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In what is becoming an increasingly annoying occurrence, Grayson climbs onto the bed with Nix, sitting behind him and therefore preventing Rowan from doing the same.

Grayson’s navy suit pants are pulled to their limits over his lean thighs, and his basil-vanilla scent is fresh and sweet, almost perfume-y.

It’s intoxicating, and Nix feels himself getting wet in his jeans.

First Finn, then Jamie, and now Grayson—what is wrong with his brain that he can be so pissed off and still so horny?

“I have you now, Angel. Are you alright?” Grayson coos, and Nix can see a spiteful smirk on his gorgeous face out of the corner of his eye.

They do not need a throw-down here—or ever, really—so Nix gives him a pinch on one of his lovely, firm thighs.

Rowan smiles when Grayson squawks, as he takes up a spot behind Jamie so he can still stare at Nix but also take big huffs of his alpha’s scent.

“I am,” Nix says at the same time Jamie counters, “He’s not.”

He’s just about to give Jamie a piece of his mind when Leo arrives soon after with Luca on his arm, and Gideon trailing behind like a teenager who got called to the principal’s office.

Gideon smells of the outdoors, and his pink cheeks could be from the brisk breeze or embarrassment because he looks contrite, while Luca already looks—and smells—like relief.

It’s three more people added to the already anxious smells of his mates in the small space, and Nix can’t calm his anxiety over the cacophony of voices coming from all directions. He slides into sensory overload with a side order of annoyance.

“Hey!” he yells. He’s perversely satisfied to see them all jerk, and it is followed by blessed silence.

“Okay. Finn, let’s do whatever you want to do so I can go home and Gideon can cook me foodfor real.”

Gideon has the grace to look caught out, and Luca snorts.

“I’m tired of eating whateverthathas been lately.” Nix sticks his tongue out and is rewarded when Gideon points a finger at him with a raised eyebrow.

Nix hopes it means he’sin trouble. That low simmer in his belly blooms once more at the thought, and Grayson groans from his spot behind him.

“Angel, you can’t smell like that with all of us packed in here like sardines.”

Finn nods, and there’s a sheen of perspiration on his forehead. “Please. I am still living down the destruction of theothermed-bay.”

It’s Finn’s desperation that helps Nix reel his horny scent back in untileveryone notably relaxes.

“I’m going to do an exam, and then I’ll get the ultrasound tech to come in. Are you okay with that, Nix?”

Ultrasound? Is he going to get to see his baby?

“Hell yes!”

He makes eye contact with Rowan, who’s looking rather green, and when Nix scans the room, only Luca and Finn look excited.

“Why do you all look like you’re the ones who are going to chuck your cookies now?”

There are nothing but vague, low denials, but it’s Jamie who speaks the loudest. “Nix, we’re all just—it’s big, ya know? Like there’s a whole person in there, and I just want you to be alright, too.”

In the end, Finn can’t move around the med bay with everyone inside, so they rock-paper-scissors it with much grumbling and promises that they can come back for the ultrasound. In the end, only Luca gets to stay.

“Suckers!” Luca whispers after everyone heads out to the waiting room. “They all have tells. Jay is so used to throwing scissors that he forgets that when he really wants to win he needs to change it up.”

He continues for another five minutes, regaling Nix with everyone’s tells—even Finn’s.

He gets off track when Finn asks Nix to swing his legs up so he can do some measurements of Nix’s abdomen.

“Hey, why are you allowed to treat Nix here when you’re his mate? Aren’t there rules?”