Before I can answer, he kisses me again. Harder, this time. His body presses against mine, his hand slipping into my hair and gripping it, angling my head to give him better access to my mouth as it opens beneath him.
When he pulls away, both of us are breathing heavily. “You’re an ass.”
“I know.” His forehead presses to mine again, and he breathes deeply, as if it’s a need for him to be this close. To breathe me in, and the feel of him against me, touching me and wanting me is so much better than I ever thought it would be. It makes it so much harder to say no. “Say yes, Dare. You want me to beg? I’ll beg whatever way you tell me to.”
Every time, he kisses me before I can respond. And all of the reasons I should say no are slowly slipping from my mind with every touch.
I tear my eyes away, looking to Eres and Lyra. He has his arms wrapped around her, whispering in her ear as they both watch us. Heat suffuses Lyra’s cheeks, darkening her skin, and she bites down on her lip when our eyes meet.
Kaelen’s lips move to my neck. He uses my hair to give him better access, tugging at the strands until I open up for him, my body shivering beneath his. “This seems like a very poor investment on their part.”
“Trust me.” Eres’s murmur carries. “Neither of us mind.”
A graze of teeth over my neck. “Say yes, and we’re going back to my rooms. All of us, Dare. Like it should be.”
I clamp down on my lower lip with my teeth, attempting to hold the noise I want to make back. My cock starts to fill, pushing against my damned trousers as Kaelen pushes his hands beneath my shirt, scraping his nails over my stomach as his mouth moves to my throat. “That’s going to leave a mark.”
My words are breathless. His response comes directly against my damp skin. “I fucking hope so.”
Fuck.
I want to say yes. But I can’t bear the thought of seeing regret in his face. Something to add to the many memories I have of Kaelen, all of them stored in my memories, a personal pain pot that I pull at when I’m feeling especially self-pitying.
We don’t have enough time for him to wipe all of those memories away. But we have time for him to add new ones. Better ones.
My head bangs back against his damn shield. “I hate you for not doing this sooner.”
He pauses his movements. “Not as much as I hate myself. Is that a yes?”
I breathe in. “I’m still not convinced.”
“Fine.”
When he drops to his knees, the three of us inhale. But Kaelen is staring up at me, his hand already on the buckle of my belt. “Can I convince you this way?”
He’s asking my permission to ruin me. And Erevan help me, but I’m going to give it to him.
I raise my eyes in silent question, and get two nods in return. Eres whispers something in Lyra’s ear, and her eyes widen. “Like that?”
I clear my throat. Glance down at Kaelen. “It seems very unfair for me to be the only one in this shield having fun.”
He slides his hand beneath my loosened trousers, cupping me. “What the fuck makes you think I’m not having fun?”
When my legs weaken at the feel of his hand, hot, and tight and gripping me, Kae’s shadows push me up, keeping me in place. My breath hisses out through my mouth. “I think that we could have more fun if someone were to join us.”
Ortwosomeones.
His gaze flickers. Want, and need, and surprising indecision. “Is that what you want?”
Is it?
I look at them again. This time, it’s Eres who looks back at me. His eyes are soft with understanding. If I say no, they’ll stay back. Give me this moment with him. Give up this moment, when we have so very few left.
But if I say yes—
“Yes.” I look down at Kaelen. His hands tighten on my legs. “Yes.”
In response, he leans forward and kisses the exposed skin above my trousers before turning, staying on his knees. He holds out a hand. “Witch.”
