It was the sound of the first aid kit snapping open that broke through.
I opened my eyes and pulled back, searching for Saint and finding him by the window, searching through the box that was stocked enough to be useful in an airstrike.
Dressed in yet another pair of my sweatpants, he wasn’t looking at us. But he wasn’tnotlooking either. With his damp hair pushed back and his tatted skin flushed from the shower, he was as relaxed as I ever saw him. Normal, almost, for him, at least.
Perhaps sensing my attention trained on him, he glanced up, meeting my gaze for what felt like the first time in days.
It wasn’t, but the way his stare sank into me felt grounding, somehow, as if I’d missed him and not realised how much until he came back.
“I need to tape Alexei’s cut.”
“How do you know his name?”
“I asked.”
As if it had been that easy, but at Saint’s pointed frown, I rolled off Alexei.
Fuck. I’d forgotten they were both hurt.
Alexei gave me a droll, piercing smirk, then rose from the bed and joined Saint by the window. He took the supplies Saint was holding. “You first.”
Saint didn’t argue. He let Alexei lay hands on him and guide him to the bed where I was hiding my boner beneath me.
“Sit,” Alexei said.
I propped myself on one elbow as I watched them encounter each other, gaze darting between them, waiting for Saint’s terminal dislike of strangers touching him to surface and expecting Alexei to—actually, I had no idea what to expect from him. I’d never seen him interact with anyone else beyond a curt nod, so this shit was off the fucking charts.
Except, it wasn’t. Saint’s posture remained relaxed. And Alexei? His demeanour was warm. Friendly, even. As if he cared about Saint’s wellbeing.
I... damn. I sucked in a frazzled breath, almost shaking from the impact as the two halves of my heart collided. I’d never pictured them together in any sense, but if I had, there was no doubt in my mind that it would’ve been sexual, not laced with kindness and compassion.
Alexei taped the wound on Saint’s brow, then rose so they could switch places.
He stayed on his feet, showing Saint his back. Saint brought his hands to Alexei’s skin, his touch gentle. Reverent, even, and Alexeishivered.
The ripple that passed through him was subtle, and perhaps a month ago I wouldn’t have noticed, but I knew him—knew his body and his tells. He liked Saint’s touch. It did something to him, and watching that unfold had my teeth digging into my bottom lip to contain the rumble building in my chest. The possessive alpha growl that made me want to claim them both as my own.
That works for you. What about them? What about Saint? You have no idea what’s going through his head right now.
No. But I knew his tells too: his hooded eyes and his devilish tongue swiping at his bottom lip. Fuck. He liked this too, and it seemed too good to be true.
This isn’t real.
Itcouldn’tbe. I was using all my good fortune on not getting killed, and this right here? Damn, it was a wild wet dream I’d never thought to have.
Saint dressed Alexei’s slashed shoulder. I’d seen him treat brothers with far worse injuries, and every time, when it was over, he’d jerk back like he’d been burned. Or he wanted to incinerate himself to be clean. Me aside, only Orla and, bizarrely, Mateo could ever touch him without it being awkward as fuck.
But there was nothing awkward about how his hands lingered on Alexei. Or how Alexei let them as he turned to me and beckoned me off the bed.
My cockached.I stood, unashamed of how hard I was, and stepped to Alexei, kissing him fiercely, propelling him harder against Saint, an acid test for how serious either one of them was about this.
They both let it happen. Alexei leaned back against Saint’s chest, and Saint stood firm, fingers digging into Alexei’s pale flesh.
The sight of them lit a new fire in me. I plundered Alexei’s mouth, then I pulled back, breathless, and dove headfirst into his sinful gaze.
He smirked back at me, but there was something else in his wicked leer too, something deeper that I couldn’t unpick with my brain as foggy as it was. Fatigue and desire were a potent combination. I had nothing butwantand pure fucking lust for him, a man I was pretty sure I was falling for, and for Saint, a soul I’d been enraptured with for too many years to count.
“Kiss him,” Alexei whispered.
