“You were trying to find the guy for me?” Dray’s heart fell. He didn’t particularly want whoever it was. Not after he ran like he did.
“Play the video.” He half sobbed and kept his head down. “I’m so sorry.”
Dray hit play, and a grainy security footage showed a very drunk Tripp swaying hand in hand with Dray, a messy kiss, a hastily entered door code, and then eight minutes later, him leaving, Dray following. It felt like a lot longer. But only eight minutes? Seriously?
Wait. Dray’s mind spun. He had so few memories of the night. They’d gone to the bathroom together. They’d had sex. They— Oh goddess.
And why is his only issue that they only lasted eight minutes? Knowing Tripp was the father… “How long have you known? That’s why you were so nice!”
Dray reached for the door handle, and Tripp rested a hand on his knee before unlocking the door.
“You can run if you like. I promise. The door is unlocked. I—I wanted to know who it was that I had sex with. That tattoo… I didn’t figure it out until I saw in the putt-putt place. That—”
“That’s why you freaked out. Oh, my goddess… So how did you end up with the token?” Dray stared at the dashboard of the car, heart thundering in his chest.
“Dragon bartender gave it to me and said to get a tattoo to change my life around.” Tripp shrugged as if that were normal.
“That machine doesn’t just dispense tattoos, Tripp. That machine tells you who your mate is.” Dray leaned back, chest heaving. “I’ve never seen it at work before… I— Wait, a dragon?”
He nodded.
“About six foot five, weird hair that’s this side of fake black but reflective almost, and eyes that can stare through walls?” Dray locked the door to show Tripp he wasn’t going to run.Good on him for not trapping me, though.
In the car, at least.
He’d already been baby-trapped.
“Yeah?” Tripp stared at Dray, his face an utter mask of anguish.
“Bartender… Should have known. That’s one of Kirk’s mates. Their omega.” Dray laughed heavily. “That bastard!”
Tripp kept staring like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I honestly didn’t know until I saw your scales. They’re so—”
“Beautiful.” Dray cut him off and shook his head with a huff. “Thank the goddess.”
Tripp halted and froze when Dray leaned across the center console and kissed him like his life depended on it. The alpha melted as salt mingled into their kiss, tears from both of them. A hand reached out to slip under Dray’s hoodie, snaking over his belly. The kiss was soft, what they both needed, no sex or urgency. A bonding kiss that soothed their souls. The connection they shared was complete.
“I was wrong.” Dray laughed as he pulled away.
“About what?”
“The kid is yours.” Dray covered his face. “I’ve not been with anyone else for months before that or since. I promise, but definitely hook me up with a paternity test, okay? It’ll make things real.”
“Okay. Anything you want.” Still, Tripp didn’t move his hand.
“So, what do we do, now?” Dray sank down in the seat, enjoying the touch that had always felt right since he did it the first time.
“Go house shopping and introduce you to my family?” Tripp’s shoulders pinched in thatthey’re not going to like youway.
“That’s going to go over like shit.” Dray huffed.
“And if they have one foul word to say about you or anything… They can go fuck off. I’m the only rattler out of all my siblings. If they want family genes to pass on and stick—they got me.”
Kinda hot. The prospect of family would be hotter, though.
“Wait, house shopping?” Dray froze.
“I can afford one. I just… I just haven’t found a reason to… What’s your dream home? What do you want to do? We need to move fast because you’re due in a few months, and I don’t have anything ready. We need a yard and—” Tripp had this mentallist roiling in his head like he’d been planning on stepping up for Dray from the beginning.
