She squeezes my hand, lets it go, and leans forward to laugh at something Tanner says about getting recognized at a grocery store by a seventy-year-old who only knew him as “the one who lost his tooth on TV.”
Plates start making the rounds again. The big platters of meat from the grill gets passed like an offering. They take bites and the entire table sounds like I’ve hit unmute on hardcore gay porn.
“Jesus, Z,” Davidson says, half-choking, half-moaning. “What did you do to this cow?”
“Marinated it in black magic,” Jace says around a mouthful. “Fuck, this is good.”
Compliments ripple up and down the table—low swearing, headshakes. Someone pounds the wood with the flat of their hand.
Zed looks at the guys as each one passes their compliment, and I see the appreciation in his gaze, his pale eyes lighting up a little. Zed reacts well to praise. Good to know.
“You hear this?” I call down to him. “What’s the secret?”
He looks up at me. The string lights catch in his eyes again, pale and sharp even out here. I know him well enough now to see the tiny shift, the almost-smile that never quite makes it to his mouth.
“I just used honey, garlic, and soy sauce.” His massive shoulders lift in a small shrug. “I’m glad you enjoy it,” he adds.
“Enjoy it?” Tanner says. “Dude, I’m about to cry.”
“Gordon Ramsay would never call you an idiot sandwich,” Jace adds.
Laughter rolls down the table. I wait for the praise to quiet, for Zed to soak it up, and then I push my chair back and rise.
“Hey,” I say, loud enough to cut through the noise. “Shut up for a second.”
The table quiets in stages with a few more laughs and a last clink of a bottle.
“Oh shit, Dad’s talking.” Jace gives me a lopsided grin.
“If you’re done sucking Zed’s dick for five seconds, I wanna say something.”
The table erupts again with shouts and laughter. Tanner twists in his chair to look down the line.
“Be honest, Z,” he calls, laughing. “You ever had this many men on your dick at once?”
The noise spikes. Zed tilts his head at Tanner, a single dark brow raised over those almost-colorless eyes.
“You seem quite interested in my dick, Tanny,” Zed teases, his baritone full of amusement. “Got something you wanna share with the class?”
Laughter explodes, cutlery rattling, the guys immediately piling on Tanner.
“He can’t handle it, Z,” Davidson wheezes.
“Who fucking could?” Jace booms. “I’ve seen it in the showers,” he adds, fanning himself. “He’s carrying a third leg down there.”
“You sure you only saw it, Jace?” Addams shoots across the table.
“That why you limp each time you head out of the showers?” Matt adds.
Jace looks at Zed between laughs, throwing his hands up in surrender.
“I’ll be more gentle next time, sugar,” Zed says to Jace, and the roar of laughter that follows is deafening.
“Yeah, yeah,” I cut in with a laugh. “Back off Zed’s dick, I’m trying to be sentimental.”
That earns another round of laughter, but it settles faster this time. They quiet down, eyes dragging back to me. Zed leans back in his chair with that faint ghost of a smirk.
They’re listening.
