Page 11 of Overbooked at Dragon's Landing

“I can’t tell you how much I love hearing you say that even if you’re still figuring out whether you should accept this.” He stroked my forearm, making me want to purr. “I knew someone once who was acquainted for years with another dragon, but until the third person intended for them came onto the scene, he had no idea his acquaintance was his mate.”

“So it took all the puzzle pieces to bring the picture together? I’m probably not saying it quite right.”

“No,” Ralph said. “You are, and better than I could have. I wanted you, but the second Trace came into the lobby down there and your scents mingled, everything gelled for me. We all had to be together for the mating to happen.”

I was so over my head. “But why me? I’m not a shifter or anything special at all. Why would Fate say I should be with you two. My gods…I never even got picked first for dodge ball. You’re the men of my dreams.” I’d never been so direct—maybe if I had been, Ralph would have had a clue how I was feeling, even if it wasn’t mating yet.

“I think that’s the point,” Trace said. “We are the men of one another’s dreams. Not someone else’s. And I’m not sure if we are because we are fated or if we are fated because we are right for each other.” He chuckled. “I’m talking in circles here, but I think that’s the general idea. I can’t imagine wanting to be with anyone but the two of you, even though we just met.”

“And we’ve been best friends for most of our lives, but, as we just said, I cannot imagine being without the two of you,” Ralph said.

“If it takes me a little longer to fully comprehend what’s happened, I hope you’ll be patient with me,” I added. “Because it feels so totally right, but also outside what I had any expectations of experiencing.”

“We’re not on a timetable here,” Trace said. “You can set the pace for all of us, as long as Ralph agrees?”

“I never even thought I’d get to first base with you, Craig.” Ralph winked at me. “And now I find out you always liked me too.”

“I feel like we wasted time we could have been together,” I mused.

“Or,” Ralph said, “the time is now.”

“I like that.” And I wasn’t so stupid that when two incredibly hot guys, one of whom I already was in love and lust with and the other who was a dragon and whose touch was turning me to mush, said they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with me, I could turn them down cold. “I’m not sure what I think about Fate having any interest in me, but I know I have interest in both of you. So what do we do first?” I looked from one of them to the other, hyperaware that we were sitting on a bed and not sure what I’d do if they wanted to get naked right here and now.

Trace stroked my cheek. “Kiss.”

“Excuse me?” I leaned in to his touch. “That sounds too simple.”

“Let’s find out.” Trace brushed his lips over mine, gently, sweetly then straightened and looked at me. “Simple enough.”

“Yes,” I breathed. “Ralph, would you like to try?”

“Do you even have to ask?” He leaned in, but I moved back so he would kiss Trace first. “You’re okay with this?”

“I think so.” They came together in such a beautiful way. Jealous? Not in the least, but when they finished their kiss and Ralph kissed me, I was worried that all the years of fantasizing about this moment—well, not exactly this moment—had built it up beyond what a mere press of lips could produce. I closed my eyes, held my breath, and kissed my friend with all the years of yearning behind it.

It was so much better than any dream I ever had.

Then I kissed Trace again and Ralph again and they kissed and we went back and forth, just kissing until finally we all wound up laughing at our teenagery makeout session. And hugging. Whatever put me on Fate’s radar, it was a revelation.

Chapter Nine

Trace

As much as I wanted my mates, it was getting late, and even with the festival, this place closed up pretty early. It was time to feed them, as ridiculous as that sounded. We were all grown-ups. We could feed ourselves.

But try telling that to my dragon, who was pushing at me—not only to mark them already but to take care of them, to protect them, to feed them. He didn’t care that one of our mates was an alpha. He wanted to envelop them in our care.

He was a pushy bastard.

“How about we go find someplace to eat before there isn’t anywhere left open?”

Craig stood up and wiggled like he was maybe dancing—I wasn’t sure. “But first, you need to tell me something really gross or mean or—I don’t know. I can’t go out there like this.”

He pointed to the front of his jeans, which were very, very full. They mirrored mine—and Ralph’s.

“I think we’re all in the same boat.” Ralph stood up, kissed his cheek. “We can recite our twelves multiplication tables.”

Craig rolled his eyes. That wasn’t the first time they’d had that conversation, based on what I could see. I wondered how much history the two of them had formed, who they were going to be together—and if they were truly open to me making new history with them as well. Only time would tell.

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