Page 28 of Dragon's Revenge

Oliver put the pasta in the water, which he’d kept at a simmer. “How are you feeling?” he asked Adar.

“Fine?” Adar looked puzzled.

Delton bumped his shoulder. “I think he’s asking about your back and ass.”

“Oh.” Adar’s cheeks colored, which Oliver found incredibly endearing. “That’s fine too. Better than fine. It feels…” He took a moment to collect his thoughts. “It’s still red and hot, but I like that. It grounds me.”

See, that was where Oliver lost him. Pain never grounded him. Never had, never would. Pain was just…pain, a reminder of how cruel life was. Or had been, more accurately. But was it okay to say that? Hmm, it didn’t add much, did it? If he said that, he made it about him again when it was about Adar and what he needed. “I’m glad it helps you. And that Delton was able to do that for you.”

Oliver didn’t miss Delton’s little gasp, which was a compliment as much as a testament to how he would’ve reacted before.

“Delton did really well,” Adar said with a warm look at the beta. “Gave me exactly what I needed.”

Now it was Delton’s turn to blush. “Thank you. That’s… I’m grateful I was able to do that for you. And for me.”

Was he missing something? Oliver thought Delton was doing this for Adar. What could he get out of it himself?

“For you?” Oliver asked. “What part was for you?”

“My guess is the sex,” Adar said dryly, and Oliver snorted. He’d forgotten about that, which was stupid, of course.

“Right.”

“But also the play itself,” Delton said softly. “Yes, I loved the sex. It was very… I’d never fucked an alpha before, and it’s a whole different experience. One I enjoyed every moment of. But I also loved doing everything before that. The play, administering pain. I don’t know what to call it.”

Adar cleared his throat. “D/s play. Because that’s what it is.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d be comfortable with that term.”

Adar shrugged. “I probably wouldn’t have been before, but now I am. You helped me accept this part of myself. It’s who I am, how I’m wired, and that’s not something to be ashamed of.”

Delton’s whole face lit up, and then he stepped in and kissed Adar on the lips. “I’m so proud of you for saying that. That’s not easy for an alpha.”

And as if he realized what he’d done, he froze for a moment, then stepped back, but Adar held him by the hand. “You make it easy. Submitting to you is natural because you take such good care of me. You see me, Delton. Truly see me.”

Oliver’s eyes grew misty. Did those two realize how they were looking at each other? That they were falling for each other? God, he could practically see the sparks between them, those invisible threads that had started to weave them together.

Hope filled him until he was almost giddy and had to fight to contain himself. Maybe everything wasn’t lost yet. If Adar and Delton could fall in love, maybe they could learn to love Oliver too?

Delton’s smile could’ve powered a small city. “Thank you. That means the world to me.”

They kept staring at each other and Oliver was afraid to breathe, move, or do anything to break that spell. Unfortunately, the decision was taken out of his hands as the pasta boiled over with a loud hiss that made Adar and Delton jump apart like they’d gotten caught doing something wrong.

Oliver quickly took the lid off the pan and turned the burner down. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay,” Delton said. “We were…”

If the beta was lost for words, it was a sign something had hit him hard because that man was better with words than anyone Oliver had ever met. And what was interesting was that Oliver wasn’t jealous. Not even a little bit. Nope, he was actually bummed that he’d inadvertently interrupted them.

His mates.

Falling in love.

Oh, there was that giddy hope again bubbling inside him. He couldn’t tell them, couldn’t show it. This thing was as fragile as glass. One wrong move, one wrong word, one wrong expression, and everything could shatter again. He wasn’t taking that risk.

“Why don’t you guys sit at the table?” he said. “The pasta will be done in a few minutes.”

When he joined them a little later, bringing the food with him, Adar and Delton were chatting easily, laughing. As much as Oliver wanted to claim his plan was working, this was not his doing. This was Adar making an effort to spend time with Delton and Delton being open to connecting with him.

---