A rush of lust swept through Zinn, powerful enough to make his knees buckle. He squeezed his eyelids shut against the onslaught.
Opening his eyes, he was stunned to find himself staring at Assa, who had appeared in the kitchen.
“Zinn was just reminding me that his scent is sugar maple,” Wes said, continuing to crowd Zinn against the counter.
Assa’s tongue snaked out to wet his lower lip.
Wes nosed into Zinn’s neck again. A few seconds later, Assa did the same thing on the other side.
Having both betas nuzzling his skin, Zinn worried he might pass out. Wes’s bandaged hand rested on one side of his waist, Assa’s soft palm on the other. He felt the gentle press of Assa’s lips trailing toward his shoulder before Wes touched Assa’s arm.
They pulled back.
“Soon,” Wes said, his breath coming in pants. He tapped his forehead to Assa’s and then Zinn’s.
“Yes,” Assa murmured.
Zinn understood. He nodded. “It needs to be all of us, together.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Wes
The door closed behind Zinn and Lachie. They’d left quickly after Wes, Assa, and Zinn’sconversation.
Assa leaned against the wall. “Well, whateverthatwas in the kitchen, I don’t think we’re coming back from it.”
“I don’t want to,” Wes said.
“I’ve wondered for a while,” Assa admitted. “It should have been harder letting Zinn into our lives, into Ryde’s life. Calder too.”
“But it wasn’t.”
“No. It never was.”
“Valentin getting over his shit with Lachie probably tipped it for me,” Wes said. “I could have explained it all away before that. Then, the other day, I had amomentwith Calder. Tonight, figuring out where I stood with Zinn, that was the last piece for me.”
“I don’t know what to do next.”
Wes hmphed. It was surreal, being fairly certain they all wanted the same thing, but not knowing how to start that conversation. Ever since meeting Valentin at the club, instinct had guided them.
He couldn’t imagine sitting around the dining table and calmly discussing whether they should all start fucking.
And was that what everyone wanted? There were five of them. It was possible they saw things differently.
Wes knew what he wanted. He wanted to explore the heat he’d felt with Zinn in the kitchen earlier. He wanted to find out what lay behind the promise in Calder’s gaze.
“We should talk to Valentin,” Wes said.
“Agreed.” Assa picked up his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m texting to see if Jordie or Ked can come stay with Ryde. We can go to the club and have this conversation now. I don’t think it should wait. Plus, it gives us privacy.”
Decoy sauntered into the room and began meowing for his dinner. Or meowing his annoyance at Valentin’s absence. Or Zinn’s departure.
Stroking the animal between his ears, Assa said, “It’s different for Valentin and Zinn, I think. With their history. I don’t know if what just happened in the kitchen would have happened if Valentin had been home.”