Page 70

Eden

Two on one

makes for wonderful odds.

The night is deliciously warm, and moonlight trails over my skin like slow fingertips. I stretch, feeling Jayk pressed all around me, my head on his arm, his thigh between my legs. His hard chest firm against my breasts and all along my back.

I frown.

Wait.

I lift my head and squint against the hazy starlight. Jayk is snoozing in front of me. His lashes are dark against his cheek, his stubble rough and pronounced.

Someone shifts behind me.

Panic floods my nervous system. Blood pounds in my ears. I flinch back, swiveling, ready to pummel, to scream and fight and?—

I stop an inch from battering the lean body wedged against my back.

It’s Lucky .

He’s cuddling me from behind, his blond hair fanning over Jayk’s arm, his fingers tracing the dappled silver on my skin. My stunned, stuttering brain won’t catch up, and I meet his bright blue eyes.

He winks.

I squeak .

At my voice, Jayk grumbles, his other arm shifting over my hip, and Lucky raps one finger over my lips to shush me.

A crinkle of paper makes me jump again. Snapping upright, I see Jasper perched in an armchair beside the bed, a single lamp casting him in harsh shadows.

Nineteen Eighty-Four lies open across his lap as he surveils me from his seat.

His dark eyes dip, and I realize I’ve dislodged the sheets, exposing my bare breasts.

I choke on my scream.

Just Jasper. It’s just Jasper.

But the door is still locked.

“How... ?” My frantic breath catches before I realize that the window is now firmly closed, though those pitiable curtains are still wide open—and there’s a large leather bag and neatly coiled rope on the floor that weren’t there last night.

A wickedly sharp grappling hook rests atop them.

I stare.

The silver claws gleam.

No.

No .

Astonished, my eyes snap back to the window. To the grappling hook. To Jasper.

“You didn’t ,” I breathe.

Oh my God. My brain trips over itself, trying to catch up to the fact that they just broke in through my window .

They’ve all gone mad.

There are madmen in my bed.

Jasper raises one whiplike brow, but he doesn’t answer me.

Instead, he looks back down at his book, casually turning another page. “Jaykob, kindly remove your hand from my boyfriend’s ass.”

Jayk lifts his head, frowning sleepily.

Whiplash.

Confused, my gaze drops, and I follow the thick line of Jayk’s arm, dusted in dark hair, to the narrower slope of his wrist, all the way to where his wide, rough hand rests comfortably against gray sweatpants.

Oh .

As if by reflex, Jayk squeezes a full palmful of Lucky’s firm butt cheek.

He freezes, then pats around Lucky’s hip more frantically.

Lucky snorts into my side, and Jayk shoots upright, his bleary gaze swinging wildly between Lucky and Jasper.

Casually, Lucky stretches, drawing every sleek muscle taut, then sits up. Brushing my hair off my shoulder, he kisses the sensitive curve of my neck, his beard tickling over my skin. I shiver, trying to take control of my still-hiccupping pulse, and turn for a kiss...

Only to get a mouthful of hair.

Lucky’s not even looking at me.

His dancing eyes are on Jayk.

“Hiya, handsome,” he quips. “Want to cuddle?”

Jayk looks wildly at the still-locked door, and his expression switches from bewildered to murderous in zero point two seconds.

Uh-oh.

They’re not here for me .

“How the fuck did you get in here?” he bellows.

They’re here for him .

Squealing, I press one hand against Jayk’s thick chest and another against Lucky’s, holding them apart like a referee. “Ah, maybe we should?—”

“You left the window open,” Lucky replies casually. “Felt like an invitation.”

Jasper returns to his book. “If you intend to keep Eden safe, you really should be more aware of how exposed you are.”

“So, so exposed.” Lucky winces, his eyes dipping. “Need some pants, bud?”

Jayk’s dark tattoos twist manically as he points at Lucky over my shoulder. “Okay, that’s it. You came through the window, you can go the fuck back out that way.”

“Eden, you should move,” Jasper advises, lazily turning another page.

Oh, God.

Jayk looks down at me, eyes blazing, and in the next moment I’m flying through the air. Shrieking, I bounce against the pillows as Lucky takes advantage of Jayk’s momentary distraction and tackles him off the bed. They land hard, skidding across the floor.

I grab my glasses, then scramble to the edge of the bed to watch.

Jayk recovers quickly, flipping Lucky onto his back and crushing his pretty face sideways into the carpet. He’s almost twice Lucky’s size, and in that spare second, I realize just how much strength Jayk has been holding back from me.

Because he’s certainly not bothering with Lucky.

“Jayk, get off him!” I yelp, gripping the mattress like it’s a stress ball. “He’s littler than you!”

Lucky’s “ Hey !” is muffled by Jayk’s fist.

Jasper’s book snaps shut, and he sighs as he stands.

“Fuck. That.” Jayk grinds Lucky’s cheek under his palm. “It’s war. You agreed. And he’s...” He grunts as Lucky twists under him, his grip slipping. “He’s losing. Again. Monkey brains here doesn’t deserve you.”

“This is not what I meant!” I whack him with a pillow, my voice hitting an unfortunate pitch. “This is so toxic !”

“Not. Losing .” Lucky’s fingers dig into Jayk’s windpipe. “You took her. You keep doing it! You don’t get to just take her.”

Jasper strolls around the bed. With one swift snap, he untethers the rope tieback from one of the posts on the four-poster bed, wrapping either end around his palms. The draped satin falls like a curtain close.

He walks up behind Jayk, still preoccupied with the violent, twisting soldier beneath him, and Jasper tosses the rope around his chest like he’s wrangling a bull.

Then he yanks hard.

Jayk flies backward. Freed, Lucky dives back on top of him without missing a beat, his cheeks pressure-pink. Together, he and Jasper wrestle Jayk over to the foot of the bed in a mess of flailing limbs, whipping heads, grunts, sighs, and curses.

Dear God.

We really can’t last a day without a fistfight.

I flop back onto the bed. How is it that three of my brutes are in my room, and they’re all focused on each other?

No one’s even kissing.

“Eden, would you fetch me some more rope, please?” Jasper asks, his voice strained. Dark hair falls over his forehead as he fights for control. “I brought a bag. It’s beside the chair.”

I lift my head, incredulous.

He was supposed to be the sensible one.

“Perhaps you’d prefer some measuring tape instead,” I suggest sweetly.

Jasper shoots me a sharp-eyed look over Jayk’s shoulder, but with him so messy and discomposed, dodging limbs and wrangling rope, it doesn’t have quite its usual effect.

He and Lucky drag Jayk onto the bed and against one of the posts and the ferocious red lines decorating Lucky’s lean back pull taut.

I wince. Oh God, whips . I ticked “Unsure” to whips on my limits list, but those lashes are a violent canvas over his flesh, punctured with bite marks. Vivid. Glowing.

Sadistic.

Skirting back to avoid a heavy kick, Jasper grimaces. “I have him, Lucien. Just hold him a moment while I secure?—”

As they try to tie him down, Jayk roars, slamming his elbow back into Jasper’s chest.

Jasper lets out a low, pained gasp.

“ Hey. ” Ice flashes over Lucky’s face, and he shoves Jayk back hard, wedging a brutal knee against his balls.

Jayk falls utterly still.

Lucky tilts his head, and he glances up at Jasper. “Huh. That really is effective.”

He winks down at his captive. “It’s okay to be scared, but a little CBT can be fun, you know?”

Jayk growls.

Humor touches my sadist’s lips, but he doesn’t waste time tying off the rope around Jayk’s chest and biceps, locking him against the post at the end of the bed.

Still pinning Jayk, Lucky suddenly shoots me a reproachful glower. His hair is tangled, half-loose over his bare shoulders.

“And you, you’re no help. Littler ,” he mutters, and despite my intention to keep pouting, a smile slips out of me at his affront.

Jayk snorts scornfully. He may be forced still, but he vibrates with suppressed violence. “You are littler. I can crush you in my fist, rat.”

Lucky ruffles Jayk’s hair. “ You are not crushing anyone, because you are outnumbered. It’s all about teamwork, my cranky giant buddy, and you’re going to keep losing until you work that one out.”

Gently, he boops Jayk’s nose, and Jayk’s brows slam down.

After eyeing that murderous expression for a moment, Jasper retrieves another length of rope from his compartmented bag and ties Jayk’s wrists behind the post as well.

“I’m going to beat you until you can’t walk straight,” Jayk grinds out as Lucky eases his knee away, laughing breathlessly.

“Hey now, don’t you threaten me with a good time.”

He bounces back onto the pillows, and Jasper drops a crimson throw blanket over Jayk’s crotch with a finishing flourish.

I watch as Jasper rakes his disheveled hair back, exchanging a dark, satisfied look with Lucky. Dumbfounded, I look over at Jayk. Color rides his cheekbones, and the hot, challenging spark in his eyes reminds me of woodland hunts and firefights.

Oh my God, they’re enjoying this.

These ridiculous men are still having fun .

Jayk’s mammoth body pulls against his bonds, testing them, but he hardly moves at all.

“ Fuckers ,” he curses explosively.

Jasper circles him, studying every inch of his handiwork. “Use ‘Red’ if you would like to leave, Jaykob. We’ll remove the ropes. But to be clear, you’ll be placed in the hall with your clothes—Lucien and I will be staying here. With Eden.”

Ah, so it’s still about me, but it’s not really about me. This is part of their pissing contest, and apparently, I’m just the bonus prize.

Lovely.

Jasper stops beside the bed, giving Jayk a genial smile when he doesn’t respond. “Grunt if you understand.”

Jayk’s eyes narrow with predatory rage, but he doesn’t test the ropes again.