Page 38 of The Flavor of Us

The kiss is deliberate, confident, hungry without being overwhelming. His lips move against mine in perfect rhythm, coaxing, tasting. I moan softly against him, my hands tangling into his shirt, and that’s when he moves me. With effortless strength, Ryder adjusts my position, pulling me over his lap and settling me down so I’m pressed between him and Ashton.

I’m surrounded—boxed in—and every inch of my body feels alive.

Ashton leans in from behind me, his breath warm against my neck as his lips press against the sensitive spot just below my ear. His mouth trails down, featherlight kisses along the column of my neck, his beard scratching slightly against my skin in a way that sends shivers down my spine.

I squirm between them, my body reacting on instinct as I press back against Ashton and forward against Ryder. My head falls back against Ashton’s shoulder and a soft moan escapes me before I can stop it. Ryder groans softly, his hand tightening on my thigh.

“Careful, sweetheart,” he murmurs, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re playing with fire.”

Ashton chuckles against my neck, his lips lingering on my skin for just another moment before he pulls back, leaving mebuzzing. The two of them lean back, giving me just enough space to breathe, and I’m left sitting between them—flushed, breathless, and completely wrecked by two fully clothed Alphas in a crowded club. Ashton pushes his untouched pink drink with the tiny umbrella toward me across the table.

I blink at it, still trying to piece my brain back together. “Uh… what?”

Ashton smirks, his arms casually draping over the back of the booth. “Drink up, Tati. You look like you need a second to cool down.”

Ryder snorts softly beside me, shaking his head but not saying anything as he takes another sip of his whiskey. I glance over at Carleen, who’s been watching this entire exchange with amusement. She smirks, setting her glass down and leaning her elbows on the table. “We already agreed to come watch,” she muses. “But we actually wanted to spend time with you.”

I let out a breathless laugh, shaking my head as I pick up Ashton’s ridiculous pink drink and take a long sip. It’s fruity and sweet, almost offensively sugary, but it cools the burn in my throat and gives me a second to regroup. Carleen chuckles, swirling the whiskey in her glass. “It’s just a few drinks, sunshine. Then we’ll let you get back to your night.”

The words are casual, but her tone? Oh, her tone drips with something deeper. SomethingAlpha.

My eyes flick between the three of them—Ryder, still calm and solid as ever; Ashton, smirking like he’s got a secret; and Carleen, watching me with that slow, calculating gaze of hers.

Goddess help me.

I’m inso much trouble.

But it’s the kind of trouble Iwant.

Ashton leans in a little closer, his voice dropping low as he speaks just beside my ear. “Relax, little doe. Enjoy the moment. We’re not going anywhere.”

Ashton hums against my ear, one of his hands slowly moving to sit on my thigh. There’s nothing innocent about his touch as I choke on the fruity drink and still between the three of them. “What’s happening here?” I whisper, my voice strained with sudden need.

“Whatever you want to happen, little doe,” he purrs.

Chapter sixteen

TATI

My skin feels too warm, my breathing a little too shallow. The weight of their attention is heavy. I shift slightly, trying to adjust my position, but Ashton’s hand just tightens the faintest bit on my thigh, his thumb brushing over the fabric of my shorts. Whatever they’ve started talking about fades into the background as Ashton’s hand continues to inch upward.

Carleen says something sharp and witty, and Ashton laughs, a low sound rumbling from deep in his chest but then her gaze snaps back to me, her lips curling into something wicked. She leans forward, setting her whiskey glass down on the table with a soft clink. “Something wrong, sweetheart?” she asks, her voice low and syrupy smooth, dripping with knowing amusement.

I try to force a casual laugh, but it comes out thin. Ashton’s hand is sitting inches from the apex of my thighs—his thumb tracing idle circles that are doingabsolutely nothingto helpthe ache building low in my stomach. I reach down, my fingers curling gently around his wrist, holding him in place—not pulling him away, just… anchoring myself.

“Carleen,” I murmur, my voice trembling slightly. “Are you… are you okay with this?”

Carleen’s lips pull into a slow, satisfied smirk. She tilts her head slightly, her dark brown eyes glinting in the neon glow of the club lights. “Oh, Tati,” she purrs, her voice dipping even lower, “just becauseIneed to move slow doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy watching my Beta being taken care of.”

My stomach flips and something in my chest snaps at her words. I feel Ashton’s chest rise and fall against my back as he chuckles softly, his voice low and gravelly against the shell of my ear. “You heard her, little doe.”

His hand shifts slightly beneath mine, his thumb now brushing higher, catching the seam of my shorts between my thighs. I’m breathing too fast, my body wound so tightly I might snap in half if anyone so much as breathes on me. But then Ashton leans in, his breath hot against my ear, and—oh goddess—he drags his lips up the side of my neck.

My head tilts on instinct, my throat exposed, my breath hitching as a sound escapes me—soft and breathless and completely involuntary. Ashton pulls back just enough to murmur, his voice a low rasp, “Do you want me to stop, little doe?”

I can feel Ryder’s gaze on me. Carleen hasn’t looked away, her brown eyes locked onto mine with unwavering intensity. The air feels thick, electric, like the moment before a thunderstorm cracks open the sky. For a long, fragile moment, no one moves. No one breathes. And then, still holding Carleen’s gaze, I shake my head slowly. “No,” I whisper.

Ashton groans softly behind me, the sound reverberating through my chest as his hand squeezes my thigh gently. Ryderleans back slightly, his icy blue eyes glimmering with approval, his lips curving into the faintest smirk.

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