Chapter 27
POLANCO
Adria successfully avoided Bryson and the boys after dinner. She didn’t know what it was but the idea of being alone with the three of them was terrifying her.
What would they talk about? What would she even say?
Sorry I got the three of you kidnapped and now you have a price on your heads from the Triune. Also, do you wanna all be together?
No.
Instead, she escaped with the excuse of having an after-dinner drink with Vega.
When that was over, she further avoided them by choosing to walk the grounds.
Adria followed the stone path that wound through the tropical foliage, inhaling deeply as she passed flowering jasmine vines that draped over wooden pergolas.
The humid jungle air clung to her skin, and she found herself smiling despite everything.
This climate reminded her of childhood summers, when the heat seemed to slow time itself.
She trailed her fingers along broad waxy leaves, savoring the occasional cool droplet that splashed onto her forearm.
Her nerves began to settle—until her new phone vibrated.
X: Chatter will settle down soon. Stay at Vega’s for a little while before making your final trip.
Adria: Do we have a plan for when we get there?
X: Just get here in one piece, then we can talk.
Adria hated the lack of plan. If waiting was torture, then winging it was pure hell.
She thought of calling Helen but changed her mind. She couldn’t risk giving away their location. Still, if she could trust Helen, it would be good to have eyes on the inside. Maybe she even had insight into who was pushing the sanctioned hit.
Or who was working with Jonathan?
Adria thought of Vega’s idea to marry Daniela to Bryson.
The curvy bombshell was a complication she didn’t need right now.
With things so new between the four of them, she didn’t know what she was allowed to ask for.
But Adria knew in her bones that she wasn’t interested in sharing. Not with Daniela, not with anyone.
Perhaps the boys were used to having their relationship open. Would her views change their mind about her?
One more turn and Adria made her way back to the house. On a side porch, she saw Eric smoking a cigar, leaning against the railing.
“Enjoying the outdoors?” she said.
Eric’s large form opened to give her his full attention. “It’s too hot,” he said. “I’m sweating constantly.”
Adria laughed.
“You seem to be enjoying it though,” he said.
“It’s in my genes,” she said.
He nodded. “How were drinks with Vega?”
“He wants us to take Daniela home when things blow over. If things blow over,” Adria said, laughing at the implausibility of it all.
“For how long?” Eric said, and Adria noticed how serious he was.
She shook her head. “I can’t take her. He thinks I can train her like I trained Bryson.”
Eric looked off into the jungle behind her, taking a long inhale from the cigar. “And you don’t think you can?”
Adria could not believe they were even having this conversation. “If you haven’t noticed, I have a lot on my plate. And what happened with those three was a one-time thing.”
Eric fixed her with his stoic stare before shrugging. “If you say so.”
She stood with him. Listening to the sounds of the jungle going to sleep. Bird calls dwindled, and the insects’ symphony increased in volume all around them.
“What is he offering?” Eric said.
Something about the way he said it piqued her interest. Why was Eric so interested in this deal?
“He wants to offer the same thing he offered for Bryson. Block Callen’s land and as a sweetener, he wants to provide me with a new parcel that could prove just as valuable.”
Eric raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a good deal.”
Adria’s Domme senses were tingling. “Are we talking about Vega or Daniela?”
Eric leaned against the railing, looking into the sky, before snuffing out the still lit cigar and saying, “Both.”
Adria pursed her lips together.
“You should get some sleep,” Eric said. “Do you want my room so you can continue to avoid them?” he asked, not one to mince words.
“I’m handling it,” Adria said.
Eric’s lip twitched. “Sure, you are.”
It was well past one in the morning when Adria finally opened the door to their shared room.
She stood in moonlight that spilled through gauzy curtains, watching the three of them sleep.
Kaydon’s arm draped possessively over Seth’s waist, while Bryson’s leg hooked over both of them, his fingers barely grazing Kaydon’s shoulder.
The white sheets twisted around their muscled bodies, exposing bronze and pale skin.
Adria thought about the evening of the auction. How her and Bryson had fallen asleep together. Granted, she had woken up at three in the morning and left, but still. For a few hours, they had allowed themselves to be completely vulnerable with one another.
Watching them now, their chests rising and falling in a hypnotic rhythm, she wondered what it would feel like to crawl between those tangled limbs. Would their combined heat smother her? Would their bodies instinctively make space for hers? Would she wake up trapped or protected?
With a shaky breath, Adria moved past the three men who held her heart and stepped onto the balcony. The moon was full, and she pressed her hands onto the iron railing and pushed onto her tiptoes. The wind blew through her hair, and her nose caught all the musty floral scents.
The climate was intoxicating, and Adria was enjoying every second of it.
She had never visited her mother’s birth country of Brazil, but Adria had always tried to imagine her mother as a girl. Did she love the jungle as much as Adria? Did she marvel at the sounds and breathe deeper with every scent?
Going to visit X would be a monumental step. Adria knew she would be closer to her mother than she had been in years. Maybe when they arrived, X would be able to find a way for Adria to see her.
“Can’t sleep?”
Bryson’s cocky voice made her muscles tense, and feeling his gaze on her caused heat to coil in her gut.
She turned, his dark eyes shining in the moonlight. He wore gray sweatpants, and his lean form stood unashamed in the doorway.
Adria tore her gaze away from his slutty waist and tried to focus on something—anything—else.
She settled on turning around and looking out over the horizon, saying, “It’s been a long day.”
He moved to her, wrapping his arms around her body, grabbing the railing in front of her. Surrounding her with his scent.
Chin resting on her shoulder, his voice rumbled against her cheek. “Why did you avoid us today?”
Adria leaned her head back against his shoulder. “I wasn’t ready to have the tough conversation yet.”
“What conversation?”
Adria watched the stars and the moon above her, feeling Bryson’s body mold around hers. Kaydon engulfed her and made her feel safe and secure. Seth was soft and gave into her in all the right ways. But with Bryson, it was like her other half. A perfect fit.
“About how this is all going to work. I mean, if we live through the next few months. What is being together even going to look like?”
Bryson was quiet behind her for a long moment before saying, “What do you want it to look like?”
Adria shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Then we will all just figure it out together,” Bryson said, curling his arms around her, pulling her into him.
Figuring something out wasn’t a concept Adria was used to. She planned everything, had contingencies, and contingencies for her contingencies. Now she was in a relationship with no rules and no plan.
“What did you think of Daniela?” Adria asked, careful to keep any tone out of her voice.
Bryson shifted behind her. “I thought she was terrifying, and not in a good way.”
Adria tried to hide the relief she felt.
He buried his face in her hair. “Don’t hire a priest just yet.”
She slapped his arm. “Not funny.”
His arms tensed around her. “Speaking of avoiding conversations, I have a request.”
Adria reached up, trailing her fingers along his forearm. Encouraging him to continue.
“I want you to take care of Seth and Kaydon. Be their Domme, while I—”
His breathing caught behind her, and she felt his body tense.
“Get my sea legs back,” he finished.
She almost laughed, but when she twisted in his arms, she saw how serious he was.
Her finger traced the length of his jaw, hating the sadness in his eyes. “You’re their Dom, Bryson. Just because I’m in the picture—it doesn’t change who you are to them.”
The air picked up around her, and Adria’s hair blew wild around their faces. Bryson reached up, tucking the stray strands behind her ear. “It’s not about you, beautiful. I just need a little time.”
His body moved to hers, and Adria felt the railing at her back as he pressed his naked chest against her, hands on both sides of her.
His face brushing against hers as he leaned down and whispered into her ear. “They’ll stay asleep if we are very quiet.”
Adria breathed in, the night air mingling with Bryson’s scent, and her body responded. She could not believe that each of them continued to have this effect on her.
Bryson’s lips left her cheek and traveled to the space where her jaw met her neck. Kissing her softly, his tongue traveled along her jaw until he kissed his way up to the edge of her lips.
Adria’s mouth parted, but he didn’t kiss her. His lips hovered just beyond hers and the two of them just stood there, inhaling the same air. Her body was on fire for him.
Adria wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in closer. “You’re still a little banged up for all that.”
She saw the disappointment on his face, but Adria could tell by the way he held himself that he was hurting.
Wanting to erase all his pain, Adria leaned in and ran her tongue along his bottom lip.
He opened for her, and she kissed him.