Page 37 of This Reckless Home

“Bet it was the best damn kiss of your life,” he replies, and I know my face confirms his words.

“So what now? We just... tell Anatole? See if he's on board?”

“That's the plan.” Steele's expression turns more serious. “But Nox, I meant what I said. If we do this, we do it right. She's not some girl we're just passing around. She's ours. All of ours. We protect her, we care for her, we give her everything she needs. And Jus stays with her. With us. That's not changing.”

“Agreed.” I don’t even hesitate. I meet his eyes. “She deserves that. Deserves better than what she's had.”

“She deserves better than us, honestly.” His voice goes rough. “But she wants us anyway.”

“Then we make damn sure we're worthy of her.”

He nods, satisfied. “Good. We need to wait for Ant to get there on his own. He's close, but he's not ready yet. When he is, we'll talk. All three of us.”

“And when will that be?” I feel twitchy, wanting to do it now. To claim her now. But I’ve always had low impulse control, and Steele looks at me like he knows I want to say fuck it and force the issue.

“Soon. Trust me. I know our brother. He's fighting it hard, but he'll crack.” Steele's smile returns, dark and knowing. “You saw him today. The way he looked at her. The way he got territorial over James.” He shakes his head. “He's already gone for her. Just hasn't admitted it to himself yet.”

“And when he does?” My heart thumps in my chest, the possibility that this is real, that we might finally have something of our own, is… fuck.

“Then we sit her down and tell her we're all in. Together.” He picks up a wrench, turning back to the engine. “Now get the fuck out of my garage. You're distracting me and I need to have this done by morning.”

I flip him off on my way out, but I'm still smiling.

Steele knew. Has known since Saturday.

And he's just been waiting for us to catch up.

Well, I'm caught up.

Now we just need Anatole to get there too.

That night, lying in my bed in the pool house, I stare at the ceiling.

James is gay. Not a threat.

But the way I reacted — the way we all reacted — that tells me everything I need to know.

I'm territorial as fuck over a woman I have no claim to.

Yet.

A woman who's fostering my best friend's little brother.

A woman who, without knowing it, handed Ant back eight years of fighting in about forty minutes.

A woman who Steele has already marked as his, if those hickeys on her neck are any indication.

A woman who apparently wants all three of us.

Shit, my heart beats faster at that knowledge.

Steele's been sitting on this information since Saturday, waiting for us to catch up. Well, I'm there now.

But Anatole?

He's fighting it. I can see it in the way he looks at her, in the way he got all territorial over James today, in the way that he won’t let himself close the gap between them.

He's falling just as hard as we are.