Page 52 of Colin

He was rewarded with a small, sleepy smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

He was. He’d never been this soft with anyone in his life, except maybe Dane. He caught his brother’s eye. They were both ridiculous, and they knew it.

Ridiculously obsessed.

fourteen

Colin

Colin blinked awake to find Fox’s sleeping face directly in front of his. It was his first time seeing the vampire unconscious. His features were softer this way, all that swagger hidden by his softened, sleep-laden features.

He was a beautiful man.

They both were, obviously. Strong, straight noses. Firm jaws. Surprisingly full lips.

Colin could feel the heat of Dane’s body behind him—and God bless air-conditioning, that he could be snuggled between the two of them and not feel completely suffocated.

He never felt suffocated with them, actually, no matter how much they invaded his personal space. It didn’t cost him anything to spend time with them. It was surprising, considering he’d been alone a long time now. Even with Derek, his only real relationship, he remembered feeling smothered all the goddamn time, feeling like his time and body were never his own, like there were expectations he was never quite meeting.

Fucking Derek.

Colin had known there was a chance of running into him. The downtown Tucson scene wasn’t big enough to avoid him forever—it was possibly part of why he’d avoided going out, his first month back. He’d been worried seeing him in person would set him back, bring out the heartbroken, insecure mess he’d once been.

But, in the end, it hadn’t been as terrible as he’d feared, not with Fox and Dane beside him, acting like all it would take was a single word and they’d take him off the planet for Colin. He hadn’t known he needed that kind of support until it was there, completely unasked for, in the form of two muscled vampires pretending he belonged to them.

Jesus. He was in serious trouble, wasn’t he?

This was more than just lust for the supernatural. Helikedthese two idiots. He liked the way they dogged his steps. He liked the ease of being around them, doing nothing together. He liked Fox’s crudeness and Dane’s quiet affection. He liked how they were there not only for him but for each other.

And he liked the way they made it seem so easy, accepting him as he was. He didn’t have to manage his energy or curb his tongue around them. It was like he’d told Jamie—he could just exist.

You’re enough, just as you are.

Colin had known for a long time that Derek was full of shit, but that didn’t change the fact that it had eased something inside him, hearing those words from Fox. The twins didn’t seem to think his personality was lacking, that he was too boring or surly to be worth the effort of caring for.

He could see now what had been missing with Derek, and the very few who had come after. It was an instinctual thing, something deep in his gut—a sense of safety, of security. He’d felt it with the twins from the very first moment. It soothed something deep inside Colin, allowing his brain to quiet,allowing him to let go. Did that put him somewhere on the demi side of things? Given another twenty-plus years, could he find that same feeling with someone other than Fox and Dane?

Who could say, really—the answer was a big, fatmaybe. But the real issue was the fact that Colin wasn’t even a little tempted to find out.

He wantedthem. He wanted his devils.

Dane shifted behind him, his broad body pressing solidly against Colin’s back as he threw a heavy arm over Colin’s middle. Colin realized the vampire was half-hard, his cock now nestled in the cleft between Colin’s cheeks.

Not every boner needs to be dealt with.

Colin smiled to himself, remembering those words. Because that was the thing, wasn’t it? Knowing there was no expectation—that Colin could say no whenever, ask for exactly what he wanted when he wanted it—made it easier to want in the first place. He didn’t have to overthink it all. He could go with what felt right.

And what felt right in this moment was letting Dane fill him, just like this: warm and soft and lazy with sleep.

He shifted his hips back, pressing against all that hot skin and firm muscle.

A moment later, soft, full lips pressed against his shoulder. “You awake?” Dane asked quietly, voice still thick with sleep.

“I’m awake.”

Those lips moved to press against his neck, in the exact spot Dane had bitten during their shared shower. Colin shivered. “Hey, Dane?”

“Yeah?”

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