Page 23 of Give Me Three

“Talk to me,” Eros murmured, reaching out and resting his hand on my hip. His thumb hooked under the band of my sweatpants, and my blood heated immediately, my cock plumping the tiniest bit. “Tell me what’s bothering you, babe.”

I blew out a soft breath before lifting my coffee mug back to my lips, taking another sip. Finally, I set the mug down and stared at the wall across from me, unable to look at him.

“I felt like I was intruding on your moment with Zeppelin earlier. And that maybe I didn’t give Zeppelin what he needed.”

“You did everything right,” Eros assured me. He cupped my cheek, turning my head to face him. His green eyes held nothing but adoration for me, and my gut swooped. “He told me you stopped his panic attack and held him. And that you then gave him what he needed to calm down after.”

I sighed. “But you…” I let my voice trail off, swallowing thickly.

“I do that becauseIneed it,” Eros told me quietly. “When he wakes up from a flashback, Ineedto be with him. To remind myself he’s safe and no one is harming him anymore.”

Harming him?

My gut churned. What had happened to Zeppelin?

“He’ll tell you when he’s ready,” Eros assured me when I ran my eyes over his face as if it held the answers I was seeking.

“I know,” I said quietly. Gripping Eros’s hips, I tugged him between my spread thighs, and then, I just pulled him to me and held him, wrapping my arms around his back and squeezing him to me. He made a small, contented sound and sank into me. Reaching around me, he gripped the hem of my sweats and justclung. And fuck, it felt good to hold him like this. To be what he needed.

The tightness in my chest eased with every steady breath Eros fanned across my naked chest.

“We’re not wrong, Jax baby,” Eros said quietly, snuggling deeper into me. My heart constricted for an entirely different reason this time. He felt sorightin my arms like this. “We’llneverbe wrong. You… I’m sure you’re it for us. Iknowyou’re who we’ve been looking for.”

I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drown in his words. In his promises.

Ineededthem. More than he could ever know.

CHAPTER 16

Zeppelin

Icleaned up my station as Miranda cashed out the customer I’d just finished tattooing. He wanted an Eagle on his back with the wings spread open across his shoulder blades with the bird looking as if it was swooping down upon its pray. It was a lengthy tattoo, but I’d finished the last bit today, and I had to admit it looked damn good. It was probably one of my best tattoos yet, and I’d drawn the design for him, too.

I’d always been good at art, and after becoming addicted to the feeling of a tattoo needle stabbing into my skin over and over, I’d decided becoming a tattoo artist was something I wanted to do. I finished my business degree in college, busted my ass working two jobs to help pay for the apartment Eros and I shared, and when I graduated and was ready to open my shop, Eros’s parents had given me the loan to start my business. I’d spent every spare minute I had apprenticing at a tattoo shop near where we lived while still working two jobs so I could pay Eros’s parents off.

I now owned Ink Rage free and clear, and I earned enough to have a full-time receptionist and had been able to take on Shane as an artist recently.

“That ink was damn good, bro,” Shane said after the customer had left the shop.

I flashed him a quick grin. “Thanks, man.” I tossed the paper towel I’d used to clean the armrest into the trash can before settling on my stool and grabbing my iPad to draw. I didn’t have any other appointments today, so I could chill until someone came in as a walk-in. Shane and I worked on a schedule like this so we could handle walk-ins as well as appointments—I did appointments in the mornings, and he did appointments in the afternoon.

Shane’s appointment showed shortly after, and the sound of a buzzing tattoo gun soon filled the quiet of the shop. Miranda turned on rock music, and I buried myself in my drawing, not realizing I was drawing Jaxon holding Ash until halfway through.

The bell above the door jingled, and I glanced up, surprised to see Logan walking in. When I glanced at my watch, I noted it was only three in the afternoon. His clothes were grease-stained, and his boots were scuffed up and just as greasy. His longer hair was pulled back off his face in a tiny bun to keep his dark hair out of his face.

“Hey, how can I help you?” Miranda asked, popping her gum right after and flicking her blue hair out of her face. No doubt, she found Logan attractive. And hell, hewasattractive. But he also seemed to be gay and in a very happy relationship with two other men. She was SOL when it came to him.

“You,” Logan said, his gaze landing on me. Shane paused, looking at Logan, his brows arching. I let a smirk tilt my lips as I locked my iPad and set it aside, reclining back against the toolbox behind me I used as a cabinet of sorts for my tattoo supplies. Logan strode toward me. “Do you know I had to deal with a phone call at five in the fucking morning because you and your husband have Jaxon so fucking twisted up?”

I nodded. “Eros informed me—yeah,” I confirmed. Eros had cuddled him, but when I found out, I sank to my knees in front of Jaxon and sucked his cock so damn good, he’d been left babbling absolute nonsense. It’d been one of the hottest fucking things I’d ever experienced, truly. Jaxon Wreath had no fucking clue how damn gone over him I was.

“If you and Eros are just playing a game with him, fucking end itnow,” Logan growled, planting his hands on my tattoo chair and leaning over it to get in my face. I simply arched a brow at him, not intimidated in the slightest. “He deserves everything good in this world, Zeppelin, and he’s been through fucking enough.”

“We’re not playing a game with him,” I told Logan calmly. He was in overprotective mode, and while I didn’t understand why he was so bent out of shape over Jaxon, I didn’t want to send him over the edge. I saw a lot of myself in Logan, and something told me it wouldn’t take much to tip him over the edge and make him swing on me. The kid was volatile as fuck—clearly.

“You better not be fucking lying to me,” Logan sneered. “Jaxon saved my fucking life—” ah, there was the reason he was so protective of Jaxon—“and I won’t allowanyoneto hurt him.”

“We want him, Logan,” I said, trying to diffuse the situation. I knew arguing with him or even getting into a physical altercation with him would upset Jaxon enough to push me and Eros away,and I couldn’t have that. “This isn’t a game. I promise. We’re fighting tooth and nail to get him to open up to us. We wouldn’t do all this if he was just some toy.”

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