“Hey,” Tori said gently before touching his chin. “This isn’t an ‘I don’t want to see you again’ talk.”
Baldewin’s head jumped up, and he looked over at the mage, his heart surging into his throat. “Really?”
“Of course not. How could I ever live without you? But this is a boundaries talk.”
“Okay.” Baldewin nodded, grateful Tori wasn’t kicking him to the curb for his stupid loss of temper.
“I get that you want to protect me. You have no idea how much that means to me when there has been no one in my life to watch my back. The fact that you stand up for me, defend me—it’s amazing. It takes my breath away.”
Baldewin leaned in and pressed the lightest kiss to Tori’s lips. “You are my everything. I will protect and defend you until my final breath.”
Tori made a happy little sigh and then shook his head. “I know, but you have to remember I can also defend myself. Assholes like Verner, it’s time I stood up to them. You and our clan have given me the confidence to stand up for myself. I want the chance to do that before you rain fire down on their heads and eat them for dinner.”
Baldewin lowered his gaze and nodded. He was proud of Tori for wanting to take a stand but felt horrible for nearly stomping all over his new sense of self-confidence and pride. “I understand. I am sorry. You are the strongest person I’ve ever met. I know you don’t need me to defend you. I lost my temper.”
Tori leaned in and pressed a kiss to the tip of Baldewin’s nose. “I am honored that you wanted to defend me, and I will always need you in a hundred different ways. Plus, I really love the idea that if I ever get in over my head, you will always have my back.”
He dared to meet Tori’s gaze again, a smile starting to tug at his lips. “I will always have your back.”
“Good. Now come with me.” Tori jerked away and opened the passenger door.
“Where?”
“Now that we’ve had our talk, I want to show you a secret little place to reward my brave, angry dragon.”
Baldewin didn’t waste any time jumping out of the SUV and following Tori around the front. They were hidden from the road by high grass, allowing them to get lost in a tangle of arms and legs. They kissed desperately and tugged at clothes, trying to get a little closer while not wanting to release each other.
With his emotions running high and sex clearly on the table, Baldewin was tempted to yank clothes off and let instinct take over.
But after that disaster back there, he also felt the need to say the words that had been caught in his throat for days now. Even if Tori couldn’t reciprocate, he wanted this precious man to know he was loved.
He pulled back from the kiss, framing Tori’s face with one hand. Those crystal grey eyes were cloudy with passion, mouth looking sweetly used, and it was all very distracting. Baldewin firmly kept his mind on track, although it took more willpower than it should have. “Wait. Let me say this first. Tori, you’re amazing and intelligent. You’re one of the most capable people I’ve ever known. You don’t need me. You never have.”
Tori’s mouth opened on a protest.
“You don’t,” Baldewin said, his heart in his throat. “You’ve proven time and again, even before I came into your life, that you don’t need anyone to take care of you. But if you choose to have someone in your life who will, who will love you and support you, then I want it to be me. I want you to choose me.”
“I already have.” Tori huffed a little laugh, eyes warm. “You silly man, of course I have. You’ve seen the environment I grew up in, how stifling it was. I dreamed of having someone like you. Someone who would give me the freedom I craved. You’re a breath of fresh air in a life that had gone stagnant with desperation. I can breathe freely because of you. But can I be everything you want?”
“You already are. You are my mate. Whether you are ready to accept it or not, I’ve known for a while now. My dragon has known it. We are fated to be together. And I will happily wait for you to be comfortable with that idea, no matter how long it takes.”
Tori’s eyes grew wide, and his entire body stilled against Baldewin’s. “Mates? Really? You think we’re mates?”
“I know we are.”
Tori blinked back tears and released a heavy sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god. I was hoping we were, but I was afraid that we weren’t. I didn’t know how I was going to live with the idea of someone else being your mate.”