There was so much more to these two handsome men than their gray sweatpants and chiseled abs let on. And they both allowed me to see that even as gorgeous as they were, they actually felt flawed in the light—just like me.
“I’ve been afraid to let my guard down with you… To risk allowing another woman to hurt me, or see the vulnerability that stays hidden underneath my confident exterior, but for you? I’d rip my heart from my bare chest and place it in the palm of your hands just so you could feel the weight of what you do to me. The racing rate at which my heart beats only for you.”
I knew what was coming next, because I felt it all the same, just as I had with Lucas—the passion that radiated from his words, the unconditional adoration in his tone. I wasn’t blind to the obvious, but I was still too afraid to acknowledge it.
“You know what.. Fuck waiting. Fuck taking things slow. If I’ve learned anything in the weeks leading up to this moment, it’s that this life is too short to be spent playing it safe. There are things wecan and can’t control, and right now, right this very second, I’m acknowledging the fact that I can’t resist what you do to me any longer. How you coax my soul out of hiding, begging it to be set free from the darkness I'd buried it in. Babygirl, you’ve become my reason to fight for what I lost instead of giving up... You’re my understanding of the true meaning of love and the ability to feel it once again.”
Until now, I had never felt more seen. Lucas wasn’t kidding when he said that Levi’s soul was a beautiful thing to behold. He was right, and after seeing it firsthand, I never wanted to leave.
And nothing could convince me otherwise.
Thedoorbellrangjustas I was passing through the kitchen into the living room, and since the guys were already lounging between the couch and sofa, I took the liberty of answering it myself.
Upon opening the door, I was met by a male courier who had an intricately wrapped package tucked under one arm while holding a clipboard in the other. The medium-sized box was matte black with enough matching silk wrapped around it that the tails of the elegant bow cascaded over the edges like a waterfall.
Luxurious.
“Hello, can I help you?” I asked, tilting my head to the side as I inspected the item in question, trying to guess what might be inside.
“Uh, yes, I have a delivery for a Mrs…” He thumbed through the papers secured to his clipboard, and I hummed my anticipation, unable to tear my eyes from the box. “Tessa…Castiel?”
“Tessa Cast—” I choked at the last name, my stomach twisting, but not from his sad attempt at pronouncing it. “That’s…me?” I ground out through clenched teeth, trying my hardest to remain completely composed and not lose my shit in front of him.Don’t shoot the messenger…
“Wonderful, if you’ll just sign right here, then I’ll be on my way.” I took the pen, and the man beamed like a ray of fucking sunshine. Biting back my fury, I signed for the package—mypackage, and then returned the clipboard.
After handing the stunning parcel over to me, the man nodded curtly, tipping his courier hat as if he were on the set of Pleasantville, and I slammed the door shut before aggressively pivoting on my heel.
“Levi! Lucas!” I screamed their names so hard my throat rattled.
Within seconds of catching my breath, I could hear heavy feet, furniture crashing to the floor, and doors slamming in my wake. “Tessa-motherfucking-Castiel?! You two have some explaining to do. Get your pretty boy asses back out here, right now.”
I stormed into the kitchen, throwing the box onto the counter before turning down the hall and taking calculated strides to Levi’s door, violently bashing on it with my fists.
“Levi, I know it was you who did this. I don’t know how the fuck you managed to pull it off, but I fuckingknowitwas you.”
“Are you saying I’m not capable of getting you toindiscreetlysign a marriage license?” A chuckled scoff came from over my shoulder, and I spun with a swift swing, right at Lucas’s sharp jaw. “Rude.” He feigned a gasp, catching my knuckles with his palm, and latched down on my fist so I couldn’t take it back.Goddamn him.
“Rude?Thatis what you consider to be rude?” With a venomous sneer, I went in for another shot using my other hand—weaker and less efficient, but worth the try. “Ugh! How long?!”
Lucas didn’t even flinch as he casually leaned back to dodge my second attempt with a smirk and a mischievous spark in his eye. I threw all of my weight into that second hook, and when it missed him, my body twisted with the force, so he took the open opportunity to restrain me with my back pressed to his chest.
“Hm? How long what?”
“How long have we beenmarried?” The word felt like lead on my tongue, an unjustifiable weight, and having to say it out loud only pissed me off more.
But was I actually mad at him? Did I honestly not want this? To be married to them? Was I self-sabotaging, as I often did when I was offered something I didn’t feel I deserved?
They’ve both openly admitted their love for me. This wasn’t a game to them.So why the fuck was I mad?
Lucas took both of my wrists in his hand before roughly turning me to face him, and the instant our eyes met, he had me pinned against the door frame with my arms locked above my head.
“My beautiful, violent princess.” He pressed his body into mine as he breathed his desire across the shell of my ear, and I melted at the decadent lullaby of praise. “As much as I would’ve loved to have had the honor, your initial assumption was correct. Levi married you.Heis your lawfully wedded husband. I just get to claim his wife as my own.” As he leaned back to witness my reaction, his words began taunting my sanity and my patience.
If only I could take another swing at him.
“You two are fucking… fucking—”What’s that goddamn word.“fucking something…” I growled my irritation as I fought to figure out what the fuck I was trying to say through my uncontrollable frenzy of emotions.
“Oh, we’re fucking—you, to be precise, gorgeous. And it sounds like my girl needs a little something to take the edge off.”
