Page 13 of Guarding The Phoenix: Vol. 2

“Yeah. Just like that.” My voice ached, and I winced. The pain was manageable. But I had pushed my injured vocal cords to their limit.

At my hoarse response, he fiercely scowled. “You shouldn’t be talking. You need to rest your voice.”

“I’m okay. I’m just glad you don’t hate me.” But he was right. I needed to rest my throat, or I would make it worse. My body told another story entirely. Because it was still greedy for more, even with his softening shaft hilt deep inside me.

His hands framed my face, holding me with infinite tenderness. “Never. I care, Kylie. But I have a job to do. Keeping you safe is my top priority. And any time you have questions about anything, I want you to come to me.”

“I care too. About all of you,” I admitted. He must understand this wasn’t some fly-by-night deal for me.

“But?”

How did he do it? He cut through all my bullshit into the very heart of me. Enough to understand what I kept hidden.

Under his unwavering gaze, I drew up my courage and voiced the doubts inside my head. “Are you sure it’s okay that I’m sleeping with your friends, too? This situation differs from any other relationship I’ve been in. I realize it’s likely weird for you. And I never want to come between you or cause you any heartache. But I can’t choose between you. I want you all. I care about each of you. And I worry that you’ll get tired of sharing me with your friends.”

He threaded his fingers into my hair and held my gaze prisoner. He was so handsome. The man took my breath away with his sexy smirks and commanding presence.

And I enjoyed our little bubble of intimacy, because the rest of the world didn’t exist, and it was just us.

“Now listen to me, babe. We wouldn’t share you unless it’s whatwewanted. Don’t think for one second we’ll change our minds and leave you. You’re ours. Do you understand me? You belong to us now and we aren’t letting you go. We’ll protect you with our lives. We’ll take care of you. And then we’ll take you to bed and make you scream in ecstasy every night.”

Warmth blossomed in my chest at his possessive declaration. I adored belonging to them. After the horrors I survived, having these four ex-Marines desire me so fiercely that they wanted me to belong to them, offering me their protection while catapulting my body to heights of ecstasy, healed some of my broken pieces. In his arms, I felt safe and cherished.

“Have you guys done this before?” My voice trembled. Why did it matter? Of course, they had a past that might include sharing other women. They shared me seamlessly. Which suggested they had done this before.

His gaze didn’t waver. “Yes. We have shared other women. Does that bother you?”

“I see. Um, no,” but it wasn’t the full truth. Because I thought I might be special, and disappointment filled me. In my heart, I wanted to be the only one. Stupid and immature, but I also couldn’t help the way I feel.

“Look at me,” he demanded tenderly.

I hadn’t realized I shut my eyes. But then, I hadn’t expected the flash of pain to lance through me at the knowledge I wasn’t the only woman they had shared. I lifted my eyes. And my heart stuttered at what I found.

“Yes, we’ve shared women in the past. But all of them pale next to you, Kylie. We care about you. And even if we weren’t your hired bodyguards, we would want to be with you.”

“Really?” I breathed, hope battering against my chest. I’d been unlucky in love until their advent into my life. My experience with dating and romance wasn’t vast. And I often felt inept. As if I was just playing at being a grown up. But then, I never expected them. I figured I would be single for a long time after my husband died. Yet with them, I felt alive for the first time.

“Yeah, really. You matter to us. And I’m so damn sorry I made you doubt your worth. Because you are priceless.”

My bottom lip trembled. The truth naked in his eyes. He cared about me. I wasn’t only a job for him. And my heart rolled over in my chest.

Gently, with infinite care, I cupped his face. His shadow beard deliciously scraped my palms. Tingles erupted, sending bolts of fire through my arms and into my core, reigniting my desire.

Leaning up, I kissed him. Sweetly. Soulfully.

I imparted everything he made me feel. He needed to understand he was special to me. They all were. I infused my heart in my kiss. The four of them had awakened me. I’d been sleepwalking through life. It had been my way of coping with my husband. It’s how I survived being trapped in a loveless marriage and abused for years with no one to help me escape his depravity.

Gideon lifted his head, breaking the heated exchange. He placed a sweet kiss on the tip of my nose. Then he finally withdrew, rolling onto his back, and pulled me with him.

Snuggling against his side, I laid my head on his shoulder. He made me feel safe. After a lifetime of being on my own, fighting battles alone, his stalwart presence acted as a balm to my senses.

“Promise me that if you decide you want only one of us that you will tell us. The rest of us will respect your wishes. Just talk to us and we’ll listen.”

Under his probing stare, I shifted and squirmed against him. “Um, but what if I never choose? Will you guys eventually make me?”

“What are you getting at, babe?”

Drawing in a fortifying breath, I blurted the truth. “I want all of you. And I would, um—sorry, I don’t know how to say this. When you share a woman, have you ever taken her together? I mean, all four of you at once?”

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