Page 35 of Shattered World

As the door shut behind him, I was left alone with my men. And although grief spread through me, I knew that if anyone was going to get me through this, it would be them.

“I’ll go take first watch,” Warner mumbled, brushing a hand across my cheek.

Before he could walk back down the stairs, I gripped his hand, pulling him toward me. His palm found my cheek once again, my lips pressing against his.

“I love you, Warner,” I whispered against his mouth. Time was too precious to not say the words. Not when they could be your last.

A small smile licked at his lips, pressing against mine, and then he backed away, throwing a wink over his shoulder as he climbed down the stairs.

Chapter Eighteen

When Murphy sat beside me on the couch, his arm wrapping tightly around my shoulders, I couldn’t contain the tears any longer. The loss of Mina hit me directly in the chest, my body crumpling as sobs wracked through me.

Murphy whispered soothing words in my ears, allowing me to fall apart. I knew with him there would never be any judgement. Too many times, he had been the one to give me strength when I was falling apart, and I had no idea how I would ever repay him.

The cushions shifted beneath me, and then Rainer’s warm palm was on my thigh. Looking at him through blurry eyes, he frowned, the lines between his brows prominent. He didn’t have the words that Murphy did, but I wish he knew that his presence alone was enough.

Through a choked sob, I caressed his cheek, needing to get the words out. The same as I had with Warner. “I love you, Rainer. I love you so much.”

His eyes watered at my confession, his hand covering mine on his face. “I love you, Less. Us against the world, remember?”

I nodded quickly, my heart aching for the love I felt and the loss that mingled in between. A sniffle sounded from behind me, and I turned to see the tears tracking down Murphy’s cheeks.

Staying silent, I squeezed his fingers, letting him know that I could also be his strength if he needed it.

“I held out hope. I thought she would show up. But, fuck, I lost my mom, didn’t I?” He finally cried out, his head falling against my shoulder and my heart broke for the boy I saw in his eyes, the one that just wanted his mom.

Rainer reached around me, placing a comforting hand on Murphy’s shoulder. “My parents will be with her until the end. I try to take comfort from that.”

Murphy nodded into my shoulder, his lips skating across my collarbone. Pressing my mouth against his head, I closed my eyes, reveling in the feel of his skin, and Rainer pressed against my side.

I knew the grief was moving my body, that those who experience loss wanted to remind themselves of all they still had, but I didn’t care. I deserved to embrace what could be my last moments on this earth.

Shifting my body, I moved further into Rainer’s side, my hand tracing up Murphy’s back until it tangled in his hair. His mouth continued its movement along my collarbone, biting gently against the skin.

When he licked a path up my neck, a soft moan left my lips, Rainer groaning. “Fuck, Less. Is this what you want?”

As he asked, he placed his palm against my stomach, his hand gliding under the material and up my skin, leaving warmth in its wake.

Locking my eyes with his, I nodded. “I want this. You. Both of you.”

My words were a jumbled mess, but they didn’t need any more than that. Murphy slid onto his back, Rainer positioning me on his lap so I was facing his friend, Rainer’s heat at my back. His lips bent to my ear, nibbling at the sensitive flesh. “You need to be quiet.”

Rainer shifted me slightly, Murphy gently grinding up against me, his cock already hard and ready.

“Show him exactly how you feel,” Rainer whispered in my ear, and I didn’t hesitate.

Locking my arms around Murphy’s neck, my lips were hurried as I moaned into his mouth, his lips meeting mine, movement for movement.

Murphy caught another moan with his mouth as Rainer’s hands slowly slid back under my shirt, feeling the soft curves of my hips and the plane of my stomach. His fingers inched higher, connecting with my breasts as Murphy bit down on my lip.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” Rainer mumbled as he bent forward, his hardness pressing against my back as he nipped at my neck.

Grinding my hips down against Murphy, needing some sort of friction, Rainer kneaded my breasts, tweaking my nipples as Murphy moved his mouth, trailing sloppy kisses against the skin of my neck.

In a mess of limbs and soft laughter, the three of us shed our clothing, Murphy laid out on his back, Rainer at our side as I seated myself above his lap. Languidly, Murphy gripped his cock and slowly I lowered myself all the way, my mouth opening on a silent moan as he filled me.

Thankfully, Rainer’s warm palm covered my mouth as a not so quiet moan bled from my lips, his hot mouth wrapping around my nipple. As Rainer continued to lathe my breast with attention, Murphy gripped my ass in his hands, moving me up and down his length.

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