Blinking against the glaring sunlight, my vision focused, and there they were. A sign shouting Welcome home, Riley! in big, bright letters spanned the wall between their apartment door and mine. Gideon stood on one side in jeans and a cotton T-shirt that clung to his broad shoulders and barrel chest. He somehow looked bigger than I remembered, his bulging muscles more muscly and bulgier than before.
“Wow, you should be a poet,” Alter Riley drawled.
I ignored his inner commentary in lieu of ogling my angels.
Gideon’s hair was longer than I’d ever seen it, curling around his ears and neck. If he wanted, he could probably gather the waves into a tiny tail at the back of his head. It made him look younger, softer. I loved it. I wanted to delve my fingers into those dark blond strands and…
Like he could read my thoughts, the slightest tinge of pink colored his cheekbones as his green eyes X-rayed right through me. His dimple waved hello as his lips spread in the secret smile he shared only with me.
I grinned back until my cheeks hurt.
Noel and Jai stood on the other side of the banner. Noel’s long, white hair was wrapped into a high bun atop his head. A few wispy strands had escaped and danced around his face in the breeze. Colorless eyes sparkled with joy, and I knew once I was closer, the purple starbursts around his pupils would be glimmering.
My time away had dulled me to his beauty, and it took an extra second for me to remember how to breathe as I drank in his ivory skin, picturesque features, and—God, his legs looked a mile long in those shorts. In gray short shorts and a pale pink singlet, he looked like an albino model on the cover of a magazine.
Behind him, as dark as Noel was light, stood Jai. His black tank top was tight and fitted to every dip and curve of his cut torso. His olive skin gleamed in the sunshine, the black gauges in his ears reflecting the light. Tan cargo shorts ended at his knees, and his feet—a few shades lighter than his legs thanks to his constant use of socks and shoes—were fitted in sandals.
Dark, endless eyes smoldered, and Jai smirked, pressing the tip of his tongue to his bottom teeth, flashing his onyx tongue piercing. I shivered at the reminder of how that metal ball felt against my tongue and the roof of my mouth.
Unlike Gideon, Jai had recently had his hair trimmed. The sides were short, blending into the longer strands on top of his head fashioned into his signature fauxhawk. He looked delicious and dangerous, and my eyesight flickered red as my alter melted into a pile of fallen angel jelly in the back of my mind.
“They’re so hot!” he simpered, and I internally rolled my eyes.
“Keep it in your pants,” I chided.
“We’ve been keeping it in our pants for twenty years!”
A nudge on my arm shook me from my stupor. “You’re drooling, kid,” Uriel teased, and I flushed hot as the asphalt at my feet.
Dropping my backpack to the ground, I sprinted toward my angels, and Noel squealed as he rushed out to meet me. One minute, a whole parking lot separated us. The next, Noel was scooping me into his arms and spinning me around. Lilac washed over me, settling my soul, and I adhered myself to him like a barnacle.
“Hey, sweetie.” He kissed the spot below my ear, squeezing me within an inch of my life.
“Hi.” My cheeks ached from smiling. “I missed you.”
“Oh, baby, we missed you, too.” Pulling back, he smoothed my chaotic curls back from my forehead. “Holy communion, your hair. We’re cutting it tonight, okay?”
I laughed again. “Okay.”
Once Noel set me down, I closed the remaining distance and threw myself into Jai’s arms. He must have just smoked because he smelled strongly of dokha, his Middle Eastern tobacco. Even though I nagged him about the unhealthy habit, I loved the spicy smoke that clung to his clothes and skin. It smelled like home.
“Hey, shortstack.” Jai cradled me close, burying his nose in my scalp and inhaling deeply.
“You’re sniffing me again, you weirdo.” I snickered into his pectoral as his callused fingers tightened around the back of my neck and pinched.
“I can see the summer away has done nothing to curb your sass,” he growled.
I stepped back with a naughty grin and shook my head. “Nope.”
“Brat.” He swatted at me, but I danced out of reach, cackling.
Backing up, I didn’t realize how close I was to Gideon until I bumped right into him. His massive hands landed on my shoulders to steady me, and I tilted my head all the way back until I could see him looking down at me.
“Hi, Gideon,” I said.
He smiled. “Hello, Riley.”
I spun in his hold and wrapped my arms around his thick waist. My cheek nestled against his sternum as he stiffly returned the embrace. One huge paw warmed my head as the other rubbed my upper back. He smelled like peppermint and damp earth. And something warm and sweet, like he’d been baking. I sighed.
“I missed you so much,” I confessed into his shirt.
Gideon cleared his throat, and his hand left my head. I glanced up to confirm what I already knew. He was tugging on his ear.
“It’s been… quiet without you here.”
“But I’m not that loud.”
With an eye roll, he waved at Jai and Noel. “Yes, but your presence encourages them into all sorts of shenanigans.”
“I’m the good kid, remember?” Noel crossed his arms over his chest, causing his biceps to bulge.
“Don’t act like you don’t love our shenanigans,” Jai snorted.
“I can leave if you want,” I whispered, mostly as a joke, but the horror bleeding into Gideon’s expression stole the humor.
“I’d prefer if you stayed,” he said too quickly, and his pink cheeks darkened. “Quiet is overrated.”
And how my heart melted.
“I’d prefer to stay, too.”
Gideon beamed down at me. “Good.”
“Not that this isn’t adorable, but I’m sweating my ass off over here,” Uriel griped as he lugged my suitcase and backpack toward the sidewalk where we stood.
Tripping to his side, I took my backpack from him. “Sorry.”
My backpack was lifted out of my grasp by Jai as Gideon took my suitcase from Uriel. “Thank you for bringing him home,” Gideon said.
“Not a problem.” Uriel didn’t release his grip on the suitcase right away, and Gideon paused, bent at the waist. Sea-green eyes narrowed. “Riley knows he can come to me with anything. If I hear there’s anything untoward going on, all three of your asses are mine. We clear?”
Jai and Noel looked properly worried, but Gideon fought an amused smile. “Crystal,” he said.
“Good. Take care of him.” Uriel let go of my suitcase and stepped back.
“You’re so embarrassing!” I hissed, and he smirked, running a hand through his chaotically coiffed hair.
“I’m just getting started, kiddo.”
“Oh my God!” I hid my face behind my hands as Uriel chortled.
As Noel opened the front door, Gideon lugged my suitcase inside their apartment. Jai stood on the curb of the walkway, waiting for me with my backpack slung over his shoulder. I peeked at Uriel through my fingers.
“Are you staying?” I asked.
“I kinda want to, just to make you all uncomfortable, but…” He winked, and I snorted a laugh. “I’ll see you in a few days, okay? Stay out of trouble.”