I bit my lip as my stomach twisted with indecision.
What if they were annoyed? What if I was being too needy? Was it too much? Would they think I was being ridiculous?
“Makes a man hungry.”
That voice slithered through me again, and I shuddered.
Brumous came back and mouthed my wrist a second time, tugging more insistently.
“Okay,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. “Okay.”
Sliding out of bed, I took in my sweat-drenched hoodie, well,Koa’shoodie, and decided I could at least put on dry clothes first. Limping to my dresser, I stripped down and grabbed the first thing that came to my hand, a long-sleeved t-shirt nightie that reached to my knees. That seemed like adequate coverage, so I slipped it on and hobbled to my door, scowling at my ankle when it twinged. Brumous trailed silently besides me and brushed against my legs as I stopped at their door.
I reached for the knob, then drew my hand back.
“They’re asleep, Brummy. What if they don’t want to wake up and find me in there?” I chewed my lower lip, torn between the nightmare still gnawing at me and the worry that I’d be a burden to them. “What if they yell at me or throw me out?”
Silently, Brumous nudged my hip, and I looked into his eyes to see them wide with encouragement.
Right,I told myself.They’re kind. They’re decent. They won’t hurt you. Be brave.
And before I could talk myself out of it again, I cracked the door open and peered inside.
The room was dark, the only light coming from the hall behind me. My eyes adjusted slowly, and there they were. Koa on the left, his black hair tousled over his face. Zane on his stomach, hugging his pillow. And Casimir on the right, his broad shoulders rising and falling with each slow breath, long hair unbound for once and spilling down the side of the bed.
My heart clenched. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be with them.
Brumous trotted past me, settling on the carpet at the foot of the bed with a contented sigh. I stood frozen in the doorway, my cheeks burning.
They were all shirtless, the blanket bunched near their waists and their skin glowing faintly in the hall light, and my cheeks burned at the intimacy of it.
What am I doing here?I thought, panic fluttering in my chest.This is dumb. I shouldn’t—
“Serafina?” At Casimir’s voice, gravelly with sleep, my eyes snapped to his face to find him watching me. He raised the edge of the blanket with one hand and gestured with the other. “Come here.”
I hesitated, my fingers twisting in my nightie’s sleeves.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I whispered.
“You didn’t. Come here.”
I bit my lip, my heart pounding in my ears, torn between the deep yearning to be close to them and the fear of, well, just fear.
This is insane. I can’t—
“Sorry. I’ll go.”
I took a step back into the hallway, but in a blink, he was in front of me, and my face heated up as I saw his form-fitting boxer briefs. Before I could come up with more excuses, he picked me up and cradled me against his warm chest. My breath stuttered as I felt his coarse hairs tickle my face.
“You’re welcome here any time, little wife,” he whispered. “Who else would you go to after a nightmare other than your husbands?”
My cheeks burned hotter as he carried me back to their bed and settled me next to Zane, so very careful of my bad arm, then climbed back in himself. I froze, very aware ofall ofhimjust inchesfrom my face. My gaze flicked to Zane on my other side, his hair a red halo against the pillow, and I gulped.
I was surrounded by more bare skin than I’d evenseenin my entire life. My fingers knotted in the blanket, clutching it like a lifeline. This wasa lot.
“Relax,” Casimir murmured. His hand, warm and calloused, brushed against mine, sending a shiver through me. “Nothing’s going to happen that you don’t want. You’re safe here. Always safe with us.”
His words melted some of the tension in my shoulders, but still, I couldn’t ignore the warmth radiating from him and the others.
