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the hall before heading into the bedroom. He glanced over
his shoulder and said, Come on. I m starved, and I need to
make certain Dagus made it downstairs all right.
Thoughts of his brother made him blush. What if Dagus
had heard them last night? He couldn t remember if they d
been quiet.
Yes, I look forward to meeting your family. Is it just you
and your brother? Ailean asked.
He wants to meet my family? Why? We ve just met. Keeping
his focus on dressing, he replied, No. I have a sister,
Doriah, who lives in Denver. He saw the amusement light
the man s eyes and blushed. Yeah, my father had a thing
for D names. I never understood it, he muttered. Anyway,
my mother is in a nursing home in Denver. She suffers from
Alzheimer s. He paused, holding his shirt to his chest like a
shield as he thought of his mother. It had been six months
since he d seen her between semesters, and she hadn t
remembered him.
Arms wrapped his arms around him from behind, and he
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settled into Ailean s comforting embrace as if they d done it
a thousand times. I m sorry, little mate. I didn t mean to
bring up a painful subject.
Drake tilted his head, allowing his lover to nuzzle his
neck. It is what it is. She s so far gone now that she doesn t
remember any of us. Doriah stays out of loyalty and because
her boyfriend is there.
Ah.
They remained quiet, Ailean holding him for several
more minutes, until Drake s stomach growled again. Ailean
chuckled. Finish up, he ordered gently, pressing one more
soft kiss to the side of Drake s neck.
Drake bit back a sigh as he pulled his shirt over his head.
He could get used to Ailean s affection way too quickly, and
that probably wasn t a good thing. Pushing the
unproductive thoughts from his mind, he allowed Ailean to
lead him from the room. He paused in the hall, knocking
gently on Dagus s door. When he didn t receive an answer,
he opened the door several inches and poked his head in.
The room was empty.
Guilt swamped him. He should have been there to help
his brother instead of allowing a virtual stranger to He
blushed. When had he become such a slut? Or was it just
because no one had ever expressed such an interest in him?
He decided it was neither. Ailean made him feel safe,
comfortable, and he was hot as Hades. Okay, so maybe a
combination of slut and the situation, he decided, giggling
internally.
Heading downstairs, Drake followed the enticing aromas
of food into the dining room. They found a cute, dark haired
girl seated at the table with Dagus, jabbering away at him as
they ate their breakfast. Drake eyed the spread of food on
the table, his mouth salivating as he took in the platters of
scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, biscuits, gravy, sausage,
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Accepting His Animal
bacon, and toast. His stomach growled again.
Dagus cocked his head and held up a hand to silence the
girl. Good morning, Drake. Glad you could join us.
Drake blushed. He couldn t remember the last time he d
slept in until seven in the morning, and to not actually get
moving until seven-thirty? Well, he blamed it on the man
behind him.
This is Sara McIntire, Declan and Lark s daughter.
Dagus smirked knowingly. Who s that with you?
I m Ailean Carmichael, the doctor stated, stepping
forward. It s good to meet you, Dagus. He turned to the
small teenager. And it s good to see you again, Sara. You re
not getting into too much mischief, I trust?
No, Doctor Carmichael, she replied, smiling impishly.
I m too busy with school and training to get into trouble.
Drake grabbed a plate and began filling it. What are you
training for? He thought her a bit young to have chosen a
career, but what did he know about kids?
My dad is helping me smooth out my shift transitions,
she replied.
Drake glanced at his brother whose lifted brow told him
Dagus didn t understand any better than he did. Ailean
squeezed his shoulder and whispered, I ll explain later. It s
one of many things I d like the opportunity to talk to you
about.
Sara s eyes widened in dismay. Oh, no. I m so sorry,
Doctor Carmichael. They re staying with us, so I didn t
realize.
Ailean tapped the girl s hand with a forefinger. Think
nothing of it, sweetie. It s just something I haven t explained
to my little mate yet.
She bit her lip and nodded, returning her attention to her
food in silence. Drake admitted his curiosity was peaked,
but from the looks that passed between the two, he knew he
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wouldn t get more information at the moment. He d just
have to ask Ailean another time.
Little mate? Dagus whispered, leaning close to Drake.
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