Page 79 of Pray for the Damned

I nod. “I do, but I should be back before you have to go to work, and we can talk all of this out.”

Worry fills her eyes, and Kade must notice because he tightens his hold on her. “He doesn’t mean it in a bad way, Waverly. He means we need to talk about how we’re going to move forward. Where we live. Who we tell. How we tackle our dad. Those kinds of things. Not whether or not we proceed.” He grasps her chin between his fingers, forcing her wide eyes to meet his. “I don’t want to talk for Emmett, but this is it for me. I spent years unsure why I was pulled to keep you safe. Why I was desperate to catch sight of you at every single opportunity. And now I know. You were made for us, and after what we just did, you’re never getting rid of me.”

Waverly’s eyes brim with tears, and her bottom lip wobbles slightly, and I’m moving without thought. I kneel beside them, making sure she can see both our faces and how serious I am about the words that are about to fall from my lips. “You’re ours, Waverly. There’s nothing we won’t do to keep you safe. But to do that, you have to give us your fears and your worries. We want to take them from you so you don’t have to bear the burden of them.”

She drags her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbles at it as her eyes flick between us. “I’ve never had anyone before,” she admits. “No one I knew was there, at least. I don’t know how to let someone look after me.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Kade assures her, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before turning her face so I can do the same.

When my twin suggested sharing Waverly, I thought he was insane.

But now we’re here, and it feels right.

If only there wasn’t the threat of our father finding out hanging over our head.

I don’t know why Salvatore Draper still wants her after all these years, but there’s nothing we won’t do to keep her safe, including burning his entire organization to the ground right alongside my father’s.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

WAVERLY

Asoft breath tickles my bare neck as consciousness drags me out of the most peaceful sleep I’ve ever had.

There was no worry about someone breaking in, or how I was going to pay the next bill that would inevitably be here in days, or whether I needed to move to another city soon because I’d been here for too long.

No. When I fell asleep, I was engulfed in two bodies, their warmth and gentle touches giving me peace for the first time in my life. Something I would never take for granted after all these years living in fear.

A heavy arm rests over my hip, with the owner’s body pressed against my back, holding me against them like they think I’m going to make a run for it.

I drag my eyes open and see the other side of the bed is empty, and a bolt of panic tugs at my chest before I remember Emmett had to work this morning.

It’s still so surreal to think that the man who fucked my ass last night is also a pastor, but after some research I would never admit to either of them, it turns out a lot of people who believe in God don’t see an issue with the kink community.

Who would have thought?

I’m sure there are plenty of people who would have an issue with what Emmett does behind closed doors, but I agree with what he told me the night we met. As long as you’re a good person, why would God have a problem with something that makes you happy? That would be the opposite of what he and his religion stand for.

Kade groans behind me. “Do you always think this loudly in the morning?”

I giggle and turn in his arms, pressing a kiss to his lips before I can overthink it and stop myself. “Shouldn’t you know already, stalker?”

His dark eyes blink open, and a smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “Couldn’t risk getting caught before it was time to claim you.”

“Is that what you’ve done? Claimed me?”

He nods. “As much as I can for now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve known you were mine for years, so if I thought you’d agree to it, you’d have our last name and our baby growing inside you already.”

My mouth drops open in surprise at his words, earning me a deep chuckle and a gentle kiss to the corner of my mouth.

“But it’s only fair I give you some time to get used to the idea of the three of us together before I start demanding things like that.”

I’m pretty sure panic should be beating in my chest right now. Because this is all moving much quicker than I can comprehend, and yet I don’t hate the idea of being their wife or having their kids. Which is insane in itself, seeing as I never thought I would ever get married or have children. I never thought it would be safe to do so, and so I never allowed myself to consider it as an option.

But what if it is?

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