Page 116 of Our Little Monster
“Sounds perfect,” I murmured, almost to myself, and made my way to the shower, slipping my dirty shirt off as I went.
The water cascaded over me, each drop washing away everything but the impossible tension coiling within me. Since becoming one of them, everything had intensified. My senses, my desires, even the bond between us seemed stronger.
I wanted them all the time, but we had been so focused on my training and everything else that we hadn’t crossed that line since I turned. I almost felt like they were waiting for my permission.
I dressed in a simple tank top and jeans that hugged me in all the right places, then padded barefoot back into the living room and kitchen space of the cabin. The scents of garlic and herbs wafted through the air, mixing with the earthy tones of the wooden interior.
Thorne stood at the stove, his back to me, and I took a moment to admire the way his muscles shifted beneath his shirt as he cooked.
“Smells amazing,” I complimented, sliding into a seat at the dining table.
Bastian and Nox emerged from their room shortly after, both looking like they'd stepped out of an ad for cologne, rugged and fresh. They joined me, and there was this charge in the air. Like the calm before the storm. That same charge that had been building all week.
We gathered around the rustic wooden table, the flickering candles casting shadows across our faces. Thorne served the meal with a sexy swagger, and I couldn't help but smile at his domestic prowess.
Who knew a Vampire could be such a homemaker?
I reached for my glass of wine, letting the rich red liquid tease my lips before taking a sip. The flavor exploded on my tongue, more potent than I remembered, yet another reminder of how much had changed.
Looking over the rim of my glass, I caught Nox's dark eyes burning with fire, Bastian's smoldering gaze, and Thorne's knowing smile.
The yearning was fucking unbearable.
“Everything tastes different now,” I mused aloud, setting my glass down with a soft clink against the table. “More intense.”
“It'll be that way until you get more accustomed” Bastian said with a rakish grin, his tone light, but eyes were burning just as brightly as Nox’s.
“And I'm so…hungry,” I replied, the double entendre heavy in the air between us.
Thorne chuckled, a deep sound that rumbled through the room. He caught my drift. “Eat up, Serina. You're going to need your strength.”
It was a statement loaded with meaning, and it sent a hot rush coursing through me. We mostly ate in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was anticipatory.
Every brush of skin under the table, each glance exchanged, stoked the fire within me until I was sure I would burn alive from it.
As the meal wound down, Thorne cleared the plates away, and I realized that no amount of food or wine could satiate the hunger I had building inside me.
It was a hunger for them, for the connection we had ignored since I'd become what I was now. We were too focused on my training, on Victor, but now, all I could focus on was them knowing Victor would soon meet his end.
“Something tells me dessert isn't going to be found on the table,” Nox said, his voice laced with a desire that reflected my own.
I met his gaze, my lips curving into a slow, predatory smile. “No,” I agreed, feeling the weight of their stares like a physical touch, “unless you want it on the table.”
The dark chuckle that spilled from Bastian's lips was like a spark in the room, sending a wave of heat through me as he leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Get on the table, Serina,” Bastian instructed, his voice low and thrilling.
That was all it took, one sentence, and the careful control we'd all been clinging to snapped.
Bastian’s chair clattered behind him as he stood. The others were on their feet in an instant, surrounding me with an intensity that had nothing to do with the supernatural and everything to do with raw, unbridled desire.
And oh, how I had missed this—the wildness, the heat, the connection that defied explanation. In that moment, surrounded by the three men who had become my world, I felt more alive than ever before.
Bastian's grip on my hand was a promise as he pulled me into his chest, Thorne's arm slipping around my waist from behind. The dining room spun into a blur of motion and sensation.
I was caught, willingly ensnared between their powerful forms.
My heart raced, each beat echoing in the predatory gleam in Bastian's eyes. His fingers traced the line of my jaw before tilting my head to meet his kiss.
