Page 164

“You’re generous, Daughter, and I’d argue with you about it, but I’m tired, and it’s not worth the fight.”

She lifts her head and presses a soft kiss to his mouth. “Smart man.”

Timothy gives her a smile before helping her out of his lap and nudging her toward the bed. “Get some rest.”

She obediently crawls under the blanket, and Ares follows her, circling once before settling at her feet. Across the room, Timothy reaches for his coat.

“Where are you going?” she asks.

“To the clock tower.” His eyes meet DK’s and then mine. “I need to apologize to my friend and make sure he’s okay.”

That’s going to be a rough conversation. Necessary, but tough.

Once he leaves, we keep an eye on her while we take turns showering. By the time I climb into the bed, the weariness in my bones has become almost physical. DK is on the other side of her, body pulled tight against his body. Her warm, naked body tucked beneath the blankets, her eyes open as she stares at the ceiling. The quiet should feel awkward after everything that happened, but instead it feels like the first real moment of peace we've had in days.

I reach across her and brush my fingers gently along her cheek. She turns her face into my palm. The same thought I’ve had since we entered the sanctuary, the thought I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, rushes off my tongue.

“If Ares’ hadn’t been there…”

“He was,” she says, those dark brown eyes meeting mine. “He was there and so were you.”

DK’s hand slides over her belly. “It was scary as fuck, Doll Baby. There was so much blood.”

“Her blood. Not mine.” I lean closer and press a slow kiss against her forehead. She closes her eyes, and when I pull back, she catches my hand and holds it against the scar on her chest, then slides it down until I’m palming her breast.

My entire body stills.

“Nettie,” I say carefully, because I know what she’s offering, but I also know what she’s been through. The last thing she needs right now is two desperate men grounding ourselves with her body.

“I want you.” She looks over her shoulder at DK. “Both of you.”

DK’s hand rises up to cup her other breast, fingers toying with the ring. “What Hunter is trying to convey is that neither of us is really in control of our emotions right now, and I think we’ve all seen enough violence for one night.”

“I understand.” She sounds defeated. “I just… I just don't want tonight to belong to Amber and the control she had over me for so long.”

The words hit me hard enough that I have to look at DK before I can answer. My cock is rock hard just from having her so close and smelling so good. I want to do the right thing, but I’m learning that sometimes the right thing is also the thing that feels so fucking good.

“If that’s what you need,” I lift my hand to her face, “then that’s what we’ll give you.”

She turns toward me, and I kiss her slowly, carefully, giving her every opportunity to pull away. Instead, her fingers curl over my shoulders and draw me closer.

“I love you,” I say, wanting it out there before we go any farther.

“I love you, too.” She turns back to DK who is kissing along her neck. “I love you, too, Damon.”

“I know, Doll Baby.” His hand gently pulls off her bonnet to release that riot of curls. Fuck, she’s so beautiful like this–tucked between us, safe but ours. He kisses her shoulder, and she exhales between us, the sound soft and shaky.

By some unspoken agreement, we focus our attention on her, each taking a nipple to play with. I flick her piercing with my tongue while DK sucks the nipple into a hard peak. Ari writhes between us, whispering our names.

“That feel good, Doll Baby?” DK asks, hand ghosting over her abdomen. He reaches her between her legs, his fingers spreading her lips apart. “You want to feel Hunt’s fingers inside your pussy?”

She nods her head aggressively and exhales, “Yes, please.”

Grabbing her thigh, I pull her legs apart and look down at her perfect cunt. The skin is smooth from her trip to the spa and I swipe my tongue over her clit, sucking on the little silver piercing. She tastes so fucking good and when I plunge my fingers inside she gasps, her nails digging into the skin on my forearm. She’s so fucking tight. So fucking perfect.

“Fuck, you get me so hard,” I tell her. Her hand dips down, running over my cock and a tremor jolts up my spine.

“You ready for a little more?” DK asks, sticking two fingers into his mouth and getting them slippery.