Breathe. In and out. Again and again.
Corey won’t leave me alone for long, as he promised.
The wave crests again, and I whimper, pressing my thighs together, and the sound echoes off the Perspex and comes back to me. I’ve never felt more exposed.
I reach for the ice cream, eat another spoonful, then another. If I can’t satisfy the heat, I can at least please the hunger, and right now, sugar and chocolate are the only things keeping me tethered to rational thought.
I’m standing in the tub, doing small pacing steps, water at my hips, spoon in my mouth, when footsteps sound through the room.
I freeze, lifting my chin.
Brody and Jakob enter. Both panting, flushed, and very clearly having run up the mountain. Brody’s dark hair is damp with sweat, his shirt clinging to his chest. Jakob’s blond curls are wild, his face red, while his gaze travels down my body.
I drop into the water so fast it splashes over the sides, and I clutch the ice cream tub just above the water.
“Oh. Hey.” I wipe my chin with the back of my hand. “Did you both… run here?”
Brody leans against the wall, breathing hard, grinning. “Corey called us. We scaled the mountain in under an hour. I may never walk again, but seeing you like this?” His gaze rakes over me, what’s visible above the waterline. “Completely worth the cardiac arrest.”
“He told us you’re going into heat.” Jakob gasps for air, stepping closer. “How are you doing, beautiful?”
“I’m sorry,” I say, sinking lower, every inch of me buzzing, the discomfort flaring. “This is so humiliating, as we’re just getting to know each other.”
“Hey.” Jakob crouches at the edge of the tub, his face level with mine. “You never apologize for needing us. We’ve been waiting for this call since the day we met you.”
My throat constricts, and for one second, all I can do is stare at him through the steam, overwhelmed by the certainty in his voice that they want this as much as I need it. My eyes burn.
His gaze softens, but before he answers, Brody makes a rough grunt behind him. “So, do you mind if we join you?” Brody asks, already tearing his shirt over his head. “Because I’m about to lose my mind standing here while you’re wet, flushed, and staring up at us like some gorgeous little mermaid who crawled out of the ocean specifically to ruin my life.”
I nod, pressing the ice cream tub against my burning cheeks before I pass out. “Where’s Corey?”
“Here.” He appears in the doorway behind them, breathing hard. “I went back for food after I called the guys. Then I nearly broke a land speed record getting back.”
He winks at me, and I’m shuddering in response, the memory of last night flooding through me so fast my vision blurs.
“I’ve got supplies to put away,” he says. “I’ll be right there.” He disappears into the kitchen, and I hear bags rustling as I’m left alone with Brody and Jakob, who are both stripping. I sit back in the water and decide that if the universe is going to test me, I might as well enjoy the exam.
Jakob pulls his shirt over his head, and the muscles in his torso flex. I’ve seen his body before, pressed against it, tasted him, but in the morning light streaming through the Perspex, he’s lethal. The muscles, the devious smirk, the blond curls falling around a face that’s all jaw and steady eyes. His pants drop, then his boxers, and he’s enormous, already hard. The sight of him sends a pulse of heat through me so intense I grip the edge of the tub.
Brody strips. His body is lean, defined, every muscle carved and visible. Dark hair tumbles across his forehead as he bends to push his boxers down, and when he straightens, I see all of him for the first time and gasp out loud.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” he says, smug as hell.
“Let me show you mine up close,” Jakob mutters, stepping into the tub, leaving me giggling, while Brody’s raising his eyebrows as though he’s just been challenged.
They sink into the water on either side of me, the level rising, and suddenly the tub feels full, their intoxicating scents invading me.
I finally set the ice cream on the edge, then fold my hands in my lap, a terrible attempt at composure, as I fail.
“I missed your dance,” Brody says, settling onto the ledge beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. “Corey got a private show, and I’m going to need a reshowing.”
I laugh, trying to ignore how close they are to me and that we’re all naked, how my clit is currently throbbing and no one’s touching it. “Guess you had to be there.”
Jakob’s hand touches mine under the water, and the contact is an electric spark through me. “Anything you want, Claire. Name it. Want Brody to dance for you? Done.”
“Hey!” Brody blurts out and glances at me, his expression softening. “I’ll do it for you, baby.”
“I know you will.” My voice breaks, the ache spearing through me so sharply I curl forward slightly. “But I’m so turned on that I’m going to scream if someone doesn’t touch me soon.”
