Page 141 of Wreck Me

Yet, here I was in a massive Jacuzzi bath full of special salts that were made to soothe my aching muscles, and other sensitive parts, after the fuckfest that had been last night—one of those surreal elements.

Being with Bastian and drawing so close to him had been a big enough deal to me as it was, because I always kept at a distance, but I just hadn’t been able to do that with him. He had an effect on me that couldn’t be denied. Sure, on my body, but it was more than that superficial level, much more. No, it had been the connection that had drawn us together. An aggressive connection at first that had gradually calmed down and evolved into something much more, much deeper. And then, as stunning as that was for me, Caleb had come into the picture and I’d made room for him too. It just fit with the two of them. Last night had then happened, with King coming together with us as well, the whole thing hitting another level.

And, surprisingly, there wasn’t that urge to pull away, or to throw up a wall.

It was strangely… comfortable.

More than that, it was freeing.

King must’ve predicted it from all his surveilling and strategizing, knowing bringing me here, I’d feel it, an environment conducive to dropping all my pretense, as he called it.

It sounded more than a little fucked-up that I felt safe around a bunch of dangerous men who walked in darkness and had clear depraved and beastly predilections. But I did.

Because I was like them.

We were kindred.

Rarities whose true selves existed on the periphery of society.

I smiled and tipped my head back a little, resting against the little towel Caleb had placed between the edge of the bath and my head. The bubbles covered me right up to my clavicle.

I looked out at King who was now dressed in a pair of Balenciaga jeans and a gray long-sleeve tee that strained against all that broad muscle beneath. He was sitting on a stool a few feet from the foot of the tub that he’d pulled out from beneath the vanity. He was typing away on his phone rapid-fire.

Caleb was in a pair of gray sweats now along with a white tee, those colorful and artsy snake tattoos really prominent against the white of his shirt. He was perched on the edge of the vanity, swinging his legs, and munching on a Pop Tart he’d grabbed from the kitchen just before we’d headed in here. Apparently, they were King’s, who I’d learned had a real sweet tooth like me with my cupcakes and fondant balls. Instead of having a gourmet breakfast like I’d imagined the likes of him doing, being the King of the City with a whole lot of staff who could prepare for him whatever he wanted, he usually just grabbed a Pop Tart then headed off to work. Without Bastian living here like he had been before, he’d been without that nagging thing of his about eating properly.

It was interesting how they functioned with each other.

It was kind of like when they were together, they finally functioned as a whole, but when apart, things were missing. Most definitely a case of them being stronger together. Each of them brought things to the whole that the others needed.

I reached out to the tray beside the bath and took another sip of the coffee Caleb had made for me. I’d already eaten the scrambled eggs Bastian had insisted on whipping up for me, along with a bowl of fresh berries.

“Jeez, he’s taking his sweet time,” Caleb muttered, breaking the comfortable silence as he finished off the last bite of his Pop Tart, then swung his head at the door.

“He’ll be here any moment,” King said, without looking up from his phone.

“Everything all right?” Caleb asked him.

“Just returning some messages.”

“Yeah, I get that, obviously. I’m talking about the look on your face. You seem agitated.”

He looked up, smiled at me, then told Caleb with a weary sigh, “They want me to present the awards at the upcoming Rossun Elite Convention.”

“Ah.”

“That sounds like an honor,” I pointed out.

King screwed up his face.

It had Caleb chuckling and informing me, “Cas hates public attention, the spotlight, and all of that. He prefers being his enigmatic self to the outside world and staying in the shadows.”

“Wow, so you coming down to the fight club like that was an even bigger deal then.”

He merely winked at me, then went back to his phone.

Caleb asked me, “Are you still planning on attending the convention?”

“I—”

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