Page 52 of Knotting Autumn

Thorne snuggled up to my other side, his fingers tangling in my hair as he brushed it back from my face. “Good night, Vixen.”

I hummed a response, feeling a little overwhelmed with both of them giving me all of their attention and affection.

Sawyer kissed my shoulder and then rolled onto his back to sleep. He always fell asleep quickly, and I lulled myself into a half-asleep state listening to his deep, even breaths.

Thorne stayed silent, and I flipped onto my side, squinting at him through the dark. His jaw was tight, his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

“Go to sleep,” I whispered.

His eyes flicked to mine, and then he made a visible attempt to relax, his eyes pressed closed.

After a moment of silence, he answered, “I can’t sleep knowing you aren’t completely safe.”

Sighing, I reached out, brushing my hand down his bicep, over his corded forearm, until I could weave our fingers together.

“I’m reasonably safe for now. And we will figure it out. You need your rest for tomorrow.”

Turning his head, he leveled me with stormy eyes filled with worry. Frowning, I smoothed my thumb over his brow, pressing into the crease.

“Besides, if you fall asleep, maybe we’ll have another dream together,” I whispered, my words lifting as I grinned.

Thorne cuffed my wrist with his fingers and drew it to his mouth, biting down on the meat of my palm, below my thumb. Heat curled low in my stomach at the scrape of his teeth and the warm softness of his lips.

“It’s likely the only time I’ll get you to myself for a while, so be it.”

With a brief kiss, he released me, his chest rising and falling in a deep breath.

Relaxing, I closed my eyes and focused on the slow, steady breathing of both of my men.

Eventually, I drifted off.

If I shared a dream with Thorne, I didn’t remember it. I woke with my head on Thorne’s outstretched forearm, his hand cupping the back of my neck, as Sawyer pressed into my ass with an arm around my waist.

Unsettled by how natural it felt, I disentangled myself and headed to finally take a shower. The feel of Thorne pounding into me while Sawyer spilled down my throat was branded into me, mixed with a swirl of anxiety over Thorne’s brother.

The hot water washed away the tension from my shoulders and back. Scrubbing my nails over my scalp, I tried to sort out my feelings. Both Sawyer and Thorne were sleeping in the next room, and I wanted to throw myself at both of them.

I’d known Sawyer almost half my life, and loved him just as long. But Thorne had this hold over me. The fated mate bond. No matter how much I wanted to pretend it didn’t exist or didn’t matter, it dragged me toward him like a moth to flame. The idea of leaving Thorne made my insides twist and ache.

What the hell was I supposed to do? They were begrudgingly sharing me for now, but Sawyer made it clear he wouldn’t accept that forever. Thorne happily would, but he was raised in a pack with entirely different social rules and norms.

And then Cole—saying that we would all four be together happily. He seemed entirely sure. I had no idea what to make of that.

The shower curtain rustled, and Sawyer stuck his head past it. “Hey, babe. I gotta head back into town. A client called, and the normal guy can’t help. It’ll only take an hour or two.”

Spinning, I threw my arm across my breasts. “Oh! Are you sure that’s safe?”

“Thorne wasn’t happy, but he agreed to let me use his truck. That might have been just to shut me up so he could go back to sleep.”

“Please be careful,” I said.

His gaze skated down over my body. “If I didn’t have to run, I’d be in here with you. You look delicious, all wet and slippery.”

“Sawyer!”

He grinned, winking at me before he tugged the shower curtain back into place.

My teeth clenched together as I held back my grin. He was too charming, and it messed with my logical brain. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tipped my head back and rinsed out my conditioner, leaving my hair slick and shiny.