Page 13

13

Brianna

I nky black waves crashed against the shore, spraying salty droplets into the air. It was the first time Bri had been down to the secluded cove beneath the property, jagged cliffs curling around them on either side as though to protect them from the outside world. Indeed, it could only be accessed by the long path down from the house—their own perfect piece of the universe.

“And I thought we grew up in a nice house.” Sitting on the sun lounger next to her, Reina’s voice tinkled with thin amusement.

“Right? I got lost on my way to my freaking garage the other day.” Bri felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck; they were being watched. She glanced upwards, finding Roman and Koa leaning over the balcony. “Koa didn’t feel like taking a night off, huh?”

Reina shrugged, but Bri spied the edge of a smile tugging at her lips. “He’s protective.”

“I’m sure. How are things at home with Mom?”

Reina’s throat worked in a thick swallow, hesitating for long seconds before replying. “Mom is making me her second-in-command.”

“ Oh .” Bri sat up straight, forgetting about looking over her shoulder to see which one was watching them. “Congratulations! That’s all you’ve ever wanted. Wait, does that mean Mom is stepping down?” She didn’t know quite how it worked with the Syndicate leadership, never having entered the organisation.

“No,” Reina said faintly, fiddling with a loose thread on her shorts. “It just means she’s allowing me to shadow her to ensure a smooth leadership transition if and when the day comes.”

Somewhere above them, a gull squawked into the darkness, followed by a dim humming noise reminiscent of a distant swarm of bees.

“You… you don’t sound happy about it.” Reina had always wanted to slip into Mom’s shoes one day. It was a goal she’d strived towards for as long as Bri could remember.

And yet I’ve never seen her look so miserable.

“Why did you never want to join the Syndicate?” Reina’s question was a whisper on the tide, almost too soft to hear.

She blinked. It was the last thing she’d expected her sister to say. Bri bit her lip, thinking hard, before finally lifting her shoulders in a loose shrug. “To begin with, I think I did. But I could never measure up against you. Eventually, I didn’t bother trying anymore.” Wrapping her arms around her knees, Bri loosened a long breath. She’s a better crime boss than a mother.

“You were always so strong. So independent.” Reina’s brow was marred with uncertainty. “I’m sorry you had to be.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault. If you’d lorded it over me then perhaps I would be angry at you, but I’m not. We were both children, and we’ve certainly always been in the same boat when dealing with Mom.” Bri reached out with a comforting hand. “I’ve never seen you like this. Has something happened?”

Shaking her head, Reina squeezed her hand in return. “Sometimes I wish I had been more like you.”

The admission was bittersweet—but Bri had one of her own. “For a long time, I wished I could be more like you.”

Sadness permeated the silent air between them. Neither of them had come away from their childhood unscathed. At least we have each other. Who else would be able to understand the impossible standards Mom set for them? Or the bottomless pool of disdain when they failed to meet them?

Bri couldn’t have said how long they sat on the sun loungers for, their hands sealed tight, watching the ocean’s rhythm beat against the sand, the distant buzzing never quite stopping. She wondered if Reina was re-examining their upbringing like she was, replaying every moment Mom had tried to pit them against each other like boxers in the ring—never realising that the only enemy the two of them faced was herself. Their own mother.

Her eyes had long since closed when Reina broke the silence with a frantic announcement. “Shit, I need to leave.”

“What’s wrong?” Bri asked, rubbing the bleariness from her eyes. The moon had come into view over the house, trickling silver light down onto them.

“Mom says it’s an emergency.” Reina glanced upwards to where Koa and Roman leant on the balcony, her feet slipping through the sand as she made for the long path up to the house. “There’s been another Wraith attack.”

Bri followed her, spying Aldous’s silhouette leaning over the balcony as well. Had they all been watching them the entire time she and Reina had been down there? Movement in the corner of her eye snatched up her attention. With every step they took, something shadowed them. Something high up in the air, humming in the darkness.

“Is that a drone?” Reina asked, blocking out the moon with one hand.

Bri snorted. “Roman’s probably showing off his toys to Koa.”

By the time she reached the pretty terrace overlooking the sea, her calves were screaming at her for relief.

Reina didn’t give her a second to breathe, pulling her into a tight hug that constricted her heaving lungs even further. “I’ll speak to you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed, catching sight of Aldous sitting in the corner. Had she not seen him earlier he would have blended into the shadows with ease. She herded Reina through the blindingly bright house, jogging slightly to catch up with her and squinting her eyes at the sudden illumination. “Please be careful out there.”

Her sister let out an exasperated sigh. “I know.”

Opening the front door, Bri tugged at Reina’s hand. “You can always leave,” she murmured, her pleading gaze flickering between her eyes. “I’ll help you. You don’t have to follow her anymore. Not if you don’t want to.”

At that, Reina let out a small, sad laugh. “The Syndicate is for life.” She stepped onto the driveway with a shrug, the distance opening up between them. “I’ll just have to live vicariously through you.”

Bri waved her off, a curious sense of melancholy rooting her to the spot as Reina’s car was swallowed up by the darkness beyond the driveway’s gates. She made her way back into the house, her gaze falling into the abyss of grief. How different would their lives have been if her mother had been normal ?

Aldous met her in the living room, perching on the back of the sofa with a concerned frown. Just the sight of him soothed her, the reminder that she wasn’t alone. Not like Reina. “What can I do to help?”

How did I get so lucky? “That drone was Roman showing off, right?”

Aldous nodded. “He’s just putting it away. I preferred to watch you with my own eyes.” His head cocked to the side, his voice almost taunting. “And it hasn’t been all night. Two hours at most. You were asleep for most of it.”

Oh. Avoiding his eye, she gave him a shrug. “I fall asleep easy. Always have.”

“Must be nice.” Aldous stepped closer, his eerily perceptive gaze travelling straight through her. “You’re not happy.”

“I can’t protect my sister from my mom.” The edge of her lip twitched in a half-hearted attempt at a smile. “I feel guilty at my comparative freedom.”

“Comparative?” Her husband’s eyebrow hitched up. “Do I make you feel trapped?”

“I meant freedom from my mother,” she retorted, a tart edge to her voice. She took a deliberate step closer, elated when he didn’t retreat. “I find I’m quite pleased with your treatment of me.”

Aldous’s eyes filled with a kind of intensity she’d only seen in the records room. “Only quite pleased?” He bent closer, desire curling around every syllable, his lips less than an inch from hers. “Have I been remiss in my duty to satisfy you, love?”

With anyone else, Bri would have bridged the distance between them without a second glance. She’d have sunk her nails into his hair and held on for dear life, waiting to be whisked off to the nearest bedroom.

With Aldous, though, she knew caution was needed.

She let her eyes travel down to his lips, wondering just how they would feel against hers. Were they as soft as they looked? Men shouldn’t have lips that enticing, dammit. “I won’t hold it against you,” she smirked, letting him edge closer.

Bri jumped when she felt something touch her wrist—his hand, his sturdy fingers circling it with ease. A muscle in her forehead twitched with confusion, but she offered no protest, letting him lift her hand higher, to whatever destination he had in mind. It was only the second time he’d freely offered his touch whilst she’d been conscious, a fleeting glimpse of his vulnerability.

Aldous let his gaze shutter, and for a brief moment she thought he was going to kiss her.

Instead, he placed her open palm against his chest—over his heart. Heat was the first thing she registered, quickly followed by peculiarity. Beneath the fabric of his shirt lay areas of raised, uneven skin. Was it a birthmark? Or scars, perhaps? Not wanting him to recoil, Bri cut off her expressions from her emotions, refusing to let the slightest sign of confusion reach her face.

Aldous’s heartbeat was frantic, making her realise just how much this was costing him. “What a relief.” Humour lingered on the edge of his rasp. “It’s good to know my wife is so… forgiving.”

“Aldous,” Bri whispered, spreading her fingers against his chest, savouring every inch of contact. Had he moved closer? His eyes were a furnace of need, heating her blood. “Will you ki—?”

Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs, raining a hailstorm of noise down upon them. Aldous was the first to move, quickly putting her at a respectable distance once more.

Jasmine reached the bottom first, her spotted tail wagging enthusiastically and her teeth on show, courtesy of her characteristic smile. Bri greeted her like the queen she was, realising her lungs were burning slightly. She’d been taking shallow breaths so as not to startle her husband, not when he was finally opening up.

Bri raised her head as Roman’s sturdy boots hit the bottom step. “I heard you were spying on me.” She pursed her lips to the side, doing her best to keep her voice even—to not sound as though she had been seconds away from begging Aldous to kiss her. “With your drone.”

“Your sister’s neck deep in the torrent of shit that is the Syndicate. I’m just doing my job,” Roman replied, wholly unapologetic.

“I don’t need protecting from my sister .” Reina may be in the Syndicate, but she’d never hurt anyone.

“A quarter of all murders are committed by family members, patootie.” Roman flopped onto the couch, kicking his boots onto the pouffe and lifting his scarred brow in warning. “Speaking of which, I received a text.”

Bri blinked, sharing a confused glance with Aldous.

“You’ll be interested in this one.” Light landed on Roman’s skin as he unlocked his phone. “Do you remember that woman we met in Mexico? The one who lived at the address your hag of a mother gave us.”

She almost choked on her own excitement. “Yes?”

Roman cleared his throat, ready for his monologue. “My father is back from Cabo Fan Lucas,” he read, his eyes flicking across the words. “All he can remember is that before he bought the property, it was owned by a man named Jose.”

“Jose,” Bri sounded the name aloud, thinking back on their time in the records room—when they’d been researching, rather than their tabletop exploits. “So the J in J. Hernández Sr stands for Jose?”

Aldous’s head suddenly jerked in her direction. “And if he’s a senior, then presumably there’s a son also called Jose.”

A delicate, tentative smile travelled across her features. Where her father was concerned, she’d desperately clambered for any knowledge of him. Who was he? What did he look like? Was he kind? Did they share any features?

They had honed in on a piece of knowledge. Jose Hernández, be he junior or senior. It was a tiny piece of the puzzle that was her father, scattered in the wind. For the first time, however, she had something tangible to grasp—and with it she saw the faint glimmer of hope .

“Happy now?” Bri swallowed her epilepsy medication, doing her darndest not to let it get caught in her throat. For whatever reason, she’d always been spectacularly bad at swallowing pills.

Aldous took the glass she handed back to him, letting his fingers brush over hers. Just enough to be deliberate. His touch lingered on her skin, sending shivers of excitement to the very tips of her toes. “Ecstatic,” he replied, expressionless. He sat in his preferred seat beneath the umbrella, his laptop awaiting him—apparently overflowing with emails from the board at Alpine Ridge. “I’d prefer if you didn’t have another seizure.”

Reclining in the poolside cabana, she turned her head towards him, enjoying the refreshing breeze threading its fingers through her hair. “I took it a half hour late. It’s not a capital offence.”

His gaze sauntered down to her mouth, but he made no effort to hide it. “Do excuse me for wanting to keep my wife alive and well.”

“I think he just likes bossing you around, personally,” Roman provided helpfully, coming to perch next to her on the bed in the cabana as a purple pool float drifted in the pool. A violet shroud covered their surroundings as the light passed through it, ebbing and flowing with the water. “I just spoke to Dex. He thinks he might have a lead on the correct Jose Hernández, but he’ll tell us more at dinner tomorrow. He’s still got some checks to do.”

It was all Bri could do not to kick her feet in excitement. “Thank you,” she squealed, throwing her arms around Roman’s broad shoulders and squeezing as tight as she could.

“Careful.” His lips brushed against her ear, his voice intertwined with mischief. “We wouldn’t want your husband to get jealous now, would we?”

Bri pulled back to see Aldous watching them with the same predatorial focus as in the records room, hands poised over the keyboard. Everything about him was so contained , so measured—but with one glance the savage need that he usually kept hidden was revealed.

“Considering your last encounter was… interrupted ,” Aldous began, tilting his head to the side as his lip curled. There was amusement laced into his tone, low and dangerous. “I believe Brianna is owed something from you, Roman.”

She exhaled slowly as his meaning washed over her, sending shivers down her spine.

Roman flashed her a cocky smirk, his gaze sliding over her body—but there was a question there too. He voiced it a moment later, faintly enough that she doubted Aldous could hear. “Yes… or no?”

Shifting her thighs, it didn’t take her long to arrive at her answer. “Yes.”

He struck quicker than she would have believed, charging through the distance between them to seize her lips in a devastating kiss. Bri let out a hum of surprise, but he seized that too, licking into her mouth to plunder her taste and groan out his satisfaction.

That noise alone was enough to have her thighs sliding together once more, but the movement didn’t escape the hitman looming over her. “Can I take this off?” he murmured, tapping her dress before moving the kiss down to her neck, his stubbled scraping against her sensitive skin. Another layer of sensation that had her gasping for more.

At first, she was just going to nod—but then she saw Aldous in her periphery. Always watching, always wanting. “What do you want us to do?” she asked softly, drinking in the lust in his expression.

Her husband smirked, spearing her with his fiery gaze. “Remove your clothes.”

Roman hummed out a laugh against her neck, his hands sliding around to unzip her dress. She lifted her hips to allow him to whip it over her head, but slapped his hands away when he went to undo her bra.

Aldous may have only wished to see her naked, but Bri had wishes of her own. She tugged Roman’s shirt over his head, revealing the muscles flexing and shifting beneath. Letting out a hushed exhale of arousal, Bri bit her lip as her hands traversed his torso, widening her fingers to touch every inch.

“The first time I saw you, I was surprised by how few scars you had,” she whispered, her touch skimming down to where the sharp lines of his hips directed her gaze lower still. “For a mercenary.”

Roman bit out a bite of laughter. “Did you expect me to be riddled with bullet holes like Swiss cheese?” he suggested, manoeuvring onto his knees and slotting himself in between her legs.

She shrugged, heat building beneath her navel at the feel of his hips between hers. “Something like that.”

“I wear body armour underneath my clothes. It takes most of the hits for me.”

“Except for your eye.”

Roman’s scarred eyebrow hitched, his lips curving in sardonic amusement. “Yes, they were rude enough not to aim at my armour in that case—but I have a couple of scars here and there.” He tapped the three gnarled circular scars peppering his chest before looming over her, until his broad shoulders engulfed her entirely. “Are you disappointed I’m not covered in battle scars?”

“I said,” a snarl came from the table over to the right. Aldous’s nostrils flared in his anger. “ Remove your clothes.”

“Yes, sir ,” Roman quipped.

Bri caught the flare in Aldous’s amber eyes, a fiery fortress lurking within. She had seen the full range of his emotions over the past couple of weeks. Panicked to angry to scared to lustful, but the way he looked at Roman was different. There was something more there—she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Have I ever told you your husband is shockingly bad-tempered?” Roman whispered against her lips, his hands slipping around to undo her bra.

She sucked in a breath as her bra moved against her nipples. Already they had narrowed into tight little points, wanton and eager for touch. “You might have mentioned it once or twice.”

As Roman rid her of her bra, Aldous stood.

Half of her wilted beneath their combined gazes, but the other half bloomed. To have two men staring down at her like this, tightly leashed desire burning in their eyes. Roman still had his pants on, but Aldous was fully clothed.

And Bri? She wore nothing but a lacy pair of panties.

It was single-handedly the most arousing, powerless moment of her life.

“Get rid of those too.” Aldous’s voice was as sharp as his focus.

Bri whimpered.

Roman didn’t hesitate to obey, violently tearing away her panties. Cool air met her damp flesh. She instinctively tried to close her legs, to conceal just how aroused she was, but Roman forced them open. “Is your wife to your liking?”

She shouldn’t be aroused by this. She shouldn’t be aroused by the two of them talking above her as if she was a fucking object , but the ache between her legs was palpable. Her nipples were desperate for touch. All it would take now was a strong gust of air against her clit and she would fall apart.

Aldous’s eyes raked across her naked skin, making the ache between her legs even more pronounced. There was an intense look on his face—of possession, of lust, of need . “She’s exquisite.”

Her hips moved of their own accord, desperate for stimulation. “Aldous,” she choked. “Roman. Please.”

Roman placed his hands on the insides of her knee, spreading her legs wider, until she was so exposed, she blushed.

Aldous’s lips curved in a dark smile, eyes dipping to her pussy. “You like it when we talk about you, don’t you?” His voice was velvety smooth.

She did. She liked it much, much more than she should have. They talked about her as if she was some sacred treasure, her heart pounding all the while. There was a thrill in the vulnerability of it all.

Roman knelt before her, the shadows of the thin veil of fabric above them protecting his skin from the worst of the sun’s rays. Enchanting her with a brief smirk, he seized her lips, licking into her mouth. She whimpered at the sudden roughness, surprised to find that it only made her more eager for what came next—whatever it would be.

She gasped as he moved his kiss downwards, her arousal immediately spiking. He trailed a leisurely path to her breasts. Bri arched back on instinct, sighing at the feeling of being touched after she’d spent her entire life being starved for it. He teased her to begin with, sliding his fingers over her pebbled nipples as he dotted kisses around them.

When Bri made eye contact with Aldous, whose attention was solely directed at the two of them, Roman struck. She gasped out a full-bodied, edacious moan at the feel of his hot, wet mouth around her achingly sensitive flesh—and another as he plucked her other nipple simultaneously.

Bri tunnelled her fingers into his dark hair, holding him closer to her breast. But just as she grasped him, he moved away. His lips moved against her ribs—and then her stomach. Layers of anticipation quivered through her with every inch he descended.

This has to be a dream.

The mattress depressed as Aldous knelt onto it, edging ever closer. He held himself up on one elbow, stretching his long body out next to hers. Closer than it ever had been before. Lust shadowed his amber eyes as they prowled up and down her flesh, eagerly consuming the sight before him.

The heat of Roman’s breath was all the warning she received before he descended.

His tongue swept into the pleats between her legs, parting them so slowly it was almost unbearable. The rumble of his groan travelled through her, increasing the anticipation ever higher.

Bri quaked when he reached her clit, a shocked cry escaping her throat before she could stop it. Another quickly followed, and she accepted that trying to remain quiet was a losing battle. The fingers in Roman’s hair tightened as he licked and swirled his tongue around her clit, dragging his tongue down to her entrance before making the climb once more.

Her hips arched as burning hot pleasure began to build below her navel, seizing control of her very core. Closing her eyes at the onslaught, she tugged onto Roman’s hair, trembling when she felt his touch edging around her entrance.

“ Yes ,” she moaned. Every moment he touched her drove her towards the climax she so desperately needed. “I need more.”

Her eyes flew open when a large hand quested across her cheek to settle against her jaw.

Aldous.

Bri sucked in a breath, stunned, but the gentle rasp of Roman’s stubble between her legs ensured she didn’t stay that way for long. His tongue was ever-present against her clit, breaking through any hold she had over her self-control. “Roman,” she cried, her spine curving as he sucked her needy clit, his flattened tongue laving at her sensitive flesh.

“That’s it, love,” Aldous whispered, coming closer still, until his lips were against hers and her dam was about to break. Those rich honeycomb eyes flicked down to her mouth. “We want to see you shatter .”

“I need you,” she whimpered, fissures shooting out in all directions. She couldn’t hold on for much longer. Being touched was everything she hoped it would be. “I need you both.”

With a growl, Roman slid his fingers inside her, the tremors of her release already starting.

A half second before it broke, Aldous’s lips crashed into hers. Scorching hot sensation coursed through her veins. Bri moaned as Aldous licked into her kiss, taking everything she had to give. She slid her free hand into his hair, revelling in the fact that he was finally letting her touch him, that he finally trusted her enough to allow it.

Between the two of them, Roman and Aldous had taken her body hostage, pouring pleasure into her until all she could do was scream. With one hand in Roman’s hair and the other in Aldous’s, Bri did her best to stay afloat, to not let the wave of ecstasy sweep her out to sea.

With a shuddered gasp, Bri lay her head back on the bed. Her climax had left her exhausted, relaxing in a thick soup of contentment, where her every move was slow and sedate.

Her hand fell from Roman’s hair as he rose above her, his expression one of unadulterated masculine pride. He snagged her discarded dress and, with a smirk, wiped the excess wetness from his jaw. “Have I repaid the debt, do you think?”

It took Bri a moment to realise what he spoke of. With the post-orgasm fog lifting from her brain, she let a flirtatious air linger in her voice. “What happens if I say no?”

Roman’s scarred eyebrow jumped up. “Then I shall endeavour to improve on my performance.”

At that very point in time, it wasn’t his performance that concerned her. Her gaze caught on the prominent erection outlined against his black pants.

“If there’s something you’d like to see,” Roman began, “all you need to do is ask.”

Was she… allowed? After all was said and done, Aldous was still her husband. Everything she and Roman had done so far placed her on the receiving end and him firmly on the giving end.

Movement next to her had her turning to see Aldous sitting upright, settling against the mound of cushions at the head of the bed, each more expensive than the last.

“Can I?” she whispered, as though Roman couldn’t hear every word of the conversation.

His golden eyes hooded with lust, Aldous nodded.

Sitting up, Bri bit her lip. She knew exactly what she wanted, but the answer lay with Roman. “What do you want me to do?”

His fingers weaved into her hair. It was just a gentle caress at first, but then they locked in at her scalp. “Take out my cock.”

Aldous sucked in a breath.

Her hands flew to the chunky, black leather of Roman’s belt—and the bulge beneath. The metal clasp clinked as she slid it from its hold, before tugging down the material beneath. The unyielding length beneath sprung upwards, hot and veined and demanding.

Bri didn’t know where to look. Every part of the man standing before her was perfection in its own right. The dark smile. The scarred eye. The broad shoulders. The strength hidden in the muscles of his torso. The thickness of his cock. Even his freaking scar was attractive, damn him.

And all of it together?

Dear god, how can this man be standing before me?

Bri wrapped her hand around Roman’s cock, giving him an exploratory stroke. He was searing hot in her hand, the red tip copiously weeping droplets of arousal, as though it wanted to tempt her closer.

Roman opened his mouth, but it was Aldous who spoke first. “Take him in your mouth,” he commanded, his voice unusually deep.

She obeyed.

Roman’s salty taste exploded on her tongue as she traced wet circles around the crown of his cock. A hiss of pleasure from above momentarily stole her focus, but she soon returned to mapping his erection with her tongue.

She took her time, chasing the trickle of arousal down his length, trailing kisses along every inch, finding that he liked when she flicked her tongue against the little divot on the underside of the head the most. “Can I touch you here?” she asked, her fingers hovering near the sac drawn up beneath his cock.

Roman’s right hand caressed her hair, but his left hung at his side—giving Aldous a clear view of what she was doing. “Only if you want me to come in your mouth.”

Bri turned to her husband. If she hadn’t known otherwise, she would have thought he was angry. But it didn’t take her long to see the truth beneath his hooded eyes and clenched jaw; he was furiously, undeniably, overwhelmingly turned on. “What do you think, husband? Should he come on my tongue?”

The corner of Aldous’s lips edged up in a sly smile. He nodded.

Brimming with newfound confidence, she took him deeper into his mouth, adoring the groans that left him.

“Look at me,” Roman rasped, watching her descend further with every stroke. His throat bobbed. “Look at me while you suck my cock, Bri.”

Bri couldn’t tear her eyes off him. She’d heard her friends at college complaining about giving head, but, god, now that she’d experienced it, she didn’t think she’d be able to live without it. She drank down his gasps and grunts, swallowing his taste all the while.

With every stroke, she took him deeper, sliding his leaking shaft along her tongue until it hit the back of her throat. Her gag reflex kicked in, but Roman’s reactions were quicker than hers. He pulled his length from her mouth, looking down at her with a concerned look on his face. “You okay?”

Panting, she nodded, reaching for him like a spoiled child. “I can go again.”

“You can, but you don’t have to. Not that I don’t love your enthusiasm, but people generally don’t deepthroat on their first rodeo, cutie. Concentrate on the head for now, all right? Use your hand to work the shaft if you must.”

Mollified, she curled her fingers around the base of his cock, twirling an exaggerated, sloppy lick over the crown. “I must.”

“Learn his cock before you try and swallow it,” Aldous rasped, his eyes pools of fiery hunger. “I can promise you we’ll both enjoy watching.”

There was something more lingering in his gaze as it flicked between her and Roman— especially on Roman. Roman’s chest. Roman’s hips. Roman’s cock.

Her cheeks hollowed as she drew back on a long, slow suck, earning her a heavy groan. If her mouth hadn’t been full, she would have grinned. Bri repeated the movement, cupping his sac and gently massaging it. She wanted to hear him again—for her and for Aldous. She wanted them both to see Roman explode .

They didn’t have to wait long.

Roman let out a resounding roar as his scalding release flooded into her mouth. His fingers curled into her hair; his body wracked with rapturous tremors. The heat of his seed took her by surprise, but not as much as the speed at which it hit the back of her throat. She’d intended to swallow, she’d wanted to swallow, but she found herself choking down her coughs at the expense of her breathing.

Something pulled her back without warning—an arm over her collarbone, yanking her off Roman’s cock. Her eyes streaming with tears, Bri sucked in a ragged, desperate gulp of oxygen, before coughing to clean her airways.

Aldous’s voice rang out loud and clear. “Breathe,” he murmured, stretching out on the bed beside her. “Just breathe.”

“Fucking ‘ell, Bri. You’re not supposed to inhale it.”

Her breast heaving, Bri lay back on the mattress to recover, crinkling her eyes at Aldous as he dabbed her clean with Roman’s discarded shirt. “I tried to swallow it and… and it didn’t go well.”

Roman crawled on her other side. A laugh played about his lips. “No shit.”

For a moment, the three of them were silent, side-by-side on the bed. Then she let her head fall to the other side, catching Roman’s eye. “Worst blow job you’ve ever had?”

He let out a hum of indecision, his lips twisting. “The blow job itself was top notch but the ending could use some improvement. I’d give it a solid six.”

“I nearly died for you to give me a fucking six?! At least let me die with some dignity.”

Roman’s grin was sharp enough to cut glass. “There’s no dignified way to die choking on homemade protein paste, cutie.”

With a grimace of outright revulsion, Aldous got to his feet. “That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard.”