Page 78 of Tempted By her Daddies

So bossy. He had to be taking lessons from the other two. One, she could handle. Two, was pushing it. But three? She might not survive.

“You,” she said as he lightly squeezed her hands. “Alexei. Bird poo. Sofa. Ugly painting.”

Roman glanced behind him, then turned back with a grin. “You’re right. It is ugly. Four things you can hear.”

“Alexei breathing. Sounds like a train.”

“It does not!” Alexei complained.

“It does when you come up behind me. Or maybe an angry dragon. A bear?”

Her breathing was growing easier.

“Keep going,” Roman urged. “What else can you hear?”

“You. I can hear Salem breathe.”

“Bet his breathing sounds like a constipated badger,” Alexei grumbled.

A giggle escaped her and the tension in the room dropped by several notches.

“I can hear that annoying clock ticking on the wall.” She nodded over at the clock that often drove her insane.

“You don’t like that clock?” Roman asked. “I’ll get rid of it immediately.” He stood, sliding his hands free.

It must have been so hard for him to touch her, and he’d done it to help her.

“No, don’t,” she said, laughing. “You can’t get rid of it.”

“Why not?” he asked. “If you don’t like it, then it’s gone.”

“Just because I don’t like it?” she asked in amazement.

He crouched in front of her. “I want you to be comfortable here. I want you to think of this place as yours too.”

“Mine? No.” She shook her head. This was a lot and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it all.

“We’re not saying you have to move in tomorrow,” Salem told her, turning her in his lap so he could see her. He tilted her head back with his hand under her chin. “We’re just saying that we want you to feel safe here. To be comfortable. With this house and with us.”

“So say yes,” Alexei demanded.

“Alexei,” Salem said with a sigh.

“What?”

“You can’t just demand that she say yes.”

“Sure I can. I just did,” Alexei said.

“Yes, but it has to be her choice,” Roman said. “Perhaps she doesn’t want to be with three men.”

“Do you really think it could work? It’s not . . . people won’t like it.”

“Who cares what other people think?” Alexei said disparagingly. “I do not care. Do you?”

Well, she didn’t really. She glanced at Roman who just smiled, then up to Salem.

“The people I care most about are in this room.” Salem ran a finger down her cheek. “And that’s why I think this could work. Because we all care about each other and want each of us to be happy. Will it always be easy? No. But nothing worth having is. And we just have to lay down some rules and boundaries.”

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