Avery moved to another seat and Luke slid away so he wasn’t touching me, and I missed the warmth. It was replaced by Rylan leaning back on the couch and pulling me onto his chest. His Beta scent was just as delicious as the others, if not quite as potent. Right now he smelled sweet like strawberry jam, and I sighed, relaxing into him.

Things were quiet as the action played out on the screen and my perfume calmed. Rylan’s hand stroked up and down my back, and I found myself relaxing so much I almost was asleep.

“Some date I am,” I mumbled. “Come over and fall asleep.”

Rylan laughed softly, the sound musical beneath my ear. “If we have our way, we’ll have plenty of time.” He pulled me up higher so my face was tucked under his chin. “This was probably overwhelming, especially since you didn’t know it was coming.”

It was. I couldn’t keep my eyes open now, fading down into comfort and Rylan’s summery scent. Even asleep, I was vaguely aware of voices. All of them, and Wes.

Finally, when I woke up, I was being lifted. It was dark outside the windows, and Kade was carrying me through the entry to Wes’s car.

“I fell asleep,” I whispered.

A rumbling chuckle. “Yes, you did, and I’m glad.”

“Why? You like boring?”

He set me gently on my feet next to the car, making sure I leaned against it and was steady. “No, because you felt safe enough with us to let yourself relax.”

“I had Wes.”

Kade inclined his head, his purr starting in his chest. The sound was heavy and loud, which had the effect of making me relaxed and drowsy again. “Yes, you did. But you still felt safe with us.”

“Yeah.”

“What I don’t want you to do is go home and think you disappointed us. You didn’t. This is the first step. All of us want to get to know you and everyone in your life. When we say we’re courting you, we mean it.”

I looked down at the ground, and he lifted my gaze back to his. “Like I said, I’m not going to ask you now. But whatever made you think you don’t deserve this is bullshit. Understand me?”

Out here in the nighttime darkness his eyes were black. Raw and hungry, and I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t quite believe it, because it had been too many times. “I’ll try.”

Leaning forward, he kissed my temple, and I leaned into it, savoring the rich scent of smoky oak. “Sleep well,” he whispered. “And we’ll see you very soon.”

“Okay.”

I was a little delirious as I slid into the back of the car, watching Kade as he watched me until we were out of sight.

“Thank you, Wes.”