Page 44 of Losing Ansley

"Or what?" I challenge him, my tongue coming out to wet my lips. He cants his head at me as he stalks toward me.

"You know what, gorgeous." He reminds me, and a thrill runs through me. We haven't been able to explore this since we talked about it. This excites me. He grabs me, but I elude his grasp and quickly walk to the living room, where Dylan waits for us. Dylan turns and smiles at us.

"Ready?" And I nod as I grab my purse and avoid Lincoln's eyes. We exit, and I close the door, locking it. Dylan begins to walk down the stairs, and Lincoln crowds me from behind, pressing into me.

"You're going to pay for that, sweetheart." He says into my neck as his lips run across my skin, and he bites down on my ear, causing me to shiver. I turn in his arms and wrap them around his neck, giving him a small peck before pulling back.

"I'm counting on it." I wink at him. His eyes widen slightly, but then he smirks.

"In that case, I'm looking forward to seeing that pretty ass of yours pink for me tonight." He brings his hand up to my throat and then kisses me hard before stepping back and following Dylan down the stairs, leaving me wanting.

WE GO TOthe Coca-Cola Museum and Centennial Park. There were a lot of vendors selling Christmas items, and I got sucked in. It's only October, but I'll be decorating for Christmas as soon as it's November. I glance at Lincoln and wonder what he'll be doing for Christmas. Of course, he'll be spending it with Dylan and me. We usually meet early on Christmas morning to exchange gifts and then have lunch together.

Maybe this year, he'll wake up with me on Christmas morning. I stop at a booth that has ornaments. I spot one that saysFirst Christmas Togetherand brush my fingers over it. I don't want to be presumptuous, so I move on to another booth with various wines and purchase a few bottles. After I'm done, I catch up with Lincoln and Dylan, who are sitting at a bench waiting for me.

"Hey. You guys could have come to get me." I tell them, and they both shake their heads. I want to step between Lincoln's legs, but I'm nervous about being over the top in front of Dylan. Like he can read my thoughts, he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me down on his lap. I watch Dylan for a reaction, but he doesn't give one; instead, he digs into a bag of popcorn he must have bought from one of the booths he visited.

"I believe that's number three," Lincoln whispers in my ear, and I still, slowly turning to him.

"Three what?" I ask him, and he arches an eyebrow waiting for his meaning to dawn on me; when it does, I scowl.

"What's number three?" I know what the first two are for; I did those two on purpose. I give Dylan a side glance, but he's not paying us any attention. He's enthralled with his popcorn.

"You hesitated to sit on my lap." He tells me, and I huff.

"Because I wasn't sure how Dylan would react." I snarl, and he arches an eyebrow. The way I said that probably earned me another spanking but seriously. Lincoln pulls me in tighter and shifts us away from Dylan so we can have a semi-private conversation.

"I've talked to Dylan, baby. He knows about us. From here on out, how he deals with it is on him, not us." He explains to me, and my mouth pops open at how simple he makes it sound. I glance back over at Dylan, seeing he's watching us now. I wait for him to say something, but he doesn't.

Lincoln pushes me off his lap and grips my upper arm firmly but not where he's hurting me.

"Dylan, we'll be right back, okay?" Lincoln tells him, and Dylan nods. I'm not given much choice as I'm practically dragged to an area where there aren't many people. He releases me.

"What the hell, Lincoln?" I rub my arm and take deep breaths. He glances from it to me and then steps close to me.

"Did I hurt you?" He asks. The concern is evident in his voice. I shake my head as he lifts my arm and brushes his lips against where his fingers were.

"I'm fine. You just surprised me, is all. Why'd you do that?" I ask, and he stares down at me as he rubs his hands up and down my arms.

"Ansley, baby. I know it took me a long time to admit my feelings for you and to admit them to Dylan. But I did it, and now I'm all in. I don't give a fuck if it bothers him if we're together. Once I make a decision, that's it. Now, you have to decide if you're all in too." He tells me, and I stare at him in shock.

"Of course, I'm all in. What do you mean?" I ask, feeling uncertain. He takes a step back and runs a hand through his hair.

"I mean, you have to stop worrying about how Dylan will react if you sit on my lap or if I stay the night." He grabs my hands and pulls me close to him. "This is between us now, and that's all that matters. You hated being put in his shadow for all those years. Please don't turn the tables and start doing that to me. Okay?" My heart rate picks up at his comment, and I throw myself at him wrapping my arms around his neck. I kiss him wherever my lips can land.

"I'm sorry, Linc. I didn't realize I was doing that. He's my brother. I don't want to upset him, but I never want you to feel like you're in his shadow. You have always been my number one choice; as much as I love my brother, I have always loved you more." As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I wish I could retract them. He stiffens, and I wonder if I said too much. He has to know.

He leans back slightly, gripping my chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"What did you just say?" He demands, and I swallow. I try to pull away, but he wraps his hand around my waist and pulls me in tighter. He lets my chin go and slides his hand around my neck, gripping it. He's not hurting me, but he is letting me know he's in control.

"Answer my question." He commands, and I think back to our conversation about when he asks me a question, I need to answer honestly. So, I square my shoulders and gather my courage.

"I love you, Lincoln," I whisper. His hand flexes on my back and moves up to grip my hair. He brings his mouth down until his lips are barely touching mine.

"I love you too, Ansley." He replies. My eyes widen before his mouth is on mine, and he's devouring my lips. His tongue licks inside my mouth, and I meet him with as much hunger. I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him close as we stand in the park and make out for everyone to see. But I don't care, and he doesn't either.

"Seriously? You two can't wait until you get back to Ansley's apartment. No one wants to see this." Dylan exclaims, and we pull away. I laugh and hide my face in Lincoln's chest as he pulls me close. Lincoln turns and looks at Dylan.

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