Page 32 of Kindred Sky

“Good?” Samuel asked to be sure but also to tease Matthias.

“Shut up.”

Samuel grinned and didn’t shut up, although what came out of his mouth next wasn’t words so much as encouragement, low and close to Matthias’s ear, and Matthias made a very satisfying sound in response. Thorne’s free hand found Samuel’s hip, gripping hard, and Samuel pushed into it, grinning when he saw Thorne’s teeth bite into Matthias’s shoulder.

Matthias came first, his whole body going tense, then loose as he flopped back onto the mattress. Thorne followed shortly after, his open mouth pressed to Matthias’s shoulder, and Samuel was right behind him, his face buried against Matthias’s neck. He smelled good, of sweat and sex and them.

They ended up in a heap, breathing hard, nobody moving because they couldn’t, not yet. Matthias started laughing, his body shaking Samuel’s.

“What?” Samuel asked.

“Nothing.” Matthias was still laughing. “I just can’t believe that worked.”

“Why wouldn’t it have worked?” Thorne asked, sounding genuinely offended, which made Samuel laugh too. Trust Thorne to take offense at that and not something else.

“I don’t know, it just—” Matthias gestured vaguely at the three of them. “We’re a lot, the three of us. I wasn’t sure we could make it work, even though I wanted to.”

“We are a lot,” Samuel agreed. He knew that went especially for him and Thorne. They’d have to be careful not to be at each other’s throats, but they’d been getting better, and Samuel was positive they could do this.

He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at Matthias and Thorne. They were both flushed and rumpled and looked satisfied, which made Samuel feel smug. His chest was stupidly full of feelings he wasn’t used to, but he liked it. “It’s a good a lot.”

Thorne made a sound that wasn’t quite agreement but wasn’t disagreement either. Samuel decided to count it as a win. Samuel wanted this, and he usually got what he wanted.

Especially when it was gorgeous men he wanted to love.

Chapter Ten

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MATTHIAS WAS WHISTLING. He was aware of the fact that it wasn’t like him, but he couldn’t stop himself.

It had been like that since he, Thorne, and Samuel had gotten together. He was either humming, singing, or whistling. It was like if he didn’t let it out, he would explode, and that was one thing he didn’t want to happen. He just had an overabundance of feelings, and he needed to let them out. Whistling and humming was the best way to do that, but unfortunately for him, it got people’s attention. In particular, it got Parker’s attention.

Parker was staring at him from the other side of the table in the dining room. For now, they were alone in the room. Well, Tyne was there, too, but he was sitting on the other side of the table, eating his eggs and bacon and reading something on his phone. He’d barely said hello when he’d walked in, and he wasn’t paying Parker and Matthias any attention.

Parker, on the other hand, was paying a lot of attention. Matthias could feel him staring, and he tried to stop whistling, but the happiness was just oozing out of his pores. He definitely wasn’t behaving the way he usually did, and of course, Ansley had chosen this particular day to kick Parker out of their room to sleep in.

Parker didn’t say anything. He just stared until Matthias couldn’t stand it anymore.

Matthias sighed. “Just ask.”

Parker grinned. “All right. What is making you so happy?” He looked around the room, but they might as well have been alone. “Or should I ask who?”

Matthias put down his fork. Parker knew some of what was going on. He wasn’t an idiot, and he’d probably noticed that Matthias had been spending a lot of time with both Thorne and Samuel. He no doubt thought that Matthias was dating one of them, but he wouldn’t expect Matthias to be dating both.

Matthias wasn’t sure how to tell him. He wasn’t ashamed of his new relationship, and he wasn’t planning on hiding it. It just wasn’t the kind of conversation he’d ever thought he would have with his best friend. What was he supposed to say? Yes, I’m dating someone, actually two someones. Yes, I’m seeing both Thorne and Samuel. Why do you ask?

He cringed at his own thoughts. That definitely wasn’t how the conversation would go. He didn’t want it to go like that.

“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready,” Parker said, clearly misinterpreting Matthias’s silence. “It’s nice to see you so happy. I know I’ve been neglecting you since we arrived here.”

“Don’t say it like that. You haven’t been neglecting me. You’ve been spending time with Ansley, as you should. After everything the two of you went through, I don’t begrudge you for that.”

“Maybe not, but you were feeling a bit lonely, weren’t you?”

“Sometimes, but not anymore. You don’t have to worry about me, I promise.”

Parker’s smile widened. “I know. Someone’s taking care of you.”