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He cupped my nape and held me close. I buried my face in his chest and breathed him in, his spicy scent enveloping me. Tristan lifted his hand to Flynn’s face, his fingertips skimming our man’s smooth jaw. “Then you’re going to peel me out of my tux.”
Flynn barked out a laugh, excitement and desire sparking in his sapphire eyes, and he smile-kissed Tristan before doing it again, this time slow and soft.
I reached for Ezra, needing him too. “Everything?” I asked.
“Yes, Queen. Everything.” He cupped my face, his rough hands gentle against my cheeks. “I know about you too, Zali. I’m here for it.” As if he’d read my mind, he added, “I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”
Relief swamped me, but at the same time, my gut flip-flopped, nerves churning through me. I’d managed to keep my online pseudonym hidden from the police for a long time, and here I was in an international airport terminal, about to leave the country in the presence of a federal copper. The man in front of me was freely admitting he knew Iwas guilty of breaking just about every national and international cyber-security law there was, and he had the power to take me into custody, destroying any chance I had of pulling off this plan.
But all that fear paled in comparison to my biggest worry. Flicking my gaze to Tristan, who’d stepped back, breaking our embrace, I watched as he wrapped an arm around Ezra. I’d never thought of Ezra as a flight risk, and I empathized with why he was struggling, but I couldn’t watch him destroy Tristan again. Seeing Tristan’s heartbreak was enough for me to ask Ezra to walk away now if he couldn’t commit.
I explained, “I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to hurt Tris again.”
Ezra shook his head, his eyes shining with honesty. “I’m done doing that.”
He turned to Tristan, and the utter adoration in each of their gazes, the love and dedication, stole my breath.
“I’m all in too.” He nuzzled Tristan’s cheek before turning his attention back to me, a sadness in his eyes that wasn’t there a moment ago.
“I was scared of losing your dad, but our relationship has already changed. I was hurting you—all of you—by holding back. I could have lost you. I deserved to, as well. You should have told me to walk away, but you didn’t….” He closed his eyes and shook his head before pinning me with his azure gaze, bright and intense. “I’m so grateful for that, Zali. I want a future with you.” He looked up and locked eyes with the person standing behind me. Ry. “All of you. Forever.”
“I love you,” I whispered to him, to all of them.
Ezra tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and ran the backs of his fingertips down my cheek. “I love you, Zali. Every feisty, demanding, intelligent, snark-castic piece of you. Give me the chance to walk with you wherever you go.”
I nodded, my head bobbing up and down and my teary smile so broad that it hurt my cheeks. My heart was filled to overflowing. “Yes,” I answered in a rush.
The last of the first-class passengers had boarded, but I held back a moment, giving Ezra and Tristan one last chance to pull out. But neither hesitated, handing over their boarding passes to the steward.
Twenty-four hours of travel had landed us in Dubai airport in need of a shower. I was exhausted, yet I also needed to burn off some energy. Sitting sedentary for so long made me antsy.
I’d only been to Dubai once before in the middle of summer on a layover to London for a meeting. The contrast between the two had been spectacular. Heat had shimmered off the surface of the runways, and it was like a slap to the face when I’d left the air-conditioned comfort of the terminal. This time it was like arriving to a Gold Coast winter—perfect jeans and T-shirt weather, except we didn’t get to experience it.
Transiting through Dubai was a must for this trip. The designer I’d chosen for my dress was in Lebanon, but he had a boutique in Dubai only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the airport. I’d sent through my measurements, and my gown would be delivered to the first-class lounge for me to try on and have alterations completed. I’d done the same for the suits, tailors gathering en masse to have Tristan’s bespoke tuxedo completed and Ezra’s and Ryder’s off-the-shelf suits perfectly fitted before being delivered direct to Monaco for the ball.
Money spoke, and in Dubai they listened.
They’d come through spectacularly.
Tristan, Ezra, and Ry were standing in front of me, dressed to perfection. I glanced across at Flynn and smirked as he eyed the three of them like they were a buffet of perfectly cooked steaks. As my date for the night, Tristan was gorgeous—dressed head to toe in black, the tuxedo fitted his frame perfectly, hugging his narrow waist and flaring out at his broad shoulders.
Ry and Ezra would be there too but in different guises, and they needed tuxedos to match. I’d managed to get Ezra a security pass to make him look like he was part of the team. His uniform for the night was a burgundy jacket, black pants, vest, and bow tie with a crisp white shirt. The colour only served to highlight how beautiful he was.
Ry was simply smoking hot. Dressed the same as Ezra except for a navy-blue jacket, he was joining the catering crew. His eyes blazed, the hazel in them contrasting so vividly with the dark shades of his tuxedo that I was a whimpering mess.
Flynn wasn’t faring any better, pressing the heel of his hand down against his erection when Ry had walked out of the portable change room so the tailor could adjust his suit to get a perfect fit.
The only one of us who wouldn’t be getting dressed up was Flynn. He wasn’t happy about it, and I hated that he wouldn’t get the date that Tristan wanted to take us both on, but at the same time I was relieved to have one fewer person in the potential line of fire. Flynn’s role was critical to pulling this whole operation off. All of them were, but it would all come down to Flynn’s eye for detail. It was an ambitious plan, and I was under no misapprehension that I could pull it off without them—even with them, it was probably destined to fail spectacularly, but I needed to try. Potentially finding out who murdered Mum and Ash and was now after Tristan would be worth it.
I exhaled heavily, the weight of that responsibility sitting square on my shoulders. But even if I could have done it alone, they would never have let me. Having my guys by my side for this whole trip meant the world to me. Ezra was likely to get fired for walking out of his job without giving any notice, and Tristan’s boss didn’t even know he was away. If he suspected Tristan wasn’t working from home like he’d said, Tristan would be answering some uncomfortable questions. But none of them had hesitated. I’d thought up the plan and set a few balls in motion. Then Flynn and Ry had chipped in and helped with the logistics. The other two had dropped what they were doing and traipsed halfway around the world at a moment’s notice. It meant the world to me.Theymeant the world to me.
Truthfully, I hadn’t expected Tristan to come, and while I loved having him with us, I would have respected the fuck out of him for sticking to his guns and saying no. I focussed on him, meeting his gaze and relaxing into a smile that was inexplicably shy and a whole lot giddy. Warmth bubbled in my chest and heat crawled up my throat as I looked away, the flush taking me by surprise.
That moment—the one where he’d promised to take us on a date—was burned in my memory as one of my favourites. I couldn’t wait to experience it, to be able to walk down the street holding their hands.
Tristan’s gaze heated, and he hummed low and sensual, the way he did when he was turned the hell on. It snapped me back to the present. Blinking, I looked around and saw the others waiting expectantly on me.
“Sorry?”
