Page 11 of Yule Tied Up

He licks his lips, and I splash him with the water.

He leaves the bathroom, chuckling, and I climb out of the bath and wrap my body in a clean, fluffy towel. I catch myself glancing over at the blind, because even though it’s shut, and Dom has been outside and checked, I’ve still got this strange sense of someone being out there.

I head into the bedroom, where all the bags are, and dress in clean, comfy clothes. I take my hair down and run a brush through it, and then spritz a light spray of perfume over myself. I also add a touch of mascara and a coat of tinted lip balm because I want to look nice tonight. It might just be a meal in, but we’re all here, alone, and it feels as if the night might take a very sexy turn.

There’s nothing as heady as knowing three men are wanting you, waiting until the moment they can have you. It still gives me that tiny frisson of fear, and I love that. Love the tremor of anxiety I get that they might be too much. Go too hard. Too fast. Take me over, devour me, until there’s nothing left.

Yeah, I love the dark part of us, as much as I love the light.

I blow myself a kiss in the mirror and leave the bedroom. The fire is roaring now, and the whole cabin has gotten lovely and toasty.

Dom and Kirill have warmed the beef bourguignon I made in the crockpot before we left and dished it out. Candles burn in the center of the table, and sprigs of holly have been placed around them.

I pass from the living area into the kitchen.

“Stop right there,” Kirill suddenly exclaims.

I freeze. “What? What is it?” For some crazy reason, my thoughts go to the twig snapping outside.

He throws himself at me, so he’s standing directly in front of me. “Look up.”

I do, following his line of sight. A spring of mistletoe has been pinned to the beam above our heads.

“Aww.” I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing myself against his body. “Did you put that up there?”

He grabs my ass and yanks me closer. “Nope. That was down to the gods of mistletoe.”

I arch an eyebrow. “The gods of mistletoe? I had no idea there was such a thing.”

“There is now, and you can’t disobey them. Girls who disobey the gods get punished.”

I wriggle against him, feeling him growing hard, and stand on tiptoes so my lips brush his. “Maybe this girl wants to be punished.”

He growls and then kisses me hard. His tongue finds mine, and I grind against his erection, the food already forgotten.

Someone clears their throat behind us, and we break the kiss.

Tino is standing there, all dark hair and muscles and tattoos, and in his hands is a length of ribbon that he’s taken from the tree.

“What’s that for?” I ask.

He moves closer and pulls the ribbon tighter in his hands. “I have an idea for a game. We blindfold our duchess and each take turns kissing her under the mistletoe and see if she knows which of us it is.”

They call me Duchess after our rocky beginnings at Verona Falls University. Because of something terrible in my past, I had conducted myself a certain way—acting cold and aloof, when deep inside I was a hot mess. I hadn’t trusted anyone enough back then to share my secret, but the fates had seen fit to throw these men in my path. Eventually, we’d had no choice but to share everything.

I grin. “I’m going to know who is kissing me.”

He steps in behind me, so I’m now sandwiched between him and Kirill, and leans in close to speak against my ear. “Shh, don’t spoil the game.”

He loops the length of ribbon over my eyes. It’s a thick red satin and blocks my view immediately. A tremor of excitement goes through me. I wonder what else they might do with this ribbon.

The room goes silent around me. “Guys?” I’m nervous now.

“We’re just figuring out who gets to go first.” It’s Dom’s voice.

I draw a breath and clench and unclench my fingers at my sides. I could easily pull down the ribbon, if I wanted, but I also don’t want to spoil their game. I sense a figure stand in front of me and draw a breath.

The crazy idea that this isn’t one of my men and is the same person I imagined cracked a twig outside of the bathroom jumps into my head. But then they move closer, and Dom’s familiar woodsy scent washes over me. His hands cup my cheek and lace through my hair, and his mouth finds mine.

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