Page 48 of The Accidental Dragon Baby

“Tell me something about Ace,” Ivo said to the three of them.

“I’m Ace, and I have a big wobbly marshmallow center,” Harvey said immediately.

Raptor glanced sideways at Ace. “I’m Ace, and when I was eight, I stole my twin’s birthday cake.”

Ace narrowed his eyes. “I’m not going to prove my own identity. I want to build a nest, damn it.”

Ivo’s gaze landed on Ace, bright and thoughtful. “Did you really steal Raptor’s birthday cake?”

He recognized me.Something bright swelled in Ace’s chest.

“I ate every last crumb,” he said with great relish.

“Fucker,” Raptor said, snapping his wing open to hit Ace in the head. “I got him back by eatinghisbreakfast the next morning.”

“Cake is better than breakfast,” Ace said.

“I don’t know. Sometimes breakfast can be really amazing.” Ivo glanced at the empty containers next to Ace’s nest, and Ace grinned.

He stretched out his own wing, smacking Raptor in the head. “Get out of here. Leave me to my nest-building.”

“Fine, baby brother.”

“I’m just younger than you by three minutes,” Ace grumbled.

“Still a baby. I’m gladoneof us is getting a mate, at least.” A look of deep longing flashed across Raptor’s face. He tucked it away and turned to Ivo. “Pleasure to meet you, future family.” With a beat of his wings, he took off, flying over their hedge maze back to his own mansion.

And now Ace felt better, knowing he had Ivo all to himself. “Ignore Rap,” he told Ivo. “I’m not putting any pressure on you to be my anything.”

But something must’ve shown on his face, because Ivo ducked his head and blushed.

Ace’s instinctswanted.

“I’ll bring your cart over,” Harvey said, ambling toward their shopping cart, who was trying unsuccessfully to make its way through the tall grass.

Ace turned back to Ivo. “You liked the breakfast I made?”

“I wasn’t expecting fire! It felt weird.” Ivo rubbed his stomach thoughtfully. “But I was surprised that the peppers didn’t hurt me. The fire, too.”

“You know why that is, right?”

Ivo traced his fingers over his belly, his breath hitching. “Yeah.”

Ace rumbled and closed the distance between them, touching his knuckles to Ivo’s jaw. “I’m going to make you the best nest ever. It’ll be so big, you can have all your books in it. Even food and a pillow pit.”

Ivo’s eye lit up. “I want to help. Mary too.”

“Maybe. It’s an alpha’s responsibility.” Ace filled his lungs with Ivo’s scent—wet and leafy, like a creek running through a forest. There were two newer smells, though. The first was a light smokiness, as though Ivo had taken on some of Ace’s scent.

The second was a damp ozone, like it was about to rain.

Ivo licked his lips. Ace watched the movement of his tongue, reaching up to cup Ivo’s cheek. Ivo’s breath hitched. And hitched again when Ace pressed his thumb to one corner of Ivo’s mouth.

What did he taste like?

Ace leaned in, sliding his thumb over Ivo’s plush lower lip, nudging it away from his upper lip. He was so soft. So willing to open.

“So beautiful,” Ace whispered. “I want to—”

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