Chapter Six
The muted light shining through the windows woke her the next morning. It was still raining out, and she thought she heard the ping of sleet against the glass.
She looked at the pillows on either side of her and wondered when the guys had gotten up and how late it was?
“Morning, baby. How are you feeling?”
She turned her head and saw Malik standing off to the side with a cup of coffee.
“What time is it?”
“About ten.”
“Oh.” She must have been more tired than she thought.
“Would you like some coffee?”
She sat up, leaned against the sofa, and pushed her hair off her face. “Yes, please.”
“Hold on, and I’ll get you a cup.”
“You don’t have to serve me, Malik.”
“Honey, I can tell you’re still tired, so I’d like it if you’d let us take care of you.”
“I just don’t want you guys to get sick of me.”
Malik snorted. “That’s never going to happen.”
“You don’t know me,” she reminded him.
“You’re right, but we’re both great judges of character, and we know you’re a very sweet person.”
She looked away. In truth, she didn’t know what type of person she was anymore. Her identity had been stripped from her, and her stepfather had built her up into the kind of woman he thought she should be.
“What are you thinking about right now, baby?”
Her gaze went to him. “It’s just that I’m not sure what type of person I am.”
“What does that mean?” Malik asked.
“I’ve had to pretend for so long, I’ve lost myself. Does that make sense?”
Malik nodded. “It does. I hope you’ll talk to us about what you're running from.”
“All I can tell you right now is I had to get away from my stepfather.”
“You’ll eventually tell us why.”
She heard the gruff command in his tone, but thankfully, he didn’t push it.
“I’ll be right back.”
She watched Malik walk off into the kitchen and turned back to the fire.
“Here you go,” Malik said and handed her a cup. “I put cream and sugar in it. If you don’t like it, I can get you another.”
“How did you know how I liked it? I haven't been able to have it like that for a long time.”
“I just guessed,” he said and grinned. “Just remember, while you're with us, you can do what you want. There are no restrictions.”
The thought of freedom almost made her feel giddy. And then what he said about while she was with them, and she remembered that she wouldn’t be able to stay for long, and her heart sank.
“I can guarantee I’m not going to like what you’re thinking right now.”
Her gaze snapped to him. It was disconcerting that they caught every one of her emotions and understood them. She thought she’d gotten good at hiding her thoughts over the years, but these guys saw right into the very heart of her.
“What’s going on?” Aiden asked as he walked into the room.
Camila looked over her shoulder at Aiden. “Nothing.”
Malik grunted. “She’s got some dark thoughts, and she isn't willing to share them with us.”
“I never said that, Malik.”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Really? Then tell us, baby.”
Aiden came around the sofa and sat on the hearth in front of her. Being surrounded by them gave her a strong sense of safety but also trepidation. She wasn’t going to get away with anything.
“It’s not a big deal,” she murmured and looked down at the cup in her lap. “I was just thinking about my next move.”
Aiden scowled. “What does that mean?”
She glanced up at him and then away. “I can’t stay here forever.”
“Why?” Aiden spat out.
She looked at both men. “I’m not going to disrupt your life. It’s not right.”
Malik sighed. “I see, and where are you thinking of going? You have no money, no car, hell, you don’t even have clothes right now.”
She nodded as a rush of sadness washed over her. “I know. I’ve got a lot of decisions to make.”
“You'd better get used to the idea of staying with us because you don’t have any other options.”
Damn, Aiden was acting pissed, and she didn’t know why.
Malik came and sat on the sofa by her shoulder. “Aiden’s right, baby. We want you to think about staying here. Get used to the idea.”
“It’s not fair to you guys.”
“Fuck fair,” Aiden said, stood abruptly, and walked off.
She watched him leave with a heavy heart.
“I made him angry, and I didn’t mean to.”
Malik rubbed her upper back. “Neither of us wants you to leave. We have a connection, and you trusted us right away. I know you feel the attraction...”
“You don’t know that.”
He chuckled. “Oh, baby, you’re so easy to read. Your nipples are hard when we are near you. You get flush and jittery when we’re close.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. There was no use denying it.
“I do feel attracted to you both, but I don’t think it’s fair to get you involved with this situation.”
“Let us decide what we can handle. You concentrate on feeling better and letting us take care of you. We get a lot of pleasure out of it.”
She looked away. “It seems I don’t have a choice.”
“You might not have a choice to stay here, but you certainly have a choice if you want to get involved with us.”
“I should go talk to Aiden, shouldn’t I?”
Malik nodded. “Yeah. I would. I’ll get your breakfast. Come in after you guys make up.”
She smiled. “I want to help with everything. Will you let me do that? I don’t want to feel like a parasite.”
“You can do whatever you want, baby.”
She stood, handed Malik her cup, and went in search of Aiden. The last thing she wanted was to upset either of these guys.