Page 7 of Cruel Knots

“Sorry,” I mutter, unable to look them in the eye anymore.

Damien steps up to me and pulls me against him.

I bury my face in his chest, too embarrassed to face him.

“Princess,” he whispers as his big, powerful arms wrap around me in a gentle hug. “You don’t have to be shy around us.”

I glance up at him. His beautiful ice-blue eyes swirl with emotions as he slowly leans down to capture my lips.

Damien’s kiss is different from Leon’s. There’s no hesitation as he mashes his lips against mine.

My knees feel weak from the sheer force of his kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck, holding onto him tightly. His dark chocolate and bourbon scent envelops me, keeping me trapped in a haze of pure desire.

Suddenly, I feel the heat from two bodies on my either side.

When I break away from Damien, Mikhail turns me toward him and captures my lips. At the same time, Leon wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest. He holds me tightly as he kisses a trail from my neck to my exposed shoulder.

My insides explode with a hundred fireworks, the heat shooting through my veins, warming me to the tip of my fingers and toes. My knees feel weak, threatening to crumble anytime. Even though I’m locked between Leon and Mikhail, I can feel Damien’s eyes on me. It makes the situation ten times hotter.

Thank Goddess for the suppressor pills I’ve been taking since last year. Without them, my body would’ve surrendered to the combined scents of the men before me and pushed me into my first heat.

A deep, guttural moan escapes me at the thought. When Mikhail parts from me, I turn to look at Damien.

His pale eyes glitter like a predator’s in the dark.

I desperately try to calm my throbbing heart as desire coils tight in my gut. The three boys I’d been crushing on for the past three years stand so close to me, their body heat seeps into my skin through the thin fabric of my dress.

I step closer to Damien, about to kiss him when a loud, animalistic cry rings out, shattering the silence of the night. Turning around, I find Callum running toward me. Astonished, I stare at him.

Callum is my elder brother and has been living in Europe for the past several years, overseeing our dad’s business there. I had no idea he’d come home.

“Get away from my sister!” Callum shouts, shoving Damien in the chest.

“Callum, stop!” I shout. “They’re my friends!”

“Friends?” My brother barks. “I know who they are! They fucking work with the servants in our home.” Grabbing Mikhail by the front of his shirt, he shakes him. “Where did you get these clothes from? Did you steal them from us?”

“Callum, please stop!” I beg, trying to pull my brother off Mikhail.

He pushes me away, making me stumble and fall to the ground.

“Lucia. Are you okay?” Damien is beside me in an instant, hauling me back on my feet.

“Don’t touch her!” Callum bellows, pushing Damien aside. “What are you waiting for? Get these boys out of here.”

At once, my brother’s guards move into the scene. Damien, Leon, and Mikhail don’t fight back or protest even when they’re grabbed by them.

“Take them away,” Callum orders. My brother’s face is a mask of fury as he gazes at me.

“Why are you acting this way?” I ask him while his men drag Damien and his brothers away.

“Why? How could you let those filthy guys touch you?”

“They’re not filthy!” I shout. “And I happen to like them. It was me who kissed them first.”

A harsh slap falls on my cheek, the strike so sudden and sharp, that all I can do is stare at my brother with wide eyes.

“I knew it was a mistake to let Dad take care of you.”

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