Chapter 10
ALEX
Gabe blinks up at me, and I see the fear in his eyes. He expects me to pull away.
“Oh, sorry,” Katherine says, and I hear her footsteps backpedal, fading.
“Katie Bird,” I call over my shoulder. Then I return my attention to my best friend, holding his gaze.
His heart flutters beneath my palm, like a scared bunny.
He should know me better than this. But this is new for both of us, so I forgive him.
I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not going to jerk away and deny what’s between us.
Katherine will handle our news like the graceful queen she is. It’s Kingston I worry about.
Will he see me as a threat? Someone moving in on his territory? Stealing his man like I almost stole his girl?
We’ll see, I guess, because there’s no turning back now.
Unlike Gabe, my pulse is rock steady. I’m more at ease than I have been in a long time.
Her footsteps pad closer, and I drop my hand from his throat and pivot to let her into the circle. She approaches slowly, stopping just out of arm’s reach while we both stare down at her.
She looks up at us with glittering eyes.
So she knew.
Of course, she knew. My girl is more perceptive than most. She so easily saw Gabe’s feelings, the things he kept locked down so he didn’t bother me.
Acid burns through me at that.
He was trying to protect me, keep me from having to feel things I didn’t want to. Wasn’t ready to.
“Hi, Princess,” Gabe says, holding out a hand to her.
She places her palm in his and steps closer. Barefoot and unburdened by accessories, she’s fresh-faced and so gorgeous my stomach hurts. It’s the little things. The arch of her brows, the careful half smile, the sparkle in those lovely blue-green eyes, and her barely there freckles.
“We have something to share,” I say.
Silently, she glances from Gabe to me, waiting. Waiting, even though it’s obvious what our news is. So many people would rush in with congratulations or filler words. Not Katherine. She’s not going to burst our bubble.
And that’s why she’s so fucking perfect for us. For me. To me.
I slide my arm around her back, drawing her closer. Her hand slides up my arm to rest on my shoulder.
“Seems it was time to get out of my own way,” I murmur.
Gabe huffs a laugh. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
Damn, he’s cute when that smile splits his face and crinkles form around his eyes. I guess I always knew that, but now it hits me in the chest, the head, and my soul.
Gabe lets go of her palm and wraps his arm around her waist. His fingertips trail over the back of my hand, and every part of me goes tight with need. Anticipation is a delicious drug. Now that we’ve opened this door, it’s like the floodwaters are pouring through unchecked.
“Getting out of my own way,” she parrots and makes a soft humming sound. “I think that’s the mantra this summer. Me and King. The three of us.”
Her finger draws a little circle between us. Then it wags back and forth between her and Gabe. He ducks his head and bites the tip until she groans his name.
White-hot heat scorches me.
“Mmm. You taste like marinara,” he says.
“Are you hungry?” I ask them.
Katherine shakes her head as Gabe scoffs. “Not for food.”
“Me either,” she agrees, extracting her finger, running it along his lips.
How can an innocent touch send my libido careening into the gutter?
“King,” Katherine calls without looking. It’s like she knows that he’ll be there waiting. But I’ve felt the weight of his gaze for at least half a minute.
“Yep.” He moves closer, quiet for once. That would be a bit concerning if I thought he was prone to violence. But I’d bet my last dollar the only violent streak in him is where Katherine’s safety is concerned.
Truth be told, I love and respect that.
When you find a treasure, you protect it.
I shove away from the door to make space for him, but Katherine steps into the gap. “Anyone else feel the need for a shower?”
I don’t know how she does it, controlling a situation fraught with potential friction so effortlessly. Easily. But somehow she does just that. Moving past me, holding out a hand to King.
“Hell yes.” He bends at the waist and throws her over his shoulder.
All that glossy hair tumbles toward the floor like a silken waterfall. Her giggles rise around us like bubbles.
And they’re off, up the stairs. I can almost see his instinct to take the stairs two at a time, but he doesn’t. With precious cargo, he’s surefooted but swift on the wooden treads, feet touching each one.
I turn to Gabe.
His long, lean body sways from the door, and he cups my cheeks, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. There’s no time to sink into it before he darts past me.
“Race ya.”
His feet thunder up the stairs, and laughter bounces off the walls. His and Katherine’s.
My people.
I never wanted people. But I guess that was a story I told myself. Because now that they’re here, upstairs, together, I’ll do anything to keep them. To protect them.
Instinctively, I check the front door lock and fire off a note to my team. There’s a lot left to say between all of us, and I don’t have patience for any disruptions.
Shedding my clothes as I go, I pile everything on the chair next to Katherine’s dress in the corner of the bedroom and follow her giggles into the oversized bathroom.
Katherine, the woman who thawed my heart and helped me feel again.
Gabe, the man who’s always been at my side, challenging, supporting, and embracing me.
And King. So unexpected, but I wouldn’t want to be without the color he brings to our lives.
A tendril of steam beckons. Through the foggy glass, I spy Katherine and King standing beneath the spray. Next to them, a long, lean body is settled on the marble bench.
My heart thunders in my chest. There’s no question I’m joining them. And maybe that was my first clue. From the moment I met Gabe, and as we’ve assembled our found family, each step has felt right. Sharing Katherine. Bringing King into the fold. Sharing Gabe with King.
Shucking my boxers, I step out of them and reach for the chrome handle to open the door. Katherine’s moan carries above the spray from the shower.
Praise whoever designed this space. I don’t hit my head on a bloody doorframe because there isn’t one. I don’t even need to duck. The double showerheads are a bonus. And that bench gives me all sorts of decadent ideas. It’s long enough, wide enough that King could probably use it as a bed.
She’s wrapped tight in King’s arms, hands all over him. Soft warm light gives the space an enchanting glow, making the water sparkle like diamonds. Gabe’s biting his lower lip, watching them like they’re on stage.
“It’s giving Roman orgy,” he says, lightening the mood.
But then his gaze flicks to me, roving upward with appreciation, starting at my feet on the wet penny tile. For the first time, I don’t ignore the delicious tingle in my skin when he stares at me with longing. Just like that, the tension is back, thicker than the steam in the air.
There’s a pinch in my heart.
In protecting myself, I hurt him.
I close the distance between us. His eyes widen, and he has to tip his chin way up to look at me. I hook a hand behind his neck and pull him up.
“You ran off,” I say, instantly feeling dumb.
Gabe’s hands settle on my waist, holding us a careful distance apart, which I love and hate. I’ve held back for so long, he has no idea how natural it feels to sink my fingers into his hair. Trail my thumb over his stubbled jaw. Feel his searing heat against my palm.
But it does. I’m not pulling away. I’m not looking away. This is the start of us.
The new and improved us with no blinders, no hesitation, no self-preservation.
“I won,” Gabe says, a typical teasing note in his voice.
I grunt. “You had a head start.”
I love the way his smile lights up his face and my heart. So cheeky. What a mischief-maker.
“All’s fair…”
I silence his words with a kiss, which effectively cuts off the history of that particular saying. I love Gabe’s big brain, but right now, I need this connection. Soft at first, but not tentative. Exploratory.
His hands tighten on my waist, reminding me just how naked we both are. Naked with an audience. A wave of white-hot lust crashes over my head, and I tighten my grip on him. Deep in my chest, there’s a tiny whisper. Mine.
He was mine first.
His tongue teases along my lips, and my hips jerk, muscles tightening. He gives a wicked chuckle.
“Such a brat,” I murmur, which only makes him laugh harder. “Why does that turn me on?”
He nips his way down my jaw. I brace a hand against the wall because my knees are turning to mush.
“Which part?”
“Your sass.”
A darker chuckle rumbles out of him, and he scrapes his teeth down the column of my neck. Damn. He might as well be doing that to my cock. I feel it in all my most sensitive spots.
A happy mewl swirls around us, and I blink into the humid air. It’s like waking up from a daze. The steady hum of the water against the tile meets my ears along with the soft moans and groans of the lovers behind me.
Gabe runs a hand down the center of my chest. “You tell me.”
Tell him what? I have no idea what we were talking about.
I pull him in for another kiss, turning my head to the side and then sweeping my tongue past his lips. He gasps, grabbing my shoulders. Cheeky bastard isn’t as in control as he wants me to believe.
“All right, champ. What’s your victory prize?” I ask.
“I want to watch you and King make our girl beg.”
I glance over my shoulder at Katie Bird, a question in my eyes.
Her lips quirk up. “So long as he understands I plan on returning the favor.”
“I’m betting on it.”
Stepping away from Gabe, I cup her cheek and duck my head to kiss her lips. Her arms slip around my waist, her nails grazing my skin in spine-tingling patterns.
There’s so much warmth and welcome in her kiss. The quiet strength I’ve come to expect and admire.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says when I lift my head. Those jewel-like eyes are bright, happy.
“What did you need, Beauty?”
“Oh.” She shrugs. “Dinner was ready. But it’ll keep.”
“I turned the stove off,” King murmurs.
“Good.”