Page 23 of The Flavor of Us

Carleen’s voice carries from the kitchen, sharp and confident. “Stay put, Tati.”

I freeze as Carleen strides to the door. Her entire posture has shifted—her shoulders squared, her chin lifted, every bit of her radiating that no-nonsense Alpha energy that makes me want to… well, it makes me wantsomething.

She swings the door open and I swear I forget how tobreathe.

Because there they are.

Ryder and Ashton St. James.

The pictures don’t do them justice. Not evenclose.

Ryder is taller than I expected, his shoulders broad under a fitted black button-up. His blue eyes are sharp as they scan the apartment before settling on Carleen. The faint scar through his brow adds an edge to his already severe expression.

And Ashton? Ashton is…heat.He’s all relaxed confidence, his grin sharp and playful as he adjusts the sleeves of his blazer. His brown skin practically glows under the warm light filtering through the window, and those diamond studs in his ears catch every flicker of it.

But it’s not just the way theylook.

It’s the way theyfeel.

I stuff another piece of toast into my mouth, trying to swallow down the moan creeping up the back of my throat. Ryder and Ashton both bow their heads respectfully and I swear my toast nearly falls out of my mouth when they actually take off their shoes at the entrance.

What kind of fever dream is this?

Their scents hit me like a brick wall—bourbon, deep and heady, mixed with something bright and sharp like earthy citrus. It fills every corner of the living room, curling into my lungs, making my knees weak even though I’msitting down.

My chest feels tight and a flush creeps up my neck, my skin prickling with heat as something deep, deep in my chest stirs.

My body knows them.

No.

No, no,no.

I press my palm over my mouth, whispering into it, “There’s no fucking way.”

And yet… my brain short-circuits because all I can think about is climbing into Ryder’s lap—or Ashton’s, I’m not choosy—and burying my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling their combined earthy bourbon-and-citrus scent until I’m dizzy from it.

I let out a small, breathy giggle under my breath, half-choked around my toast. “So it’s likethat,” I mutter to myself, a smirk pulling at my lips. I’m gonna need so much therapy.And several hours with a vibrator after these few moments.

Ryder leans back against the counter, attentively listening to every word falling from Carleen’s lips but it’s Ashton that now has my full attention. He’s studying Carleen as she talks, but his lips are tugged into a faint grin, the corner of his mouth twitching like he’s holding back a laugh. His bottom lip is pulled between his teeth, one of his brows raised in what seems like awe as Carleen speaks.

Everything about him is fucking perfect and don’t even get me started on his eyelashes—thick, dark, criminally pretty, and fluttering every time he blinks.

Oh, goddess, help me.

Because all I can picture now is Ashton above me, those beautiful brown eyes locked on mine as he pins my wrists down, his breath warm against my neck. The sharp jolt of heat that zips through me at the thought makes me choke on my food and I scramble for my juice, grabbing the glass and downing it in one go.

My stomach is doing Olympic-level gymnastics, my skin feels too tight, and my head is spinning with the scent of bourbon, citrus, and peaches.

Too much.

I fumble for my phone, my hands trembling as I unlock it and pull up my chat with Ellie. If anyone can help me sort through this tangled mess of feelings and biology and… whatever thehellis happening right now, it’s her.

SOS. Emergency.

?? What happened? Are you okay? Is Carleen okay??

I’m fine. Carleen’s fine. But Ryder and Ashton St. James are HERE.

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