Page 25 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

“What?!” I yelped.

“I said there’s nothing I want more than to cuddle you while we read,” he answered innocently, handing me one of the books he’d pulled from the shelf.

But as he stretched out on the bed beside me, I caught his sexy smirk and couldn’t resist a smile of my own. The playfulbanter I shared with the men was doing a fantastic job of wrecking my resolve to distance myself from them.

I needed to decide if I was going to let them in, or push them away. And soon.

“Whatever you’re worrying about can wait. You’ve had a hard day, and it’s time to relax.” Evander grabbed his glasses from the nightstand beside the bed. He slid them on and opened his book.

Great Gatsby’s Glamorous Gambling Ghost!

I’d found Evander handsome before, but the whole sexy nerd vibe could have knocked my panties off. A wave of slick arousal rushed between my thighs, and my body ached with need. Evander turned a page, already lost in the book’s story.

Lying down beside him, I opened my book and tried not to think about all the things I wanted to do to him. The book was a fantasy about dragons and elves, and while I missed the romance, I was quickly drawn into the story.

We’d been reading for about half an hour when the bedroom door opened and Rhodes appeared with Loch behind him. Both men had changed into pajama pants, and without a word, they moved toward the bed.

Loch laid down beside me, pulling me against him. I murmured in pleasure as heat seeped into my cold body.

Rhodes stretched out across the bottom of the bed. Lifting my feet onto his stomach, he began to massage them with a gentleness that surprised me for such a large man.

Snuggled between their bodies, I relaxed, letting the tension drain from my body. I was protected. Instead of distracting me, the guys’ presence allowed me to let go of the world and fully devour chapter after chapter. Maybe there was a way I could have my cake and eat it too… or in my case, maybe I could have my romance and read it too.

The hours ticked by, and when I finally slipped the bookmark into the book and glanced out the window, I was surprised to see the sun was rising over the horizon.

Evander’s eyes were closed, and his book was slipping from his hand. I gently took it from him and placed it on the nightstand.

Rhodes’ palm slid up my calf. Sitting up, I looked at the giant man cradling my calf in his sleep. Did they crave physical touch as much as I did?

Shifting my attention to where Loch lay on my right side, I was startled to find his moss-green eyes fixed on me.

“You’re incredible.” His whispered comment sent excitement rippling through me.

Carefully extracting my leg from Rhodes’ grasp, I rolled over to face Loch and melded my body to his. “I bet you tell all the girls that.”

“No, I don’t.” His arm curled around my back, and he buried his nose against my neck. “You were magnificent facing off with the reaper, but I’ve never felt fear like that in my life. I thought I was going to watch you die.”

I huffed a soft laugh. “I already died, remember?”

His teeth nipped my neck, and he growled. “Yeah, but you can be ended in this form, too. Now, remind me, how did that happen?”

“I was target practicing with cupid and there was a freak accident.” I blew out a sigh. “It happens. Wrong place, wrong time. You know how it goes.”

Loch pulled back to stare at me. “You have a twisted sense of humor, boo.”

Eager to change the subject, I slipped my arms around his neck. “You haven’t fed. Now seems like a good time.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Hunger glowed in his eyes, but he was still worried. “You grabbed a reaper’s blade yesterday,then took a bite out of him, and followed that up by feeding Rhodes enough energy to heal a fatal wound. Not to mention taking care of Ev. I can wait another day or two.”

“I’m fine. Let me do this.” I didn’t tell him I was feeling tired, because I didn’t want him to worry.

My energy was replenishing itself, and I still had enough to feed him. Dark circles marred the skin beneath his eyes, and I’d caught the slight tremor of his hand. I was new to collectors, but you didn’t have to be an expert to see he was struggling.

Not giving him a chance to protest further, I pressed my lips to his. The energy that made up my entire being responded like a puppy eager to greet her master.

The moment the energy touched his tongue, Lochlan gave up fighting his hunger. He latched onto my mouth with a desperation that tore at my heart. Why hadn’t he let me feed him in the tunnels?

In a single smooth move, Loch rolled us so that I was trapped beneath his body. His left hand slipped from where it cupped my cheek, to curl his powerful fingers around the delicate column of my neck.

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