Instinctively, my arms wrap around his neck as I glance around the space. I’ve avoided this room sinceI was last here when Thorne revealed the downfall of his family. Even though it wasn’t that long ago, it still overwhelms me how big their room is. Not only do they have their own rooms and en-suites, but there’s a communal living space for them to share too.
The television is already on, a list of movies displayed, but it’s Kael that captures my attention as I watch him methodically convert their sofa into a huge bed. It’s only when he has all of the cushions back in their rightful places that Rion lowers me, but not to my feet, to the sofa.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my eyebrows pinching in confusion, and Kael grunts.
“Get comfortable.”
Frozen in place, I watch as Rion strides toward their small kitchen with confidence, huffing in amusement at my own thoughts.Small kitchen, I don’t even have one. He’s quickly making his way back toward the sofa, arms laden with an array of snacks, when my stomach grumbles, reminding me that I should eat something.
He stops at the edge of the sofa-bed and cocks a brow at me. I take the silent order and shuffle back until I’m in the center of the cushions with my back propped against the makeshift headrest. A shiver runs down my spine as he winks at me, but hedoesn’t join me as I expect. Instead, his gaze shifts across the room.
I follow his line of sight just in time to spy Kael stalking toward us with his arms bound around a stack of blankets. He works in silence, spreading them out in every direction, offering me a thicker one as he lays it over my lap, and I instinctively snuggle deeper into it.
It’s only when his arms are free of any blankets that Rion climbs onto the sofa-bed, spreading the snacks out between us with a grin. My stomach grumbles again, the tightness it twists inside of me growing more insistent, but I turn to Kael to offer my thanks before I eat, only to find him stripping out of his uniform.
I gulp, my throat dry with awe as he kicks off his boots, shakes off his blazer, and unbuttons his shirt so damn slowly I’m certain he’s doing it on purpose. When he’s standing in his academy-issued pants, his chest bare and enticing, he climbs onto the bed.
My eyes almost bug out of my head as I glance out of the corner of my eyes in each direction. Rion is to my left, Kael to my right. But when I peer back at Rion, I find he’s followed Kael’s idea and lost his uniform when I wasn’t looking. Only, he had to go a step further. It is Rion, of course. The only thingthat swathes his body are his black boxer shorts, exposing his thick thighs along with the rest of his taut muscles.
Damn.
If there is ever a distraction from the madness that was today, this is it.
Do they know that? Is that why I’m here?
Shaking my head, I rid the thought from my mind as I clear my throat, opting to meet Kael’s gaze since he’s the one wearing the most clothing. “What’s going on?”
His lips purse as he stares deep into my eyes. His emerald-green orbs are stormy and riddled with emotions that I can’t even begin to decipher, but when he parts his lips, his words are far from what I expect. “Can you pick a decent movie?”
I search his stare for something more, something deeper; it’s right there for me to view, but it seems he’s unwilling to share. After the mindfuck that today has been, I’m unsure I’m ready for it either. So I do what I do best and pretend it’s not there, offering a smile instead as I give him a pointed look.
“Do you really question my skills?” I breathe, snatching the remote control from his hand the moment he offers it to me.
He shrugs, unfazed. “No idea, pick a movie,” he grumbles in the way only he can.
Rolling my eyes at him, I draw my attention to the television, but before I can scroll through the options, a flash of jet-black hair passes in front of us, making me freeze. I watch in slow motion as Thorne swoops up a bag of chips and heads toward his room without a single word or backward glance, leaving my heart a pounding mess and my mind filled with disappointment.
Even when he slams his bedroom door shut behind him, I find myself staring at it with wonder, but when a few moments pass and he doesn’t come back out, I know my answer. I want to hurry toward his door, profess my gratitude for the way he stepped in front of me earlier, and ramble on about anything and everything to make him look at me, but it’s pointless and I know it.
It’s the three of us.
I should be relieved, I should be content, I should be…
Maybe I shouldn’t be here at all.
As if sensing the shift inside of me, a hand lands on my shoulder, tearing me from the chaos in my mind. I follow the calloused fingers, up across the tight forearms and rigid biceps, to find Rion staring at me with a half smile curling his lips.
“Choose a movie, Petal.” It’s an order, one I’mhappy to take as it pulls me from the depths of no return.
Nestling into the cushions, it only takes a few swipes through the catalog of movies available for me to find what I’m looking for.
“Is this okay?” I ask, nodding at the screen. Kael hums in agreement as Rion arches an eyebrow at me.
“Have you seen it?” he asks, and I shrug.
“No, but he’s hot.”
His jaw falls slack but he quickly recovers, only to knit his brows together with a pout as he fake glares at me. “Are you trying to make me hate my favorite movie?” Amusement quickly dances across his features and I shake my head at him, hitting play as Kael leans over me to grab a bag of chocolates and a tube of chips.
