23. Chapter Twenty-Four #5
Malek's hand moved into my hair while Tavian enjoyed his imagined victory.
His fingers worked slowly through the length, separating strands that had tangled during the hike and afternoon beside the stream.
The first pass caught somewhere near the middle, but instead of pulling, he stopped and worked the strands apart with his fingertips, his touch surprisingly delicate for hands large enough to cover most of my head.
“That feels good.” I admitted to Malek as I relaxed against his chest, tilting my head slightly when his fingertips brushed across my scalp and sent a pleasant shiver down the back of my neck.
“I know.” Malek answered, his purr deepening while he loosened another small knot near the back of my head.
“That sounded very confident.” I told Malek as I glanced back at him, raising one eyebrow even while I leaned more heavily against his chest.
“You stopped moving.” Malek replied, the faintest amusement warming his voice as he separated another section of hair between his fingers.
“That doesn't make you a hair expert.” I told Malek, although settling more comfortably against him weakened the argument enough that Tavian snorted from somewhere near my legs. Luca disappeared into the adjoining room and returned less than a minute later carrying a wide-toothed comb.
“Move your hand.” Luca told Malek gently as he settled behind me on the other side, waiting until Malek lifted the section he was holding rather than trying to work around him.
Malek passed my hair over without complaint, and Luca started at the ends instead of dragging the comb straight through from the top.
The first few passes barely tugged, and I turned enough to look at him over my shoulder.
“You actually know what you're doing.” I told Luca, unable to hide my surprise when the comb moved through another section without catching.
“My hair is long too.” Luca reminded me as he worked patiently through another tangle, his shoulder-length dark hair falling forward around his face when he lowered his head.
“That is annoyingly logical.” I told Luca as I faced forward again.
“Thank you.” Luca replied, sounding pleased enough that he'd clearly chosen to interpret the comment as a compliment. Tavian pushed himself upright and immediately reached toward the comb.
“I can do that.” Tavian announced, confidence brightening his expression as his hand extended between Luca and me.
“No.” I told Tavian as I caught his wrist before his fingers reached the comb, giving him a flat look that made his eyebrows shoot upward.
“You didn't even let me try.” Tavian protested, staring at me with open offense while his hand remained suspended between us.
“I know you.” I answered Tavian as I released his wrist, watching him sit straighter as though preparing a legal defense.
“That is not evidence.” Tavian argued as he pointed toward himself.
“It is several days of evidence.” I told Tavian, giving him a pointed look while Luca laughed quietly beside me and Malek's purr deepened behind my back.
“Start at the bottom.” Luca instructed Tavian after handing him one small section of my hair, watching him with the wary patience of someone knowingly making a bad decision for educational purposes.
“I know how hair works.” Tavian told Luca as he took the section between his fingers, wearing far more confidence than the task required.
“You absolutely do not.” I told Tavian, already regretting the experiment while I tried to keep my head still.
“I have hair.” Tavian reminded me as he gestured vaguely toward his own head with his free hand, nearly dropping the section Luca had given him.
“You barely brush yours.” Luca told Tavian, sitting back to watch while amusement brightened his eyes.
“That is because it knows how to behave.” Tavian replied as though the explanation should have been obvious.
Thirty seconds later, he had somehow wrapped three strands of my hair around two fingers while becoming distracted by lifting the ends toward his nose.
I stared at his hand until Tavian slowly looked down and realized what he'd done.
“You made a knot.” I accused Tavian, turning carefully enough that Malek had to catch another section before I pulled against it.
“It was already there.” Tavian replied far too quickly, his eyes darting toward Luca despite the evidence being wrapped around his fingers.
“It absolutely was not.” Luca told Tavian as he leaned over and carefully freed my hair, his mouth twitching while he worked the strands loose one at a time. Malek's chest vibrated behind me with a deeper purr that was suspiciously close to laughter.
“You're banned from hair.” I told Tavian as I removed the comb from his other hand before he could make another attempt.
“I disagree with this ruling.” Tavian complained as he leaned back on one elbow, glaring at the comb as though it had betrayed him.
“Your appeal has been denied.” I answered Tavian as I passed the comb safely back to Luca, enjoying the offended set of his mouth far more than I should have.
“Malek?” Tavian asked as he looked toward him for support, raising both brows hopefully.
“She is correct.” Malek told Tavian, his expression completely serious while his fingers continued smoothing through the section Luca had finished.
“Luca?” Tavian asked, immediately turning toward his final possible ally.
“You created a knot.” Luca answered Tavian, holding up the rescued section of my hair as all the evidence he required.
“None of you appreciate talent.” Tavian muttered as he dropped back onto one elbow with wounded dignity.
I laughed hard enough that I had to lean forward, and Luca caught my shoulder before I toppled sideways into him.
The laughter faded gradually, but his hand stayed where it was, warm against me.
Malek's fingers continued moving through my hair, slower now that most of the tangles were gone, while Tavian's palm eventually settled over my ankle again, his thumb tracing the bone in a much gentler motion than anything he'd attempted with my hair.
For a little while, nobody spoke. The room had grown darker around us, late sunlight turning the openings along the courtyard amber before fading beneath the canopy.
Insects hummed outside the old stone walls, and somewhere farther away a bird called twice before the forest swallowed the sound.
The stone beneath us had begun cooling after the heat of the day, making the warmth of the three men around me even more noticeable.
Luca's thumb moved once against my shoulder, Malek's fingers brushed the back of my neck, and Tavian's palm slid slowly from my ankle toward my calf.
The shift from teasing to something else happened quietly.
Luca leaned in first and kissed my temple.
When I turned toward him, the next kiss landed on my mouth—warm, slow, familiar.
His tongue brushed mine and I opened for him with a soft sound that was already half croon, the vibration humming low through my chest as his hand tightened just enough on my shoulder to draw me closer.
Malek’s hand slid from my hair to the side of my neck, his thumb stroking beneath my ear while his mouth pressed against the opposite side of my throat.
The deep, steady vibration of his purr traveled straight into my skin.
Tavian moved closer, his lips finding the soft skin of my inner knee before traveling higher, open-mouthed and deliberate.
My breathing changed as slick gathered between my thighs, warm and unmistakable, while honey and jasmine strengthened through the blockers and mixed with cedar, citrus, sandalwood, earth, spice, and herbs until the whole nest smelled like us.
I kissed Luca harder, one hand fisting in his shirt. Malek’s mouth moved lower, his lips brushing just beneath my gland, while Tavian’s tongue traced the soft skin of my inner thigh. A small, involuntary croon vibrated in my chest before I could swallow it.
“There she is. Listen to her.” Tavian murmured against my skin, his voice already rough as his amber eyes lifted toward my face and his fingers tightened gently around my thigh.
Nobody tried to take over. Malek shifted when Luca needed more room, Tavian's hand slid beneath mine without knocking anyone away, and Luca kept kissing me while Malek's broad palm stroked down my stomach.
No one seemed bothered by another Alpha touching me, and no one acted like he was waiting impatiently for the others to get out of the way.
Clothing disappeared in pieces. Luca lifted my shirt and Malek helped pull it over my head.
Tavian eased my pants and underwear down my legs with more patience than I had ever seen from him, kissing each new inch of skin he uncovered.
By the time I was naked in the middle of them, all three men smelled stronger—cedar and smoke, citrus and spice, sandalwood and herbs—and my own slick was already coating the insides of my thighs in a warm, glossy sheen.
Malek's mouth closed over one breast, his tongue circling the nipple until it tightened under the heat of him.
Luca kissed down my stomach, open and slow, while Tavian settled between my thighs, amber eyes bright with hunger.
He looked up at me once before lowering his head, and his tongue dragged through my slick in one long, deliberate stroke from entrance to clit.
“Fuck—Tavian—” I gasped, my back arching as my fingers twisted into the bedding and his mouth returned to me before I'd recovered from the first stroke.
Tavian moved slower the second time, spreading me open with his thumbs so he could lick deeper.
The wet sound of his tongue moving through my slick filled the quiet room.
Malek's arm tightened around my middle, holding me steady while Luca's mouth found the other side of my neck.
Tavian sealed his mouth over my clit and sucked, his tongue flicking in tight, precise circles before two of his fingers slid through my slick and pushed inside me.