as demanding. He spent less time there than Warren before stepping aside.
Charlie came next. He leaned down to kiss Jonas first. “You doing okay? I can stop this, if you need me to.”
Jonas’s heart swelled. “I’m fine, Daddy.”
“Okay.” He stood up again, unzipping his pants.
Jonas hadn’t done this for Charlie since returning home. Charlie never wanted oral sex when it was only the two of them. He preferred to be the one giving, not receiving. But Jonas was happy to have a chance to return the favor. He sucked Charlie in deep and let his own passion take over, loving the taste of him and the feel of Charlie’s hands on his head. Charlie was gentle, and the only one to stay there until he came. It surprised Jonas, because it was clear they were just getting started. There was a reason everybody else had stopped before climaxing, but maybe Charlie was trying to make a point of his own. Jonas swallowed the first bit but ended up with most of it on his chin. As soon as Charlie stepped aside, Phil was back. He leaned over, taking Jonas’s face in his hands. He used his tongue to guide the semen into Jonas’s mouth before kissing him greedily, sharing the saltiness between them.
“Goddamn, I will never get tired of watching you do that,” Gray said.
Phil laughed, but before moving away, he leaned close enough to speak quietly into Jonas’s ear. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you.”
Phil let him go and turned to the one man still sitting at the table. “What about you, Gray? You’re up next.”
Jonas’s heart seemed to freeze in his chest, but Gray said only, “Pass.”
Jonas’s heartbeat resumed. He wasn’t sure if Gray’s decision was to appease Charlie or Avery or both, but it didn’t matter. It was a relief. He’d be sure to thank Gray later.
“Taylor,” Phil said. “Your turn.”
“I’m waiting ’til I can be the one on my knees.”
“You and me both,” Gray said, which made Taylor laugh and Warren scowl.
“River?”
“I’m with Taylor.”
“In that case,” Charlie said, “I propose we move this party into the bedroom.”
“Thank goodness,” River said, laughing. “This linoleum floor is hell on my knees.”
They headed down the hallway toward the bedroom—all of them except Jonas, still kneeling, and Avery, who hung back. He handed Jonas a napkin to wipe his chin with.
“Tell me truth,” Avery said quietly. “Did it bother you that Gray passed?”
Jonas almost laughed. “God, no. It was a relief.” He stayed on his knees. He wanted to fit in here, and if that meant giving Avery some leeway, he’d do it. “I don’t love him. I don’t care about him at all except that he’s Charlie’s best friend. And I promise you, the last thing in the world I want to do is cause trouble for you.”
Avery considered that for a moment. “I think I believe you.” He hesitated, but only for a moment. “Phil and Taylor have an arrangement. Or, an agreement, I should say. No matter what’s going on with the rest of the group, no matter how kinky things get, Phil and Taylor never fool around together.”
“Okay,” Jonas said, wondering what this had to do with him.
“I’d feel a lot better about this if you and Gray agreed to a similar arrangement.”
“Absolutely,” Jonas said. Except as a sub, it wasn’t always up to him to decide. “As long as Gray’s on the same page.”
“He is.” He sighed. “Maybe it’s silly of me. Maybe I’m insecure, but—”
“No. It’s completely understandable. And I’m one thousand percent on board with your suggestion. Like I said, I don’t want to cause trouble for you.” There was more to it than that, and Jonas thought about how to put it into words. “I don’t want my place in this group to be as Gray’s ex. I want it to be as Charlie’s sub.” He smiled, eyeing the silver band on his finger. “As Charlie’s husband.”
Avery smiled. “I think that’s a fair request.” He offered his hand, and Jonas took it. He let Avery pull him to his feet. Avery’s cheeks were red, his smile shy, his bashfulness somehow at odds with his flirtatious eyes and his bright purple hair. “Welcome to the group, Charlie’s husband.”
Jonas hugged him tight. Avery could have made everything more difficult. Instead, he’d chosen to be Jonas’s advocate. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you two going to join us?” Charlie called from down the hallway. “Or should we have this party without you?”
“We’re coming,” Avery called back.
“Not yet, I hope,” Gray