I glare at him, anger bubbling under the surface, feeding on the frustration, the confusion, the sheerhelplessnessI’ve felt since everything spiraled out of control.
“We really need to just sit down and talk,” Asher says.
I scoff. “About what?” I snap. “The part where we had sex? Or the part where you couldn’t get away fast enough when I suggested…”
I stop myself before the words fully escape, my breath shuddering.
Damon inhales sharply, his expression unreadable. Everything is out in the open now.
The silence that follows is unbearable.
Zane’s jaw tightens. “You think I don’t want this?” His voice is rough, edged with something close to desperation. “You think I don’t lie awake at night wondering how the hell I’m supposed to protect you when all I want to do is hold you in my arms?”
My heart lurches, but I can’t let myself hope. I shake my head. “You said you understood.”
Zane lets out a harsh breath, pacing like a caged animal. “I do. I fucking do, Mia. But that doesn’t mean this is simple.”
Asher, who has been silent too long, finally speaks. “I took the job in Dubai because I thought it was the right move. For me. For you. I thought keeping my distance would make it easier.” His voice drops. “But it hasn’t.”
Something cracks inside me, something I’ve been holding together with sheer will. I press a hand to my chest like I can physically keep it from breaking.
“Then why are you still leaving?” I ask him.
Asher’s throat works, but no words come.
Damon, who has been watching us all like a man ready to step between a fight, finally exhales. “We all need to stop pretending this doesn’t mean something.”
I let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’m not the one pretending.”
Asher looks away while Zane murmurs under his breath “God help me.”
“Do you really mean it when you say it?” Damon finally says as if he’s been holding back.
“Yes,” I breath.
“I want you…” I say, looking at them. “All of you.”
Damon’s gaze stays locked on me. “Then let’s stop running from it.”
Zane swings the door shut with a soft click, sealing us in. The girls are safe in their room. No distractions. No escape. I swallow hard, my pulse racing as I look up at them.
I turn to Damon first. “Are you sure you want this? With… them?”
His gray eyes burn with an intensity that sends a thrill down my spine. “Yes,” he says, the word firm, decisive. Then he leans in, and his mouth covers mine. It’s not gentle; it’s a promise, hot and demanding in a way that makes my toes curl against the floor.
They step closer, like a collective force that makes the air around me vibrate. Three men—towering, muscular, their shoulders broad enough to eclipse the rest of the world. I feel tiny in their shadow, my heartbeat thudding in my ears.
Their combined presence, the heat of their bodies, is overwhelming. My head spins as Damon kisses me, his strong hands bracketing my waist, his grip unyielding in its need. I sense the others behind him watching, waiting. The energy in the room crackles.
Damon pulls back, leaving me breathless. My chest heaves, and I turn to Asher. Tall, broad-shouldered, his arms thick with muscle, veins running under tan skin. He meets my gaze, a flicker of uncertainty giving way to determination.
“Yes,” Asher murmurs, stepping in. His quiet intensity sends a shiver across my skin. Then his mouth is on mine, softer than Damon’s but no less consuming. His hands slide down my back, pressing me closer to his impossibly firm chest. I feeltiny against him, my hips fitting snugly against his, my palms flattening over thick muscles that tense at my touch.
A low sound drags my attention away, and I glance over at Zane. He’s so tall, with biceps straining against his shirt, legs like pillars. His dark eyes lock onto mine, and there’s a hunger there that makes my stomach flip.
His voice is quieter than usual, thick with tension. “Come here.”
I do, stepping from Asher’s embrace into Zane’s waiting arms. He cups my face in one large hand, leaning down, and kisses me in a way that steals the breath right out of my lungs. His free arm comes around my waist, pulling me against his powerful frame. My feet barely touch the floor, and I cling to his shoulders, heart pounding in my ears.
