t retire from the Academy, and the man she wanted would be marrying his two beautiful brides with the perfect faces, beautiful, long hair, and luscious, fertile bodies.

If the situation weren’t dire, she would have laughed at her errant thoughts. Woolgathering while attempting to ride the thermals with someone else’s gear was suicide. Yet, here she was, thinking of Dragon when she should have focused on what to do next. But then, a second enlightening truth hit her: She liked that, even now, fighting or making plans didn’t make up the entirety of her thoughts. It sure was inconvenient, but Jade had never felt more alive. Her silly reaction to Dragon would probably be the cause of her untimely demise, but she didn’t regret the stolen moments of bliss he gave her.

The memory vanished as fast as it had come, leaving Jade with a new sense of understanding of her past. Before she had the erasion, when she was still on Solaria, she had realized she loved Dragon and couldn’t share him with anyone else. She couldn’t lose him now.