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Levi grinned. “Cash will love that name.” Finley groaned.
“Badger? That’s a great nickname,” said Darcy as she stepped up to Finley. “You were definitely brilliant in working out the rescue.”
Finley gave Darcy a little smile. “Thanks. See you tomorrow.”
Finley then turned to Ben and said, “Take care of my friend here. She gave me all I needed to get them out safely.”
“I intend on doing just that.” Ben turned to Darcy and smiled as he slid his hand to her back and stopped to ask, “Where are we sleeping? Your room or mine?”
“Both,” squeaked Darcy.
Spring bounced from the chair Florent had placed her in when they gathered in the back of the large room to hear the information. “I’ll show you where.” Her enthusiasm made several smile, including Florent. “Spring, come straight back. It’s your bedtime too.”
Spring blushed and nodded before she led the weary couple up to their room. She chatted to them the whole way up. “There is only one bed in this room, but it’s a king, so I can’t imagineyou would have any problem sharing. I mean, I guess you can each stay in the separate rooms again, but I’m not sure if Jac will good with that. Oh, I can get you a few more pillows if you need to create a blockade, but why would you want to? Finley has two men, and they seem to do fine. Florent says I sleep better if he is in the bed with me. I bet that is the same for you two.”
Ben cleared his throat and gave Spring an indulgent smile. “I’m sure you’re right. Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll figure it out.”
Spring nodded and stopped at the linen closet to grab pillows. She handed two to Colonel Ben. That’s the name she decided to call him. Ben was too informal, he was a little intimidating, and he asked them to call him Ben. So, Colonel Ben fit for Spring and he hadn’t corrected her.
“And you have your own ensuite. It’s pretty big, really. Oh, here we are. The rooms are pretty soundproof, so no worries there. And there is a king in this room too, so all good.”
“But I’m not sharing with him.” Darcy pointed back at Ben.
Spring looked stricken. “I already had a whole conversation explaining about that but... if it isn’t okay, I don’t know what to do. Jac and Sharlee went to bed. Our housekeeper is out tonight, and, well, she gave Darcy’s room to Monroe and Mallory. They haven’t built their safe room yet. I can’t make those kinds of decisions easily. I can go ask Ren. He’ll know what to do.”
“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Darcy, you sleeping away from me is not working for me. You are my responsibility for now and I’m dogmatic about keeping you close to me. Guess you’ll figure it out. Don’t keep Spring from Florent. There are consequences if you get her in trouble with her daddy.”
“How did you know?” Spring’s eyes widened, her voice hushed.
Ben offered a knowing smile. “Sweetheart, there are signs and it’s okay. Most good men take care of their women and thatoften comes with some bossiness wrapped in gentleness and hot bottoms.”
Finley watched Spring turn bright red. “Spring, honey, thanks for escorting us and giving us all the information and grabbing more pillows, but it’s probably time for you to get back to Ren before he comes looking for you,”
Spring gave Finley a grateful smile. “Yes. He knows how easily I forget the time when I’m doing some things. Good night.”
They all bid her good night and listened for a second as she whistled herself down the hall to descend the stairs. She was such a sweetie. Finley sighed a little. It had been a very long day, now into the wee hours of another day, and she was exhausted. She wished she had Spring’s endurance and energy. Even after twenty-four hours of being back home, she was dragging.
Ben waved a sputtering Darcy into their room and closed the door. Levi leaned down to speak close to Finley’s ear. His quiet, deep voice resonated in her core. “It’s your bedtime too, baby. And don’t even think about not letting me in your bed. I don’t want to spank your perky backside because I’m not much into spanking, but I can get into it if it keeps you healthy. Or give that assignment to Cash. He is definitely into spanking.”
Then he licked her ear, and the tremors shook her entire body. Her sex slickened even more when Levi put his hot hand against her lower back, just above the camber of her bottom, and led her into the bedroom. It was the first time she would be sleeping with both men in the bed at the same time.
“Shower?” Levi asked.
“I don’t need another one. Thanks.” Her voice was heavy with tiredness.
“Take the bathroom to get ready for bed. I’ll grab the hallway one. It’s still early. Cash will be here in a while.”
Finley smiled. “Better hurry. I bet there are several guys doing the same thing for their bedmates.”
It felt awkward, and Finley hated that. She had hoped for a very different ending to the evening. Sleeping with both men, even though it was just sleeping, seemed unbelievable. Before she walked into the bathroom, she wondered if she had given too much of her life away in an effort to protect what was taken from her those years ago. After that event, she would have never thought herself to be in a permanent relationship and definitely not in a relationship with two. The balancing of personalities, even now, gave her pause.
Her mind drifted to that fateful evening when her earlier sense of control was yanked from her. As a seventeen-year-old at a friend’s overnight birthday, her lewd father was making an Italian feast and Finley walked into the kitchen for some carbonation when that huge, beefy hand that reeked of garlic and onions covered her nose and mouth. It had effectively stolen her breath, then her dignity and her security, highlighting her inability to keep herself safe. His wife walked in just as he was touching her breasts. She shooed Finley out. They divorced three months later.
She’d kept that secret, and it wasn’t Finley now, but at what cost? Her ability to protect herself wasn’t in place then, but that wasn’t the case soon afterwards. She’d been a naïve kid, but she’d never forgotten the lesson that assault had taught her. For so long, she had believed that it had taken from her more than her joy, her security, it had taken her future.
Today, all she did was protect her little charge, focus on staying fit and ready to defend. No real release of herself. Maybe she was safe enough now, fit enough, in control enough that she would be able to let down her guard a little, let go a little. It was frightening.
She thought of Levi and knew she had let down her guard, in part, for him. Her libido had made itself known, and it was a relief to know she still had those tingling feelings of arousal, but it was so unfamiliar, she wondered if it was sustainable. Or even real sexual arousal. Now she got that warm, achy sensation with two men. Hard to ignore the implication.
