Page 27 of The Accidental Dragon Baby

And he found Ace moving through the grass, a lantern swinging from his hand.

Ivo panicked. Ace would recognize his mink shape for sure; he couldn’t stay like this. But he couldn’t run and leave Mary alone with Ace, either.

So he shifted back into a human and clambered out of the water, trying to distance himself from the creek so it wouldn’t seem so suspicious.

Ace froze. “Ivo?”

“Um.” Ivo turned, still on his hands and knees. Then he grew extremely aware of his missing clothes. All he wore was a thin layer of water, his skin glistening under the golden lamplight.

This close, Ace had to have seen the scars covering his body. Several of them were broad swathes of deliberate shapes, places where his fur had been separated from muscle.

Ivo hunched in on himself, trying to hide the worst of it. But there was so much damage everywhere that he felt so damn ugly in front of Ace.

Ace’s expression softened. “Hey.”

“Don’t look!”

“Is this about your scars?” Ace stepped closer. Ivo only realized then that Ace had a huge bundle of blankets under one arm.

“W-what’re you doing here?”

“Bringing you blankets, like I said I would.” Ace raised his eyebrows. “Are you cold?”

A light breeze brushed across Ivo’s skin. He shivered, and his nipples pebbled.

“Here. Let me give you a blanket.” Ace set down the lantern and dropped most of his bundle in his nest. He held onto a fluffy blanket, though, raking his gaze up and down Ivo’s body.

“Why are you still looking?” Ivo mumbled, trying to hide himself. “I’m ugly.”

Ace’s eyes flashed red. “No. You’re not.”

He stepped easily over the creek and through the grass, closer and closer to where Ivo had sat down gingerly on his ass. Ivo closed his legs, but he still felt so vulnerable with his cock and balls out in the open.

Ace stopped in front of Ivo. Then he knelt and wrapped the blanket snugly around Ivo’s shivering body. “I should’ve brought a towel. Damn it! I didn’t think you’d go for a dip in the creek.”

“I—I wanted a bath,” Ivo mumbled.

Ace huffed. “You could’ve mentioned it, and I would’ve let you use one of my several bathrooms.”

Ivo shrugged. Swimming in a bathtub wasn’t the same as swimming in a creek.

“May I—” Ace wet his lips. “May I dry you off?”

Heat swept up Ivo’s chest and neck. Was this... Ace asking to touch him?Everywhere?He remembered Ace’s strong fingers at the glory hole, and nodded before Ace had a chance to change his mind.

“Okay.” Ace swallowed. “Tell me if there’s anywhere you don’t want my hands to be.”

He began petting Ivo through the blanket, his touch muffled. His large hands cupped Ivo’s throat, strong and gentle, smoothing over Ivo’s pulse point and collarbones. He pressed the blanket against Ivo’s shoulders and gripped his arms, squeezing down along them.

“It’s like you’re trying to squeeze toothpaste out of a tube,” Ivo blurted.

Ace grinned. “Would you like me to squeeze your tube?”

Ivo’s blood rushed south. “Oh, gods.”

WhatwouldAce’s hand feel like around his cock?

Ace watched him, his gaze turning more pointed when Ivo didn’t give him a straight answer. Ivocouldn’t.His cock was fuller now, flopping against the grass, and it was still growing when Ace remained in front of him, a single blanket the only thing separating them.

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