Page 130 of Gilded Locks

“You better not be,” Ash admonished.

“I’m only trying to say thank you.”

Stone kissed her softly, gracefully accepting her gratitude as long as she accepted their gestures of love. “You’re welcome.”

Ash, not one to be outdone, pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeper.

Stone crowded her back, pulling loose the towel to run his fingers over her bare hips. “I can’t wait to get inside of you.” He pulled her hand to the bulge at his crotch. “Tonight can’t come fast enough.”

Marigold twisted out of their grip and covered herself with the towel. “Soon.” Seeing both of them in her room made Hunter’s absence that much more palpable. “Is he still angry?”

“More so…resigned.”

She hated disappointing any of them. “Maybe I’m making a mistake?—”

“No,” they both said at once.

Ash took her hands, kissing her fingers. “You want this. We want this. Deep down, Hunter wants to fulfill your every desire. He just can’t bear the thought of you in pain.”

The pain was the most challenging part to imagine. “How bad will it hurt?”

Stone nudged Ash out of his way so he could frame her face and look into her eyes. “We have ways to manage the pain, Zayka. In Russia, we have a saying—Chto dayotsya legko, ne imeyet vesa—what comes too easily holds no weight.”

“He’s right. Pain is the price that transforms a simple act into a sacrament. Without the ache, without the burn, it’s merely touch. But with it?”

“Every mark becomes scripture written on your skin.” Stone dragged her hand over his face, where a jagged scar disrupted his beauty. “It’s a permanent reminder of what you were willing to sacrifice.”

She shivered with a mixture of fear and excitement. “I’d give you anything,” she whispered, leaning into his strength, and he wrapped her in the shelter of his arms.

Stone placed a gentle kiss on her head and whispered, “The body remembers what costs us most. We will remember as well.”

Dinner was served in the private family dining room, an intimate, candlelit space with a table that seated exactly four. The food was exquisite, but she barely tasted it. She was too aware of the three men watching her every movement, their eyes tracking each bite, each sip of wine, each gesture.

“You’re staring,” she said finally.

“We’re memorizing,” Hunter corrected. “The way you look right now, in our home, wearing that necklace—our mark. It’s enough, Lisichka.”

She glanced nervously at Stone and Ash, but this was her battle to fight, not theirs. Her choice. “Hunter, please don’t be upset with me.”

“I’m not upset with you. But you can’t blame me for wanting to save you a moment’s pain.”

“One moment to make a permanent statement.”

“The necklace is a statement.”

“And it’s beautiful,” she agreed. “But I want this too, Hunter. Please don’t refuse me.”

Reluctance battled in his eyes, but he could deny her nothing.

She moved from her seat to his lap, wreathing her arms around his neck so she could lay her head on his broad shoulders. Beneath all that hard muscle hid softness at his core.

“Please let me have this,” She whispered. “I don’t want it if it comes without your blessing.”

Pressing his lips to her brow, he sighed. “Your choice, as always. You have my blessing.”

“Thank you, my love.” She smiled.

“Tomorrow you might not look so kindly at us,” Stone teased.