I settle into the space they’ve made, my body tense with unfamiliar uncertainty. Before I can overthink it, Cora shifts from Ryder’s lap and crawls into mine. The weight of her feels right, grounding me in a way I didn’t know I needed.
“Rough day?” she asks, her voice softer than I deserve.
I nod, breathing in her scent—jasmine and something uniquely Cora. My arms circle her waist instinctively, and the tension I didn’t realize I was carrying begins to dissolve.
“We were just discussing Cora’s father’s announcement,” Liam says, his lawyer voice creeping in. “The timing is strategic,launching his gubernatorial campaign on the back of a moral attack on us.”
Just like that, reality crashes back. Mayor Pike. The campaign announcement. The thinly veiled threats were aimed at all three of us. I tense again, my grip tightening around Cora reflexively.
“I almost forgot about it for a second,” I admit, the words slipping out before I can stop them. “Watching you three.”
Ryder raises an eyebrow. “The great Dominic Vega, distracted from business? I’m flattered.”
I should have a cutting response ready. Instead, I find myself grateful for the warmth of Cora in my arms, for Ryder’s teasing, for Liam’s steady presence. For this moment of belonging, before we face whatever Pike has planned next.
“So, what’s the play here?” Ryder asks, leaning forward, his eyes sharp with focus. “Pike’s made another move. How do we respond?”
I stroke Cora’s back absently, my mind already calculating angles and weaknesses. This is familiar territory—strategy, countermoves, the game of power.
Liam sets his wine glass down, lawyer mode fully engaged now. “I believe our best approach is a smear campaign with Cora at the forefront.”
“What exactly do you mean?” I ask, feeling Cora stiffen slightly in my arms.
“We gather evidence of his abuse,” Liam continues. “We start with Cora’s testimony, then find patterns. There must be ex-girlfriends who’ve experienced similar treatment. Staff who’ve witnessed his outbursts. We build a comprehensive case showing who William Pike really is behind closed doors.”
Ryder nods slowly. “Take the legal route instead of playing dirty like he is.”
“Exactly,” Liam says. “We let him throw the first punch, then counter with documented evidence that destroys not just his campaign but his entire public persona.”
I consider this as I run scenarios in my head. “It would be effective,” I agree. “Nothing tanks a ‘family values’ platform faster than proof you beat your own daughter.” My arms tighten around Cora protectively as the words leave my mouth.
The room falls silent. I look down at Cora, whose face has gone pale. This isn’t just a strategy for her. This is her life, her pain, her trauma, her father—complicated and messy in ways I can’t fully understand.
“Cora,” I say, softening my voice, “would you be up for that? Going public with everything?”
Cora stares back at me, her expression a complex blend of emotions. She looks so damn fragile sitting in my lap, her shoulders squared with determination despite the vulnerability in those green eyes. She nods, but the slight tremble in her bottom lip betrays her uncertainty.
“We won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with,” I say, tracing her cheekbone with my thumb gently. “This happens on your timeline, not ours. If you’re not ready?—”
“I am,” she interrupts. “I need to do this. He’s hurt me for years, controlled every aspect of my life.” Her fingers curl into fists against my chest. “He needs to pay for all the pain he’s put me through.”
The fierce determination in her eyes pulls at something deep inside me.
Before I can overthink it, I lean forward and capture her lips with mine. I kiss her not as part of some plan or power play, but because I’m drawn to her strength, her resilience. Because something in me needs to protect her from everything that might hurt her.
Her lips part beneath mine. She kisses me back with an intensity that matches my own, her hands sliding up to frame my face. There’s forgiveness in that kiss, which I don’t deserve but desperately want.
When she pulls away, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright. She looks at me, then shifts her gaze to include Liam and Ryder. Something changes in her expression—determination transforming into desire.
“I want you,” she says, her voice steady now as she looks at each of us in turn. “All of you. Right now.”
“Fuck,” I swear. “I thought you’d never want us again.”
The truth slips out before I can stop it. After a week of maintaining careful distance, of watching her navigate our shared space with wary eyes and defensive posture, I’d convinced myself she was lost to us. To me.
I’ve spent nights alone in my bedroom, separated by walls that might as well have been oceans, aching for her. “After a week without your tight cunt around my cock, I feel like I’m dying,” I confess, my voice rough with need.
Her eyes darken at my crude words. Instead of pulling away, she leans forward, catching my bottom lip between her teeth. The sharp sting sends heat straight to my groin.
