Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
I laugh, remembering my conversation with Jessica. “What step are we on?”
“Falling.”
“What’s the next step?” I ask softly.
“Fallen.”
I feel a little awkward sitting here, my hands clasped in my lap and wondering if I’m reading too much into this, or if I’m just being stupid and I have to dive in headfirst like Logan learning to cartwheel. “I like this step. Can we stay here for a while?”
Lash sits down next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me against him. The warmth of him close relaxes me immediately, like a kitten in a beam of sunshine. “Absolutely. There’s no rush.” He nuzzles a kiss into my hair. “Never was big on speeches anyway, when action says so much more.”
It'd be so easy to let him continue that train of thought, until I'm once again naked, sweaty and breathing heavy beneath all three of them. Really easy. So incredibly easy. Especially the way they're all watching me, but I steel myself, needing to know we’re all in this first. “You all feel the same way?”
Stiff nods. “Once you’re safe, I want you to decide if this is what you want, but for me, my answer is yes.”
“I've been thinking about that, too. When Jay or Dillard or whatever—”
“Jillard,” Lash cuts in. I can hear the grin in his voice. “That's what I think of him as now. Sounds just about dumb enough.”
I snort a little laugh. “Anyway, when he’s held responsible for what he did, I’ll go back to work, and Logan will go back to pre-school. I need to find a way for us to get back to normal.”
Lash cocks his head as his eyes narrow. “Except we're not normal. Never have been, never will be.”
“I know. I don’t want it to be the same normal as before. I want to find a new one, with all of us if we can. I’ve been talking to Bonnie and some of the other girls. I… I think it might be nice. To have what they have I mean.”
Jackal leans in, his expression turning serious. “The old ladies are getting their claws into you, huh? So what are they telling you? That it’ll be the best sex of your life? That once you’re ours, that’s it? That you’ll never have to worry about being on your own again, and even if something happened to us, the club would make sure you were taken care of?”
The way he asks all those questions makes me second guess myself. Was Jessica wrong? Did I do something wrong to assume that maybe—
“They're fucking right.”
Oh. The tightening in my chest slackens immediately.
“No one’s gonna force you to do something that doesn't feel right for you. But whether you stay here with us, or you decide that we're not for you, you've got us on your side. Anyone tries to hurt you, we'll never be more than a phone call away, and we'll make sure they fucking regret it. Permanently, if necessary. Same goes for Logan,” Stiff vows.
“So you still got something you wanna say?” Lash asks. “Or do you just wanna get straight to the fucking? Because I think I’d like to end on my strongest argument.”
I rest my hand on his chest and look up into his deep forest eyes. “It’s not, but it is a really really good one.”
He laughs. “Oh? What’s my best argument then?”
“You. Just you.” I look around at all of them. “Out there, in the real world, I could date someone for a year and not learn as much about who they really are as a person as I’ve learned about the three of you. Anyone can use pretty words, but you showed up when I needed you, even before I thought it could be something more. But I do have to ask you for one more thing.”
Jackal nods. “What?”
“Don’t promise anything you don’t mean, because Logan is absolutely crazy about you. He’s already lost so much. If he thinks that you’re going to stick around, and then you leave…”
“We wouldn’t do that to him.” Lash sounds vaguely insulted. “Or you.”
“Okay,” I whisper. “Then show me your next argument.”
32
DAKOTA
Stiff gets his hands under my top, pulling it over my head, while Jackal crouches to pull my jeans down. Lash unhooks my bra the moment the shirt is past, and then my panties are yanked over my hips, leaving me completely naked between the three of them.
Jackal palms the side of my face as he stands, his fingers rough against my cheeks and his lips soft as he kisses me. I press my hands against his chest, feeling his heart beat under my palms, and the hardness of his nipples. It makes me want to flick my tongue over them to see if he likes it as much as I do. They can play cool all they want, but it's much more fun to know that I'm not the only one who gets excited.