Page 29 of Ruffled Feathers

We were just average at most things.

We just smelled normal.

We just had normal anatomy.

We were just… never quite enough.

So this was definitely an anomaly.

Truett cleared his throat, and I realized I’d been sitting here, gaping at the man before me. Giving an awkward chuckle, I hoped my face wasn’t as red as it felt.

“I like sweet things too, but no one would ever accuse me of being sweet. Maybe a little salty. Like that one time I put salt in my cookies instead of sugar. That was shocking.” I picked up one of the tiny little cubes of dessert. I didn’t even know what it was, but I stuck it in my mouth to stop the words. The flavor burst on my tongue, and my eyes went wide. “Holy crap, this isamazing.” I turned to Truett, picking one up and stuffing it between his lips before he knew it was coming. “Taste this!”

He reared back, but eventually started to chew, his face lighting up in pleasure.Man, he’s handsome.

I looked over at Strat, who was watching us both intently.Shit.Maybe I’d misread this situation entirely. Maybe Strat wasn’t flirting with me. Maybe he was flirting with Truett.

That’d make sense, because they had some serious tension between them. I’d thought it might be professional tension, but maybe it was sexual tension.

I tilted my head at Truett, realizing I didn’t actually know if he was into guys. He and Sonny didn’t seem like a couple. They didn’t touch any more than most guys who were best friends, which mostly was inappropriate jokes about touching each other’s dicks and wrestling in a display of Alpha-ness. But as they’d gotten older and grown out of it, there hadn’t been any indications they were lovers.

We would’ve all happily accepted it if they were. I knew they’d both had girlfriends in college, which had kind of burned at the time, and I didn’t like to think about it too much..

Truett gave me a disgruntled look. “It’s good.”

I gasped. “It’s better than good. It’s sweet and salty and a little tart. The balance is mindblowing. Strat, try one and back me up!” I implored the Omega, who was looking between us with a grin now.

“Will you feed me one too, Otillie-James?” He fluttered his eyelashes, and I had the distinct feeling he was laughing at me. I straightened my shoulders, raising an eyebrow in challenge before picking up the little cube of truffle between my fingers and holding it out to him. Smirking, he leaned forward and took the bite from my fingers, his full bottom lip brushing against my skin.

Fuck. Is it hot in here?

Pulling back, he closed his eyes and chewed slowly, his tongue coming out to clean up the small crumbs of chocolate that were perched there. I was transfixed. The restaurant could burn down right now, and I’d be too focused on watching Strat enjoy his dessert to evacuate. My whole body felt flushed, so I knew my face had zero chance of not looking like a hot mess.

I needed to go home ASAP. I needed to grab every vibrator hidden around my room and engage in a battery-operated orgy. I cast a quick look at Truett, who was also focussed on the Omega in front of us.

Yeah, Truett Heathstone thought Strat Wilmington was hot. He wanted to sit in a tree and do a little K-I-S-S-I-N-G. They’d make a cute couple. Or throuple, I guess, if you added in Sonny. Did Sonny like boys too?

The sudden idea of the three of them having sex had my whole body clenching.

Fuck. Okay, time to go.

Looking at my non-existent watch, I pushed back my chair. “Oh crap, is that the time? I need to work tomorrow so I better head home. You two stay, enjoy dessert. Strat, it was lovely?—”

“Sit down, OJ,” Truett commanded, just short of a bark. “I’ll get dessert boxed up.”

It was a testament to how flustered I was that I didn’t tell him to go get fucked. Instead, I just planted my ass back in the chair.

Truett got the server’s attention, and the guy came over with a small container, placing the pieces of dessert—and some of the other components that I hadn’t even realizedweredessert—inside. We all sat in heated silence as he finished, and I gulped down the remainder of my champagne.

Tugging at the neckline of my silk dress, I wondered if it was actually just hot in here. Maybe my body wasn’t on fire just yet. Truett and Strat seemed to be having a battle of wills over whose black Amex was going in the little folder to pay, but eventually, Truett won. As we waited for his card to be run, the silence at the table was loaded. I didn’t look at either of the men beside me, instead checking my phone for messages.

There was one from Sonny, showing him curled up on the couch with kittens sleeping across his chest. Beside him, a little out of focus, was Lance, kittens resting on his abs. I smiled softly, my heart feeling full.

Sonny: Fed the babies. Putting them down for their nap. Unrelated question—how many cats do I have to own before I’m labeled a crazy cat man? It’s seven, right?

I laughed. We only had six kittens, but I purposefully didn’t remind him about Sparks, the half-feral cat with one eye and a bent tail, who hid from everyone but me. He lived outside with Gert and now Spartacus.

“Who has you smiling like that?” Strat asked softly, and I turned the phone around to show him the photo.

---