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My brothers were growing.
She was changing all of us.
After Alex did her business in the bathroom, she climbed back into bed with us. Now dressed in her usual silky spaghetti strap pajama top and matching shorts. She had dozens of them in every color and style. Luca made sure she had everything she would ever need.
He was controlling like that. Wanted to be the one who chose her clothes, dictated her schedule, handled every aspect of her life. And then disappeared on her.
But I didn’t complain because that meant more alone time with her. She was all mine most of the time. While the other two assholes worked out their issues, she took turns sleeping in mine and Marcello’s beds.
Damian sat up, and Alex got on her knees, pushing on his chest until he was flat on his back. “You’re not going anywhere.” She moved between us and laid her head on the pillow. Then she turned her head to the side to look at my brother. “Spend the night with us.”
Damian gripped her hip. “Are you sure that’s what you want, Pet? I’m not a good sleeper. I have nightmares. Sometimes…” He groaned. “Sometimes, I can’t control myself in my sleep.”
“I’ve lost count of how many times Damian almost choked me to death in my sleep,” I told her. “He’ll spend the night with us, but it’s your funeral, Cherry.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she studied Damian’s face. She cupped his cheek and rubbed her thumb across his skin. “You won’t hurt me. I think we’re past that.”
“It’s not something I can control,” he confessed.
“I have nightmares, too,” she lilted. “Maybe we can help keep our each other’s demons at bay.”
A rare smile tipped up the corners of his mouth as he pulled her closer, breathing in her delicious scent. He kissed her cheek, just a peck, but still a rare moment for my brother.
I lit the candles on my beside table and turned on Alex’s playlist. The orchestra music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake floated through the speakers. Before Alex, I slept by myself in the dark and without a sound. But her routine was growing on me. It wasn’t so bad once I got used to it.
I rolled onto my side and clutched Alex’s thigh as Damian pressed her back to his chest. Her eyelids fluttered as she took one last look at me. And then she passed out in the arms of the last man I would trust to hold me in my sleep.
Iwoke up screaming. A strong arm snaked around my middle, pinning me against a hard chest. In my head, I heard one gunshot after the other. Bullets that could have killed my guys, all because the Russians wanted me.
Me?
Until I moved to Devil’s Creek, no one wanted me. No one, apart from my twin, even looked at me, let alone spoke to me.
“Shh,” Bastian whispered into my ear, his grip tightening around me. “You’re safe now, Cherry.” He rubbed his fingers down my arm in a soothing motion. “We’re in Devil’s Creek. In my bedroom. It’s okay, baby.”
I knew he was right when I opened my eyes to the sun shining on my face. The soft light poured through the curtains on the French doors. Some nights, Bastian let me keep the doors open, so I could fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. It was peaceful, perfect, and I wished for that soothing sound as my heart raced out of my chest.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, baby.” Bastian kissed my forehead, his hand traveling down the length of my thigh. He curled his body into mine and rested his chin on the top of my head.
I glanced at the empty spot beside me and sighed. “What happened to Damian?”
“He left after you fell asleep.”
I rolled onto my back so I could look up at him, staring into his gorgeous gray eyes that reminded me of steel. “Why? I told him to stay.”
Bastian stroked his fingers down my arm, instantly calming me. “Because he’s afraid of hurting you.”
“Are his nightmares that bad?”
He bobbed his head. “I wasn’t joking when I said he’s almost killed me in his sleep. It wasn’t bad when we were kids. I was taller and stronger than him back then. But now that we’re the same size and strength, it’s harder to fight him off when I’m in and out of consciousness.”
“Is this really going to work?” I wasn’t sure why I was bringing this up, but I needed to know how each of them felt about me. About our situation. “All four of us. I don’t see how you’re all going to get what you need from one woman.”
It pissed me off Damian left in the middle of the night. Marcello went into damage control with Alpha Command when we got home. And as usual, Luca disappeared into his office to make another shady deal with criminals.
Bastian drew a deep breath from between his teeth, weaving his fingers through my hair. “We agreed to this years ago. Luca wants to marry you. I wanted your virginity. Marcello wants the first child. And Damian just wants to be included.”
“But how does this work? Say I marry Luca and have Marcello’s child. Then what?” I sat up and propped my back up against a stack of pillows. “What’s in this for you now that you’ve taken my virginity? What about Damian?”
