Page 26 of Colin

eight

Colin

Colin’s awareness came slowly and stubbornly. His eyes were too heavy to open, but he was vaguely conscious of his legs being lifted, then placed back down, strong hands laid gently on his calves.

And the whispering.

“You’re gonna wake him.”

“I’m being careful. You’re hogging him.”

“I’m nothogginghim. He fell asleep like this.”

“How long?”

“A few hours.”

Right. Colin had fallen asleep with his head on Dane’s lap—which, judging from the firm feel of a stupidly muscled thigh under his cheek, it still was—and now it seemed Fox had joined them, taking Colin’s lower half onto his lap.

Presumptuous ass.

“Well, he’s not asleep now,” the aforementioned presumptuous ass stage-whispered. “Are you, little lamb?”

Colin made some grumbling sound of acknowledgment, not yet willing to wake up enough to form words.

Dane’s thigh shifted under him, and the comforting weight of his hand left Colin’s head. Damn it. His petting had felt so good. “See? You woke him up.”

“’S okay,” Colin slurred, opening bleary eyes. “Probably would’ve happened soon anyway.” He blinked down the couch at Fox, who now had a firm hold of Colin’s ankles, as if Colin would bolt if he wasn’t restrained in some way.

Fox winked at him, clearly unrepentant for having woken him. “You left your hiding spot.”

Colin was too sleepy to get annoyed at the accusation. He hadn’t considered ithiding. He’d just been…processing, like he’d told Dane. The bite had been overwhelming but in a good way. Which in itself was overwhelming. Because yeah, the pleasure from the bite had turned him on—he’d been expecting that part—but his reaction had been about more than that. It had been aboutthem. It had been about their scents and their bodies pressed against him, the low sounds of their encouragement, the hunger they’d shown for not just his blood buthim.

He was attracted to them, he’d realized. Probably had been from the moment he’d seen them. Attracted instantly and fiercely and in a way he wasn’t used to. That was what all that heightened awareness had been about, their larger-than-life presences. He was a little rusty in that arena, so he hadn’t recognized it for what it was at first.

Which meant he had an opportunity here. For the kind of sexual relationship he’d once thought he’d wanted but hadn’t thought himself capable of. An opportunity that had been made even more clear the next morning, when Fox had declared quite bluntly that he and Dane were both hoping for it to happen again.

It had been a lot to think about, okay?

“Not hiding,” he mumbled, stretching his neck, surprised to note he wasn’t sore from the awkward sleeping position.

“He was processing.”

Colin almost smiled at the defensiveness in Dane’s tone, as if he hadn’t accused Colin of the same thing only hours before. He had his hand back in Colin’s hair, toying with the strands gently.

It was all too endearing in Colin’s sleep-addled state. He needed to get a hold of himself. He tried to sit up, and Fox’s grip on his ankle tightened. “Don’t run away just yet.”

“I’m not,” Colin said, defensive. “I’m just trying to sit up.”

“But we like you right here.”

Colin rolled his eyes, but he didn’t try to shake free. “Then let me turn onto my back at least. Jesus.”

The grip on his ankle loosened slightly, and Colin shifted onto his back, only to find Dane staring down at him, his dark-blue eyes unreadable. “Hello,” Colin said softly.

And then his head was being lifted and a pillow placed under it, and he was at a better angle to see Fox smirking down the couch at him.

The full attention of both of them after a four-day reprieve was potent as hell, and it had Colin feeling testy. “What do you care if I’m around anyway?” he grumbled.

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