Chapter Nine
The door shut behind them, and the world narrowed.
Not all at once.
Not dramatically.
But enough that everything outside the room slipped out of focus, leaving only the space between them—and the heat that had been building all night finally tightening into something impossible to ignore.
Tamsin didn’t slow as she crossed into the bedroom. She could feel them behind her without looking, the weight of their attention tracking every step, every shift of her body as she reached for the buttons of her shirt and began undoing them one by one.
The silence behind her changed.
She didn’t turn until she reached the edge of the bed, glancing back over her shoulder as the last button slipped free and the fabric loosened against her skin.
“You coming?” she said lightly, though nothing about her felt light, “or are you just going to stand there drooling?”
Tamsin was surprised to see Aleksy move first. That shouldn’t have really mattered, but it kinda did.
He crossed the space fast, without hesitation, his hands finding her hips, pulling her into him with a certainty that sent a sharp pulse of heat straight through her.
His mouth came down on hers, and she met him instantly, her hands sliding up to his shoulders, pulling him closer as her body aligned with his without thought.
Jarek pressed in behind her a second later, his mouth finding her neck, his presence different—hotter, rougher, grounding in a way that made her breath catch.
Yeah.
This. This was the problem. And it was a good one to have.
“Bed,” she murmured against Aleksy’s mouth.
He didn’t argue.
He moved with her instead, guiding her back until the mattress caught behind her legs. She sat, then let herself fall back, her hair spreading across the pillows as she looked up at them.
Jarek stripped his shirt off in one smooth motion, tossing it aside without breaking eye contact. Aleksy followed more slowly, controlled even now, but she could see it in him—the restraint thinning, the control slipping.
They came onto the bed together, and the space shifted again. It became warmer, and somehow fuller. Aleksy settled between her thighs, his weight braced carefully as his hands moved over her skin, not taking, not claiming—learning.
Jarek leaned over her, his mouth finding hers again, slower this time, deeper, his hand sliding along her side, anchoring her there.
Tamsin’s breath caught.
Her hands moved between them, touching where she needed, grounding herself in the contrast between them.
Aleksy—steady, deliberate, controlled. Jarek—heat, instinct, pressure. Both exactly what she wanted.
“Don’t make me wait,” she said softly.
Aleksy’s mouth brushed her skin. “We’re not.”
But he didn’t rush. His mouth settled over her, making her cry out.
His tongue swept across her, taking every drop of liquid their touch drew from her body.
His hand moved lower, pressing two fingers into her, building instead of taking, drawing her up slowly, her body tightening under the pressure as sensation layered, her breath coming faster, her back arching into him.
Jarek’s hand followed, firmer, pulling something sharper from her, his mouth at her ear.
“Are you close, sweetness?” he murmured.
“Yeah,” she breathed. “I am.”
Aleksy stayed with her, steady, controlled, drawing her higher until her body couldn’t hold it anymore. When she came, it wasn’t sudden.
It was inevitable.
Her body tightened, her breath breaking as the release rolled through her, sharp and deep and impossible to contain. She cried out Aleksy’s name as he took her through the orgasm and out the other side, his mouth leaving her until she dropped back against the mattress, her breath coming in pants.
She barely had time to catch her breath before Jarek shifted above her, his gaze dropping to hers.
“You ready for me?” he asked.
Her lips curved, pulse racing. “Oh, baby, I am more than ready to take you.”
He moved then, pressing into her slowly, letting her feel it, her body opening without hesitation, welcoming him as her breath caught again. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, closer.
“Don’t hold back,” she whispered.
He didn’t. His control snapped, his movement deepening, building quickly from measured to powerful as she met him, matched him, her body rising to meet every shift.
Aleksy moved closer beside her, his hand caressing her breasts, his mouth at her shoulder, grounding her as the rhythm locked between them. Strong and intentional.
Her body tightened again, faster this time, the sensation building too quickly to stop.
“Let go, my love,” Aleksy murmured. “You are so fucking hot when you come.”
She did. She let go.
Her release hit harder this time, deeper, pulling a broken sound from her as she lost herself in it. Jarek followed moments later, his movement tightening as he came apart with her, holding her through it as he roared her name to the room.
Aleksy stayed with her, grounding, steady as everything slowly began to ease.
For a moment—nothing moved.
Just breath. Heat. Presence.
Tamsin lay there, her body humming, her pulse still racing, her skin still too sensitive as everything settled.
She should have been done.
She wasn’t. The heat didn’t fade. It shifted. Deepened.
“You’re not done,” Aleksy said quietly.
Her lips curved slowly. “No. I’m not.”
Aleksy’s hand slid over her thigh, familiar now, confident. “Good,” he murmured. “Because neither am I.”
Jarek shifted somewhere behind them, close enough that she could feel the heat of him, the steady presence, but he didn’t move in. Didn’t interrupt. Didn’t take.
Aleksy moved over her, his body settling with deliberate care, his hand bracing beside her as his gaze held hers, steady and unwavering.
“Stay with me,” he said, not a command, not forceful—something quieter, something that settled deeper.
She nodded, her breath already uneven. “I am.”
His hand slid higher, over her hip, her waist, mapping her again like he needed to feel it, needed to understand every reaction she gave him. Then, he pushed into her, and she arched her back at the sensations it caused within her. He didn’t rush.
Even when she could feel the heat building too fast, her body already tightening, already anticipating what came next.
“Aleksy—” she started, not even sure what she meant to say.
His mouth found hers before she could finish, the kiss slower than before, deeper, pulling her under instead of pushing her over as he continued to move above her.
Her body reacted instantly, her hands finding him, holding, anchoring as he shifted, as he guided her, as he drew her into it piece by piece.
“Don’t think,” he murmured against her lips. “Just feel it.”
She tried.
But her body was already ahead of her, already opening, already giving in as he moved with that same controlled precision, building instead of taking, drawing her higher in a way that made everything sharper.
More intense.
Her breath broke, her back arching as the sensation spiked, her control slipping faster than she expected. His rhythm deepened, steady and relentless, not rough, not rushed, but intentional in a way that made it impossible to escape, impossible to ignore.
Her hands tightened on him, her body shifting beneath him, matching him, chasing the edge that was already there, already too close.
“Aleksy—” she gasped, her voice breaking as the pressure built higher.
“I’ve got you,” he said.
And he did.
He held her there, guided her through it, not letting her fall apart too quickly, not letting her lose herself before he was ready for it.
Her body tightened, her breath catching as the edge hit fast, too fast, her control breaking completely as she let go, her release rolling through her hard and deep, her voice catching as she lost herself in it.
His control held just long enough to carry her through it, to push her just past the point where she thought she could take it before he let go himself, his breath breaking as he followed her over.
For a moment—everything stilled. Then the rest of the world disappeared again.
****
“You’re overcooking it.”
Jarek didn’t look up from the pan, just flicked the utensil once, turning the meat with more force than necessary. “I’m not overcooking it.”
Aleksy leaned back against the counter, arms folded, watching with that steady, irritating calm that said he was absolutely right and didn’t need to push it.
“It’s been on too long.”
“It’s been on exactly as long as I want it to be,” Jarek shot back, then glanced over his shoulder. “And since you’re not cooking—”
Aleksy’s mouth curved faintly. “I would, if you let me.”
“Not happening.”
“Then accept the feedback.”
Jarek snorted, but the edge wasn’t there. Not really. The kitchen was warm, the low light from the apartment settling into something quiet, something that didn’t belong to missions or Chimera or the constant hum of threat that had followed them for weeks.
For once—it felt like something else.
He rolled his shoulders once, letting the tension ease as he plated the food, the rhythm of the task grounding him in a way he hadn’t expected.
Aleksy moved then, stepping in to grab plates without being asked, setting them out with practiced efficiency.
“You thought about it?” Jarek said finally. “About her accepting the mate bond?”
Aleksy didn’t pretend to know what he meant. “Yes.”
Jarek glanced at him, leaning back against the counter, crossing his arms. “And?”
Aleksy set the last plate down, his attention shifting—not away, but inward. “She has to. We can’t do life without her.”
Jarek huffed a quiet breath. “That’s one way to put it.”
Aleksy’s gaze lifted, steady. “You disagree?”
“No,” Jarek said after a second. “I just think that’s underselling it.”
That settled something in Jarek’s chest he hadn’t realized was still tight.
“She’s everything,” he said quietly.
Aleksy’s gaze held his. “You’re not concerned?”
Jarek barked a quiet laugh. “About what?”
“That she may not choose it. Choose us.”