Kingdoms of Gold

23 | Oh Brother

When I woke up the next morning I knew it was well into the afternoon from the heat of the sunlight pouring into the room. I hissed as I sat up—sore between my legs. The bed was still warm, warm but empty.

"Good morning, or I guess good afternoon." Brynjar sat at the couch. He was already bathed and clothed and scrolling through his phone—a new phone. Our bags were gone, all except one small backpack. And so was his beard.

"What happened to your beard?" His chin was so smooth, I doubt it could be achieved by shaving.

He huffed, smoke pouring through his nostrils. "I didn't realize the cream in your bag was hair removal."

I laughed so hard my ribs ached. "You didn't read the label?"

"I thought it was your face wash." He shoved his phone in his pocket. "I'm just lucky I noticed my hair falling out before I reached my eyebrows."

I've never seen his chin completely smooth. The one time he did shave it, there was still a slight shadow. He was still beautiful nonetheless.

I flopped back down on the bed with a smile, pulling the covers over my bare body. "Aren't we supposed to be on a flight?"

"Yes, but you looked tired. I couldn't wake you." The bed creaked under his weight and he placed a hand on my hip, sending warmth through me.

"Where did all our stuff go?" I wrapped my arms around his waist, laying my head in his lap.

He brushed out my hair with his fingers. "On the plane."

I sat up again, clutching the blankets to my chest. "Now how are we supposed to get to your family's place? We don't even have our crap. Am I supposed to go nude? Wrapped in sheets?"

He pressed a quick kiss to my cheeks, lips tilted in a grin. "No, you're not going nude. I set out a pair of clothes for you in the bathroom."

"And if I would rather go nude?" I grinned, only meaning to tease him.

His eyes darkened. "I won't complain, at least not until we land. You'll be riding with me though, but I can keep you warm."

"I get to ride on your dragon again?" Screw any kinky thoughts he had. I was excited to have him fly me again.

"Yes, only if you want to. It'll take longer than a plane, so I can get us plane tickets if you'd rather do that."

"Are you kidding me? I don't want a plane ticket." I paused, remembering what he once said. "I though you could fly as fast as a plane, if not faster?"

"I can, but only when I'm alone. You wouldn't survive the speeds and air pressure without protection. I'll have to fly slower, and we'll take breaks."

He grinned, his face softening as if centuries worth of trouble had begun to dissipate. "You and I can go North, over the North Sea, and straight into Norway. Or we can head East, into Sweden, then cross over to Norway. The latter is slower, maybe a half a day's more worth of time."

"I don't mind a small detour. Where are we crashing for breaks?" I hoped he didn't expect me to curl up with him in the middle of a forest. I was still traumatized from the last forest we ended up in.

"I'd say we'd only be gone half a day, maybe an entire day depending on how often we need to stop. And from how sore you still are, we'll be stopping often." He glanced down at my lap, smirking. "I'll make a call while you shower, get another hotel booked for tonight up North."

"When did you get the phone?" I really just wanted to know why I didn't get one too.

He kissed my temple. "There's one for you too in the backpack. Go shower and we'll get going."