Page 157 of Gathered Sparkle

And he was so hurt when he found out about Sylus, Koen, and now Ace.

His hand slides up to cup my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone.

“I can’t and won’t choose you over Sylus, Koen, and Ace.” My heart races as I meet his gaze. “I want you all the same.”

“I know.” He presses a kiss to the side of my head.

“And you’re okay with that?” My breath hitches as his mouth trails down to my collarbone, leaving a line of goose bumps in his wake.

“Yes,” he murmurs against my skin, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “I passed Sylus’s test.”

I pull back to look at him. “Whattest?”

Nicholas’s cheeks faintly flush as he glances away.

What the hell, Sylus?

“He… sent me a picture.”

“What kind of picture?” I press, my brow arching as a sinking suspicion twists in my stomach. “Show me.”

He hesitates for a second but then pulls his phone from his pocket, swiping a few times before handing it to me. The screen is so bright in the dark room it hurts my eyes, so I reach over to turn on the nightlamp on my bedside table.

And there it is.

My selfie. The one with Sylus’s dick on my tongue.

“That little fucker,” I mutter under my breath, setting the phone down on the nightstand. “And you’re okay with—”

“I want you.” He cuts me off. His hand finds its way back to my face, tilting my chin up so our eyes lock. “I want to be part of this, whateveritis. I think this is where I belong. With you. With Koen. Even with that dickhead.” He nods toward the phone on the nightstand, his lips quirking into a wry smile. “I want to be where you are. And I want to be with you, no matter what.”

I don’t give him time to say anything else. My hands are on his chest, pushing him back onto the bed before I straddle him, capturing his mouth with mine in a kiss that’s consuming and urgent. He falls back onto the mattress, and I follow him as his hands find my hips, gripping me tightly as he meets my kiss with equal fervor.

After a few long moments, we break apart to catch some air, Nicholas beneath me, his back pressed into the sheets, his lips swollen and red from kissing. I brush my lips against his jaw and graze my teeth against the skin below his ear.

He shivers, a low whimper spilling from his throat, and my core clenches in response.

God, I love his sounds.

And I’ve missed them since the last time I kissed him.

His hands glide down my sides, his touch a little unsteady, trembling just enough for me to notice. As his fingers slip under the hem of my shirt, his eyes lift to mine, silently asking for permission. Instead of answering with words, I take hold of the fabric and pull it up and over my head, tossing it aside.

I’m not wearing a bra, and the way his gaze darkens as it sweeps over me sends a thrill through my chest, but I don’t give him time to dwell. My hands find their way under his shirt, fingertips brushing over his warm skin. He sits up, helping me tug it off, and the moment it’s gone, I let my eyes wander, too, taking him in.

He’s so fucking beautiful.

My fingers trace the lines of his chest, his muscles taut under my touch, and his heart racing. His breath hitches as I trail my nails lower, grazing the waistband of his jeans and making him suck in a sharp breath.

We strip each other with deliberate slowness, and when we’re finally naked, I drink him in like he’s a work of art unveiled only for me.

He’s afucking Adonis—lean and sculpted, muscles carved in all the right places, defined but not overwhelming. Every line of him is perfect. He has the kind of body you’d see in a museum carved in marble.

And then there’s his cock.God, his cock.Hard, thick, and utterly beautiful.

How can a cock be so damn pretty?

It juts up between us, flushed and glistening with precum.

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