Adria thought of Vega’s idea to marry Daniela to Bryson. The curvy bombshell was a complication she didn’t need right now. With things so new between the four of them, she didn’t know what she was allowed to ask for. But Adria knew in her bones that she wasn’t interested in sharing. Not with Daniela, not with anyone.
Perhaps the boys were used to having their relationship open. Would her views change their mind about her?
One more turn and Adria made her way back to the house. On a side porch, she saw Eric smoking a cigar, leaning against the railing.
“Enjoying the outdoors?” she said.
Eric’s large form opened to give her his full attention. “It’s too hot,” he said. “I’m sweating constantly.”
Adria laughed.
“You seem to be enjoying it though,” he said.
“It’s in my genes,” she said.
He nodded. “How were drinks with Vega?”
“He wants us to take Daniela home when things blow over.Ifthings blow over,” Adria said, laughing at the implausibility of it all.
“For how long?” Eric said, and Adria noticed how serious he was.
She shook her head. “I can’t take her. He thinks I can train her like I trained Bryson.”
Eric looked off into the jungle behind her, taking a long inhale from the cigar. “And you don’t think you can?”
Adria could not believe they were even having this conversation. “If you haven’t noticed, I have a lot on my plate. And what happened with those three was a one-time thing.”
Eric fixed her with his stoic stare before shrugging. “If you say so.”
She stood with him. Listening to the sounds of the jungle going to sleep. Bird calls dwindled, and the insects’ symphony increased in volume all around them.
“What is he offering?” Eric said.
Something about the way he said it piqued her interest. Why was Eric so interested in this deal?
“He wants to offer the same thing he offered for Bryson. Block Callen’s land and as a sweetener, he wants to provide me with a new parcel that could prove just as valuable.”
Eric raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a good deal.”
Adria’s Domme senses were tingling. “Are we talking about Vega or Daniela?”
Eric leaned against the railing, looking into the sky, before snuffing out the still lit cigar and saying, “Both.”
Adria pursed her lips together.
“You should get some sleep,” Eric said. “Do you want my room so you can continue to avoid them?” he asked, not one to mince words.
“I’m handling it,” Adria said.
Eric’s lip twitched. “Sure, you are.”
It was well past one in the morning when Adria finally opened the door to their shared room. She stood in moonlight that spilled through gauzy curtains, watching the three of them sleep. Kaydon’s arm draped possessively over Seth’s waist, while Bryson’s leg hooked over both of them, his fingers barely grazing Kaydon’s shoulder. The white sheets twisted around their muscled bodies, exposing bronze and pale skin.
Adria thought about the evening of the auction. How her and Bryson had fallen asleep together. Granted, she had woken up at three in the morning and left, but still. For a few hours, they had allowed themselves to be completely vulnerable with one another.
Watching them now, their chests rising and falling in a hypnotic rhythm, she wondered what it would feel like to crawl between those tangled limbs. Would their combined heat smother her? Would their bodies instinctively make space for hers? Would she wake up trapped or protected?
With a shaky breath, Adria moved past the three men who held her heart and stepped onto the balcony. The moon was full, and she pressed her hands onto the iron railing and pushed onto her tiptoes. The wind blew through her hair, and her nose caught all the musty floral scents.
