Page 33 of Ruthless Angel

I took a hard swallow of my tea before placing it on the bedside table. “I do care about you, Blaze. I wish I could go back and not make that arrangement with Raina to have the Gods jump you guys. It’s something I regret every day.”

Blaze pushed a chunk of chicken around on his plate, staring into the dish. “I thought we had something. That maybe we were getting somewhere. I know this didn’t start off so good for you. We forced you to be here. Still, I felt something between us. I thought you felt it too. When the Gods showed up that night, I realized that I’d been all wrong. You didn’t give a shit about me. About any of us.”

“I’m sorry I betrayed you, Blaze. All of you. You’re right though. I didn’t have a choice in any of this. You guys claimedme as a fuck doll. You threatened me.” I paused, searching for the accurate words to explain myself. “None of this is easy for me. I wanted to hate you guys. But I don’t. I don’t know what I feel. All I know is that when Brady sent us that video of you, my world turned upside down.”

That was as close as I could bring myself to telling him how I felt. I didn’t even know half the time. One minute I hated the Angels, the next I felt warm and fuzzy toward them. Nothing about this arrangement was healthy or normal. I knew that. Apparently, so did Blaze.

When he finished eating, I took the plate. I was about to take it downstairs when he stopped me.

“Clover, don’t go. Please. I’m tired. I think I need to sleep. Will you stay with me?”

Placing the plate on the dresser, I turned back to the bed. “Yeah, of course I will.”

I rounded the bed to the other side and carefully climbed in beside him. The thought of accidentally hurting him made me hyperaware of every move I made.

Once I got settled next to Blaze, he pulled the blankets up over us both. Unable to do anything but lie on his back, he reached over to take my hand.

“Closer,” he said. “I want to feel you against me.”

I scooted closer on the mattress, sucking in a deep breath of his scent. God I was happy to have him back.

As I listened to Blaze’s breathing grow heavier, I thought about the weird conversation we’d just had. There was something between us. Between all of us. As much as I’d resisted, it was painfully clear that I was theirs.

For the first time since they’d claimed me, I didn’t hate it.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CLOVER

“Should I drain the pasta now? God, I feel like an idiot. You’d think I’ve never made pasta before. I have. I swear. I’m not the best cook.” Blaze stood next to the stove, awaiting my instruction.

“Did you test the noodles?” I asked. “We don’t want them too soggy but not stiff either.”

When Blaze pulled out a steaming hot noodle, swore, and promptly dropped it on the floor, I laughed and went to help him. The salad I’d been throwing together could wait.

It had been almost three weeks since Blaze came home. Although he still had some soreness from his healing organs, he felt much better. Faint yellowing bruises still marked his face and body. Sometimes upon waking he felt stiff and achy. However, he’d come such a long way since those first pain filled days.

Tonight we were having dinner together. All four of us. I’d insisted. Things had been chaotic around here lately.

Daire was obsessed with finding Brady. Cash had been doing his best to help. Blaze was working on getting his strength back. And I’d been forced to officially drop out of summer classes, which meant that I was no longer able to stay at the dorm. Even though I’d been pretty much living with the Angels already, now it was official.

The guys had barely let me out of their sight. Understandably. It did get tiresome though. I couldn’t even sit in the backyard to get some sun without one of them with me. Daire’s paranoia made him crazier than usual. I didn’t think he’d relax until Brady was caught.

That didn’t bode well for the subject I planned to broach at dinner. I checked the pasta and told Blaze to go ahead and drain it. The Alfredo sauce simmered in a small pot on the stove. It smelled divine.

Since dropping my classes and being pretty much trapped at the house, I’d thrown myself into cooking and cleaning. Not because I wanted to be their caged domestic doll but because I was going crazy needing a way to keep busy. Blaze’s efforts to help were appreciated, even though having someone else in the kitchen tested my patience.

“Will you set the table?” I nudged Blaze toward the cupboard with the plates. “Don’t forget to put the wine out too.”

Blaze smacked my ass on his way to the plates. His sexual appetite had been ravenous since he started feeling better. Just that morning he’d accosted me in the bathroom while I was getting out of the shower. Nothing quite like trying not to slip and fall with wet feet while getting your pussy plowed.

After finishing the salad, I went to the basement door and called down to Daire and Cash. They’d gone down to work out an hour ago. They too were feeling the effects of being in the house all the time. Finding Brady dominated our every move. I was sick of it.

Once he’d showered, Daire strolled into the kitchen. In gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he was casual but droolworthy. I snuck a few glances at the bulge outlined in his pants, trying not to get caught.

“See something you like?” Daire taunted, catching me looking.

“Hey, if you’re going to wear pants like that, I’m going to take a peek.” I shrugged, certain that my cheeks were pink.

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