Page 48 of The Sun & Her Burn (Impossible Universe Trilogy #2)
They were the kind of men who enjoyed being high-handed if it meant keeping their people safe and happy.
And somehow, I had become their person.
“Speaking of bossy, we need to do something about Miranda,” Sebastian said, a gentle question in his voice. “However you think is best, but something clearly has to change. You are running yourself ragged, trottolina . I know you have an abundance of energy, but even you have your limits.”
“Yes,” I agreed, sagging even more deeply into the old couch. It smelled faintly musty and unpleasant, but the mingled scent of Adam’s and Sebastian’s colognes overtook it. “I guess I’ll have to pick one of the homes for her next week. A lot of them have waiting lists—”
“I’m sure we can figure something out,” Sebastian said silkily, and I knew he meant to use his fame or money to grease the squeaky wheels.
“Actually,” Adam said. “I had a thought about that some time ago. The surprise I teased you about on the phone while I was in New York?” He waited for me to nod that I remembered.
“I had the guesthouse set up for Miranda. There is a private nursing service with three highly qualified aides who have worked with patients who had FTD before. One of them even included end-of-life care.”
He paused to gauge my expression, but I couldn’t be sure of it myself because I was fuzzy with shock.
“You told me you didn’t want to abandon her like everyone else in her life has done,” Adam explained quietly.
“If you aren’t comfortable with having her on the property, that’s perfectly fine.
It just seemed prudent, given that you were supposed to move in soon and, now obviously even sooner, given I will not leave you so vulnerable to the paparazzi.
This house is too exposed, and it could be unsafe for you.
I know you value your independence, and this is ahead of schedule, but—”
Adam Meyers was uncharacteristically babbling because he was nervous I would be cross with him for doing something so unexpectedly lovely I had no words to express my gratitude.
So, instead, I kissed him.
It started as a hard punctuation. An exclamation mark of thanks. But then it morphed into something else as he caught my chin again, tipped my head at a better angle, and softened his lips, coaxing me to do the same.
He hummed into the kiss, stroking into my mouth in a lazy, almost proprietary way that made my thighs clench.
Sebastian stroked his thumb along the ridge of the knuckles on my hand as he held it, as if praising me for kissing Adam.
Between them both, safe and touched with a kind of tender, protective understanding I felt some of the colossal weight I’d been carrying for months ease off my shoulders.
Whatever I was to them, as individuals and a unit, they cared for me, and they didn’t want me to be unhappy or unsafe.
It even seemed, just a little bit, like love.
When Adam pulled away, he cupped my cheek and rubbed his thumb through a tear streak. I hadn’t realized I was crying at any point until then.
“You’d like that?” he confirmed.
“Very much,” I agreed, pressing my hand over his on my face. “Thank you, Adam.”
There was a deep-seated satisfaction in his gaze, an almost smugness. If I hadn’t realized it before, I would have known then that both of these men had the kind of hearts that were happiest taking care of others.
“We’ll move you and Miranda in tomorrow,” he declared, shifting away slightly to dig his phone out of his pocket so he could make the necessary arrangements.
He paused, frowned at something, and then shifted one of my legs so it was draped over his thigh as if he couldn’t bear the fact that we hadn’t been touching anymore.
I swallowed thickly and turned to Sebastian to find his eyes soft as melted butter as they gazed at Adam.
“That’s him,” he said softly to me. “The man I loved.”
I could more than understand why.
“We’ll stay with you tonight,” Adam declared after he sent off a few texts.
“Here?” I asked, eyebrow raised as I gazed around the little living room. “But there’s no spare bedroom. Just my double bed.”
“Not ideal,” Adam agreed, then shared a sly look with Sebastian, something flirtatious and easy that made Sebastian grin. “But I don’t mind sharing with the right crowd.”
“We can finagle something, cara mia ,” Sebastian agreed, winking at Adam. “You leave the setup to us. Why don’t you take a bath or a shower? I’ll see what I can make for dinner in the kitchen, and we can settle in for a little movie marathon.”
I blinked at the two superstars sitting on Miranda’s nineteen eighties velvet couch and wondered dazedly what my life had come to.
“What’s your favourite film?” Adam asked as he stood to take off his blazer, laying it carefully over the back of Miranda’s chair before he set to work unbuttoning his cuffs to roll back his shirt.
He was getting comfortable. Why that was so sexy and profound to me, I couldn’t exactly be sure, but I thought it had something to do with the fact that Adam Meyers never seemed comfortable.
Not unless he was with Seb…and me .
“ Casablanca ,” I admitted, then frowned as Sebastian laughed at me.
“Of course,” he replied to my look and slid a hand under my hair to cup my neck. His eyes were dancing as they swept over my face before lingering on my mouth.
He kissed me, then. Just a soft, open-mouthed press of lips that lasted for a handful of seconds.
But it slid through me like a knife, cutting me to the quick.
I could feel Adam watching with some kind of primal approval and felt Sebastian’s own pleasure against my body. When he pulled back, he got to his feet as if kissing me in front of Adam was an everyday occurrence.
He clapped Adam on the shoulder and grinned, “Let’s get to work.”