Page 84 of Entranced By the Basilisks

“I don’t want to negate your concerns,” I start. “And you are a cranky workaholic, but you’re our cranky workaholic. When the world was falling down around me, it was you who was the solid ground. Even now, while I’m handling everything better, I’m more comfortable with you than this otherworldly creature between my legs. Sorry, Ari.” I add with a sheepish smile.

Ari shrugs. “I am intimidating and powerful. Of course, you wouldn’t be comfortable with me alone.”

I continue, trying not to scoff at his preening words. “Your presence helps me. The care you’ve taken of me makes me feel safe. You’re the strength I need when I falter and who I want to hold me when I fall. I don’t care about your poisoned legacy. I just care that with you, it’s like I can finally take a full breath.”

Jasper’s face is soft and full of vulnerability. After my words, there’s a moment of quiet and contemplation that Ari breaks.

“Do I get an impassioned speech?” Ari asks.

I poke him in the stomach, my nerves finally overwhelming me. “I think I only have one speech in me per day, so check back tomorrow, but you’ve tempted my mind and body more than I thought possible and though you’re still intimidating, I believe in this vision you have for us.”

A guilty expression flashes over Ari’s face, almost too quick to catch. I’m half convinced I’ve misread it when he distracts me.

“That belief is precious to me.” He kisses me softly before pulling away and approaching Jasper.

“Jasper, you’ve known me for years and Emilia may not be ready to say the words, but I’ve held back my true emotions too long trying to make do with what you were willing to give me. I love you, my viper.”

Jasper’s face shatters in a battle of anguish and happiness, but Ari continues, “I’ve loved you since the beginning, if you can believe that. My soul saw yours and it was like coming home for the first time in a very long time.”

Ari cradles Jasper’s face in his hands.

“I expect you to have doubts,” he says. “I expect this to be scary, but please believe that I will do everything in my power to keep our new family together.”

Jasper flings his arms around Ari in a fierce hug that twists the men.

I release the breath I’ve been holding hostage. Emotions whir inside me faster than I know. The way Ari’s face presses into Jasper’s hair seems too intimate for me to bear, but Ari catches my gaze over Jasper’s shoulder. The look he gives me shouts his intention.

If I were ready to hear the words, he’d give them to me. As it is, he’s giving me the time and space I need to be ready. Ari knew when he first saw me what he wanted from me. He’d warned me about the pull in my apartment when I’d packed up.

His consistency is a drug when the rest of the world is out of control. Yes, he’s terrifying and yes, he pushes me and frustrates me, but he’s here for us and won’t let anything stand in front of his goals. Even something like our fear.

I tilt my chin up as if to challenge him and Ari’s grin is quick.

Jasper says something into Ari’s chest that I don’t quite catch, but Ari’s expression turns emotional once again. I assume Jasper is confessing his love to him. Would hearing Jasper tell Ari that he loves him give me the same spike of jealousy that I’d felt at Ari’s words?

It’s better that I don’t know. The jealousy is misplaced. This isn’t the moment of culmination of seven years for me. And if I’m reading Ari accurately, he feels the same for me as he does for Jasper, but my human brain just wouldn’t be able to handle the same declaration at the moment. I didn’t grow up hearing about fated mates.

No, I’m going to be happy that Ari is getting the honesty and connection that he’s wanted from Jasper for years.

They’re kissing now, unrefined and overflowing with want and need.

Now I feel jealous. I press my thighs together and try to be patient. Should I leave? I don’t want to. The emotional confessions seem to be over, and I don’t want to miss out on what comes next. My place is with these two.

Ari breaks the kiss and whispers in Jasper’s ear, his gaze mischievously holding mine. Jasper moans and he’s on me faster than I can track.

My legs wrap around his hips, and he grinds his erection against me.

“Emilia—” His voice breaks and he digs his face into my neck. “I’ve watched you for years.”

I widen my eyes. “What?”

“Since you’ve been hired, I haven’t been able to keep myself from watching you. I used to explain the impulse away. Say that of course I watched you, you’re beautiful and passionate about your work, but that’s not the only reason.”

“It’s not?” My voice shakes. This I didn’t expect. I thought our interactions started with the curse and were much like how Ari described me, the spark that started the world burning. I am the instigation that draws these men to me.

“I was drawn to you since the very beginning,” he confesses, his hands sliding up my thighs and kneading the flesh there.

His words have mine sticking in my throat, but they give way. “I’ve always reacted to you. You’re intimidating, but even the most intimidating person I’ve been able to interact with, you were always the exception. Every moment in your presence felt monumental and I didn’t know why.”

---