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— PROLOGUE —
MARKUS
“She’s already sleeping,” Grigory says when he returns ten minutes after having carried Clara to bed.
“Well, that was quick. It usually takes her half an hour. At least. Even when she’s exhausted.”
I badly wanted to tuck her in myself, but Clara needed Grigory. She was crying in his arms when we finished talking, and after she’d just gotten him back, it would be cruel to take her away from him. So I let him do it.
Grigory wears a grave expression as he sinks onto the couch. “She must have had many sleepless nights lately.” He sighs as he stares into the distance, then turns his gaze to me. “I’m sorry about that.”
It’s a rare thing to hear Grigory apologize, but he also rarely fucks up the way he’s done this summer. I considered breaking off this threesome dynamic several times, but whenever I confronted him, he came back around, giving me hope that it might work after all. And with the way their bond quickly deepened, I wanted to keep hoping.
“You’d better not back out all of a sudden this time.”
He gives me a sincere expression that conveys his determination. “I won’t.”
There’s a small sliver of uncertainty somewhere in the back of my mind—a worry that this is a bad idea. That he’ll hurt her again. But Grigory is not one to change his mind when he has made a decision. He’s committed to a fault, really. Once he’s in, he doesn’t back down until everything crumbles around him.
In his professional life, things never get to that point. Grigory always knows how to fix things, whether it be a production gone off the tracks or an entire organization falling apart at the seams. He can turn the worst of disasters into a success. But when it comes to his personal life, it’s a different story.
I rub my head at the thought of his last relationship. It was painful to see how he kept trying to repair something that was broken from the start.
I want our threesome to work as much for him as for Clara and me. He deserves the fulfillment of having a sweet little sub at his feet, and I think all three of us would be good together. Clara would thrive with two Doms, and I wouldn’t worry so much about her, knowing she’d be with someone I trust when I can’t be around.
Plus, it’s fun to team up on her.
But right now, we need to talk about details. Since Grigory only made the decision to go home with her a few hours ago, we haven’t had the chance to discuss anything about this arrangement.
I trust that Grigory is capable of handling her, but I still need to tell him about her nightmares, her tendency to skip meals when stressed, and make sure he understands the full emotional consequence these last few weeks have had on her.
With a sigh, I press my hands to my thighs and push up to go to my liquor cabinet. “I think we need a little something to take the edge off.” I take out the scotch and two tumblers. “It’s gonna be a long night.”
— CHAPTER 1 —
CLARA
I feel like a zombie when Markus all but drags me out of bed at four in the morning. I barely remember half the things that happened last night. Only the gist of it: Grigory coming to explain his volatile behavior throughout the summer and asking me if I’d like for him to go home with me today.
It’s too much to cope with for my sleepy head, so I let it hover in the background and focus on gathering the things I didn’t pack last night and getting dressed.
When we’re in the car half an hour later, I’m still barely sentient. I guess that’s what several days of sleep deprivation and weeks of unending emotional turmoil will do.
I pull down the visor and slam it back up. Not only do I feel like a zombie, I look the part too. My eyes are red and puffy, my skin pale, and my ponytail looks like the workings of a five-year-old playing dress-up.
I could really use some makeup and a brush to fix my hair, but it’s all stuffed away in my luggage, and I’m too tired to truly care. So I lean my head back and close my eyes, forgetting about my weary appearance as the hum of the engine lulls me back to sleep.
Once again, Markus rouses me from my much-needed rest too soon as we arrive at the airport and he urges me out of the car.
Tucking me under one arm, he takes my suitcase in the other and leads me through the terminal to check in my luggage, then on to the airport security.
I’m barely cognizant, leaning into Markus and letting him guide me along as I blink my sleepy eyes against my surroundings.
A deep, familiar voice makes my eyes snap up.
“Good morning,devochka,” Grigory says, dark eyes intently fixed on me.
It’s too early for such intensity, and I lean a bit closer to Markus, instinctively seeking his protection. God knows I need it when those eyes watch me like they can see the very depth of my soul.
