Page 24 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

My gaze darted between the three men.

It was Evander who answered. “Our kind usually works in groups we call circles. It isn’t uncommon for our species to choose to only have one female in the circle.”

My brain began running a series of complicated math equations I didn’t have a hope of understanding as I struggled to process what he was saying. Surely he didn’t mean —

Loch snickered. “Yes. It works exactly how you’re thinking. The woman is kept satisfied by her own personal harem.”

My throat tightened. “And you three want to share… me?” My words came out as little more than a whispered squeak.

“We don’t want to, but we’re willing to go this route because none of us are willing to give you up.” The muscle in Rhodes’ jaw flexed.

Evander gave me a shy smile. “I like the idea of sharing. We often get distracted by our work and we each have our own quirks. This way, we can make sure you get everything you need and deserve… even when one of us is being an idiot.”

The tender sincerity in his voice chipped away at the walls I’d built to protect my heart.

“If you agree to give us a chance, we’ll need you to be patient. We aren’t used to sharing.” For the first time since I’d met him, Lochlan’s tone was serious.

I was being offered a harem of the three most beautiful guys I’d ever laid eyes on. Anyone in their right mind would jump at a chance like this. I read romance stories because I was obsessedwith love. But when I got the chance to have my own happily ever after, I was too scared to take the risk.

Because I didn’t want to get a taste of being loved, only to end up alone. As an introvert, I’d struggled to make friends and my life had been painfully lonely.

Bloody Mary! It was so bad that when I died, none of the people I shared blood with, and who loved to remind me they were my family when they needed a favor, had cared enough to claim my body.

The city had buried me in an overgrown field, which I suspected used to be a landfill before the city decided to use it as a graveyard for the unclaimed. And since most citizens of Amberwood were born and raised here, and very few strangers moved into town, people weren’t exactlydyingto get into the city’s graveyard.

So my grave, with the tiny metal plaque engraved with the identification number the coroner had assigned me, was the only grave on the entire ten-acre property. Even in death, I was all alone.

It would’ve been hilarious if it hadn’t been so pathetic.

Now, three sexy men wanted to claim me as theirs and treat me like a queen, and I was too scared to say yes.

“You don’t have to answer until you want to. I’m not going anywhere. Ever,” Evander assured me.

His words sent a trickle of happiness through me. Acting impulsively, I caught his face and brought his lips to mine in a soft kiss.

Pulling away, I gave him a small smile before hiding my face against his chest.

How could these men be strangers yet feel so familiar at the same time?

When we arrivedat their house, Evander carried me to his room. He tucked me into his bed, then disappeared into the bathroom.

“You know ghosts don’t sleep, right?” I protested when he returned five minutes later.

Evander was wearing only a pair of flannel pajama pants. When he ran his fingers through his wet hair, causing droplets of water to slide down his bare chest, I lifted my finger to the corner of my mouth to make sure I hadn’t started drooling.

“I know a bit about ghosts.” He moved to an oak shelf in the corner of the room. Turning back around to face me, he held a book in each hand. “That’s why I figured we would read.”

I nearly swooned on the spot. “Will you marry me?”

Evander’s forehead creased. “What?”

I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Thinking quickly, I stammered out, “Uh, I wanted to know if you would cuddle me?”

Smooth, Axelle. Not sus at all.

His eyes sparkled, and his lips twitched as if he were suppressing a smile. “There is nothing I want more than to marry you.”

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