Page 6 of For the Night

We weren’t bitter or anything.

“At long last!” Colt turned to Ty and Lane. The first two worked together; they used to be in the Air Force, and now they ran a security company. Though, technically, Colt was still a pilot. He’d never let anyone forget it either. Nor did Kit. When Colt was at Langley for one reason or another, Kit shouted it to the world.

“What’s this?” Colt eyed a container Lane had brought.

“It’s nothing you would like, Sir,” Lane responded.

Ty smirked and unwrapped what looked like two steaks. He placed them on the grill.

“Y’all got somethin’ against my burgers?” Colt challenged.

“You already forced fried chicken down my throat earlier,” Ty bitched. “Lemme have my steak and fuckin’ salad.”

I grinned to myself. I loved watching our members go at one another. More often than not, they were bickering family members rather than friends.

“Salad,” Colt scoffed. “On a goddamn Friday.”

I tuned them out when I finally spotted a familiar face in the doorway. Ash was another gentle giant with a primal mind, and he’d come straight from work, only stopping to get us a pizza.

I automatically sat up and raised my hand, and his gaze landed on me. His tired smile said everything. But unlike me, he stood every chance at winning his hubby back.

He greeted everyone on the way, and he detached the suspenders of his utility clothes.

“Hi, Mister Ash!” Noa waved from the pool.

“Hey, kiddo.” Ash had a grin for everybody, but those close to him could see through it.

I was prepared. I had a shoulder he could cry on, and I had a cooler for us. Iced tea for me, beer for him.

I rose to my feet and adjusted my bikini top, and then I got the first waft of melted cheese and pepperoni. Fuck yeah. Comfort food.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He dropped the pizza box on the lounger, and then he enveloped me in a bear hug.

I let out a breath and locked my arms around his neck. “Ditto, honey. How are you?”

“I have Sinead O’Connor on repeat in the truck—what do you think?”

I winced and held him a little tighter.

“Everything sucks,” he muttered.

“I know.”

He pressed a kiss to my temple before ending the hug, and I?—

“Are you okay, Sir?” I heard Tate ask.

Ash gave him a polite smile. “Don’t crash our pity party, pet.”

Some subs might recoil and offer space, but Tate wasn’t one of those.

He sat up straighter and squinted for the sun. “With all due respect, Sir, Macklin and I have our own MO when someone’s down. I will drown you in care packages.”

“He’s not kidding,” I said unnecessarily. It was one of the reasons it was impossible to hold a scowl in Tate’s direction. When he and Kingsley had broken up last year, I’d been quick to offer Tate a place to stay—for all the times he’d cheered me up when Ella and I had had a fight. Except, fight was the wrong word. We’d had…periods when we didn’t communicate.

Eventually, Tate and Kingsley had found their way back to each other. Much like Ash and Nathan should.

“You know what I like,” was Ash’s response. “I heard about your care package to Lucian. That sounds nice—without scented candles.”

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