Steve’s shy happiness sparked a tingle of warmth in August’s chest, chasing away his annoyance and making him realize that he was on dangerous ground. He knew this feeling, and he knew what this feeling led to.
“That sounds nice.”
The words came out gruff and a little reluctant, but both Steve and Ryker reacted with pleased little grins.
“All right, let’s pack up and head back into the city. My mouth tastes like rabbit and I want a shower.” Ryker rose to his feet, his heavy cock and low-hanging balls swinging between his legs. He bent down and picked up his underwear. “Steve, do you want to come have breakfast with us?”
Steve went from looking disappointed that their time together was coming to an end to looking thrilled.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m starving.”
August reached over for his clothes, pulling on his jeans before he rose to his feet and bent down to put on his boots. Now that they were no longer huddling for warmth, the cold winter morning was starting to bite. He put on his jacket and zipped it up, Steve following his lead and getting dressed, too.
“We usually go to this little diner close to our building.” August started taking down the tarp, rolling it up and tucking it under his arm. “They make great steak and eggs.”
Ryker nodded, kicking the pile of dirt they’d dug up when they dug the fire pit over the remains of last night’s fire. “Their waffles are also pretty good. They use real whipped cream and fresh berries.”
Steve licked his lips, his stomach rumbling. “Love eggs and waffles.”
Dressed and ready to go, their rudimentary camp dismantled, Ryker took the lead and the three of them walked back to the road where they’d left their cars.
“I’ll text you the address of the diner in case we get separated on the road,” August said, reaching into the SUV and grabbing his phone from the center console. He unlocked it, and was about to ask Steve for his number when he saw that he had three missed calls from Dylan, along with a single text message.
He read the message first, his brows furrowing at the cryptic request to delete the voicemails Dylan had left him.
“What is it?” Ryker asked, walking over to him and looking at his screen. August tilted it toward him, letting him read the message.
“That’s weird,” Ryker mumbled, squinting down at the screen. “But you should probably do what he asks.”
At Steve’s curious look, August explained, “Dylan called me three times like thirty minutes ago and left me some voicemails, and then he sent a message asking me not to listen and to delete them.”
The three of them stood there, next to the deserted road, waiting for someone to suggest listening to the messages anyway.
“You could call him,” Ryker suggested. It was clear that none of them was going to suggest going against Dylan’s wishes.
August sighed and nodded, deleting the voicemails. He was intensely curious about what Dylan had said, but his curiosity would just have to go unanswered. Once the messages were deleted, he called Dylan’s number.
Dylan picked up right away.
“Hello?”
Dylan’s voice sounded strained, and August was immediately on high alert. His wolf, previously calm and content from a night of frolicking, raised its hackles and rose up to the front of his mind.
“Hi Dylan, I got your message. I deleted the voicemails without listening to them, but you have us all feeling pretty curious. Are you okay?”
Dylan took way too long to respond. In the background, August could hear noises and voices that sounded suspiciously like a hospital. Judging by the concerned looks on Ryker and Steve’s faces, they heard it, too.
“Dylan?” August prompted.
“I’m okay. It’s just… I got something stuck, you know, up there.” Dylan’s voice was a low whisper. “I’m at the emergency room to get help getting it out.”
August froze, his first thought that the only person who should be rummaging around in Dylan’s rectum was him. He pushed down the possessive instinct and tried to keep his voice normal when he spoke.
“Which hospital? Have they seen you yet?”
“St. Mary’s, and no, I’m still in the waiting room. They said that it might be a few hours before a doctor could see me.”
August looked at Ryker, waiting for his nod of permission before he spoke next.
