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I was fully aware of moving inside Raelynn, of her orgasm taking hold as her body trembled in Zeke’s arms, and of him working his shaft in strong, confident strokes, but everything felt hazy.

“Fuck.” I collapsed forward, one hand landing on the tree beside Raelynn’s head and the other resting on her leg. My pace faltered as bright blue eyes met mine.

Time seemed to slow down.

I knew what I wanted, and I knew Zeke well enough to see in his eyes that he wanted it too.

When he licked his lips, I caved and surged forward, stealing his next breath with my mouth. He gasped as his body shuddered, and I swallowed every sound he made.

He’d come from my kiss.

The realization that my kiss drove him over the edge seized me by the balls, and I barely had enough time to pull free before a strangled sound left my mouth and I painted Raelynn’s breasts with my cum.

In one act of passion, we’d torn down the walls we’d spent years hiding behind, denying the truth for fear of losing one another. Had he felt the same, or had he finally given in to curiosity? I was too scared to ask.

I didn’t know if I could ever go back to the way things were after this, though—not with him. Not if we made it out of this forest alive.

26

HOPE

ZEKE

Ikicked out at a small infernal that skittered around my outstretched foot.

“We’re not dead,” I said, and it looked at me, angling its head before darting away when it realized I wasn’t a meal—yet.

I’d been awake for what felt like hours thinking about what had happened.

Rae lay with her head in my lap while Cyn slept against the tree next to us. We’d all redressed after using my shirt to wipe away the mess Cyn and I made.

The chill in the air made goose bumps pebble my chest and arms. I’d noticed the sudden drop in temperature not long after I woke.

Rae curled into a tighter ball, and I put my hand on her shoulder, finding her skin chilled. Her dress provided little warmth, but Cyn and I were down to torn slacks so we had nothing to offer her.

I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through her hair as memories of what we’d done spun round and round in my head like a carousel.

When I’d woken to Cyn leaning over Rae, making her moan and squeal, I hadn’t known what to do. I’d figured out pretty quickly after meeting Rae that I liked watching, but I’d never watched them together before.

I thought I’d ruined everything for them the second Cyn realized I was awake.

Instead, he asked what I wanted.

Even in the middle of sex, he cared about what I wanted. He always put me before himself. I didn’t know why it surprised me that he did the same thing then.

It shouldn’t have surprised me.

He’d been asking me what I wanted and needed for years. Always putting my needs before everyone else’s, sometimes at his own expense.

I didn’t always recognize it in the moment, but later at night, when my thoughts kept me awake, I’d realize what he’d done.

Sometimes I felt guilty. Sometimes warm. Always afraid.

Afraid he’d get tired of me and leave.

Afraid one day I’d simply become too much.

But he never did.