36 - Leonid
36
Leonid
—
Days pass, and Frankie remains distant, holding our relationship hostage.
Kody and I have given her space, and we’ve all had a lot on our minds. But we’re leaving tomorrow, and we’ll be gone for a week. With so much up in the air, I won’t let this wait until we return.
Communication is vital to our relationship. It got us through the darkest hours in the hills. She refused to let us hide from our feelings then, and I’ll be damned if she tries to hide from us now.
“What’s going on with her?” I haul myself out of the pool and shake the water from my hair. “She’s putting up walls. That’s not like her.”
“She hasn’t forgiven us for getting arrested.” Kody tosses me a towel and wraps another one around his hips.
“Yeah, but there’s more to it.”
“Like our refusal to go to therapy? The prospect of us spending the next few days with Sirena? The bloody goddamn heart that was delivered? Or how about the fact that she’s trapped on this island until we find the threat against her?”
Every one of those things seeps into the back of my throat and burns there.
Our gazes collide, sparking an unspoken understanding.
She chose us, and we need to remind her why.
After we dry off and put on workout clothes, we find her in the gym, running on the treadmill. She hates that machine, but the summer heat has kept her off the outdoor tracks.
The sound of her feet hitting the belt doesn’t slow as we stride in and strip off our shirts.
We’ve worked hard on our bodies over the past ten weeks, our muscles more honed than ever thanks to Monty’s top-of-the-line equipment.
I catch her eye in the mirror, offering a wink. Her lips twitch, but her expression remains focused on the run.
Kody heads to the weight rack, and I join him, picking up a heavy set of dumbbells.
We stand in front of the mirror, muscles coiled and tense, and put our heads in the zone.
For me, I only need to think of her. My woman. My forever. The one I fight for and protect. She deserves my strength. My dedication. She deserves the best of me.
Here we go.
Tightening my grip, I lift. Veins bulge. Muscle fibers ripple. Sinews and tendons work together. My breath comes in short, sharp bursts, the sound of primitive aggression.
Meeting her eyes in the mirror, I curl the next rep.
She stumbles on the treadmill, nearly flying off.
Before I can turn, she rights herself, glaring in my direction.
She can glare all she wants. I’m her predator. Her warrior.
I hunt for her. Not for food, not anymore. I hunt for danger. I fight for dominance. Every rep, every set is a battle, and my body is a knife, honed and sharpened.
I lift for her. Each drop of sweat and groan of pain is for her.
My reflection stares back at me, eyes on fire, teeth bared, expression unyielding.
Kody stands beside me, grunting through his mental zone, his physique impressive, stacked muscles bouncing with every movement. Weights clank, a savage symphony that echoes our raw, untamed power.
The dumbbell slams back onto the rack with a triumphant roar. I stand tall, chest heaving, heart pounding. My muscles ache. My body burns. But it’s a good pain. I’m fucking strong. Capable.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I grab the weights again, ready for the next set. Ready to prove, over and over, that I’m worthy, that I’m the savage warrior she needs.
She smacks the power button on the treadmill and jumps off, her face flushed with exertion, frustration, and longing.
Kody and I set down the weights and turn toward her.
“What are you two doing?” She rests a fist on her cocked hip.
I bristle defensively, my pride not far behind. “Reminding you.”
“Reminding me of what?”
“Why you chose us.”
A startled, shivering breath blows from her lips. “Shit.” She drops her head to her hands. “Fuck.”
I love surprising her, especially when it evokes a string of curses, but I’m confused by her reaction.
Kody looks just as dumbfounded.
“We miss you, woman.” In two long strides, he lowers her hands and presses against her body.
I wrap around her back, trapping her in a sweaty cage of muscle. She’s so small between us, so firm and solid. We haven’t been the only ones working out every day. Her tight little ass flexes against my cock, surging an insistent, burning need through me, its intensity unbearable.
“Give me your mouth.” He cups her face, lifting it, and his head jerks back. “You’re crying.”
“No, I’m not.” She wriggles out from between us, wiping at her cheeks. “I’m sorry. Goddammit. I’m fucking this up.”
She stands there, looking so damn vulnerable in her tiny running shorts and barely-there sports bra. This beautiful, maddening woman has the power to level us, and she has no idea.
“What’s wrong?” My chest constricts.
“Why do you have to look so…” She gestures at our shirtless, sweaty bodies and whimpers as if she’s in pain.
I know the feeling. “We could ask you the same thing.”
“I love you.” She sets her shoulders and looks at each of us in turn. “I love you so much.”
“Is this about Sirena?” Kody’s brows furrow.
“Or the arrest?” I ask.
“No.” She glances around the gym as if she doesn’t want to have this discussion here. “Where’s Monty?”
“In his office.” Kody narrows his eyes. “Why?”
“Finally.” She heaves a breath. “I’ve been needing to tell you something since the night you were arrested. But the heart arrived, and Wolf’s photo, and Monty is always with us. God, this is so hard.”
“Out with it,” I growl.
“I’m trying. But I need to say it all before you respond. Can you do that?”
“Is this about the night-vision goggles?” I ask.
“You know about that?”
“Yeah. We told him about the cameras. He told us about the cracked window. Then the three of us worked out our anger on the bag.” I gesture at the punching bag behind her.
“Oh.” A small smile cracks her face, the first one I’ve seen in a week.
“I removed all our recording equipment. We talked about it and decided that with the escalating threats, the cameras posed a risk. We don’t know how tech savvy this stalker is or if they know how to hack a surveillance system, but the one I installed wasn’t as secure as Monty’s.”
“Makes sense.” She purses her lips. “Did he tell you about the promise I made?”
“No.” Kody folds his arms over his chest.
“I don’t want to hurt him. When he watched us together that night, we caused him deep, irreparable pain.”
“Then he shouldn’t fucking watch,” I say, pointing out the obvious.
“Leo.”
“Frankie.”
“I told him we’re not going to do that to him again.”
A growl hangs in my throat.
“He’s not the bad guy,” she says. “He loves us and—”
“Do you love him?”
“I did. I loved the man I married. But he’s not that man anymore. He’s…”
“He’s what?”
“Better.”
“Do you love him?” I ask again.
She releases a trembling breath. “I love him the way I loved Wolf. But that’s not exactly right. We…”
“You have history,” Kody says. “Romantic history, sexual history, complicated history.”
“Yes. All that and more. But I need you to listen. Are you listening?”
We both nod.
“I will never choose him over you. I love you. Not because you’re gorgeous and built and sexy as fuck. I mean, you’re all those things, but the real reason is because of the kind of men you are. Caring. Protective. Reliable. You don’t seek power by trying to control me but by supporting and uplifting me. Before I met you, I didn’t believe in soul mates. But I always hoped that if they were real, mine would be someone like you. Your imperfect love fits perfectly with mine, and now that we’re no longer trapped in hell and free to pursue wistful things like love, you’re the ones for me. So as much as I loved watching you pump iron with your shirts off, you don’t ever need to prove your worth to me. You survived Hoss. That makes you more worthy than any man alive. You’re mine.”
Every word hits my veins like warm honey. “And Monty? Where does he fit in?”
“I don’t know.” She sighs. “What I do know is that it’s not fair to him if we continue having sex under his roof.”
“Did he put you up to this?” Anger flares inside me.
“No. This is my decision. I want to move past all this fear and pain. I want to return to work, stop being dependent on him, and begin my life with you and Kody. Until then, we’re going to be respectful.”
Her resolution cuts deep, but I know she’s right.
He’s been supportive and kind to us despite his obsessive love for her. He’ll never stop pursuing her, and if he knows we’re not fucking her, he’ll use that opportunity to wriggle his way back in.
“I’d rather die first.” Lips curling back in a snarl, I bare my teeth.
“What are you going to do? Force me?”
“I don’t have to force you, love. I only need to touch you, and wetness seeps from your body and down your legs, covering both of us with your scent.” I advance on her. “Shall I demonstrate?”
“No.” She retreats, her pupils dilating as she drinks in my shirtless torso. “Please, don’t.”
“All right.” I plant my feet. “Go ahead. Draw a line between us.” Lowering my chin, I glare at her through my lashes. “It’ll be fun watching you cross it.”
“You won’t even be here. You’re going out of town for God knows how long.”
She’s right. Fuck.
Arching a brow, she looks at Kody.
“I went twenty-five years without sex. You’re worth the wait, woman.” His nostrils widen with a deep inhale, and he releases his breath. “If your restraint can hold out, mine can, too.”
Releasing a slow breath, she walks to us, directly into our arms.
If she thinks we’ll sleep beside her every night without being inside her, she’s crazy. I would never force her, but she loves sex as much as we do. Our chemistry is volcanic. Eventually, it will explode.
“I’m so worried.” She buries her face in my chest. “What if you get lost in the Arctic and never come back to me?”
“Hey.” I take her face in my hands. “We won’t get lost. Monty equipped the plane with high-tech GPS tracking. He’ll be watching our path, and we’ll remain in constant communication with him through state-of-the-art equipment.”
“We’re practically invincible.” Kody presses his nose in her hair. “We’ve survived worse things than Leo’s flying.”
“We’ll have a more experienced pilot with us.” I shoot him a glare and kiss her head. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”
After showering— separately —we crawl into bed, holding her between us.
She’s the center of my world, and I’m determined to protect her, even if it means falling asleep with a raging hard-on.
“Leo.” She shifts, rubbing her gorgeous ass against my cock. “You’re making this hard.”
“No, you are making it hard, love.” I swat her rear. “Stop wriggling.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not, you wicked creature.” I bite the delicate shell of her ear. “How about the tip? Just an inch? Two inches?”
“How about a twelve-inch tip?” Kody mumbles.
“You’re both the worst.” She groans.
I grin at her discomfort. “What gives us blue balls makes us stronger.”