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I blow a raspberry, resting my head back on his shoulder and peering up at his face. “I’m not sure where to even start with Oscar. I think I’m still harboring a grudge that he didn’t run away to raise me and left me to fend for myself without a damn clue about who or what I was.”

“And if you don’t want a relationship with your grandfather, that’s completely fine.

But you have the choice . You may not have gotten a choice in how your life started, but you get to decide what it looks like now.

Your future is in your hands, and you have four mates that’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.

Because it may be twenty-six years late, but you are loved. And very much wanted.”

Blinking back tears, I kiss the side of his neck and recline against him, surrendering completely. Because Myles? He’ll never let me drown.

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he reclines against the side of the tub, tracing maddeningly slow circles on my skin.

“Do you think Kiara will be okay staying on her own? I know you and Bellamy rigged her place with that security system, and we’re right across the street if she needs anything, but it sort of feels like we’re abandoning her right after I promised we’d look out for her.”

He hesitates for only a fraction of a second.

“I think… that Vic may be a touchy subject because of whatever went down between them before he brought her back, but he had the same crazy possessive, stalkerish glint in his eyes as Arson. Like pseudo-father, like son. He’ll keep Kiara safe.

And if he fails? She has us to fall back on.

You just need to worry about signing Dane’s contract and whatever you want to choose for your next project.

Let us handle everything else. You have four mates for a reason; so we can make your life better, not harder. ”

He toys with the ends of my hair. “She’s your first real friend, right?

” My cheeks heat, but I nod. If anyone understands that touchy subject, it’s Myles.

“So let us worry about keeping the two of you safe,” he commands.

“Have her over for some wine and talk shit about your mates. Heck, just hang out and get to know each other better. Go shopping, or to lunch. It’s up to us to make sure you’re safe to enjoy your life. ”

“You guys are the best thing that ever happened to me, you know that?” I spin around to face him, straddling his lap. “You showed up when I didn’t even realize how much I needed you. I,” swallowing my nerves, I choke out, “I love you too. So much that it scares me.”

His gaze softens as he cups my face. “Ever, I don’t think you realized how much we needed you .”

He tugs me into a fierce kiss, my nails digging into his shoulders as he steals the breath from my lungs, encouraging me to rock my hips against him with every roll of his tongue against mine.

When I’m about to say fuck it with all this teasing and impale myself on his monster cock, he breaks the kiss.

“Did you,” he clears his throat uncomfortably, “did you really mean what you said before? That you’d try anything once?”

Awe shit, he’s into feet or something. I knew this was too good to be true.

Calm down, Ev. So you have to dip your feet in pudding and awkwardly jerk off your mate’s massive cock; small price to pay for somebody that thinks the sun shines out your ass. You’ve never turned down a challenge before, not about to start now.

“Yeah, I’m game,” I say casually, feigning nonchalance. “What’d you have in mind?”

Biting his lip, he skims his hands down my sides, rocking his hips up almost involuntarily to grind against me. “How would you feel about some company?”

I raise an eyebrow. After what happened in the mimic compound, I think it’s clear I’m not opposed.

Almost as if he can read my mind, he admits, “After that night, I started wondering about some of the possibilities and have been doing some… research.”

“Why Myles, have you been watching porn ? Gangbang porn no less?” I tease.

The tips of his ears turn scarlet, but he holds my gaze, refusing to shy away.

“You have four mates, of course I fantasize about the possibilities. Honestly, I bookmarked a few just because I’m not sure how some of those positions are even physically possible.

Seeing as I want to keep sleeping with you, research was absolutely necessary. ”

A massive grin splits my face. “I’m not opposed; clearly. What did you have in mind that you wanted to try?”

“Pick one of the others, then simply trust me to take care of everything.”

“Okay,” I challenge, unable to resist seeing how far he’s willing to go out of his comfort zone. “Your brother.”

His fingers dig into my hips for a brief second before he accepts my challenge. “Alright.” One arm locked around my waist, he leans out of the bath to grab his phone, calling him. “Hey, come upstairs.” Without explaining a thing, he ends the call.

Boys, I swear. They’re the worst at communicating.

Arson arrives in record speed, knife in hand and scanning the room with a glower. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I cut in, feeling guilty when everyone’s on edge to accidentally make him think there was a threat. “I was just wondering…”

This may have started off as a challenge, but I’m starting to realize that my subconscious was hung up on something I didn’t even want to admit to myself. Wetting my lips, I blow out a heavy breath, taking the bull by the horns. “Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”

Arson startles, eyes widening in panic. “What?”

“Never mind, it was stupid,” I hastily backtrack, reaching past Myles for a towel. “Forget I said anything.”

Shadowy tendrils explode from him, engulfing the bathroom in writhing, inky darkness. And there, standing in the center, is a dumbstruck Arson, fists clenching and unclenching.

Wrapping myself in the towel, I bite my lip. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have expected-”

I never get to finish my sentence. Arson doesn’t just move, he pounces, pinning me against the floor .

I’m not even sure where he ends and I begin.

Every single inch of exposed skin is covered in him.

His hands, his shadows, his lips. He slides down my body and presses a tender kiss to my inner ankle.

“ Never apologize,” he growls, the vibration sending a shiver through my spine.

His lips move upward, kissing a path up my legs.

“You’re the only one that’s treated me like a person and not just a monster.

” Shoving the towel aside, he kisses the hollow of my hip, flicking his tongue over it before peppering kisses over my entire stomach and nipping at my sides.

“You were never afraid of me,” he murmurs against my skin, nuzzling beneath my breasts and continuing a path up the valley between them. “And I never wanted you to be.”

I trace the scarred X on his cheek and he closes his eyes, leaning into my touch.

“It’s because I’m a coward,” he admits in a barely audible whisper.

“I’m your right hand man, remember? No matter how that looks.

And since the day I broke and pulled you out of the shower to come on my face, you haven’t given me any indication that you wanted a repeat performance.

I was worried you regretted it, but was too afraid of the answer to ask. ”

Fuck.

Fuck.

I messed up. Royally. How did I not connect the dots before now?

Because I’ve had one foot out the door from the beginning, waiting for them to hurt me or let me down so I had an excuse to leave without it being my fault. I put too many expectations on them without holding myself to the same standards.

Threading my fingers through his dark hair, I urge him closer and kiss the brutal mark carved into his cheek. “I could never regret you.” Gently turning his face, I kiss each and every scar, ending at the corner of his lips. “Trust me, I’m very interested.”

With a tortured groan, he turns, finally crushing his lips against mine.

And it’s like coming home… if your home was on fire and you were too horny to give a shit.

Arson kisses me with reckless abandon, throwing his entire self into the kiss.

With every roll of his tongue and bruise from his fingers digging into my hips, he marks me as his.

Blocking out the rest of the world so I can only focus on the way he sets my body on fire and the way he grinds against me, a shield against anything that dares to tear us apart.

When he reluctantly pulls away, it’s to rest his forehead against mine, panting. Eyes dilated, he murmurs, “I never realized what I was missing.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He presses a chaste kiss to my lips. “Do you really think anyone wanted to kiss me before, angel? I’m a monster, a murderer for hire. We don’t get soft touches and sweet things.”

My heart threatens to crack. “You do now. All of them. Whenever you want.”

A devastating grin takes over his face. “You might regret that. Now that I’ve had a taste of you, how can I ever stop?”

Myles runs his knuckles tenderly down my jaw. “I’m glad you feel that way. Because I called you up here to help me show our girl the benefits of letting her mates take care of her.”

Before I can blink, Myles lifts me from the floor, and Arson uses a towel to wring out my hair. In a few long strides, Myles takes us to my room, lowering me to the bed and tossing the scrap of fabric around his waist in the general direction of the mess we left on the tiled floor.

Myles wastes no time dropping his head to lave at my breasts, rolling his tongue around my nipple.

Biting back a groan, I arch into his mouth as Arson skims his hands over my collarbone, down my chest, and teasing my other breast. The two of them work in tandem.

Every time Myles switches breasts, Arson adjusts in kind, teasing the other nipple until I’m a writhing puddle of need trapped between the two of them.