Page 62 of Rescue Me

Ethan pauses mid-bounce, sticking his tongue out at me in mock offense. “Rude,” he says, crossing his arms. “And for your information, I had a full checkup, thank you very much. Dr. Bardin said with all the stress and drama andtrauma,” he throws up dramatic air quotes, “this heat just kind of skipped me. But don’t worry! I’m super excited to share the next one with you.” The words are barely out of his mouth before he adds, with a grin that can only be described as devilish, “But don’t worry—you can still fuck me. There’s still slick if I get aroused.”

The room goes dead silent for half a beat and my face heats up so fast I’m sure I’m the color of a fire hydrant. “Ethan!” I choke out, my voice an octave higher than usual.

Zana barks out a laugh, her head tipping back as she slaps her knee. “Your Omega has quite the mouth,” I mutter, running a hand over my face in a futile attempt to hide my blush.

“And as I recall,” Zana purrs, leaning in close to me, her lips brushing against my ear, “my Beta does too.”

Oh, for the love of—

I groan, burying my face in my hands as Ethan laughs, clearly delighted with himself. “You two are impossible,” I mumble, though I can’t help the smile tugging at my lips. I went from feeling lost to knowing exactly where I belong. I don’t know how these two do it.

“You love it,” Zana muses, kissing the top of my head before standing. “I’m going to make some tea. You two behave.”

“Define behave,” Ethan chirps, his grin growing wider as Zana rolls her eyes and heads to the kitchen.

I watch her go, my chest tightening with something I can only describe as gratitude, adoration,love. For her. For Ethan. For this life I never thought I’d have.

“So,” Ethan says, drawing my attention back to him. He scoots closer until he’s pressed up against my side. His fingers trace absent patterns on my shoulder, his grin softening into something sweeter. “What do you want to do first? The study? New supplies? Oh! We should get a little lab coat for you. You’d look so hot in a lab coat.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Let me figure out my next steps first, yeah?” I say, running a hand up his back. “We don’t need to go all out just yet.”

Ethan huffs dramatically. “Fine. But I’m holding you to the lab coat thing.”

“Deal,” I say, pulling him down for a kiss.

Because here, with them, I think I might finally figure out what comes next. And for the first time in a long time, I’m not scared of the answer.

Chapter thirty-seven

REID

The afternoon morphs into a chaotic evening of finger foods because Zana refuses to let me cook and Ethan is still a disaster. The only thing he can make at this point is blueberry pancakes—which are borderline okay—but I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast foods. And now that we should all be piled up in Ethan’s nest, I find Zana missing.

Ethan’s sprawled out across several pillows, snoring away but the absence of my Alpha makes it hard to rest. I creep into the hallway, catching Zana by the kitchen counter, hunched over paperwork that could absolutely wait until tomorrow.

We’re the same in a way, though.

I bury myself in mindless tasks when my head is too busy and she disappears into her work.

I approach her quietly, not wanting to startle her."Zana," I whisper, my voice filled with as much affection as I can muster in my sleepy state. "Come to bed, Alpha." Zana once mentioned that I’m allowed to be selfish and this is one of those things, all of us together in a way I’ve been deprived of over the last several months.

Zana looks up from the counter, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "And who made you the boss, hmm?" she teases, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

"I'm not giving orders," I reply, shaking my head. "I just want us all to be together. It's been a long day, and I want to hold you and Ethan close."

Zana’s smile widens as I step closer, my Alpha reaching for me. She briefly caresses my cheek before gesturing to the folder on the counter. “I only need a few more minutes, Reid.”

“And that can be done tomorrow,” I offer but Zana is already focused again, leaving me with only one other option. With her back to me, I lean in and begin to pepper kisses along the back of her neck, my lips brushing against her sensitive skin. Zana lets out a soft gasp, her body tensing as she tries to focus on the work in front of her.

"Reid, what are you doing?" she asks, her voice laced with both surprise and desire.

"Distracting you," I murmur, my breath hot against her skin. "So we can go to bed. Together."

Zana laughs. "Oh, you think you can just distract me with kisses and then whisk me off to bed?" She teases, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she turns around, now trapped between me and the counter.

"It's worth a try," I muse, pushing an extra ounce of seduction into my voice. "But I think I need to be more persuasive."With that, I begin trailing my kisses down her neck, across her shoulder, and onto her collarbone, each touch sending a shiver through her body.

"You're not playing fair," she whispers, her breath quickening.

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