Chapter 6
Amara
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Stretching my armsabove my head, I arch my back until it finally cracks, collapsing with a sigh of relief.
Stone is lying on his side next to me, and reaches over to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear with a soft smile. “Sleep well?”
I hum in agreement, fighting the sheets wrapped around my legs. “What time is it?”
Kodi comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, steam filtering out behind him as he grabs his phone off the end table. “Four-thirty. Looks like we slept the better part of the day away.”
Stone helps free me from the bedding attempting to hold me hostage, grabbing my ankle and dragging me with him to the edge of the mattress. “Not surprising. We didn’t get home until what, three this morning?” He rakes his gaze over me slowly, a satisfied smirk twitching at the corner of his lips despite the way things fizzled out between the three of us earlier. “And you had some trouble sleeping.”
Finally free, I snatch the nearest shirt off the floor and yank it over my head. I’ve been gradually adjusting to having so much skin on display, and in the heat of the moment when I’m distracted, it’s easy not to be self-conscious. But broad daylight with the two of them staring at me this intensely has me squirming, and not for fun reasons. I’m not embarrassed by my scars, but whenever I catch a glimpse of one, I can’t help but remember how I got it.
Wait a second...
Lifting up the hem of Kodiak’s shirt, I take a closer look at myself. From my rib cage to my thighs, there are enough purple and red bruises from him sucking on my skin to make it look like I starred in a tentacle porn video. But under careful inspection... each mark covers one of the scarred symbols Malcolm inflicted.
By the time I look up, Kodi’s towel has been replaced by his black pajama pants, forced to go shirtless since I stole his. He meets my curious gaze with a casual shrug. “You said you wanted to start replacing the bad memories with better ones. Seemed like a good place to start.” With a wink, he adds, “And while I’ll share you with my brothers, I’m still a little bit of a possessive bastard sometimes.”
My mouth goes dry, and I have to swallow a couple of times before I can speak. “Keep it up, Kodiak Garrison, and I just might fall in love with you.”
His eyes flicker for a moment. Dark blue irises become more prominent as his pupils retract into reptilian slits, a flash of obsidian scales rising on his arms and disappearing as swiftly as they appeared. I blink and he’s back to normal, a broad grin on his face. “Mo chroi, you rode my face like you were taking me into battle. You may not be willing to admit it yet, but I’ll happily wait.”
Crossing the room, he palms both of my cheeks, staring down at me with enough intensity that I shift my thighs together to alleviate some of the tension. Speaking clearly, he leaves no room for doubt as he declares, “Call it love, fate, making the best of a bad situation; whatever the hell you need to tell yourself so you can sleep at night. But I’m always going to call you mine.”
He rests his forehead against mine. “I started falling in love with you before you ever even knew my name, as I watched you work so fucking hard to not only survive, but smile despite the shitty hand you’d been dealt in life. Saw someone with walls a mile high that I was determined to climb, if only to show you that there were people out there that would put in the effort because you’re worth it. Even if all you ever wanted from me was a friend. But I’m fucking ecstatic you’re willing to take a chance on me, because I need you in my life, Amara.”
The desperation to be accepted undercutting his tone makes me pause. I’ve been so caught up in my own issues, I haven’t given a second thought to understanding theirs beyond surface level. Stone gave me the rundown on his past, and it was pretty obvious where his hang ups stemmed from; same with Raiden. But Kodi is always so easy to be around, never holding back or giving a sign that something’s wrong, that I haven’t looked any deeper, too focused on my own problems.
But asking right now would be even more selfish. He mentioned once that his story required emotional support vodka and shoved it to the backburner with everything else going on. Yesterday may have been rough as hell, but today’s beengood,even if it didn’t end quite the way I’d hoped.A real turning point in our relationship. Dredging up the past right now to sate my own curiosity would be a dick move.
“Thank you.” Rising on my toes, I kiss him hard and fast before pulling away just as swiftly. “For caring enough to put in the effort when I know I make that difficult sometimes.” Slipping out of his arms, I yank on the nearest pair of boxers I stumble across, wearing them as shorts beneath my too-long shirt. “You’re easy to love, Kodiak, and I’m sorry if anyone’s ever made you feel differently. But glad that no one seduced you away all the same, because I can’t imagine a life without you in it anymore, either.”
I can feel both of them boring holes in the back of my skull as I head for the door, pulling it open to face the hall of my new home with equal parts trepidation and excitement. The events and revelations from last night still loom over my head, but they don’t feel quite as crushing after some sleep, a couple of orgasms, and shifting my perspective to accept the new direction my life has taken.
I’ve spent nine years in survival mode, adrenaline and anxiety as my only companions. Swapping them out for a few people that actually care about my wellbeing and happiness is a pretty nice change of pace.
