Page 111 of Their Wicked Ways

This was how they woke up together every morning. I didn’t feel like an interloper, not exactly, but I couldn’t shake the niggle of unease in the back of my mind.

“What’s going on?” Wes asked softly. “Do you want some space?”

“No.” I held him tighter. “I want to stay just like this.”

“I think that can be arranged.” Wes let out a happy-sounding rumble deep in his chest as his arms tightened around me. “This is nice.”

“It is.” I licked my dry lips. “Do you and Ez sleep like that every night?”

“Well, it’s usually just the two of us, so no.” Amusement tinged his voice.

“I didn’t mean it that way.” I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see it.

He huffed out a laugh and kissed my hair. “I know. I was just being cheeky. Do you mean to ask if we usually cuddle when we sleep?”

I nodded against him.

“Not really.” He ran his hand over my back in soothing circles. “Usually we start the night cuddling, but we wake up on opposite sides of the bed. Other nights, we fall asleep separately but wake up cuddling.” He rested his hand against my lower back and ran it down to cup my ass. “But most nights, we sleep like MMA fighters.”

I barked out an involuntary laugh. “MMA fighters?”

“Yup.” He squeezed my ass hard, then resumed rubbing my back. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken up because Ez kneed me in the ass or punched me in the face while he was rolling around. And I’ve done even worse to him.”

“Worse than a knee in the ass or getting punched in the face?” I asked incredulously.

“I’ve given him a few elbows to the face that have left marks. One time I kneed him in the balls.”

I winced in sympathy pain.

“But in my defense, that was when we had to share a double bed. There’s not a lot of clearance in one of those when you’re both over six feet.”

“True.” I tried not to picture them rolling around and beating each other up in a tiny bed as they slept. “I imagine that would be a tight fit.”

“Are you usually a cuddler?”

“Not really, but I liked it last night.”

“I’d say.” He let out an amused chuckle. “You were like a little heat seeker rolling between us in your quest for more cuddles.”

My face went hot again. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

“Nothing to be sorry for.” He rolled onto his back, pulling me with him so I lay on his chest and stomach. “It’s nice you felt comfortable enough to sleep that deeply and that you kept reaching for us. You’ll get no complaints from us.”

“But I kept you awake?”

“Nah.” He pushed another lock of hair back from where it had fallen over my eye. “I’m a light sleeper, so pretty much everything wakes me up. I was just extra aware last night because it’s the first time we’ve slept together. I barely notice Ez’s flailing anymore, but water in the pipes or a car alarm on the street will wake me up.” He lifted his shoulders in a quick shrug. “My brain is weird.”

“So is mine.” I rested my chin on his chest. “I feel like this should be weird. I mean, last night I was convinced you didn’t want me, and I almost fucked a stranger as some sort of stupid revenge.”

“Did you almost fuck a stranger, or did you just think about it?” he asked softly. “Do you think you would have gone through with it if things had gone differently?”

“No.” I dropped my eyes to his broad chest and miles of golden skin. “I wouldn’t have.”

“You were confused and hurting,” he said gently. “You lashed out and tried to make it better. Don’t blame yourself for that, okay? The important thing is that you’re here, with us, and you’re safe.”

“Did you mean everything you said last night?” I asked, unable to look at him as my heart thudded in my chest.

“Yes.” He paused, letting me absorb the simplicity of his answer. “Nothing’s changed for us. But we understand things are different for you. So I’m going to make a rule.”

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