Page 29 of Gilded Caresses

“We can’t force her to do anything. Tying her up and filling her belly with a baby might sound kinky and fun as fuck, but not unless she consents.”

Elyah speaks with authority neither of the other two contests.

I force myself to ignore my gut, bust into the room, and demand what the hell all that is supposed to mean. Do they have plans to kidnap me? I want to examine every little detail in their words but Lev is speaking.

“She would be beautiful round with our child. Tying her up can be optional. But it boils down to the fact we need a breeder and we don’t have much time. And she knows who we are and still didn’t run away. That has to say something in our favor.”

My heart stops cold. They want me as their breeder? And they planned it that way. More silence comes from within the booth.

“A union that has both alliances forged would make us strong. Them and us and please your father. It would finally end the bloodshed between us. I’m just fucking tired, Elyah. Tired. How can we protect the people under our care and the people we love if we are constantly at war?”

Pain and anger crackle in Gregor’s words.

“You saw how she ran away from us. Maybe we were foolish to think this would work. When was the last time a Constantine entertained listening to the Southern Alliance?”

I can just barely make out what Lev is saying.

A sarcastic laugh. “I remember. It’s when we first saw her. You don’t?—”

I step around the curtain and let it fall behind me, interrupting Elyah.

I am sealed in our private booth with the three powerful mafia men. And they’ve all leveled their rock-hard gazes on me. I take a deep breath.

“I remember. It was two years ago,” I say. “When my cousin Harlon agreed to meet you. He turned you away for fear of retaliation from his crew. I remember everything about that day because it’s the day I realized I wanted more.” Much more. “I wanted you three. I thought I was broken.”

Hard gazes pin me to the floor where I stand. My hair hangs loosely around my shoulders and back in dark tumbles of curls. It catches Gregor’s eye and I know what he’s thinking. He wants to get his hands in it and take control of me again.

Not this time. I hold a hand up when he looks ready to act on the dark thoughts I recognize in his eyes.

I hold each of their gazes in turn. “That is the night I first met you. You didn’t pay much attention to me, but I saw you. I listened to you speak. You were smart and you had ideas of peace. I think Harlon was a fool not to entertain them.”

Gregor is beside me, and I drop my hand. He wraps the ends of my hair around his fingers just like I predicted. “We saw you,malyshka.”

Lev moves behind me and I feel his heavy shaft like a red-hot poker against my ass. “You were tempting to steal away right then. Not being able to pursue you made us mad with lust.”

I take a steadying breath which was a bad idea. Instead of being clear-minded, now my senses are permeated withtheir combined masculine scents. In fact, all my senses are heightened.

Involuntarily, my heart lurches and I fight to catch my breath and what Lev is saying.

Elyah moves toward me. Yards of tight muscle beneath his finely-tailored suit flexes and bunches as he prowls closer.

I swallow my nervousness and dig deep for strength not to buckle at the knees.

Gregor, Elyah, and Lev have all their attention zeroed in on me and deep inside a piece of a puzzle falls in place. I could have them. Icouldbe theirs and they would be mine. Hope for what that means steals my good senses.

Gregor’s hand wanders up the slip of my dress and though I fight the urge, I give in and tilt my head to the side for the light press of Lev’s kiss on my neck.

Elyah stands just short of me being able to touch him, but his gaze doesn’t miss a detail.

“How much of our conversation did you hear, Constantine?”

“I heard everything, Elyah.” I let my words resonate.

Pure heat washes over his expression.

He’s a divine sight when he’s suspicious. Hooded eyes, clenched jaw and dark glittering resolve set in all those finely developed muscles have me curious as to what’s going on in that brain of his. I think I am on the cusp of discovering my deepest secrets about myself. I want them inside me and round with their child.

I don’t know what that says about me as a human being but growing up in a family that could so easily turn their backs onblood planted a deep-rooted desire in me to be different. And here I have the chance to have protection at my back and a baby in my arms from men I feel connected to. Contrary to my gut instinct, I have to trust everything else will fall into place. Or I could lose out because of my fear.

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