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Matt watched them go, screwing up his mouth thoughtfully. “Those two are trouble.”

“What’d they do?” Nick asked.

“Emily knows, tricked it out of me with the sort of ease Aidan would have admired professionally,” Matt said.

Nick snorted, placing his hand on Matt’s lower back. “That sounds like her. She’s the quiet and gentlest of the three, but she’s the most evil when she wants to be.”

“And tricky too,” Matt added.

Nick looked at him, taking his chin between two fingers. “You good?”

Matt turned into the touch. “I could ask the same of you.”

“When everything stops feeling like a vivid dream, I will be.”

Matt sighed, nodding. “I get that. But don’t worry, I’ll be here when you realize you’re awake.”

“Or maybe it’ll always feel like a dream,” Nick muttered, pressing a kiss to Matt’s temple.

Matt laughed, taking Nick’s hand and dragging him to the door. “If you’re going to whisper sweet nothings in my ear, do it in a dark corner of the main house while we have alcohol in our system.”

“I think I can arrange that.”

“Good.”

Thankfully,despite Maria’s tension about dinner, the meal went without a hitch. Once more, he sat between Eric and Nick, and this time, without Nick’s awkward and slightly grumpysilence. It occurred to Matt when he caught Nick watching him fondly as he chatted to Eric that the guy had probably been jealous of the attention Matt had been showing Eric.

It was an oddly charming thought, which was odd since Matt had never dealt with jealousy all that well with his exes. But then again, none of them had been Nick. Matt knew full well that the other man had no expectations or demands for Matt’s independence. He apparently just got a little possessive over Matt’s attention. Nothing threatening and weirdly thrilling.

And then there was the touching.

They’d never been afraid to touch one another before. It was one of the best ways they communicated and connected. Matt quickly discovered that whatever switch had been thrown in his head or dial turned up high had also changed how he reacted to their familiar touches.

Nick, squeezing his elbow to tell Matt he was still there, was still comforting, but Matt found himself lingering on the feel of Nick’s skin against his. When Nick bumped him during a story Matt probably shouldn’t have been telling, he laughed but still found himself remembering how Nick’s strong body felt pressed against him.

It was strange, it was exciting. And it wasn’t helped by the fact that the Engels had decided to serve alcohol with the meal. Something Nick, much to Matt’s amusement, passed on. Matt hadn’t drunk too heavily, but it was enough to find his thoughts light and his body tingly.

By the time they had torn through dinner and dessert, Matt was laughing louder than usual and talking more rapidly. And the whole time, there was Nick, watching him with amusement and no small amount of affection. Matt, feeling bold, reached out and squeezed Nick’s thick thigh. He found he loved the feel of Nick’s strength and the grunt of surprise Nick gave before giving him a dirty look.

The kind that meant behave, of course, but Matt thought it might have been the other kind of dirty too.

When the dinner was officially over, people began separating from the crowd and spreading out from the main house. Matt had looked on, offering no help whatsoever, when Nick had been dragged off to help clean up the kitchen. He’d even given a cheeky wave, which earned him a look that spoke of later retribution from Nick.

Matt wasn’t sure if that was really the threat Nick intended it to be.

“He doesn’t look as angry as before,” Eric noted as he walked beside Matt.

Matt laughed. “Probably not. He wasn’t having a very good time before. He’s better now.”

“You two seem really close,” Eric noted.

Matt stepped into one of the dens, glancing at Eric in surprise. “Do we?”

Eric nodded. “You both just...gravitate to one another. You guys look like you’re having whole conversations even when you aren’t saying anything. It’s actually kind of cool.”

“We’ve been through a lot,” Matt said, pouring another scotch. He wasn’t sure where the stuff came from, but it probably cost more than his rent. “It’s hard not to be close when you’ve been through some of the things we have.”

“That makes sense,” Eric said, watching him.