Page 77 of Dragon's Revenge

“I’m sorry,” Dominic whispered when he finally let go. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Delton gently tilted Dominic’s chin with his finger. “It’s more than okay. I’m honored that you trust me enough for that.”

Dominic blinked slowly. “I was never… My daddy always hugged me when I was little, but ever since he died… I’ve had no one. We weren’t allowed to comfort each other.”

“I’m so sorry, honey. I’m a big hugger myself, so I can’t imagine how much you must’ve missed that.”

“Every day. Always.” Dominic wiped at his eyes, suddenly looking like a child. Then again, he couldn’t be more than twenty. “Anyway, thank you, Mr. Delton.”

He rushed off before Delton could say anything else. Fallon had left, but Oliver had stayed behind, waiting for Delton. He walked up to him, and Delton opened his arms to hold his mate close. “That breaks my heart,” he said softly. “To be deprived of something so deeply human. We’re made to be touched. We crave it. To deny that is pure cruelty.”

Oliver pressed his cheek against Delton’s shoulder. “It is.”

If it had been done deliberately—and Delton had every reason to assume it had been and probably hadn’t been just the O’Connor clan—he might need to address that specific need to help these omegas heal. Some form of hug therapy. He should be able to find trustworthy men willing to hold the omegas in a safe, protective manner to help them heal.

When he let go of Oliver, the dragon looked up at him with soft eyes. “You’re already thinking of how to help him, aren’t you?”

Delton smiled at him. “Yeah, some kind of hugging support group, maybe? I’ll need to think about the practicalities of it, of course, but it seems to me it would fulfill a need.”

“It would. You’re so empathetic. I love that about you.”

Oliver reached out and caressed Delton’s cheek, a gesture so uncommon that Delton froze. Oliver was generous with safe touches like a quick pat or a hug, but this was a more intimate caress, and he didn’t often engage in those.

“Thank you.”

Oliver’s touch continued, morphing into something else, something more…explorative. His fingers brushed Delton’s lips. “We haven’t kissed,” Oliver whispered.

Delton swallowed. “No.”

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Yes. I wasn’t sure if you were ready. If you wanted to.”

“Thank you.”

“Respecting your boundaries is never something you need to thank me for, baby.”

Oliver raised his head, offering his lips to Delton. “I’d love for you to kiss me.”

Cradling Oliver’s cheeks between his hands, Delton lowered his head until their lips met. Featherlight and soft, like a brush of wind, he slid his lips across Oliver’s. He didn’t bring out his tongue until Oliver did, opening his mouth and pressing his tongue against the seam of Delton’s lips. Only then did he open up and let him in.

The kiss was slow and careful, two people exploring each other’s mouths with thorough patience. Delton licked into Oliver’s mouth, which the omega seemed to like, judging by the little sound he made. Their bodies were pressed together now, and Delton grew hard. He didn’t realize it until Oliver froze, then broke off the kiss.

It only took Delton a second to figure out what had happened. “It’s okay. It doesn’t mean I’m expecting anything from you,” he said quickly.

“No?”

He pressed a kiss on Oliver’s forehead. “Never. It’s a physical reaction from my body to kissing you because I like it. It feels good. That response I can’t control, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna act on it or expect you to do something about it.”

“You don’t think it’s…teasing?”

“Like being a cock-tease?” When Oliver nodded, Delton firmly shook his head. “Absolutely not. Aside from the fact that I hate that whole expression and even the concept, it’s not true. I know where you stand on sex, and I will always understand and respect that. Doesn’t mean you can’t kiss me. I won’t ever see that in itself as evidence that you changed your mind or that you’re being a tease.”

Oliver breathed out.

“Were you worried about that, little dragon?” Delton asked softly.

“Yeah.”

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