“Like what?”
“Like you really want to touch me.”
Colby swallowed. “I kind of do,” he confessed quietly.
He didn’t wait anymore. He stepped in, hands finding Tristan’s hips, and kissed him. It was messier and hungrier than their earlier ones. Their mouths opened fast, tongues sliding together, Colby chasing the taste of him like it was the only thing that mattered. Tristan made a soft noise—wanting—and pulled him closer, fingers digging into Colby’s back.
They kissed until the world narrowed to just that—mouths and hands and the connection sparking bright between them. Something fierce curled under Colby’s skin, slow and stretching, like it was remembering how to feel.
Colby broke the kiss first, but only because he needed to breathe. Even then, he stayed close.
“Okay,” Tristan whispered, a little breathless. “So that was… Yeah.”
Colby huffed a soft laugh, his hands still on Tristan’s hips, not ready to let go. “Yeah.”
Eventually, Tristan stepped back, his cheeks a little flushed. “We should probably do something responsible now. Like, you know, grab a drink. Before I decide to stay here with you forever.”
Colby smiled at him, slow and fond. “Lead the way.”
As they stepped together into the bright morning sun, Colby took a deep breath of fresh, clean air. And in the place where his wolf had long been silent, something changed. Just a flicker—a faint sense ofsomething.
Chapter Twenty
TRISTAN
The lemonade was cold and sharp, and Tristan tried not to chug it all in one go. Especially when he saw Colby just taking little sips of his.Showing manners,Bryce would have said,not inhaling his drink like a vacuum cleaner.
But Tristan wondered if that was all it was. Maybe Colby didn’t like lemonade but didn’t dare say so. Or maybe he thought he might not get any more and was savoring it.
“Want some more?” he offered, hefting the jug he’d grabbed from the fridge. “Or something else? We’ve got water, juice and soda. Oh, and tea, if Jesse hasn’t had it all. Which he will have done, because when it comes to sugar, he’s like a bear with honey. Which is basically sugar, so bad analogy. Anyway, the point is, he really likes sugar. And tea. So, maybe no tea, but is there something else you want? Or just more lemonade?”
Colby was silent too long, and Tristan belatedly picked up on his expression. It looked like it was a hard decision for him, forsome reason. Tristan turned away to refill his own glass, giving Colby time without being watched.
“Yes, please,” Colby said at last, his words a little hoarse, and he held out his glass for a top-up.
Tristan was going to have to learn tothinkmore, because something about that choice had felt like a struggle for Colby. But for now, he looked happy, drinking his lemonade in the light that poured through the kitchen window.
“There’s a place I want to show you,” Tristan said. “When we’ve had our drinks,” he added, because Colby had immediately put his glass on the side, as if he were ready to leave now. “It’s not far, just through the trees. My thinking spot, where I go if I want to be alone. I mean, not fromyou,obviously. But maybe we’d want to be alone together?”
God.Whydid his mouth always keep going like that? He’d meant it to sound kind of casual and sweet, not like an invitation to go make out behind a tree. He really needed to learn to stop talking while he was ahead.
But Colby nodded anyway. Once the glasses were safely stashed in the dishwasher, avoiding Jason’s wrath, he followed Tristan outside, falling into step beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
They didn’t speak as they walked, and the silence didn’t feel like it needed filling. Instead, the sound of birdsong and soft crunches from the first leaves littering the path made everything peaceful and easy.
The clearing was ringed by tall trees and dappled by the sun slanting through the leaves. A low boulder jutted up on one side, in a patch of sunlight, and Tristan flopped onto it. Colby sat beside him, close though not touching.
For a while, Tristan just let himself breathe, loving the peace of this place. But his thoughts kept circling. This question had beenbuilding since their kiss in the tack room. And before that, if he was honest. Ever since Bryce had said Colby never got to choose.
Tristan remembered everything that had happened at Cale’s compound, including the way Nico had draped himself over Colby like he owned him. Colby hadn’t welcomed Nico, or stepped away. He’d just stood there, blank-faced and silent, like it didn’t matter. Likehedidn’t matter.
That image had stuck with Tristan, no matter how hard he’d tried not to think about it. But after the way Colby had melted against him in the tack room, the way he’d kissed him back, Tristan couldn’t ignore it anymore.
He didn’t want to make Colby feel like he had to explain anything. But if he didn’t know, he might do worse harm than just embarrassing him by asking.
“Can I ask you something awkward? Like,reallyawkward, and maybe I shouldn’t?” he said at last. His voice came out higher than usual, betraying his nerves.
Colby’s brow creased slightly. “Course.”
