Page 40 of Sold to Three Alpha Kings

My heart is racing, my cock is hard, and her hands are underneath my shirt, traversing my torso.

Before things can escalate further, my senses return, cold and unwelcome, and I pull back.

She stares at me in silence, her chest heaving with labored breaths.

I lock my jaw. “This was a mistake.”

Her face falls, the heat draining out of it fast, replaced by something worse—hurt, plain and undisguised, the kind she clearly didn’t mean to let show.

“Of course it was.” Her voice goes flat. “Just go.”

I don’t hesitate. I turn instead, already regretting the kiss and unable to regret it fully at the same time, a contradiction I have no patience for tonight.

Sinth is already walking in as I head out. He doesn’t ask what happened. He just crosses the room and speaks to her low and gentle, guiding her toward the nest with a hand at her back that asks permission with every motion instead of demanding it.

“Come here,” he murmurs. “You’re alright.”

She goes with him without hesitation, curling into the space he makes for her, and something in her posture eases the second his arms settle around her.

I watch from the doorway, unmoving, though there’s nothing left here for me and no real purpose in staying to see Sinth do effortlessly what I’ve apparently made impossible for myself.

I stand there anyway and watch him soothe her the way I couldn’t—gentle where I was hard, patient where I broke. Something twists in my chest that feels an awful lot like guilt.

Eventually I turn and walk away, before either of them notices I’m still there.

Chapter 11 - Sinth

She’s quiet after Chris leaves. Quieter than usual. Curled into the nest, knees drawn up, staring at the fire as if it owes her an answer.

I sit beside her without asking permission first. Close enough she knows I’m not going anywhere. Far enough that she doesn’t have to feel crowded by it.

“You don’t have to explain anything,” I say eventually. “I’m not here for that.”

“Then why are you here?” She glances up at me, her eyes meeting mine.

“Because I don’t like the idea of you sitting here alone.”

She picks at the edge of a blanket instead of answering right away, and I let the quiet stretch until she decides what to do with it.

“He kissed me.” Her voice comes out flat. “Then told me it was a mistake.”

I hesitate. “He didn’t mean that.”

“Yes, he did.” She frowns. “You didn’t see the look in his eyes; he regretted it immediately.”

There’s pain etched in her gaze.

“He rejected me…again.” She cups her face in her palms, embarrassed and furious. “What was I thinking?”

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”

She looks up at me again. “You’re right. It’s not. It’s his.”

I reach out and take her hand. “Look, I know Chris can be…unbearable sometimes.”

Her eyebrows knit together, forming a scowl on her face. “All the time.”

“Most of the time,” I say, negotiating.