“Oh? Like what? Is it a book?”
“No, it’s not a book.” He smiled and adjusted his glasses.So freaking adorable.“It’s… well, on second thought, I should probably wait until later to give it to you.”
“What? No. That’s just cruel. I’m gonna be obsessing over what it could be.”
“Patience is a virtue, love.”
“Patience? Have you met me?”
Briar chuckled before pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Think of it as something to look forward to this evening. When we’re all with you.”
I understood it, then. “It’s a present from the three of you?”
“Yes.”
They had worked together to do something nice for me. Briar and Maddox spending time together without me around wasn’t a surprise anymore, but Lake? Not only had they included him, but he’d gone along with it. Whatever it was.
“Can I ask you a very important medical question, Doc?” I wound my arms around Briar’s lean waist, catching a hint of magnolia wafting from him. Why he smelled like the blossoms, I’d never quite figured out. Maybe because he spent so much time around plants and herbs. But I loved it. “Is it possible for a heart to have wings? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure mine is about to fly from my chest.”
He gave me a crinkly-eyed smile and swept his fingers through my hair. “Well, it better not fly too far from home. I know three males who’d be lost without it.” He kissed me again, then rested his forehead on mine. “Because our hearts are entwined with yours.”
I got the feeling our souls were entwined too, brought together by fate. My harem, as Lupin called it, wasn’t just an excuse for me to fuck a bunch of guys. It was because we belonged together. Sexually and romantically. As lovers and best friends.
Soulmates that stretched beyond worlds.
***
Warm, golden light filled the parlor as Briar lit the lamps on the side tables. A stone hearth sat centered in one wall, unlit because it was still summer and too hot. I couldn’t wait for cooler weather when we could relax in front of a crackling fire.
All four of us.
“Someone looks excited,” Maddox said, leaning against the mantel. Amusement shown in his eyes as he watched me. “Perhaps we should make him wait until morning.”
Briar smiled. “The sooner we give this to him, the easier we’ll all sleep at night.”
Maddox’s expression smoothed. “True.”
Lake stood behind an armchair, resting his hands on the back. His purple-eyed stare met mine before quickly darting away.
“What do you mean by it’ll help you sleep better at night?” I fidgeted on the cushion. “Is it something to gag me with?”
Maddox threw his head back with a laugh.
“No.” Briar withdrew a folded cloth from his inner vest pocket and walked closer to kneel in front of my chair.
“You got me a handkerchief?” I asked, head cocked. “So itissomething to gag me with.”
Maddox barked out another laugh. Lake even smiled.
“We’d never silence that precious, rambling mouth of yours.” Golden light reflected in the frames of Briar’s glasses and brought out the shades of green weaving through his hazel eyes. “Your gift is insidethe cloth, you beautiful boy.”
“Oh.”
“Look at that blush.” Briar brushed a knuckle over my cheek. He then grabbed my hand, turned it palm-up, and placed the bundle on top. “Open it when you’re ready.”
“But don’t take too long,” Maddox said with a huff. Always a ray of goddamn sunshine.
Lake had moved closer, his steps light as always. He seemed in equal parts eager and nervous.
