All. The. Way. Off.
Et tu, Jamie?
“Hey, baby boy. Do you need me for anything?”
“No, thank you, Daddy.” Jamie’s eye twitches a tiny bit.
Amicro-expression,Arlo calls them.
They’d discovered Nix has a genuine talent for reading them. Logan says it’s a natural talent, but that trauma can push a natural talent into a full-blown skill.
And Nix’s new power says Jamie has recently been calledDaddyfor other reasons than parenting their babies.
“I need to borrow, Luc. Would that be okay? You’re not too busy?”
“Oh no, if you’resureyou don’t need me? It’s been a long morning in the uh…booth.” Jamie is agitated as he’s a terrible liar—his guilt flashing like a beacon on his face.
Nix tries to dredge up some pity for him because it’s never been easy for him to be part of a prank.
But he’d had his chance to confess, so he could live with the consequences.
“I’m glad you gota…head.”
“Wha–?!” Jamie drops his phone and scrambles to pick it up. As if Nix could read it anyway.
His beloved issonot up to the subterfuge.
“I said, I am glad you got ahead with the guide. That you weren’t in over yourhead?”
“Oh, yeah. No. I mean—yes.I am…up to date.Fuck me.” He mutters the last bit under his breath.
“Kids are eating, if you want any? Gideon is cooking chickenballs.”
“You mean fingers?”
“Finger? Me?” Nix says, activating his deep voice and then sucking on a finger like he is licking something delicious.
“Finger you? What?”
Nix wants to laugh at Jamie’s panicked face.
“Are you okay, Alpha?” Nix purrs as Luca groans on Jamie’s lap.
Probably because Jamie is now clutching him to his chest like a shield.
“I am. Great. Hungry…confused,”he whispers, but hasn’t taken his eyes off Nix’s mouth. “Want to eat you–lunch. Yup.” He dumps Luca on the couch with a squeak, and he almost runs out of the studio like his ass is on fire.
“Bye!” Nix yells after him before breaking into laughter.
“What is happening right now? Did you just scare away a sure thing?” Luca asks, rubbing his eyes and pulling his t-shirt on over his head.
“Sure thing? Yeah. Listen, about that…”
“Are you afraid you’re going to lose? By the sounds of that conversation, I sucked his brains out for real. Might be permanent.”
Sighing, Nix throws himself onto the couch, knee folded and leg up under his butt. “They set us up, baby. Turned us against each other so they could watch us scrambleandget competitively-motivated, superior blowjobs.”
Luca freezes, mouth agape like a fish. He’s got no reason to doubt Nix istelling the truth.
