Page 32 of The Accidental Dragon Baby

“Nothing special!”

Ace’s eyebrows went higher.

Ivo tried not to whine. If Ace discovered Ivo’s identity, would he be mad? Ivo vaguely remembered him saying that the condom had been too small. That was Ivo’s fault, too, since he had to use Uriel’s condom instead of bringing his own. Then the condom had split. Obviously. Because Ace was so big.

Oh, hell. I’m pregnant.Ivo touched his belly under the blanket, trying to come to terms with this. Ace’s baby was growing inside him. Despite the circumstances, warmth spread through his chest.

Ivo kind of... wanted more than one baby. From Ace. He wanted Ace to stuff him with babies all the time.

I shouldn’t be having thoughts like this.

“Ivo,” Ace said gently. “I need to know what I’m protecting.”

“She’s, um, small! And harmless. A mammal.”

“A dog?” Ace teased. “A cat?”

“Cats are not harmless,” Ivo muttered. “They hate everybody.”

Ace laughed. Then he turned to regard Mary. “Hello, Mary, you not-cat.”

Mary continued to nurse, eyeing Ace suspiciously.

Ivo’s lips twitched without his permission.

Ace continued to smile. He glanced at the creek thoughtfully, then at Ivo, back and forth like he was wondering how Ivo had managed a swim last night.

Ivo braced himself for another round of questioning, but it never came.

Instead, Ace brought over two armfuls of cut grass. “Is this your ideal nest?”

Ivo blinked. “What?”

“In a perfect world, what would you have in your nest?”

Ivo looked around. He’d never gotten the chance to do whatever he liked, but... “My dream nest would have lots of things for Mary,” he said wistfully. “Pillows, toys, blankets. Snacks, clothes, wet wipes. I know she’s entertained by the smallest things, but I just want to provide for her, you know?”

Ace’s eyes went soft. “Yeah,” he murmured. “But what about you? What would you want in your nest that’s all for you?”

“Snacks,” Ivo said immediately. “Lots of snacks. And pillows. Soft things. I’d have to charge my phone, but... You already brought me a power bank.”

“I’ll swap it out for a fresh one when that runs out,” Ace said.

Ivo’s chest grew warm. “Thank you. If I had all that stuff in my nest, I’d probably need an umbrella, too. Mary and I are fine with rain, but blankets and electronics are not.”

Ace nodded. “What else?”

“Maybe a couple of books,” Ivo said shyly. “Romance novels for me, picture books for Mary.”

“Favorite author?”

“Llain Hardcox.” Ivo blushed the moment the words fell out of his mouth. “He lives in a town called Meadowfall, and he writes about people in a world without magic. All his characters are still alphas and omegas though.”

Ace’s eyebrows jumped. He pulled out his phone, and Ivo squawked.

“Don’t read them!”

“Oh? Why not?” A smile played on Ace’s lips. He tapped on his phone, his eyebrows rising at whatever he’d found.

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