My body responded to the thought by squeezing my thighs tightly. I’d been in the shower with Cade and Ryker before, but it hadn't been sexual between them. This probably wasn’t either, yet I couldn’t help feeling the sense of familiarity between Ryker and Talon went deeper than friendship.
I had seen the spark in Talon’s eyes as his tattooed hands closed around Ryker’s throat. Ryker’s gaze glazed over with pleasure and want. The image of them touching, looking at each other likethat,was unforgettable. Now, I couldn’t stop picturing them in a new setting: the shower.
Between that image and the unexpected way Ryker had greeted me when he got home from patrol, my body felt hot and restless. I tried to focus on the book I’d borrowed from the shelf, but after reading the same line three times, I gave up.
"Don’t think about Ryker and Talon naked together. Don’t think about them touching each other," I said to myself, repeating the words silently, trying to banish the image from mymind and smother the heat building inside me.
Then Talon’s voice brushed through my mind, low and amused, slipping through the bond.
Would you like that, Pet?
The shower turned off, and the bathroom door opened. Both men stepped into the hall, towels around their waists, steam and beads of water still clinging to their skin. Ryker's attention snapped to me. He couldn't hear my thoughts like Talon, but likely scented my arousal. A grin sharp with mischief spread across his dimpled face.
“Soon, Kitten,” he teased, disappearing into his room.
Talon stayed where he was, watching me with a quiet intensity that always made my heart stumble. He remained in the doorway, stretching his arms upward, gripping the ledge. His inked body lengthened in a slow, lethal display of strength, muscles flexing and rippling beneath his skin as he moved.
His voice slid into my mind again.
You should really learn to control your thoughts, Pet. I asked you a question. Would you like to see me touch Ryker? Would you like us to share you again? Or would you prefer we share each other?
I felt my face heat, mortified that he’d heard what I’d been thinking. My inability to control my own thoughts was becoming a real problem. Talon probably thought I was a total freak. I just prayed he wouldn’t tell Ryker, who would never stop teasing me. I was sure he would never let me live it down.
Talon laughed.
What are you going to do to keep me quiet?
Shit! He could still hear my thoughts.
“Get out of my head, Talon!” I said out loud, frustrated that I was losing control.
“You’re the one who can’t control your thoughts, Pet. If you don’t want me listening, stop calling out to me. Now answer my question. Would you like that?”
Cade interrupted our conversation as he exited his bedroom. I guess the debrief was finally over. From the sound of it, he had been talking to his father, General Green. It hadn’t gone well. He looked tense now, his jaw locked and shoulders rigid.
“Would Rowan like what?” he asked.
I froze, and my face flushed even deeper, realizing Cade had caught the tail end of our conversation.
“Should I tell him, Pet?” Talon asked with a smirk.
Ryker stepped out of his room, shirtless and wearing fresh gym shorts. He came to stand behind Cade, interested in what Talon and I had been talking about too.
“Tell Cade what? Is Kitten keeping secrets again?” he asked.
They all stared at me, waiting for an answer.
“Please don’t,” I said quietly, lowering my head in submission, praying he’d keep my fantasy to himself.
“I won’t, Rowan. But only if you behave and listen to us during what comes next,” Talon said.
I blinked, uncertain of what he meant.
Cade moved to sit in the armchair across from me, Ryker dropped onto the couch beside me and slung his arm over my shoulders, and Talon disappeared briefly before returning in a pair of sweats. Whatever this surprise was, it was about to unfold.
“Rowan, I think you owe all of us an apology for your escape attempt. It was dangerous and reckless. I don’t think youtruly understand what could have happened,” Cade said, leaning forward in his chair and lacing his fingers together.
“Cade, I uh… I’ve apologized almosta milliontimes. We’ve been through this. I am really sorry. Trust me, I know how stupid and careless it was. I know I betrayed all of your trust, and I will never,everdo anything like that again. I swear,” I said, my voice trembling slightly.
