Chapter Six
Aleksy didn’t set her down the moment they entered the room.
He carried her all the way to the bed, the door closing behind them with a soft click that felt louder than it should have in the charged quiet that followed.
Tamsin’s arms stayed looped loosely around his shoulders, her body aligned with his, her gaze steady on his like she was fully aware of what came next—and choosing it anyway.
That mattered.
It would always matter.
He lowered her onto the bed slowly, not releasing her immediately, his hands sliding to her waist as she settled back against the mattress. For a second, neither of them moved. The space between them held, stretched, filled with everything that had been building since the fight.
Jarek broke it first.
“Still thinking about slowing this down?” he asked, his voice rough with amusement as he stepped in behind her.
Tamsin huffed a quiet breath, her head tipping back slightly as she looked up at him. “That was a temporary lapse in judgment.”
Aleksy felt her shift beneath his hands, not pulling away, not retreating—settling. Opening.
Good.
He leaned in, his fingers brushing along her jaw, his gaze searching hers.
“I don’t want you to regret this,” he said quietly. “I need to know that you want this as much as we do.”
Her lips curved, heat flashing in her eyes. “Oh, trust me, lover, I do.”
That was enough.
Jarek’s hands came to the back of her dress, finding the closure easily, and the sound of it opening seemed to echo in the room as he eased it down over her shoulders.
Aleksy shifted back just enough to give him space, his gaze dragging over her as the fabric slipped lower, inch by inch, until it fell away completely.
She didn’t move to cover herself.
Didn’t hesitate.
She let them look.
Aleksy exhaled slowly, stepping back in, his hands coming to her again, not to take, not to claim, but to learn. His fingers traced the line of her shoulder, the curve of her arm, down to where her body rose and fell with each breath.
“Beautiful,” he said, the word quiet but certain.
Behind her, Jarek’s hands slid over her hips, drawing her slightly up the bed so she rested more fully against the pillows, her body lengthening beneath their touch. His mouth found her neck, slow at first, then deeper, pulling a soft breath from her as her head tipped back.
Aleksy followed the movement, climbing onto the bed between her thighs, his weight braced carefully so he didn’t press down on her fully. His hands moved over her soft stomach, slowing when he reached a few bruises and some scars there, his touch softening instinctively.
She stilled. Just for a moment.
Then her eyes found his again, and she gave the smallest nod.
Permission.
Aleksy leaned in, pressing a kiss to one mark, then another, letting his mouth follow the path of what she had survived, not ignoring it, not skirting around it, but acknowledging it in a way that made her breath catch.
Behind her, Jarek’s grip tightened slightly, his mouth following Aleksy’s path in reverse, heat building between them as Tamsin’s body responded from both directions.
Her hands found Aleksy’s shoulders, not pushing, just holding.
He let them rest there as his fingers slid to the edge of her underwear, pausing only long enough to meet her gaze again.
Still with me?
“Don’t stop,” she said softly.
He didn’t.
He eased the fabric down her hips, over her thighs, guiding her as she lifted just enough to let him remove it completely. He let his hands follow the line of her legs as he moved back between them, her body open beneath him, responsive in a way that pulled at his control.
He didn’t rush. Even when everything in him wanted to.
He leaned in slowly, his mouth following where his hands had been, learning her, drawing the first real sound from her that broke through the quiet—soft at first, then sharper as she shifted beneath him.
Her hands came into his hair, holding, guiding, not forcing but not passive either.
He let her. Because this—this was shared. He used the tip of his tongue against her clitoris, and the flat of his tongue to thrust deep within her, driving her quickly into a maelstrom of arousal that had her moving against him.
Behind her, Jarek’s hands moved higher, clasping a breast in each hand, his touch firmer now, pulling more from her as he worked in contrast to Aleksy’s control.
Her breath came faster. Her body tightened.
And when she tipped over the edge, it wasn’t sudden—it was built, earned, drawn out of her until she couldn’t hold it back anymore. Aleksy stayed with her through it, steady, grounding, not pulling away as she came apart against him.
Only when she settled did he rise, his body tight with restraint now, his breath uneven as he looked down at her.
“You’re incredible,” he said quietly.
Jarek shifted beside him, his hand sliding along her thigh as he guided her back fully into the bed, her body sinking into the mattress as she caught her breath.
“Stay with us,” he murmured.
She didn’t hesitate. “After that, I am not going anywhere.”
Aleksy moved over her, aligning himself with her body as he settled between her thighs again, his hand finding hers, grounding.
“Tamsin,” he said, waiting until her eyes met his.
“Yes,” she breathed.
He didn’t rush. When he finally moved, it was slow, deliberate, letting her feel it, adjust, take him in fully as her body welcomed him without resistance.
Her back arched beneath him, her legs wrapping around his waist, pulling him deeper, closer.
“Don’t hold back,” she whispered.
That was all it took.
Aleksy’s control snapped.
He drove into her fully, his breath breaking as he buried himself deep, holding there for a moment before he began to move, the rhythm building quickly from controlled to something far less restrained.
She met him. Thrust for thrust. Every move he made, she matched him.
Her body rising to meet his, her hands tightening on his shoulders as the pace deepened, intensified.
Beside her, Jarek moved in close, his hands sliding over her, his mouth finding hers again, adding to the pressure, the heat, the layered sensation that pushed her further.
The rhythm between them locked in.
Not chaotic, not uncontrolled.
But powerful.
Intentional.
Aleksy felt her tighten around him, felt the shift as she climbed again, faster this time, her control slipping as everything built too quickly to stop.
“Let go, my love,” he murmured.
She did.
Her body tightened, her breath breaking as she came apart beneath them, her voice catching as she lost herself in it. Aleksy followed moments later, the release hitting hard, his body locking as he drove into her one last time before everything let go.
He stayed with her as it faded, lowering carefully so he didn’t crush her, his breathing uneven as he fought to steady himself.
Jarek’s hand moved through her hair, slower now, grounding.
Aleksy lifted slightly, his gaze finding hers again.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Her smile came slow, but certain.
“Yeah,” she said. “Never better.”
And this time—everything lined up.
Exactly where it should be.
****
Tamsin lay stretched across the bed, her body still humming, every nerve alive in a way that made stillness feel impossible.
She had thought—briefly—that they had taken everything out of her. That there would be nothing left. No energy. No need. No desire.
She had been wrong.
The memory of it moved through her in waves, each one reigniting something low and restless inside her, her thighs pressing together instinctively before easing apart again as heat pooled deep in her body.
Her breath slipped out slowly.
“Okay,” she murmured, half to herself. “That was...”
She didn’t finish it. Didn’t have the words for it. Because nothing about that had been simple. Nothing about it had been casual.
And the most dangerous part? She didn’t want it to be.
A shift beside her pulled her attention, and she turned her head slightly, meeting Jarek’s gaze.
He was watching her. Present in a way that made her feel seen in a way she wasn’t used to.
“You’re not done, are you?” he said quietly.
Her lips curved, slow and knowing, even as her pulse kicked harder.
“I thought I might be,” she admitted. “Turns out ... I’m not even close.”
Aleksy laughed softly from her other side, the sound rough and satisfied, his body no doubt still loose from release but already shifting closer again.
“Good,” Jarek said. “Because I’m not done with you either.”
That shouldn’t have sent a thrill through her.
It did. God help her—it did.
Tamsin turned toward him first, her hand sliding up his arm, feeling the strength there, the heat of him, before she curled her fingers at the back of Jarek’s neck and pulled him down.
This kiss was different.
Slower.
Deeper.
She kept her eyes open for a second, watching him as she kissed him, wanting him to see it, to understand that this wasn’t just a reaction anymore.
This was choice.
Jarek groaned low in his throat, his hand coming to her waist as he rolled over her, his body settling against hers as the kiss deepened, his mouth taking hers in a way that felt like hunger—but not possession.
Her body arched into him instinctively, her breath catching as her body responded without hesitation, the earlier heat flaring again, stronger this time.
Aleksy moved closer.
She felt him before she saw him, the brush of his hand at her hip, grounding, steady, letting her feel him there without pulling her away from Jarek.
Her head turned, just enough. Her hand found his.
Guided it.
Aleksy’s touch followed her lead, his hand sliding over her stomach, lower, his movements deliberate, controlled, the contrast between him and Jarek sharpening everything she felt.
Her breath broke.
“Don’t go careful on me now,” she murmured, the edge back in her voice even as it softened. “I’ve already survived the hard part.”
Jarek huffed a quiet laugh against her mouth. “Pretty sure we’re just getting started.”
She smiled into the kiss. God, she liked that.
Too much.