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Haggard was gone, and Sheeran was out of my hair. We’d skated to victory today, and we had every hope of reaching greater heights in the future. And now no one else was left to interfere.
I scrubbed my skin until it shone golden-brown, as though I could wash away the events of the day down the drain with the crimson-tinted water. By the time I left behind my steamy heaven, Rafael had returned. He passed me on his way into the bathroom to wash up himself, giving me a nod to signify that the deed was done.
I never had to even think about Haggard again.
The smell of fresh, cheese-laden pizza reached my nose from the dining area, setting my mouth watering. It might not be the most elegant of meals, but my men obviously knew me well. Next to pierogies, nothing said comfort like a big, greasy slice of pie.
As I headed over, something else reached me that was totally unexpected. A high feminine voice carried through the air. “Jasper, you both did so well. It was amazing to watch! I just wish I could have seen it live instead of just a video.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Is that Emi?”
Niko beamed and motioned me over to where he was holding his phone so both he and Jasper could video-chat with his sister.
Emi waved from the small screen with both hands, grinning avidly at me. “There you are!” she cried. “Congratulations, a hundred times. I’m so proud of you, but then again, I just knew you two would come out on top.”
Her eager words swept away any lingering tension from the day. My heart swelled with affection totally different from what I felt for my men but no less poignant.
I waved back with a grin of my own. “Thank you! I wish you could have been there too. We worked our butts off to give that performance.”
She laughed. “And the judges must have noticed that! It was the best part of my day—no, my whole week. Now you get back to your dinner. I have to hurry to work.”
As Jasper popped open the two pizza boxes so I could take my pick, Niko tucked away his phone and headed for his bedroom. “I have a little surprise to go with the celebration!”
He returned with a bottle of champagne—with a label that told me it’d been a pricy purchase. My lips parted in surprise as he dug out the cork with a satisfyingpop.
“You must have bought that before the competition. We didn’t stop anywhere on the way home.”
Niko’s eyes sparkled as he poured the bubbly liquid into the glasses that’d come with the apartment. “I had a suspicion that we’d find a good use for it sooner rather than later.”
A rush of warmth flooded my chest all over again, and I only held myself back from jumping on him with another hug because that would have meant champagne splattering all over the place.
Rafael joined us, claiming a slice and a glass. I dug into my perfectly tangy meat-lover’s and gazed around at the makeshift family that’d somehow formed around me.
My bodyguard offered a reserved but clearly amused response to one of Niko’s enthusiastic remarks. Jasper had stepped closer to our coach, his shoulder brushing Niko’s, with a comfortable companionableness that made me giddy. When he caught me watching, his smile was only a little sheepish, full of all the same fondness wound around my heart.
This was all the family I needed. It seemed like a miracle that we’d come together at all.
Rafael and I had figured out how to navigate the figure skating world, and Niko and Jasper were now holding their own against criminals. We’d met each other halfway and created something so much stronger out of our differences.
I polished off a second slice of pizza and washed it down with a healthy portion of champagne. The bubbles set off a headier exhilaration through my veins.
I was hungry for something better than food.
Setting down my glass with a forceful clink got all the guys’ attention. My lips curled into a sly smirk.
“There are other ways I want to celebrate.”
Without waiting for their response, I stepped toward Niko, who happened to be closest, and pulled him to me. He dipped his head to meet my lips, his mouth opening instinctively to allow my tongue entrance.
As he hummed his approval into my mouth, hands came to rest on my waist from behind. Jasper tipped his chin over my shoulder to kiss the crook of my jaw. “I think we’ve already proven we can collaborate on that kind of celebrationverywell.”
I reached up to stroke my fingers down his face and then eased to the side so the two men could steal a kiss from each other. The growing confidence with which Jasper gripped the collar of Niko’s shirt and angled his head to deepen the kiss sent a flush of heat through me that was both joy and desire.
But there was one other participant in our celebration—one whose reaction I was much less sure of. As Niko and Jasper drew apart, Jasper nuzzling my hair and Niko trailing his hand down my side, I glanced over at Rafael.
When I’d first met the skaters, he hadn’t liked the idea of me hooking up with them at all. He’d admitted that he found it hard to accept sharing me. We’d gotten this far by keeping the most explicit parts of our relationship away from his watchful eyes.
But if there was a slight flicker of jealousy in his gaze as he stared at me now, it was barely visible amid the flare of lust.
