Page 65 of Ruthless Beasts

“Both then.” He laughed, and I knew I should step in, but her chest was rising and falling, her nipples were budded, and I couldn’t take my eyes away from them. “Give me a reason to let it go?”

“Please.”

“Not good enough. I’ve tortured men with more convincing begs than that. Try again.” He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t. Instead, her eyes fell to his lips and back to his burning gaze. He leaned into her ear, his voice softer when he spoke. “Adam and Ace are gentlemen, but I’m not, little girl. I’ll test you, push you to your limits, make you scream my name as you beg me to stop. Adam may let you break rules and let it slide because he’s got a soft spot for you. But me, I’ll spank that perfect ass of yours until you're dripping, sobbing for me to make you cum. Then I’ll go to bed perfectly content that the smell of your pussy coats my palm. We aren’t the same. Don’t play games, and don’t fucking lie. Do you understand?”

“Merc,” Ace warned.

“She can handle the truth, Ace,” Mercer insisted. “In fact, I think she likes it.” He reached his hand down, snaking it into her leggings, touching her intimately, and I should feel jealous, but I didn’t. I couldn’t take my eyes off them as I stood frozen, wondering how far he’d take it. He groaned against her hair, “You’re so fucking wet for me.”

She whimpered, and he pulled his hand out, bringing his fingers to his lips and sucking them clean. “I’m tired of games,little girl. You’re in or out. You don’t get to walk through these halls and get jealous of our pasts when you’re barely here in the present. Make your decision and let us know, because I hear there is a little blond with great tits moving in, and I’d hate to miss an opportunity because I was waiting and hoping for something that wasn’t mine.” He nudged her forward. “Go make the popcorn. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He placed her just outside the office door, then shut the door before she could turn. He rested his forehead against the wood and cursed. I knew it was hard for him because it was fucking hard for all of us to watch. To see her face, the hurt, jealousy, lust… and then to push her away was criminal to my heart.

When her footfalls faded, Ace broke the silence. “What the fuck is your problem?”

Without removing his forehead from the door, Mercer's head turned, meeting our eyes. “My problem is she can’t have everything.”

“Why the fuck not?” Ace looked genuinely confused.

“She can’t have the attention of the men in this house and get jealous because of our ghosts. We would give her anything, even if she doesn’t ask. The least she could do was let us know where we all fucking stand. She’s had time. It’s been weeks. Weeks since she moved in, weeks since her father died, fucking weeks since I watched her unravel under the stream in that shower, and I’ve wanted her. Thought about her. Hung on to any scrap she gave me, but it’s fucking time. How the hell does she expect him to commit and shake his past if she’s not willing to leap with him?”

I hated that he was right, but I couldn’t deny he had a point. I’d been sleeping next to her for too long now not to know where I belonged in her heart. Why was it so complicated for her when, for us, it was as clear as could be? We wanted a family, and we’d build it.

“He’s right, Ace.” I sighed. “All or nothing is how we’ve always done it, and I think we deserve to know where we stand.”

“She’s going to be pissed when we go out there,” Ace pointed out.

“Let her.” Mercer straightened and grabbed the knob. “She can’t be mad forever.”

And she wouldn’t be. She’d be annoyed tonight, and I sure as fuck would stay clear of whatever attitude I knew she’d throw. But at some point, she’d come to a conclusion.

I followed behind Mercer as he led the way to the kitchen. We entered just as she slammed the microwave closed with more force than necessary. I ignored the shaded glance she gave and walked up to her, reaching above her head to take out a bowl for the popcorn. She didn’t even glance in my direction as she dumped the bag into the bowl. Picking it up, she turned and stomped out of the kitchen toward the living room.

I exchanged glances with my best friends, then grabbed some drinks out of the fridge as Mercer grabbed other snacks. A few minutes later, we met her in our theater room, where she conveniently picked a single chair instead of the reclining loveseat. I pulled out a table, dragging it to sit in front of us both, then arranged the snacks so that her favorite was closest to her.

She stubbornly stared at the screen the whole time, waiting for a movie to start, as she wrapped herself in a fluffy blanket. Ace picked up the remote, hitting play on the movie she had already pre-picked before turning off the lights.

Not a single glance the whole movie. Granted, half of it she was asleep, but still. She hadn’t even attempted to have snacks. When it was over and Ace had the lights back on, we all stood around her, watching our sleeping beauty.

“The movie would have been better if I hadn’t felt the heat of her rage pulsing through the room,” Ace mused.

“Rage? I like to think it’s the suppressed sexual tension.” Mercer reached forward, pushing a lock of hair out of her eyes.

After another minute of watching her, Ace turned away. “I’m going to bed. Let’s hope for a morning better than this evening.”

I couldn’t agree more. I leaned down, scooping my wife up and adjusting her against my chest, loving the way she automatically snuggled into my skin, a luxury she’d never allow if she was awake. A rumble of contentment left me involuntarily, the sound causing her eyes to flutter open. They held mine for a moment, neither of us daring to breathe, until she reached her arm up and linked it around my neck, closing her eyes again.

Mercer smirked before leaving us, proud as fuck, like he did something here when this didn’t mean a thing. It was a single action, not a commitment.

I carried her gently through the halls, thankful that the upstairs renovations weren’t ready yet. She wasn’t heavy, but the jostling of the stairs would have surely woken her up. I used my foot to kick open the door and then carried her to the bed. Careful not to wake her, I pulled the sheet back. Right as I leaned over and placed her down, ready to release her, her fingers tightened, holding me close.

“Adam?”

The soft voice was startling when she had been so silent all night. Without thinking, I answered, “Yes, baby?”

The term of endearment was new. But it didn’t feel wrong to say.

“Stay.”

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