Page 199 of What We Burn

Micah strokes her sides. I kiss the back of her shoulder and wait until she gives me a small, impatient roll of her hips.

Then we find the rhythm. Micah moves beneath her while I follow from behind, slow enough that she can feel every shift between us. Sage is held in the middle, full and surrounded, her sounds softening from strained gasps into broken little pleas.

I thread one hand into her hair and tip her head back against my shoulder.

“That what you needed, wildcat?”

“Yes.” Her eyes close. “Exactly this.”

Micah’s hand slides between them. Her body tightens almost immediately, every muscle clamping around us as the orgasm rolls through her. Micah swears and follows beneath her. The contractions around me drag me over seconds later, my mouth buried against her shoulder.

We stay joined while the tremors pass, holding her between us until all three of us can breathe again.

Then—applause.

“Bravo! Bravissimo! Ten out of ten, gold medal, the judges are WEEPING⁠—”

We freeze.

“Is that—” Sage lifts her head.

I turn. Eli’s holding up his phone. Milo’s face fills the screen—painter’s overalls, gloves up to his elbows, beaming like he just watched a championship final.

“He called just as you started to let us know the cleaners arrived,” Eli explains with a shrug. “I didn’t want him to feel left out.”

“Caught the whole show,” Milo says from the phone. “Kitten, baby, that finish was artistry. The synchronization? Olympic. Highlight reel stuff.”

Eli, the bastard, is grinning against Knox’s shoulder. “He said he was lonely without us.”

Sage laughs—cracked, exhausted, wonderful. “We missed you, you absolute creep.”

“Missed you too, kitten. Missed all you degenerates. Best worst night of my life.” Something off-screen catches his attention. He glances down, sighs. “Gotta go—blood stuff to deal with. Dean’s here and he’s judging my bow placement. Love you, mean it! Bye!”

The screen goes dark.

Silence. Then Sage loses it completely—helpless laughter shaking through her while she’s still impaled between the two of us. Micah’s laughing. Even Knox’s chest is rumbling.

I pull out carefully and help her lift away from Micah, heat already slipping between her thighs.

Knox disappears without being asked and returns with two warm cloths. Micah cleans her between the legs while I take care of the mess behind her, both of us moving slowly around the marks already covering her skin.

Sage sags against my chest by the time we’re done. Micah eases the black dress back over her head, and Knox settles the blanket around her shoulders while I press my mouth to her temple.

Family meeting adjourned.

“This night has been amazing,” Sage sighs. “But I think I’m ready for some of that food now.”

I get up and bring the tray to her, setting it on the bench within her reach.

“One more thing, wildcat.” I tilt her chin up. “You’re running the next operation with us. Full briefing, planning, and field deployment. All of it.”

Her eyes go wide. Then wet. Then fierce.

“Seriously?”

“Provisionally. You follow the plan, work inside the team, and prove you can take an order when it matters. If you do that, Odin will make the role permanent.”

“So this is my test.”