Spencer pressed a hand to his chest in mock dismay. “MyAsh? I don’t believe it. He had to have been provoked.”
Ash coughed pointedly—point one for Ash—and Everett rolled his eyes. “Your undying loyalty is no fun at all.”
Spencer blew him a kiss, and Everett said his surly goodbyes and hurried off, leaving Ash alone with Spencer. Or as alone as they could be surrounded by their fellow undergraduates.
Spencer grabbed Ash’s bag before Ash could protest, slinging it over his own shoulder. “You ready for lunch?”
“Yeah. You didn’t have to pick me up though.”
Spencer grinned. “But I like to.”
Ash scoffed, but he still slipped his hand inside Spencer’s as they made their way down the rest of the steps.
Spencer glanced down at their joined hands. “You’re a hand-holder now?” he asked mildly.
“I thoughtyou’dlike it,” Ash confessed, embarrassment making his voice come out snippy. “Was I wrong?”
Spencer’s grin widened almost maniacally, and he started swinging their arms together like a little kid. “Nope. Not wrong.”
Ash walked alongside him, a warmth blooming in his chest that was almost painful in its intensity. He’d always been compelled by every side of Spencer, but this version he’d been treated to these past few weeks—happy, carefree Spencer who knew exactly where he belonged—was so addictive it was unnerving.
It had awoken something feral in Ash, an alarming protectiveness where he was pretty sure he’d murder anyone who ever threatened his boyfriend’s peace again. (And if the perpetrator happened to be himself, he supposed he’d have to get Ryder to do it instead.)
Maybe that was something Ash should bring up at the next omega study group. For all he knew, maybe rabid, love-induced violence was a birth control side effect.
Somehow he didn’t think so though.
The three of them had fallen into a routine of sorts these past few weeks. They had study nights at Spencer’s, where Chase and Noah often joined in, much to Spencer’s delight. Date nights were usually at Ash and Ryder’s. And in an unspoken agreement, the three of them had … shifted, making an effort to keep sex on a temporary back burner.
Then again, they were three undergraduate men, including one with a higher-than-average sex drive and one who’d had his newly awoken, so they weren’t always successful. There’d been plenty of blow jobs and frenzied frotting when one or more of them hit their limit.
Spencer hadn’t been exaggerating about giving good head, either, which Ash had known but maybe hadn’t fullyknownoutside the fog of heat.
But Spencer drank up both Ash’s and Ryder’s cum like it was ambrosia, and that was a dangerous sort of mouth to have access to. The enthusiasm alone always had Ash spilling in an embarrassingly short amount of time.
But still, they’d managed to focus on other things. They’d had video game battles, marathons of Spencer’s horrible favorite action movies, and gym dates where Ash sprinted himself breathless on the treadmill while the other two lifted their massive weights. And they’d talked. A lot. Usually late at night, when they couldn’t help but be sleepy and open with one another. Ash and Ryder had shared more about their childhood growing up together, a subject Spencer had an endless fascination with. And Spencer had shared more about his life and his mom, including the trail of uninterested pseudo-stepdads who’d never stuck around.
If Ash ever met any of those men on the street, he’d punch them in the dick. Hard.
All in all, it was exciting and comfortable and scary all at the same time, something Ash hadn’t realized dating could be.
But there was one thing they hadn’t talked about yet, and now seemed as good a time as any to bring it up.
“Hey, Spencer?”
“Yes, sugarplum?”
Ash rolled his eyes. Spencer had taken to calling him horrifically sweet nicknames, just to see which ones reddened Ash’s cheeks the most. “Ryder’s gonna talk to you soon. His rut falls over winter break, you know.”
Spencer stumbled slightly on his next step, but he quickly righted himself. “I didnotknow. You think he’s worried about having another alpha there?”
“I think he’s more worried that if he doesn’t have both of his boyfriends in his sights, he’ll start a rampage.”
“Oh.” Spencer laughed happily. “Hell, yeah.”
“He wants to practice knotting you.”
Now Spencer did stop them in their tracks. He turned to Ash and placed his hands on Ash’s shoulders, so solemn-faced it was scary. “Ash, baby.”
