Now if only my shyness would cooperate.
Through the thin crack beneath the door came three distinct sounds that told me exactly what each of my husbands was doing: A victorious whoop over electronic gunfire, the metallicschick-schickof blades being sharpened, and the whisper of pages turning.
Will they think I’m a pest? Will they be annoyed that I’m disturbing them? What if I’m too awkward? What if Zane regrets asking me to move in there with them? What if—
Taking a deep breath, I gathered what little courage I had and raised my hand to knock. Just as my knuckles made contact, the door flew open so fast, it nearly kissed the wall, and Zane’s grin filled my vision.
“Took you long enough, starlight,” he purred, scooping me up bridal-style before I could squeak. My arms instinctively looped around his neck as I drank in the night phlox scent that lived beneath his skin. “Wearing your ‘seduce three dhampirs’ nightie again, I see.”
“Zane,” Casimir’s warning growl rumbled across the room.
“What?” He feigned innocence. “I’m being a gentleman and carrying my bride over the threshold. Four days late, but who’s counting?”
“Behave, Z,” Koa added. “You’ll frighten her.”
“Moi? I’m the picture of restraint.She’sthe one who caved. Not surprising, really. I mean, who could resist this?”
After he set me down on the edge of the bed, he flexed his biceps, and I had to admit my mouth went dry.
Flushing, I looked around their room. Zane had abandoned his video game controller in front of the TV, where a scene of something exploding was frozen on the screen.
Across the room, Casimir sat in the armchair under a reading lamp, a thick book open on his knee and an orange highlighter in hishand. His long blond hair was loose again, a waterfall that my fingers longed to touch.
Koa perched behind a desk, an array of knives and sharpening equipment on a tray before him. His espresso eyes meeting mine, he set down the blade he’d been working on and wiped his hands on a cloth before standing and heading into their bathroom.
Something about seeing this glimpse into their pre-bed routines made my heart squeeze. This was their space, their life that I was stepping into. This was therealthem, not frightening monsters or formal princes. Just three men unwinding before bed.
“Hi,” I said, my voice small. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Never.” Casimir closed his book with a decisive snap, and I peeked at the cover. A medical textbook on female anatomy. How interesting. “We’re honored that you… That is, you’re welcome here.”
His throat bobbed as his gaze dropped to his clenched fists, and I realized they were nervous, too. Three lethal men reduced to fumbling. By me.Me.
Still drying his hands with a hand towel, Koa came to sit beside me on the bed.
“You okay?” he asked as his shoulder brushed mine.
I nodded, trying to ignore the heat that rose to my cheeks as three pairs of eyes focused on me.
“I was just… I mean, I thought maybe I could…”
“She wants to sleep with us again,” Zane announced with a shrug as he stood in front of me. “Like when she had the nightmares.”
“Don’t get in her head without permission!” Casimir hissed.
“I didn’t! It’s all over her face!”
“He’s right.” I bit my lip. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course it’s okay.” Casimir’s eyes softened.
“Morethan okay, beloved,” Koa added.
My smile faded into silent appreciation as I looked them over. Just like before, all three were wearing only boxer briefs: Casimir’s black, Koa’s navy blue, and Zane’s a bright yellow with some cartoon character I didn’t recognize. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the broad expanse of Casimir’s chest, the defined muscles in Zane’s arms, and the squares cut into Koa’s abdomen. My eyes traced the ridges of muscle down to the trail of hair disappearing beneath the waistband of his boxers, and my cheeks burned before I could tear my gaze away.
“She’s totally checking us out. Look at her pupils. They’re huge.” Zane stretched his arms behind his head in a way that showed off his lean, muscular torso. “Like what you see,wife?”
“I wasn’t— I mean—” My face flamed hotter. “Mmm.”
