Page 19 of Healing Her Lions

My heart pounds. My pussy is throbbing and swollen. But I take the dare. I tilt my head slightly and suck his finger in my mouth. His eyes are locked on my lips.

“Great,” the poor waitress squeaks. “Just pay upfront.” She slaps the receipt on the table and whirls away.

“That’s probably the hottest thing I have ever seen,” Lucas moans. “Also, that’s probably the fastest that woman has ever moved.”

I release Logan’s finger with a pop and grin at him. “Thanks, Handsome.”

I shut the hotel door on three very hot, frustrated lions and lean heavily on it. It didn’t take long for them to bring out what my ex never could. Now that I am in the privacy of my room, the image of what we just did in a restaurant full of people hits me.

I shake my head, laughing, with my hands over my hot face. I have always thought I was an open-minded girl. I’ve never been afraid to try new things in and out of the bedroom. I had to beg my ex, Kevin, to try new things. It all became routine. I can recite the nights we would have sex, moment to moment. Usually, he would come home drunk from a night with the guys and be very sweet. It was a dead giveaway—he was hardly ever sweet.

He would follow me around and ask if I was ready for bed. I would give in because a girl has needs, and he was the only one I was with. Next, he would strip naked, turn the lights off, and start jerking off. He thought I liked watching it while he looked at me as I undressed. It had possibilities, but not when I knew what was coming.

The minute my knee hit the bed, he would push me on the mattress and plunge inside. The amount of times I had to fake having an orgasm. Not that he cared. How many women can get there in five minutes? Maybe if he talked to me like the brothers do.

I push off the door and weakly walk to the bed. I plop backward. That was the first orgasm I had given to me in over a year. Why did I stay with him?

It’s terrible, but I was lonely. He did have some good points. He could be funny sometimes. He did like to show me off. He was never a man who complained about my looks or told me to lose weight. He always said he was lucky to have found me; he just didn’t show it to me in the ways that mattered. His buddies were different; he bragged to them all the time.

It was the night he came over after a night of drinking and hanging with friends that ended it for me. He lost a shit ton of money, cash that he didn’t have to lose, and asked me to lend him some. He was aware that my grandmother left me money. I didn’t tell him; he just happened to walk in when my mother came by, and she was begging me to supply her with a night out with her girls. He caught on, and after that, he looked at me differently.

Unfortunately, he crossed the line that night, telling me he deserved to benefit from a rich girlfriend. He raised his voice, which is a hard line for me, and all in front of one of his friends. He reminded me of just another member of my family who used me and gave nothing back.

I promptly broke up with him.

He called a few times after but luckily gave up. Then Stephanie came up with this plan. I was grateful for the opportunity to get away. I didn’t even have to think about it.

Stephanie is the only one who didn’t want anything from me but my friendship and love. She actually wanted to postpone moving for several months until she saved up half of the price of the building. She has never wanted me to feel like she is using me in any way because she knows that is a hard limit. But I know her heart. I know what she has been through and how strong she has been to overcome it.

I roll to my side and bury my face in the crook of my arm. My mind goes back to the lions. How can three men be so sexy?

We made a plan; well, they made a plan. They insisted on picking me up tomorrow afternoon, carrying my things down, and taking me to the cottage. I told them I was perfectly able to follow directions, and I had my car. They came back with that they didn’t want me to have to carry all my bags and wanted to make sure I got there safely.

When was the last time someone wanted to make sure I was safe? Besides Stephanie, it’s been years since I was looked after. That is a big part of their appeal. They just met me, and regardless of the mating bond, it seemed as if they actually gave a shit about me.

My phone rings, drawing my eye.

My brother.

I let it ring. Why haven’t I blocked his number? Maybe I have hope that someday he will call and tell me that he’s better. Maybe he will realize that I’m his sister, his little sister that he should protect and love.

It rings again, and my hand reaches for it. I sit up and stare at it. Could this be the time?

With my hope in my throat, I answer. “Hello, Caleb.” The noise in the background is startling.

“Bree,” he cries.

“What’s wrong?” I bite my fingernail, holding my breath.

“You have to help me,” he begs.

My heart drops. “Help with what?” I sigh.

“I was on a roll, Bree. I knew that this time, it was going to be easy. The big one.”

It is always going to be easy, or the big one, or the last time. “What did you do?”

“Bree, it was a sure thing. It was a guaranteed win.”

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