49. Hayden
The moment I heard my name on Maddox’s lips, I bolted. Panic and heat raced through me. I never should’ve come into his bedroom when he didn’t answer my knock, and I sure as hell shouldn’t have looked in the bathroom. What was wrong with me?
I kept moving without really knowing where I was going. Until I heard the telltale sound of punching. Whether gloved fists were hitting bags or bodies, I didn’t know. Not until I stepped into the room.
Some part of me had sought out my mates. Comfort in a moment of embarrassment and being turned way the hell on. Images of Maddox’s hand around his cock, stroking, filled my head. The way his body had curved before he found his release. The way his lips had parted on my name.
But coming to the gym had been a massive mistake.
Cáel and Knox had been circling each other in a fight ring, but they stilled the moment I stepped inside. They wore nothing but workout shorts and hand wraps. Their feet were bare, and their muscled chests glistened with sweat. The sheen only made the definition clearer.
Knox’s skin had that healthy golden hue that made me think of long summer days, while Cáel’s was completely covered with ink. A skull dominated his torso. It was menacing but also beautiful. They were so different, yet equally beautiful.
Cillian pushed off the wall he leaned against, stalking toward me. He, too, was barefoot and bare chested. His massive form moved with catlike grace. “What’s wrong?” he growled.
The blush on my cheeks deepened. “Nothing. Just, uh, wanted to see what you were up to. But you’re busy.”
I turned, about to bolt for the door, but Cillian caught my wrist. His hold managed to be both gentle and unyielding. “Little Flame…” he warned.
Slowly, I faced him, rolling my lips over my teeth.
He studied me carefully and then took a deep breath through his nose. “I smell anxiety and lust.”
That had my blush fading and a glare taking its place. “Don’t you think that little scent trick is a little invasive?”
“Not when it tells me what you’re hiding from me. You’re my mate. I need to know. What happened?”
I clamped my mouth closed as Cáel and Knox moved in closer.
“Hayden,” Cillian crooned, his voice taking on a hypnotic lilt. His free hand dropped to my waist, squeezing. “Tell us.”
I blamed whatever pheromones Cillian emitted for the word vomit that tumbled out of my mouth. “I went to find Maddox, but he was jerking off in the shower. I watched him, even though I should’ve left. And now I’m pretty sure I’m going to hell.”
Knox’s brows rose to his hairline. “Way to go, Mad.”
Cáel smacked him. “You’re not helping.”
Cillian’s lips twitched as his fingers traced designs on my side. “My Little Flame loves to watch.”
My cheeks felt like they were burning. “I shouldn’t have.”
“I don’t think Maddox would mind,” Cillian said.
I shook my head. “I invaded his privacy.”
Cillian studied me for a moment. “And now you’re aching.”
It wasn’t a question, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to admit to that.
He dropped his hold on my wrist, his fingers ghosting over the apex of my thighs.
It didn’t matter that I was wearing sweatpants. I felt that touch like Cillian’s fingers were skimming across my bare skin. Heat pooled low as my nipples pebbled against the cotton of my tank top.
“What do you need, Little Flame?” Cillian rasped. “Tell us and we’ll give it to you.”
My heart hammered harder against my ribs as Knox and Cáel moved even closer.
Cáel rounded me, sweeping the hair away from my neck and letting his lips skim from earlobe to shoulder. “Tell us, Little One.”
My core constricted, pulsing with the need to be filled. I wanted to feel them filling me. Wanted their hands and mouths and cocks.
“I want everything,” I whispered.
“Be. More. Specific,” Cillian gritted out.
My eyes flashed. “You. All of you. Touching me. Making me come. Releasing all this need inside me.”
It was then I realized just how desperate I was for them. I needed the intensity we shared to burn away everything that had happened over the past forty-eight hours. I wanted to forget. To lose myself in sensation. To push myself to the limits of what I could handle to remind myself I was alive.
Knox lifted a hand, palming my breast. “You heard her. Let’s give our girl what she needs.”