“What?” I said in a high-pitched voice, drawing out the word.
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Gideon said. “I’ve never been more offended than I am right now.”
I nodded my head exuberantly. “Yeah. We’re offended!”
“You’re both acting weird,” Jai said.
“Your face is acting weird.” Gideon smiled at me and raised his fist. “Nailed it.”
“Need some ice for that burn?” I bumped our knuckles, and we both made the sound of an explosion as our fists burst open like a bomb.
Trying to stifle his laughter, Noel struggled for breath. “This is the best day of my life.”
“How did this happen?” Jai asked.
“Blame Riley,” Gideon said.
“Excuse me?” I rounded on the traitor. “Blame the Thrones! They’re the stoners. And you took me there. I wouldn’t have known the way if you hadn’t shown me!”
Gideon had the audacity to balk in offense. “You talked me into it. With your words and your face. And your wiles.”
My jaw dropped. “How dare you. I don’t have wiles.”
“You have all the wiles,” he accused. “And ploys. And gambits.”
I gasped dramatically. “You go too far, sir! We duel at dawn.”
Hysterical laughter broke through our argument, and Gideon and I turned to Jai and Noel. They hung on each other, guffawing, wiping tears from their eyes. I’d forgotten they were there.
“Oh, hello. How was your date?”
That brought them up short. They exchanged an odd look. Noel blushed, and Jai clacked his tongue piercing against his teeth. Then they said, “It wasn’t a date.”
With an exaggerated eye roll, I crawled into Gideon’s lap. “It was so a date.”
“Definitely a date,” he agreed, pecking my forehead.
Noel’s blush deepened. “It was fun. The exhibit was… interesting. Lots of phallic shapes.”
“Which I did not know about beforehand,” Jai said with wide eyes. “I’m putting that on the record.”
“There was so much dick,” Noel said.
Jai laughed. “So much dick.”
“And we got kicked out,” Noel added.
“Yeah, because you thought it would be funny to fellate the ceramics!”
Hands on his hips, Noel threw his head back and laughed. “And was it or was it not funny?”
With a shake of his head, Jai grinned. “Yeah, it was funny.”
“So I say again: it was a fun night.” Noel took Jai’s hand and squeezed it.
Jai’s smile softened. “It was.”
Warm fuzzies flooded my stomach, and I snuggled into Gideon’s embrace. “I’m glad it was fun. But I’m also glad you’re home. I have so much to tell you.” I cupped the side of my mouth and dropped my voice to a whisper. “I know this comes as a shock, but I think Gideon and I accidentally got high.”
“What? I’d never have guessed,” Jai said blandly.
“They had no idea. I knew it,” Gideon said into my scalp, and I giggled.
“I think it’s time for you two to go to bed,” Noel said as he reached down to lift me from Gideon’s lap. “We’ll talk in the morning about how you ‘accidentally’”—he curled his fingers to create quotation marks—“tripped on salvia.”
Noel carried me to my room, and I buried my face in his neck, inhaling lilac, sunshine, and dokha. The thread connecting us flared warmly, and I sighed. Noel chuckled, baring his throat as I nuzzled his pulse point.
“Don’t get any ideas,” he admonished lightly. “No sexy times until you’re sober.”
“Party pooper,” I whined.
Once in my room, Gideon removed his pants and collapsed on my bed. Jai used the bathroom as Noel helped me out of my clothes. I tried to make it sexy, but my shirt caught on my nose, and my jeans tangled around my legs. Without Noel’s grasp on my arm, I would have fallen on my butt.
“Are you turned on?” I asked as I kicked my jeans across the room.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on in my life,” Noel said seriously, though his lips twitched, fighting a smile. He was being sarcastic, wasn’t he?
“See if I strip for you again.” I pouted as I crawled onto my bed and burrowed into Gideon’s waiting arms.
“Shh. Sleep now,” he said.
“Kiss me first,” I demanded. He kissed me softly. “Good night, Gideon.”
“Good night, darling.” Gideon sighed. “I love all of you so much.”
As Noel settled in beside me, he tittered. “Best day ever.”
Sometime later, the lights went out. I hummed happily as Gideon curled himself around my back. Noel took my hands in his. Jai’s arm stretched over Noel to touch my jaw.
I dozed off quickly, but not before Jai said, “Thanks for today. It was nice.”
“I guess I owe you a date now, huh?” Noel said.
“I thought you said it wasn’t a date.”
Silence hung heavy for a moment before Noel spoke. “Was it?”
Unconsciousness dragged me under, but I fought the pull. Noel’s hands tightened around mine, and he gasped quietly. Then the wet sound of lips meeting.
Peeking through my lashes, I smiled in the dark as Jai cupped Noel’s cheek and kissed him. The shadows shrouded them, blocking out the glorious details. But Noel’s whimper was crisp in the night. Jai groaned deeply.
“Good night, Jai,” Noel said, voice weak and breathy.
As I drifted into sleep, I heard the smile in Jai’s voice as he said, “Good night, Noel.”
When I woke the next morning, I was completely entangled. My legs were twisted with Noel’s. Gideon was stuck to my back, his arm hooked around my waist, tight as a python. Jai spooned Noel, his arm stretched over Noel’s body so he could clasp one of my hands in his.
Everyone was breathing heavily, lost to sleep. My brain was a little foggy but clearer than it had been yesterday. I remembered everything that had happened after my meeting with the Thrones, and embarrassment washed over me. I couldn’t believe Gideon and I got high!
We lay in a mass of limbs as the sun rose, beams of light stretching over my carpet through the windows. Gideon was usually the first one to wake, but the drugs must have affected him because he continued to snore into my hair as Jai stirred behind Noel.
A dark eye peered over Noel’s shoulder, blinking sleepily at me. I grinned and squeezed his hand. Our bond hummed.
Noel shifted in his sleep, and we were packed so tightly both Jai and I inhaled sharply as Noel rubbed against us both at the same time. His morning erection poked my hip as his butt—I assumed—pressed into Jai’s groin. Our bonds lit up, and it was only Gideon’s arm around my waist that kept me calm.
Rising onto his elbow, Jai withdrew his hand from my grasp and placed a finger to his lips. Then he leaned down and kissed Noel’s neck, his hand spanning Noel’s hip. Slowly, his hand slid under Noel’s shirt, fingers petting Noel’s happy trail. I bit the inside of my cheek as Jai’s fingers snuck under the waistband of Noel’s boxer-briefs.