I snatched them away.
He was still muttering under his breath when I tucked them away in my pocket. I walked to the window to see what was keeping Rowan and Ella.
I shook my head when Nick joined them, then headed upstairs to light some candles—not for ambience, but to watch the hot wax drip onto her body.
???
By the time they brought her up, her hair was dishevelled, her suit jacket gone, and part of her blouse hung loose over her skirt. Even beneath the soft glow of the candles, I could see the flush in her cheeks as her gaze drifted around the room.
Rowan and Nick followed close behind her, already beginning to strip. They knew what I needed the moment they saw the candles, and neither of them complained.
I stepped in, finding the fastening of her skirt.
“Do you want to play, Ella?” I whispered as the fabric slid to the floor.
She rested her hands on my chest while I worked my way up the buttons of her blouse.
“Will it hurt?”
I paused, my gaze lifting to hers.
“Do you want it to?”
A flicker of sadness crossed her face. It didn’t linger.
“Tonight,” she said quietly.“Yes.” Her chin lifted.
I caught sight of my brothers behind her—their concern, their need to give her exactly what she wanted. I didn’t know how Rowan managed it, but she was perfect. We weren’t good men with good intentions, but we cared in our own way.
My fingers brushed over her stomach. We’d need to tell her soon, but for now, we could exist in this moment.
“Whatever you need, Ella,” I said, before returning to the buttons of her blouse.
It was fortuitous, really—that she needed the pain I’d already intended for her.
Chapter 43
Nick
Her quiet words rang around my head.
Eric and James were already dead to me. We were all Ella would ever need—her past was irrelevant.
Alec peeled her blouse down her shoulders, and I moved behind her, brushing her hair aside. I traced my fingers down to her bra and worked it loose for Alec to pull away.
I understood her demons.
The anger.
The shame.
The isolation that came from surviving things no one else wanted to look at too closely.
I’d never felt like a lodger or an employee with Rowan and Alec—not really. Ella was unassuming, layered, and now she was ours in every way that mattered.
The certainty settled in my chest, heavy and welcome. I didn’t need my guard anymore. Everything was finally aligned.
I splayed my fingers over her belly, feeling her warmth beneath my palm. No one would dispute our claim once our child was there—growing, undeniable.
