personal,” Noah said.
Her gaze swung to him and her heart began to race. She licked her lips nervously because she knew that whatever they wanted to discuss was going to be . . . huge. It was there to read in their expressions. They were focused intently. On her. Like she was the most important person in the world.
“O-okay,” she breathed out.
Liam slid his big hand over hers, warm and soothing. Noah took her other hand and turned it palm up, his finger tracing the lines to her fingers.
“The thing is . . .” He trailed off then ran his free hand over his head. “Hell, I’m making a total mess of this.”
“What is it, Noah?” she asked softly.
“Do you have feelings for us?” Liam asked bluntly. “Or are we way off base here.”
Heat seeped into her cheeks and she was mortified. Had she been so transparent? She’d tried her best to be indifferent toward them. She hadn’t even truly sorted out what she felt for them. They intrigued her. She’d allowed herself to fall into the fantasy that she wasn’t just a job to them, that their protection came not from their job description, but from a need that sprang from their attraction to her.
She’d gone back and forth with herself over whether she was genuinely attracted to two men or whether it was just a product of going from a man who abused her to men who treated her like she was . . . special. Like she meant something to them, and that they genuinely cared about her. Wouldn’t any woman fall for a man in the same situation? But did it make her feelings real?
Noah reached up to softly caress her cheek. “Please don’t be embarrassed by the question. We wanted—
needed
—to know because we have feelings for you, Lauren. And before we can proceed, we need to know if those feelings are returned.”
She swallowed hard, her pulse thundering in her temples. “You
both
have feelings for me?”
“Yes, we do,” Liam said in that same matter-of-fact tone.
She licked her lips, and suddenly Liam was there, his mouth covering hers in a heated rush. For a moment she had no idea what to do, but then she found herself responding, returning his kiss, opening her mouth to the thrust of his tongue.
There was nothing perfunctory about the kiss. She loved the roughness, how unsteady and eager he seemed. Almost like he was doing everything he could to hold himself in check. Joel had rarely kissed her, and when he had, it felt more like a punishment than a gesture of affection.
When he pulled away, his breath hiccupped over his lips and his eyes glowed warm and dark. He smoothed a thumb over the fullness of her bottom lip, now swollen from his kiss.
“I could so easily fall in love with you,” he said in a near whisper.
Her heart clenched and she soaked in the words like a parched desert soaking up rain.
Noah made a sound and she jerked toward him, suddenly numb with guilt. He immediately shook his head.
“Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart. You have nothing to feel guilty over. This is what we want to talk to you about. The thing is, we both care about you. We both want to see where our relationship will take us. But we have to make sure you’re on board for something like that. Plus, this isn’t the most ideal time to embark on any relationship, much less one with our particular elements. Our first priority has to be keeping you safe.”
“You want to have the sort of relationship that the Colters have,” she said, her mind whirling with the implications.
She’d known of the “different” marriage that Holly and Lily Colter had with each of their three husbands even before she’d ever met them. She’d learned of it from Max. She’d known what to expect, so when she’d witnessed firsthand the bond between the women and their husbands, she hadn’t been taken aback.
No, she wasn’t shocked. She’d been curious and more than a little envious because it was so obvious that the Colter men adored their wives. She’d often
Her gaze swung to him and her heart began to race. She licked her lips nervously because she knew that whatever they wanted to discuss was going to be . . . huge. It was there to read in their expressions. They were focused intently. On her. Like she was the most important person in the world.
“O-okay,” she breathed out.
Liam slid his big hand over hers, warm and soothing. Noah took her other hand and turned it palm up, his finger tracing the lines to her fingers.
“The thing is . . .” He trailed off then ran his free hand over his head. “Hell, I’m making a total mess of this.”
“What is it, Noah?” she asked softly.
“Do you have feelings for us?” Liam asked bluntly. “Or are we way off base here.”
Heat seeped into her cheeks and she was mortified. Had she been so transparent? She’d tried her best to be indifferent toward them. She hadn’t even truly sorted out what she felt for them. They intrigued her. She’d allowed herself to fall into the fantasy that she wasn’t just a job to them, that their protection came not from their job description, but from a need that sprang from their attraction to her.
She’d gone back and forth with herself over whether she was genuinely attracted to two men or whether it was just a product of going from a man who abused her to men who treated her like she was . . . special. Like she meant something to them, and that they genuinely cared about her. Wouldn’t any woman fall for a man in the same situation? But did it make her feelings real?
Noah reached up to softly caress her cheek. “Please don’t be embarrassed by the question. We wanted—
needed
—to know because we have feelings for you, Lauren. And before we can proceed, we need to know if those feelings are returned.”
She swallowed hard, her pulse thundering in her temples. “You
both
have feelings for me?”
“Yes, we do,” Liam said in that same matter-of-fact tone.
She licked her lips, and suddenly Liam was there, his mouth covering hers in a heated rush. For a moment she had no idea what to do, but then she found herself responding, returning his kiss, opening her mouth to the thrust of his tongue.
There was nothing perfunctory about the kiss. She loved the roughness, how unsteady and eager he seemed. Almost like he was doing everything he could to hold himself in check. Joel had rarely kissed her, and when he had, it felt more like a punishment than a gesture of affection.
When he pulled away, his breath hiccupped over his lips and his eyes glowed warm and dark. He smoothed a thumb over the fullness of her bottom lip, now swollen from his kiss.
“I could so easily fall in love with you,” he said in a near whisper.
Her heart clenched and she soaked in the words like a parched desert soaking up rain.
Noah made a sound and she jerked toward him, suddenly numb with guilt. He immediately shook his head.
“Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart. You have nothing to feel guilty over. This is what we want to talk to you about. The thing is, we both care about you. We both want to see where our relationship will take us. But we have to make sure you’re on board for something like that. Plus, this isn’t the most ideal time to embark on any relationship, much less one with our particular elements. Our first priority has to be keeping you safe.”
“You want to have the sort of relationship that the Colters have,” she said, her mind whirling with the implications.
She’d known of the “different” marriage that Holly and Lily Colter had with each of their three husbands even before she’d ever met them. She’d learned of it from Max. She’d known what to expect, so when she’d witnessed firsthand the bond between the women and their husbands, she hadn’t been taken aback.
No, she wasn’t shocked. She’d been curious and more than a little envious because it was so obvious that the Colter men adored their wives. She’d often
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