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She offered him a smile before Olin caught her chin and took a real kiss, one that didn’t end until a small moan escaped her. “You don’t need them—you’re way too good for them.”
Bradley hadn’t moved his arms crossed, his expression guarded and unhappy. Was he angry? Mad that her problems kept getting in the way?
“You really are an idiot, aren’t you?” He opened his arms and before she could think twice, Kat rushed into them. He hugged her to his chest tight and whispered into her ear so no one else could hear, “Don’t listen to them. You’ve always got a home and a family, and nothing’s ever gonna change that.”
Bradley released her, and Kat stepped back, staring at the grouping of friends she’d made, the people who had taken her in, who had given her a place to belong. Maybe they were an odd group, but they were hers and she cherished every one of them.
“Well, I’ve got another hour I have to hang out here,” she said. “But how about we keep celebrating at an after-party?” Kat looked over at Toya in question.
Toya chuckled. “Do you really think you even need to ask? I already have the caterer setting up food. We’ll meet you there.” With that, Toya nodded and turned on her heel, heading out of the exhibit. The others followed after congratulating Kat. Even the guests cleared out as the event started to wrap up about an hour later.
Finally, Kat stood in the middle of the empty art exhibit, the paintings she’d thought would never see the light of day all hanging on the walls with small ‘sold’ signs beneath them. Olin, Dean and Bradley stood beside her, and Kat couldn’t stop her smile.
“That’s not a good thing,” Bradley muttered. At Kat’s look, he nodded toward her. “That smile means nothing good.”
“I’m just happy,” Kat argued.
“Yeah, but yourhappyusually means bad behavior,” Dean said.
“Don’t be so hard on her,” Olin pipped in.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re just an enabler,” Bradley muttered.
“Not really,” Olin said back. “I just like giving her enough rope to hang herself with.”
Kat set her hands on her hips and turned to face all three of them. “You know what? I’m going to Sanctuary alone! I don’t need this. I am a famous artist now! I’ll go find a nice, sweet Dom who knows how to treat a woman.” She went to storm past them, but a hand around her arm stopped her.
She found Olin holding her, his honey-colored eyes boring into her. “You’re going nowhere without us, Kat. Sorry, but you’re about the only thing in the whole world I’m not willing to let go.”
Dean ran his finger down her cheek, the nail scraping along her skin in a delicious threat. “You’ve made your bed, and I plan to spend the rest of my life fucking you in it.” His crude, vulgar words were beyond hot, and yet sweet in some weird, twisted way.
Bradley caught her chin, tilting her face up so she was lost in the intensity of his dark eyes. “I may not know how to treat a woman, but I’ve gotten damn good at taming brats.” His expression softened the barest amount, as if he couldn’t help it when looking at her, before he added on, “Now, be a good girl and behave.”
Kat licked her lip, trapped between wanting to tell them how damned much she loved them and not wanting to say it. They knew, right? They understood how much she needed them, how much they meant to her. Theyhadto.
They hadn’t fallen for her because she was perfect or obedient or meek. They knew exactly who she was, and they loved her anyway.
So instead of giving in, instead of being someone she wasn’t, Kat showed them the woman they said they wanted to spend the rest of their life with.
She smirked before she whispered back, “Make me.”
