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As one, they all move until they’re each touching me, stroking me. Although it shouldn’t be possible because of how spent I am, my lust reawakens. No, it’s not lust… it’s my love for these three barbaric men. And I know I’m not the only one that’s wanting because the evidence of their arousal is poking me at my side, on my arm, and even my upper thigh.
With shaky and uncoordinated movements, I manage to sit back up on my haunches, which is hard to do with my hands bound. I spend a few minutes listening, trying to pinpoint where they each are by listening to their breathing.
When I think I’ve worked it out, I turn and shuffle closer. Warm hands grip my waist and steady me. “Careful there, Cia,” Gus warns, his voice low and gravelly.
I stretch and move until I can feel his hot breath on my face, wasting no time fusing my lips to his. “I love you,” I whisper, smiling as he inhales sharply, the sound telling me I’ve surprised him.
“And I, you,” he murmurs before kissing me back.
Even though I want to deepen the kiss and get lost in my cousin, I can’t. I need to find the next of my men, and I quietly ask Gus to guide me, which he does with a chuckle.
“Liam,” I say, feeling certain as soon as his scent washes over me. I repeat the process, finding his lips and whispering that I love him. The apology I want to give is right at the tip of my tongue, but I know he doesn’t want one—none of them do.
Yielding to them was my apology, the lashes my penance.
“Agápi,” he says with so much love I feel it in every syllable.
“My consort,” I answer, nuzzling my face into the crook of his neck and greedily smelling him. “I love you.” Even with his skin absorbing the full sounds of my words, I know he’s heard me. I can feel it in the way he lets go, relaxing against me while simultaneously holding me tighter.
He doesn’t say it back, and that’s okay. I know I need to earn it back gradually. Not his love, I know I never lost that, but rather the privilege of hearing him say the words to me.
“Are you okay?” he murmurs, anguish clear in his voice. He holds me tighter, like he needs the physical touch to reassure himself I’m really here. When I nod he exhales audibly. “Are you sure? We didn’t… we didn’t go too far?”
I’m quick to assure him I’m more than fine, and truthfully, I am. At first I was angry, rattled, and… ah, hell. I don’t know what I was feeling. Though I don’t like admitting it, I needed what they did to me—I needed them to break my walls down. Walls I’d erected years ago without even really being aware of their existence.
Even though I know Liam has the biggest need to make sure I’m okay, I’m glad Gus didn’t bring it up, and I hope Kai won’t either. As far as I’m concerned, it happened and now it’s done. I don’t fault them one bit, but I might if I have to keep thinking about it and analyze it.
I spend a little longer in Liam’s arms than I did in Gus’, before asking my consort to guide me over to the last of my men—my husband.
As soon as I’m near him, he impatiently scoops me into his arms and places me in his lap. I’m sitting sideways with my ear against his heart, and I allow myself to indulge in the steady rhythm of thethump, thump, thump.
Kai doesn’t show any impatience or help me along. In fact, he sits as still as if Medusa herself had turned him to stone. Can I blame him? Not really. He offered me everything, even things I know must have really hurt him to even bring up, and what did I do? I turned my back on him and left.
“Do you have anything from your life with Nadia?” I immediately regret my question when he tenses beneath me. “I’m just curious,” I hurry to clarify, hoping he knows I would never ask him to part with anything from his life with her.
His hand absentmindedly trails up and down my spine, making me feel cold where he isn’t touching me. “I do. Would you like me to get rid of it?”
Even though I can’t see him, I still twist in his lap so we face each other—at least I think we are. “You had a life before you met me. A wife you loved and wanted to be with forever, so it’s only natural you have kept some things. I will only say this once, so listen carefully, Kairos.” To make sure I have his full attention, I pause for dramatic effect. “I will never tolerate anyone else touching you, and I’m never going to be happy with people looking at you like they’re fantasizing about what you’re hiding underneath your clothes. But my jealousy doesn’t extend to Nadia. She was your wife, your everything. I’m not trying to take her place, and I don’t want you to forget her or hide anything. She was yourwife,not your dirty little secret.”
Apart from the thump of Kai’s heart, I can’t hear anything else. The room is so quiet it’s like everyone is holding their breath while waiting for something.
“I love you, Nereid.” The words barely leave my husband’s lips before said lips are on mine, coaxing them apart.
“And I love you, husband,” I murmur against his lips.
Although I’m half asleep when my hands are unbound and the blindfold is finally removed, I still force my eyes to open. After blinking against the light, I look around until my eyes have feasted on all three of my men. My heartbeat increases as I lock eyes with each of them, feeling as though something new is blooming between us—both individually but also collectively. If we’d been at war, I would say it’s a truce that’s binding us all together, and maybe that’s exactly what it is.
“Are you listening, Nereid?” Kai asks, and I make myself sit up instead of leaning against Liam.
“Of course,” I say around a yawn. “You were telling me about, uhh…” I draw a blank, unable to recall what he was just saying.
Gus chuckles softly from behind me, and I run a hand through his wet hair. We’ve all showered together—Kai even washed my hair while Liam and Gus took care of my body, careful to avoid my back as much as possible. Afterwards they dried me and carried me to bed, where my husband rubbed ointment on my red and sore back.
“We need to talk about the challenge,” Kai says, and I nod sleepily. “Gus is going to take your place.” Well, that gets my attention, and I unthinkingly tighten my hold on my cousin’s blond hair, not letting go until his hiss breaches my mind.
“What?” I screech. Surely I didn’t hear my husband right. “That’s not Gus’—”
Taking my hand into his, my cousin sits up and pulls me towards him until I’m in his lap and his arms are cradled around me. “What did Elena say?” he asks.
