For a month or two, when we first moved here, I worried we’d made the wrong decision. I thought maybe we’d just run from our problems, only to end up trapped by the same stifling societal expectations.
But lately… it feels different.
Now, it feels like we were meant to be here.
Like we’ve finally started to build something that feels like home.
I wipe my hands on a dish towel, glancing down the hall where Julian disappeared, and a small smile tugs at my lips as the two men walk into the kitchen. Kai is immediately commanding in his leather jacket and jeans, and as he shrugs it off, I let my eyes take in the muscles contracting along his arms as he sets the jacket over one of the barstools, revealing a tight black T-shirt.
“Hi,” he says, his eyes a bit wild as they search my face.
“Hi,” I answer, crossing my arms as I chew on my lower lip to keep from smiling.
He looks like he rushed here, his face is red with exertion, and his hair is messier than normal. Plus, he’s breathing heavily.
“I would offer you a drink, but I can smell the whiskey from here,” Julian says, coming to stand behind Kai.
Cocking my head, I place my hands behind me on the countertop as a smile breaks free on my face. He walks over tome. “Malakai Ravage, is this a booty call? Did you get drunk and?—”
Before I can finish my sentence, one of his hands fists the back of my hair as he smashes his lips against mine.
Everything explodes inside of me, and a searing, white-hot energy flares to life, dropping heavily from my core to between my legs. He tastes like whiskey and something minty, and the combination has impatience stirring through me. I moan as my hands fly up to his face, and I instinctively pull him closer. He cages me in, taking the lead and pressing me against the counter. As his tongue swirls with mine, my body becomes frenzied for him.
“Kai,” I whisper, letting my head fall back as his lips trail fiery kisses along my jaw, and down my neck.
Kai’s lips are still searing against mine when I feel Julian behind him, his presence looming closer. Kai’s grip tightens in my hair, and for a second, I forget to breathe. The heat between us spikes, but before Kai can deepen the kiss, Julian’s hand slips between us—flat against Kai’s chest.
“Slow down,” Julian murmurs, almost lazily. His fingers splay wider, pressing Kai back with a deliberate ease. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
Kai’s eyes flash with something—frustration, maybe—but Julian isn’t fazed. His hand doesn’t move, even as Kai shifts like he wants to argue.
“I thought this was a booty call,” Kai mutters, though his grip in my hair loosens.
Julian smirks. “It is. But you know the rules.”
I swallow hard, watching as Julian lets his fingers trail down the center of Kai’s chest, light, teasing. Kai stiffens slightly, though I catch the gleam of desire in his eyes.
“And what rule is that?” Kai asks, his voice rougher now.
Julian leans in, his breath warm against Kai’s ear. “I lead. You follow.”
The words land heavy between them, and something shifts in the air. Julian isn’t just playing with him—he’s checking to make sure Kai is truly comfortable with the rules we’ve all set together. I can feel the tension ripple through Kai’s frame, but he doesn’t pull away.
Kai’s eyes darken, but there’s a flash of restraint behind them, like he’s holding himself back. I’ve seen him dominant and in control, but this… watching him struggle beneath Julian’s quiet authority, sends heat pooling low in my belly. It’s intoxicating, like standing too close to the edge of a cliff, half terrified and half thrilled by the idea of falling.
Julian notices it too. His eyes glint with something knowing.
“She likes watching you squirm,” Julian murmurs, his gaze flicking to me briefly.
Kai’s lips curl, his chest rising and falling with measured breaths. “I’m not squirming.”
Julian arches a brow. “Not yet.”
Kai’s jaw tightens beneath Julian’s hand, his breathing heavier now, measured but on the verge of something slipping. I can see the muscles in his neck flex, the barely contained hunger vibrating beneath his skin.
For a moment, he looks like he’s going to challenge Julian, to push back.
I shift slightly, stepping back just enough to give them space, my back pressing against the cool edge of the counter. The heat between them feels palpable, like something I shouldn’t be intruding on but can’t look away from.
