Page 17 of Martyr (Sterling Falls Rogues #3)

I didn’t expect the card shark to be Reese Avery.

I glare at his three aces and two jacks.

How does someone with such an innocent face harbor such good cards?

If he wasn’t shirtless—the shirt and his hoodie are the only items of clothing he’s lost so far—I’d accuse him of hiding cards up his sleeves.

We took a while to come to an agreement on the rules. The one with the best hand can either choose to put back on a piece of clothing, or everyone who didn’t fold removes an item. Socks count individually.

I’m a little fuzzy around the edges of my thoughts because I’ve been drinking.

I’m pretty sure that’s against the rules.

Is getting drunk going to mess with my recovery?

But also… I’d be going crazy if I had to survive this night sober.

It’s bad enough that the craving for heroin has once more reared its ugly head. It occupies every other thought.

The only thing saving me is that no one has the drug here. I can’t beg or plead with Kade or Reese or, fuck, even Saint, to give me the syringe. I can’t slip out and go hunt down a drug dealer, because I’m pretty sure all three of them would murder me.

Reese and Kade from disappointment, and Saint just to get away from me.

“Well?” I grit out at Reese.

Saint folded early. He’s been sucking, though, and is down to one sock and his boxers.

Kade still has his jeans and shirt on, and most likely boxers or briefs underneath, but his sweatshirt and both socks are gone.

And me? Oh, I’m preserving my sanity the best I can in my sports bra and panties.

If I win, I’m one hundred percent putting on a sweatshirt. The fire roaring behind us has heated up the cabin, but I’m still chilled.

Reese smirks. “Lose an item, golden girl.”

I narrow my eyes.

Kade coughs, but he doesn’t seem to care about his situation. I mean, he lost with a freaking pair of sevens. Who stays in with a pair of sevens ? He’s still got a shirt to lose, too.

He rises, nonchalant, and unbuttons his jeans. When he lowers them, I gasp. He didn’t go for the obvious clothing choice—but worse: he’s not wearing boxers or briefs.

The thick appendage that hangs between his legs is suddenly out, loud and proud. And, you’re welcome, Saint , pierced.

Reese laughs. “Damn, dude.”

Kade rolls his eyes and sits back down, but his gaze lingers on Saint. His shirt is loose enough to sort of cover him. I just need to stop staring between his legs. And stop staring in general. Or looking. Definitely should not be looking.

Kade Laurent is trouble. I’ve said that since day one.

I shrug out of my sports bra. I set it down beside me and resist the urge to cover my breasts. My nipples pebble, reacting to the cold.

We deal another hand.

“Want to make it more interesting, Hart?” Kade asks.

Saint lifts his shoulder. “What do you have in mind?”

“You lose to me , you lose two items of clothing. No folding.”

I gotta admit, seeing Saint’s tattooed cock next to Kade’s pierced one would be a mental image I’d like to hold on to forever. And use it for my spank bank until I die. My gaze bounces between them like I’m watching a tennis match. Saint considers his cards, then Kade’s face, and finally nods.

He leans forward, stretching his arm across the table, and shakes Kade’s hand.

My cards suck. I toss them in, unwilling to part with my panties.

Saint trades in three cards.

Reese winks at me and asks for one.

Kade takes none.

“Oh, you’re fucked,” I whisper to Saint.

“Shut up.”

Saint reveals a straight with a slow smile. The bastard actually got lucky, which seems like a miracle after he took three cards.

Reese drops his cards on the table. I inch forward and take in his five clubs.

A flush is better than Saint’s straight…

“Let’s see it, Laurent,” Saint says.

Kade puts his cards down, and I immediately laugh.

Of fucking course.

He has a straight flush. The spades seem to laugh up at us, and I focus on Saint.

“You can lose an item, too,” Kade says to Reese.

Reese shrugs and pulls off a sock. He drops it to the cushion beside him and points to Saint. “I think that means you have to get naked.”

“I don’t like this game,” Saint mutters.

Still, he’s not a whiny bitch about it. He yanks his sock off and throws it at Kade, then shimmies out of his boxers. The sight of his tattooed dick flips my stomach, and I fight against the wave of memories of feeling it inside me.

The arousal burns between my legs, and I shift my weight to press my thighs together.

“How about a new game?” Reese asks. “Since you guys have both lost this one.”

I snort. “Like?”

“Truth or dare?”

“A children’s game, then,” Saint says.

Reese just smiles.

“Fine.” I tilt my head at Reese. “Lose your jeans and put us on even footing.”

“Is that a dare?”

“Yeah, it is.”

His smile widens. He rises and removes his sweatpants, then briefs. They’re not the ones he was wearing last night—he’s not in any of the same clothing. And they don’t exactly fit perfectly, which makes me think Kade supplied him with stuff.

How nice of him.

“My turn,” Reese announces. “Saint. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Have you remembered anything else and not told?” Reese asks.

Saint wets his lips. “Just confusing stuff. I don’t know what’s real or not.”

“Like?” Reese prods.

“A kiss.”

I make a noise in the back of my throat, but he’s not looking at me.

He meets Kade’s steady gaze.

Oh, fuck . Oh my God. Why is the idea of that such a turn-on? It shouldn’t be, right? But Saint’s heart has been flayed open time and again, and he struggled with letting me in. Maybe it’s not just me who’s needed to fix him.

Maybe he needs more.

I can’t always be the martyr of this relationship .

I can’t always sacrifice myself over and over hoping that it’ll fix Saint.

The thought hits me like a thunderclap, and I dig my nails into my thighs.

The bit of pain comes through my tipsy haze, and it allows me to hold on to that thought more solidly.

Saint might need more than just me. Even if he fell in love with me on his own… I’m just one person.

The thought scares me a little, because the flip side of the coin is that this is Kade we’re talking about.

I don’t trust him. Like Reese said, he’s not going to kill us.

That doesn’t account for him giving me to Gabriel, and he clearly has no morals when it comes to Sterling Falls.

Does he have morals when it comes to Saint?

Or me now?

“My turn,” Saint continues, oblivious to my line of thinking. “Kade? Truth or dare.”

“Dare.” Kade’s smile is positively wicked.

“If my memory is real…” He grimaces. “Don’t fuck with me. Just prove it.”

Kade nods once. He stands and motions for Saint to do the same.

I scramble to my feet and get out of the way, finding Reese’s side on the couch. He automatically loops his arm around my shoulders.

Saint seems paralyzed. He faces Kade, but some sort of flight response triggers when he gets close. Saint steps away, and Kade follows. Slowly, like a dance, until Saint’s back hits the far wall. He straightens up off it, his brows furrowing.

With a sudden move, Kade shoves Saint back.

I gasp, but Reese’s hand leaves my shoulder and covers my mouth.

Yeah, right. This is important memory time, here.

Still, the thought of this happening at some point, and Saint not mentioning it? The when will be my next question. If I get a next question.

Saint pushes at Kade’s hands, but he shoves harder. He grasps Saint’s hips, pinning him to the wall, and looks down between them.

“Hmm,” Kade murmurs. “Same bodily response.”

Reese brushes my arm with his knuckles. The feeling trails down, to my hip, then inches under my panties.

Fuck .

Saint doesn’t resist it. His eyes are wide when Kade leans in, and Kade places the tiniest, softest of kisses on Saint’s lips.

Once.

Twice.

Reese’s fingers dip inside me, and his other hand holds my jaw closed. The groan that wants to come out is trapped behind my teeth.

When Kade pulls away, Saint follows.

Kade grips Saint’s jaw, catching his motion, and tips his head. He kisses him deeper, their mouths opening. Tongues sliding.

Hot.

Hot, hot, hot.

Reese teases my clit, his fingers featherlight, until I squirm against him. I can’t look away, but I would bet money that he’s hard, too. I tear my gaze off Saint and Kade and twist, throwing my leg over Reese’s lap.

Let them have their moment—I want to chase this one.

Reese immediately leans in and kisses my collarbone. I roll my hips forward, grinding on his erect cock. His knuckles bump me as he fists it, pumping slowly, and when I rise, he runs the tip of it down my center.

I lower, taking him inside me, and exhale shakily. His lips trail to my throat, and my eyes close. His hands are everywhere . On my hips, palming my breasts?—

Another hand drifts between my legs, and my breath stutters. I open my eyes and glance over my shoulder, meeting Kade’s gaze. It’s his hand between my legs, his other on my breast. He pulls at the bar in my nipple, sending tingling pleasure straight through my chest.

He presses on my clit. Pinches it.

“Oh,” I gasp.

Reese takes my chin and redirects my face back toward his. He kisses me hard, his hips rolling to thrust himself deeper inside me. Poor Reese—I hadn’t moved. I lift now, lowering myself. He slides into me easily.

While Kade plays with my clit and my nipple, Reese’s hands move elsewhere. From my throat down the center of my chest, to my hips. Back up, tangling in my braid.

Too soon, the pleasure builds into an unstoppable force. Kade’s patience, Reese’s slow strokes—it’s too much. I gasp into Reese’s mouth, my back arching. Even with closed eyes, I see white for a long moment.

“Worth the wait.” Kade’s lips brush my ear. His breath is warm. He steps back, and cooler air touches my spine.

I hadn’t realized he was so close.

But— Saint . I whip my head around and find Saint leaning against the wall, exactly where Kade left him. His eyes are wide, his lips swollen. His cock stands straight out, and he seems just as shocked as me.

Reese nips my neck. “The vodka has stolen my ability to fuck you properly, golden girl.” He pats my ass.

Carefully, I lift off him. His cock, too, is an angry red. It’s wet from my arousal, but he ignores it to help me to my feet.

“Artemis will take my room,” Kade says. He’s already dragging his jeans back into place. “Saint and Reese, double up in the spare room. I’ll take the couch.”

That seems to kick everyone into motion. Everyone except me anyway. My mind seems to have fractured from the climax—brought on with an astounding assist by Kade.

Saint comes over and grabs his clothes, turning away to get dressed. Reese seems less concerned, although he follows Saint down the hall, and I’m left with Kade.

He holds out his sweatshirt.

I debate for a second, then take it from him. The warm, heavy fabric swamps me, and I sneak a deep inhale before my head pops out. The hem hits me mid-thigh. My panties are still in place—funny how that happened. How all that happened with the center strip shifted a bit to the side…

“This doesn’t change anything,” I finally say. “I still don’t trust you.”

“Good.” He shakes his head. “I have lies built on ulterior motives, Tem. You shouldn’t trust me.”

A chill sweeps through me.

I point to his shirt. “You did all of that without taking it off.”

“Yeah.”

“You took off your jeans, knowing you weren’t wearing underwear, before your shirt.”

His chin rises.

It hits me— the tattoo . I choke on my laugh. The tattoo on his chest, in a very similar position to mine, was done by the one and only Saint Hart. That would be a clear indication to Saint about their relationship.

“He’s going to see it eventually.”

His dark eyes bore into mine. “How did he react when he saw yours?”

I suck my lower lip between my teeth. “Well, I was hypothermic from him shoving me into the ocean. So I don’t think we even talked about it.”

His eyebrows hike. “Excuse me?”

“Saint and I do not get along.” I pick at my nails. I feel a little more naked than usual right this very second, admitting that to him. “It was a long year before you and Reese came around.”

He doesn’t say anything for so long, I figure that’s the end of it. I shake my head and turn to go to bed. My thoughts are still fuzzy around the edges. Just enough to guarantee nightmares.

“You’ll get him back.”

My shoulders inch higher.

Behind me, Kade sighs. “You will, Tem. He’ll come back to you.”

I roll out the tension and glance back. “Didn’t know you were an optimist, Kade. In Sterling Falls—and Isle of Paradise—that’s foolish-adjacent.”

Almost as foolish as hoping Lyssa will wake up .