Julian snorts. “It’s true. I have piles hidden all over the house. Perhaps one day I can show you.”
“Never touch the piles,” I warn Kai, smirking.
Kai laughs. “He’s full of contradictions, isn’t he? Splurging on expensive gym memberships but prefers to eat gas station snacks. I always said he was a menace.”
Julian smirks, stretching out beside me with all the smugness of a man who knows exactly how ridiculous and adorable he is. Something knowing passes between the two of them at that word, though.
“I’m all about the high-low life, mate,” he adds, reaching for another handful of popcorn. “Exclusive gym, but I’ll drive two miles out of my way for a ninety-nine-cent hot dog.”
Kai raises an eyebrow. “That’s impressive. Living like royalty by day and a raccoon by night.”
Julian grins. “Balance, Kai. It’s the cornerstone of health and happiness.”
I nudge him with my elbow, resting my head against his shoulder. “He says that, but you should’ve seen the meltdown when the gym juice bar was out of dragon fruit puree last week. The man practically rioted.”
Kai chuckles, shaking his head. “Gas station chocolate and dragon fruit smoothies. You really are an enigma.”
Julian winks at him, tossing a kernel of popcorn in the air and catching it in his mouth. “Keeps you guessing, doesn’t it?”
Julian and Kai figure out what we’re going to watch, and I curl up as a deep, relentless ache coils low in my abdomen, like barbed wire tightening with every breath, sharp and dull all at once.
Without another word, Julian hops off the bed and comes back with another spliff—passing it to Kai first. I watch as Kai takes a drag, passing it to me between his fingers.
“Here. This will help.”
I take a slow drag, the smoke curling into my lungs as I close my eyes. The pain doesn’t go away completely, but with Kai’s hand holding mine and Julian close by, it feels a bit more bearable.
When I’m finished smoking a minute later, Kai takes the last drag and discards it.
“Scream?” Kai asks, flipping through the available channels. “OrScream 2?”
I feel Julian gently moving me to the middle of the California king bed, and a few seconds later, Kai scoots into my left side while Julian takes my right side. I’m small, but they’re two large, hulking men—and I’m sure it’s not exactly comfortable for them.
“Relax,” Julian says, adjusting me so that I’m on my left side. His body curls around mine, and as the horror movie starts playing, I feel Julian place the popcorn behind my bent knees sothat Kai can access the bowl. When I look up, Kai is still lying on his back, but he turns and faces me.
As the opening scene ofScreamflickers on the screen, I feel the warmth of their bodies anchoring me to the bed, like a protective cocoon against the ache in my abdomen. Julian’s steady breath against the back of my neck soothes me, his arm draped over my waist just like he does every night, and Kai’s presence on my other side feels surprisingly natural.
Like he belongs here.
He slips an arm beneath my jumper, laying it against my lower back. His palm is warm as he applies just enough pressure to ease the tension. His movements are quiet, fluid, like he’s done this a hundred times before. The pain doesn’t vanish, but the weight of his hand anchors me, dulling the sharpest edges.
Julian nudges him with the popcorn bowl, smirking. “For someone who broods like it’s a full-time job, you’ve got the bedside manner of a spa therapist.”
Kai snorts softly but doesn’t stop the slow, steady circles he’s tracing against my spine. “I’m just efficient,” he murmurs, as if this is no big deal.
But it feels like a big deal. The heat from his palm sinks deeper, grounding me in a way that’s intimate but not overwhelming. I exhale, letting the tension unravel just a little more, grateful for the quiet comfort he offers without making a fuss.
“This is honestly rude, and quite frankly, unfair,” I grumble from between them, pulling the blanket tighter around my waist. “You two get to lie here unbothered while I feel like my uterus is trying to murder me.”
“Oh, believe me, pet. Watching you in pain is absolute torture. We’re suffering, too.”
“Nice try,” I deadpan, tilting my head toward Kai. “And you? No snide comment?”
Kai smirks. “I know better than to argue with a woman’s uterus.”
“Smart man,” Julian mutters through a mouthful of popcorn.
Kai reaches for the popcorn behind my knees, popping a kernel into his mouth with a quiet crunch before setting the bowl back. When he catches me watching him, he gives me a small, lopsided smile, his eyes soft in the dim light.
