Page 107 of Marked

“Mm-hmm.” I took another sip of coffee, pretending not to notice how all three brothers tracked the movement of my throat, before putting it down on the coffee table. “Though you’d probably take over the whole city within a week. Poor New York wouldn’t know what hit it.”

“And what about me?” Derek’s voice was rough velvet, dangerous in its softness.

“Oh, you?” I let my gaze drift to where he stood, my body humming with an inexplicable need to be closer. My skin felt too tight, too hot, especially when Derek shifted and his shoulders stretched his shirt in ways that should be illegal. “Definitely some elite SEAL commander. Though after that tour of your security command center, I’m starting to think even the SEALs might be a step down.”

Derek’s laugh was low and dangerous, the sound hitting something primal inside me. “Impressed by my setup, little mate?”

The endearment sent liquid heat racing through my veins. My body’s reaction to them was getting harder to ignore—this constant pull, like gravity, drawing me closer even when my mind screamed to maintain distance. I turned to Caleb, desperate to distract myself from the way Derek’s presence seemed to fill the entire room, only to find Caleb’s eyes dark with something that made my breath catch and my pulse race. “Then there’s you.”

The need to touch him, to close the already minimal distance between us on the couch, was almost overwhelming. I didn’t understand why my body kept betraying me like this, why every cell seemed to cry out for their touch. It was maddening, this constant push and pull between what my mind knew was reasonable and what my body desperately craved.

“Me?” His voice had dropped to a register that should come with its own parental advisory.

“Hollywood’s newest heartthrob.” I shifted slightly, pretending not to notice how his arm tightened around the back of the couch. “Red carpets, billboards from Sunset to Times Square…”

“Careful, baby,” Caleb warned, though his eyes said something entirely different. The brothers exchanged another one of their looks, and I swear I could feel the energy crackling between them.

“Or what?” I challenged, past caring about their hot-and-cold game. “You’ll finally do something about it? Because I’ve got to say, this whole mysterious, brooding thing you’ve got going on—”

“What whole thing?” Marcus cut in, his voice tight with something that sounded like barely leashed control.

“Oh, you know…” I waved my hand vaguely, enjoying how all three brothers seemed to be holding their breath. “The intense stares, the possessive touches, the way you all show up exactly when I’m thinking about you—which is getting really inconvenient, by the way. A guy can’t even have a proper fantasy anymore without—”

“Fantasy?” Derek’s growl rumbled through the room, and I swear the windows rattled in their frames. The moonlight cast a spell over us, painting the brothers in shades of danger and desire that I couldn’t resist. It was like being caught in the gravitational pull of a trio of stars, each one more mesmerizing than the last.

“You really shouldn’t ask questions you’re not prepared for the answers to,” I purred, feeling unusually bold. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the way they all looked at me like I was something delicious they wanted to devour.

I traced Caleb’s strong jawline with my finger, watching his muscle twitch beneath my touch. His skin felt fever-hot, and I could have sworn I heard something like a suppressed growl rumbling in his chest.

“Try us,” Derek challenged, his voice rough like gravel. He shifted slightly, and Marcus shot him a warning look I couldn’t quite interpret.

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” I purred, my voice dropping to a husky whisper. “There’s this little daydream I have. Well, sometimes at night, too.” I leaned closer to Caleb, letting my lips ghost across his ear as I whispered, “You know, when I’m trying to go to sleep.”

Their stares turned impossibly hotter. My body’s need to be closer to them was becoming impossible to ignore, and my words had a boldness I didn’t normally possess.

“Picture this: I’m in some high-rise office, all sleek glass and steel, with Marcus. He’s the CEO, of course, commanding and confident. I’m his personal assistant, and he’s just given me the most deliciously inappropriate task. He corners me against the desk, his hands pinning mine on either side of me, his body caging me in.”

Marcus’ jaw clenched, his knuckles turned white where they gripped the armrest of the chair, and I could almost see the scene playing out behind those icy eyes of his.

“And Derek…” I turned my head slightly, just enough to catch Derek’s fierce gaze locked on me. “Let’s just say my fantasies about you involve a lot of climbing. Like scaling Mount Everest, except way more fun and significantly less clothing.”

Derek made a sound that was almost inhuman. His eyes flickered with an amber fire that threatened to burn me alive, his massive frame trembling with… restraint?

My fingers drifted down to trace the defined lines of Caleb’s collarbones, outlined by the deep V of his shirt. “And thenthere’s you, Caleb. Hollywood’s golden boy, with that movie star charm and a smile that could light up the dark side of the moon. We’re at some swanky awards afterparty, hidden away in a secluded corner of the room. You’ve got me pinned against the wall, your lips teasing and tantalizing, promising all sorts of scandalous things that would make the gossip rags’ headlines explode.”

Caleb made a strangled sound, his body bowstring-taut beside me. I felt the heat of their gazes like a physical touch. Derek’s hands curled into fists where he rested against the wall, and Marcus’ eyes had turned that icy shade of blue right before a storm.

I wanted to climb them like trees, let them devour me with that fierce intensity, claim me as theirs. My body’s responses were getting harder to hide—the flush in my cheeks, the racing of my pulse, the way my breath came in quick gasps. It was like being swept up in an irresistible tide, pulled farther and farther from shore.

Without warning, Caleb snapped. One moment I was teasingly running my fingers through his hair, and the next, he had me crushed against him. Caleb’s lips captured mine, his kiss urgent and demanding. The force of it stole my breath and my heart lurched in response. His hands framed my face, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss as if he’d been starving for the taste of me for centuries.

I moaned into his mouth, my arms winding around his neck as I melted against him. My body burned with need, my blood humming as our tongues tangled. Caleb kissed like he was trying to brand me, possess me completely, and I wanted to be taken. The low, primal growls coming from both Marcus and Derek added to the intensity of the moment, spurring Caleb on.

Then, suddenly, I felt Derek behind me on the couch. The touch of his powerful arms around me, pulling me possessivelyaway from Caleb’s devouring kiss. I ended up on Derek’s lap, the fabric of his shirt rough against my sensitized skin. All thought fled as Derek’s lips crushed against mine, his kiss a harsh claim.

My pulse was racing, my body alight with a fire that only these three men could stoke to such heights. Derek’s lips were firm and insistent, his tongue battling mine for dominance in a heated dance. And all the while, I could feel Marcus’ intense gaze upon us, a silent promise of the pleasures that still awaited me in the arms of the enigmatic CEO.

I was lost in a sea of sensation, caught between the fierce desire of the two men who held me in their thrall.

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