Page 14 of The Devil's Dream

“You two have known each other a long time,” she said softly, studying the photo.

I stepped closer, offering her the wine. “Since we were kids,” I explained, watching her take a sip. “Everything we've done, we've done together.”

Her breath caught at the implication in my tone, a pretty blush staining her cheeks. Good. I wanted her to think about exactly what that meant.

The timer in the kitchen chimed, drawing her attention. “Something smells amazing.”

“Garlic butter shrimp pasta,” I told her. “With fresh herbs from the garden out back.”

Her eyebrows rose. “You have a garden?”

“Kane,” Haze rumbled, his lips twitching.

I flipped him off good-naturedly, enjoying Nova's delighted laugh.

This was what we wanted. Her, comfortable and relaxed, seeing how naturally she could fit here with us.

“Dinner's ready,” I announced, guiding her to the dining room. I pulled out the chair that would put her between us. A statement I was not so subtly trying to make.

Nova sat delicately, seeming still a little on edge. Haze and I took our seats beside her, and I started passing around the food. I needed her to feel at ease. This was just dinner.

As we all dug in, she finally started to relax. The wine helped, but it was more than that.

She seemed to be genuinely getting comfortable here, between us.

“This is incredible,” she said, twirling another forkful of pasta. A small drop of sauce clung to her lower lip, and I had to grip my thigh under the table to keep from leaning over and licking it off.

“Kane's good with his hands,” Haze commented, more words than he usually spoke.

Nova’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red, the double meaning not lost on her.

I let the conversation flow naturally for a while, enjoying how she opened up to us. She told us about her aunt who raised her, about her love of books, about her dreams of having a family someday.

Finally, when the plates were nearly empty and Nova was on her second glass of wine, I decided it was time.

“So, Nova,” I started, deliberately letting my voice drop into that commanding tone that always made her squirm. “There's something we should discuss.”

She set down her fork, those blue eyes wide and questioning.

“You've noticed how Haze and I operate,” I continued, watching her carefully. “We share everything.”

A pretty blush spread across her cheeks, down her neck, disappearing beneath the neckline of her dress. “Everything?”

“Everything,” Haze confirmed, his voice thick with desire. That single word seemed to hang in the air between us.

I leaned forward, holding her gaze. “But there's more to it than that, Kitten. I have... specific tastes when it comes to pleasure.”

Her fingers tightened around her wine glass. “What kind of tastes?”

“I like control,” I stated plainly, watching her reaction carefully.

Instead of fear or disgust, I saw curiosity spark in those innocent eyes. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and fuck, if that didn't make my cock jump.

“Haze and I,” I continued, my voice dropping lower, “we've shared women before. But never like this. Never someone we both wanted to keep.”

Her eyes darted between us, her chest rising and falling with quickened breaths. “And you... you both want...”

“You,” Haze finished for her, reaching out to brush his knuckles down her cheek.

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