Page 85 of The Omega Archives: Part Two

I wanted to believe my mantras now more than ever if I could manage it all with these men by my side who smelled like heaven and sin all at once and were soft and sexy in all the other ways that I never imagined anyone would ever be towards me.

There was no rhythmand absolutely noform to what I was doing, but it felt good.

It felt really good.

I bit the inside of my cheek as I continued under Marko’s steady gaze.

He waited until I started to feel thesmallbeads of sweat on the back of my neck and the exertionstartingto make my hands turn heavy and slack.

By the time I slowed, a sheen of sweat covered my skin. Any energy I needed to expend was still coursing through my body but in the form of blood pumping through my unused muscles.

“You think I’ll be able to protect myself this way?” I asked.

I’mpretty sure if I was punching someone this way, the closestI’dever get is beating up a stuffed animal or something– on a good day.

Marko shook his head. “No. You’ll run first. I’ll also teach you some other techniques to keep people from grabbing you. You’re small. You’ll make it work.”

“Then what was this?”I asked.

“This was just for you,” Marko replied, simply.

Now that he said it, heat rushed to my cheeks at how silly Imust’velooked, losing it.

Marko only watched with a similar light smile to my own as I shook my head.

“You’re brave,” said Marko.

“What?” My brow furrowed. “No. I’m not.”

“Yes. Even if Idon’tknow your story yet…Half of uswouldn’thave the guts to do what you did.I’msure of it.Takingcare of yourself? Holding it all together through a heat and for the past seven years? Those are difficult things…”

The difficult things we do to stay alive.

I remembered our conversation from the kitchen the other night.“Thank you.”

“You must know,”said Marko.“We’ddo anything for you already.”

“You don’t–”

“We want to. I want to,”he corrected.

I stared at him, seeing the genuine emotion in his eyes, even while his exterior remainedstiff and serious.“Oh.”

He cleared his throat.“You can want us too, you know.”

I think I was starting to.

I took a step closer to him until our bodies were nearly flush. Iwhispered,so quietly for a moment Iwasn’teven sure if I heard myself speak.

“You said you’d do anything?”

Marko didn’t hesitate. “That’s what I said.”

“Anything,”I whispered again, swallowing.

Breathing heavily,Marko’shalf-lidded gaze waited for my next move. Only, I think I surprised us both.

I reached up and tugged on his loose shirt, yanking his mouth down to mine.

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