That seemed to register, and Spencer let the rest of his weight fall against Ryder as he shoved his head into Ryder’s neck with a sigh. “You will?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Tha’s good,” Spencer slurred. “So nice.”
It was literally the least Ryder could do, but he hummed his agreement anyway and steered Spencer back to the bedroom.
It was bigger than the one in their last apartment. Spencer had graduated last summer and found work in Phoenix, and the three of them had decided to rent a house together off campus. It was a two-bedroom, too, which meant one of the bedrooms had been converted into a half office, half workout room, a boon given Spencer’s hectic work schedule and Ash’s demanding engineering study load.
Ryder laid Spencer down beside Ash, then unwrapped one of the protein bars and gave it to him. Spencer managed to chew half of it before he fell asleep with his mouth hanging open and the bar still in his hand. Ryder carefully removed it and grabbed a fresh blanket from the closet, covering Spencer with it. Otherwise, he’d get cold and cranky without Ryder there to hold him.
Ryder turned to check on Ash, only to find him wide awake and staring at Ryder with red-rimmed eyes. “Sticky,” he groaned unhappily.
Ryder swept Ash’s curls back from his forehead with a conciliatory grunt. “Shower?”
Ash nodded and rose gingerly from the nest. He looked just as wrecked as Spencer, and his curls had been stiff under Ryder’s hand, all crunchy from dried sweat.
And Ryder must not have been hiding his overwhelming smugness about all that well enough, because Ash grimaced pointedly at him.
“You wanna shower alone?” Ryder asked by way of apology.
“No,” Ash grumbled. “You get to wash my back, fucking horny menace.”
Ryder wasn’t going to argue with that. It soothed his instincts to be able to pet and care for his mates after a rut. He’d do thesame with Spencer after the other alpha slept off a little more of his fatigue.
Ryder started with Ash’s hair under the hot spray of the shower, working a lather into the omega’s abused curls. Ash held himself steady under Ryder’s hands, though he kept his eyes closed and his stance loose.
When Ash’s hair was washed and conditioned, Ryder quickly soaped himself up and rinsed under the spray, then returned to Ash. He slowly soaped up Ash’s slender arms and chest, kneading as he went, trying to soothe the ache Ash was no doubt feeling in his muscles.
Ash groaned lightly, and Ryder’s dick filled predictably at the sound, but he pushed the arousal aside, focusing on his task. The arousal of rut didn’t always leave his body right away, but that didn’t mean his attentions would be welcome. He turned Ash around and soaped up his back, then down to Ash’s ass.
Ryder tried to keep his touch quick and perfunctory there, but he was stalled by a slippery substance between Ash’s cheeks.
Fresh slick.
Ryder glanced over Ash’s shoulder to see his pretty cock bucking up in the air.
Well, then. This had happened during Ryder’s last rut too. With a second player in the mix, Ash didn’t necessarily have a chance to work off all the rut-induced hormones that helped an omega through what an alpha needed from them. It was more of a balancing act than it might have been with only two people.
Not that any of them were complaining.
Ryder traced the seam of Ash’s cheeks with gentle fingers. “You want me to handle it or ignore it?”
Ash gave a sleepy sigh and widened his stance. “You should fuck me, I think. But slow.” He glared over his shoulder. “And if you knot me right now, you’re dead.”
Ryder smirked down at him. “Wouldn’t dream of it, bright eyes.”
Ash set his hands on the shower wall and leaned forward, pushing his ass back. Ryder thumbed his cheeks apart. Ash’s hole was predictably pink and puffy, but not anything to be concerned about.
Ryder gave himself a few strokes and notched the head of his cock at Ash’s entrance. He pressed in without ceremony, groaning at the feel, wet and a little loose, as welcoming as a hot mouth.
Ash let out a harsh breath and raised his hips in a silent demand for Ryder to get moving.
Ryder kept it slow and steady, as ordered, running his hand along the knobs of Ash’s arched spine as he drove into him. Ash’s rich marshmallow scent filled the steamy room, and Ryder drowned in it with pleasure.
“You want my hand on your dick?” he asked.
Ash shook his head. “No. I’ll get there. Just keep going.”
