Ronan held out a bowl of ice cream to Jax. “I scooped you some coconut. Niall said it’s your favorite, but I can get you something different if you’d like.”
“This is good. Thanks.”
Ronan gave Jax the bowl with one hand. With the other, he carelessly brushed against Jax’s lower back, the same way he’d done with Niall a moment ago. The touch of his fingers lasted only a second, but Jax felt it linger as Ronan turned to help Kino with the caramel sauce.
***
“That was really somethingwhen Ronan used his alpha voice, wasn’t it?” Niall laughed as he and Jax entered their apartment, throwing his keys onto the counter.
They’d spent the drive home debriefing, agreeing the afternoon had been a success. Jax was still trying to figure out how to tell Niall about the racier thoughts he’d had. He knew Niall wanted him to be more comfortable with Ronan and Teal, but he doubted that had included Jax having wild fantasies about Niall with the couple.
Jax assessed him thoughtfully. “You haven’t heard him use it before?”
Niall froze. “I’ve…uh…heard it a few times.”
By the pink tinge of his boyfriend’s face, Jax didn’t have to guess how Niall had been subjected to Ronan’s alpha voice. Jaxcircled his arms around his boyfriend, pulling them together by his belt loops.
“Well, I’ve never heard an alpha voice before. You never mentioned how sexy it was.”
Niall peered at him. “Yeah.”
Jax nosed into Niall’s neck, murmuring, “I think your bosses are into the omega next door.” He trailed a series of kisses along Niall’s jaw until he reached his ear. “Pretty sure Sorcha reciprocates.”
Niall pushed Jax firmly against his sensitive skin. “You see it too? I’ve been getting that impression for a while.”
Jax hummed as he sucked near Niall’s Adam’s apple. “You never told me how hot the little omega was.”
Niall stiffened briefly. “Did you need to know?”
“Not really. But you could have warned me about the energy there. It’s bad enough I can’t stop imagining Ronan’s and Teal’s hands all over you. Now my mind also wants to picture them with Sorcha.”
Niall blanched, pulling out of Jax’s arms. He studied Jax’s face before his eyebrows furrowed. “What?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“You’ve…imagined me…with them?”
Jax grinned sheepishly, with a slight lift of his shoulders. “Sometimes.”
Niall’s chin dropped. “Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”
“What do you mean?”
“Ronan’s voice is sexy? The little omega is hot?” Niall cleared his throat. “And you’ve thought about me with them? And Sorcha? What’s gotten into you?”
Somewhat surprised by Niall’s response, Jax answered softly, “I told you, Nigh. I meant it when I said I got over myself. Now that I know it’s not a threat to me—and I know it even more aftertoday—I’m done forcing my mind to hold back. The floodgates of my imagination are officially wide open.”
Niall scraped a hand over his jaw, incredulity in his features. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Finally, he threw his hands up and stalked into the bedroom.
Jax followed immediately. “Nigh, talk to me.”
Bracing his arms heavily atop the dresser, Niall shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of this. You’ve gone from being pro-monogamy your whole life to imaginingscenariosin a matter of months. For the record, this afternoon wasn’t about re-starting our discussion on whether you’re okay with me being with them again.”
“Fucking them. You can say it.”
“Fine. Fucking them.”
Niall moved to sit down on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “Babe, I’m really glad you enjoyed yourself this afternoon. And that you’re open to not having everything be so black and white. But being curious about something and actually exploring it are two different things. And right now, there is no part of me that wants to run to Ronan and Teal and say, ‘Hey guys, Jax is cool if we fuck, so let’s do it.’ It almost feels like you’re disappointed that I’m okay with it being just the two of us.”
