My mouth pops open to respond with something intelligent. But I have nothing. That was the last thing I expected him to say right now. I was expecting him to… I don’t know, ask me to drop to my knees and crawl to him. Spank my ass or something like that. Not get into a legally binding contract with me.
Asher squeezes my hand, and I know he agrees with his brother. “You said so yourself, your family know you’re not dead, Daisy. If you want them to stop coming after you, take away their power, put it back in your hands by choosing one of us.” Hesounds so confident about it, like he’s also given this idea way too much thought and he knows this is the perfect solution.
I look at Cruz, and he offers me a lopsided smile. All three of them watch me with hawk eyes, making my stomach churn like crazy. Is this Jagger’s idea of punishment? Or his fucked-up way of making sure he can keep me forever. Either way, I have to admit he’s not wrong. If I’m married, I’m no use to my family, right? But is this really any better or am I just as trapped here? “I can’t pick just one of you, that… that… I can’t.” I can’t form a sentence. My brain keeps short circuiting, because for the first time in a really fucking long time, I don’t hate the idea of being married to someone. To one of them, and I can’t quite process what that all means.
Jagger nods like he knew it all along, his face serious, but I can still tell this is all kinds of fun for him. “The cards decide then.” He plucks three kings from the pack and shows them to me. “King of hearts is Asher, king of clubs is Cruz, and king of diamonds is me.”
I place my hand on his, stopping him from shuffling. “We can’t let cards decide a life-changing thing like marriage.”
“I decide then,” he growls back in a way that makes me want to kick him in the junk all over again.
I glance at Cruz and Asher for their input, no idea what the correct thing to do is here. I have feelings for all of them in such different but equally strong ways. I want them all, even though I know that’s wrong. Their faces don’t give much away. “Do you two agree with all this?”
Asher smirks back at me. “Princess, I would marry you tomorrow if I knew it would keep these assholes away from you.”
“Cruz?” I squeak.
“You know how I feel about you, baby, I wanted to keep you the first night we met.”
“Yeah, but…” I go to stand, needing space from the three of them. But Jagger pushes me back down to sitting. I glare at him. “What, did you have some meeting without me again?”
“This idea has been a decent option for a while; we just wanted to make sure you were ready for it.”
Tears well in my eyes. This is too much.
“Okay, let the cards decide,” Jagger snips, and it’s clear his patience is wearing thin. He shuffles the three cards in his hand. Leaving them face down. “Pick,” he demands.
I cross my arms over my chest, and I shake my head. A nervous flutter runs all the way through me. I’m not even sure who I want it to be. My mind keeps bobbing from one of them to the other and wondering what this means for the rest of my life, for theirs.
Asher pulls me in closer to him. He takes my face in his hand and stares into my eyes. “Just so you know, this won’t change what any of us have with you, princess.”
“It’s a document to keep you safe, that’s all,” Cruz agrees.
“Pick,” Jagger growls. It’s just like him to be an asshole at a time like this.
I know it’s more than a way of keeping me safe, I can feel it. But at this point, I know I can’t walk away from them. And even if it feels like signing yet another deal with the devil, it’s also the safest option and in truth the only one I want to entertain. If I have to marry anyone, let it be one of them. My nail slips between the two other cards and I pluck the middle one, holding it in my hand, too afraid to turn it over.
“Who is it, little darlin’?”
I glance up at Cruz, my heart racing like crazy. I flip the card over to reveal a king of hearts. “Asher,” I whisper. The least likely of them to ever get married. But when my eyes lock with his, I see he’s not worried one bit. They sparkle with a satisfied delight for having something over his brothers.
“Decision made then,” Jagger grumbles, sounding more pissed about it than I expected.
“Does this mean I’m going to be fucking my sister-in-law from now on?” Cruz’s chuckle fills the room, eating up the stupid tension.
I can’t help but laugh, and I don’t even know why, maybe because it’s laugh along with him or puke up my dinner.
Before I have a chance to say anything, Asher takes my face in his hands and plants a kiss on my lips.
I feel Jagger’s leg brush by mine as he stands up.
I pull back from Asher to find Jagger moving across the room. He takes a tumbler of whiskey and pours himself a drink, then throws it back. “I’ll get Mal to sort out the details,” he snips, heading for the door.
I give Asher the eyes like, is he okay, and he smiles softly and I know he’s not. Jagger wanted to be the one.
“You still have one more round to play. I’m going to pick for you,” Cruz says as he turns over a queen. “What will it be, darlin’?”
Jagger lingers in the doorway, and I know he’s waiting to hear my response before he stalks off to lick his wounds. But this is his fault.
