Page 41 of Savage Stalkers
“She asked if the three of you would come to dinner next month,” I add casually, while watching their faces.
Silas nearly chokes on his coffee. “She what?”
“Apparently, Dr. Martin suggested that if she wants to understand my choices, she needs to meet the people I’ve chosen.” I grin at their horrified expressions. “Don’t worry, I told her you would think about it.”
“I’d rather be waterboarded,” Kain says as he walks into the room.
“Come here,” I say, holding out my hand to him.
He crosses over to us, and I pull him down for a kiss that tastes like coffee. When we break apart, he licks his lips.
“How did the call go?” I ask.
“Good. New contract, good money, and completely legal,” he jokes, a smirk plastered on his handsome face.
They decided once we got together that they would turn their businesses around and run them legally. I come from two influential families, and my parents would be less than pleased if I got caught up in something shady. My brother Ridge also may have threatened to make them disappear if they got me into any trouble.
“I have an idea,” I say, looking between the three of them. “For tonight.”
They all stare at me, Zay with a raised brow.
“Tonight is exactly six months since I signed the contract,” I admit.
“It’s our half-year anniversary,” Zay says with a grin. “I like where this is going.”
“I want to go back to the library. Where it all started.”
Silas’s grip on my thigh tightens. “Skye?—”
“Not for the same reasons,” I clarify quickly. “Not to run or be chased. I want to show you how different things are now. How different I am now.”
I stand up and move to the center of the room, where I can see all three of them clearly. “Six months ago, I wanted to be free, so I signed a contract asking strangers to stalk me, and now...”
“And what do you want now?” Kain asks.
“You,” I say simply. “All of you.”
I walk to Silas first, cupping his face. “I want someone who can see the real me and love me for being that person. Someone who pays attention to the details everyone else misses.”
Then I shift to Zay, running my fingers through his dark hair. “And I want someone who makes me laugh and reminds me not to take life too seriously.”
Finally, I move to Kain, placing my hand over his heart. “And I want someone who will protect me, not only from the world, but from my own fears. Someone strong enough to catch me when I fall.”
“You have us,” Kain says, covering my hand with his.
“I know,” reply with a smile, then I step back, looking at all three of them. “So tonight, the tables will turn.”
“What exactly are you saying?” Silas asks.
I grin. “This time, I chase you.”
I watch as the idea sinks in, and they realize what I’m suggesting.
“Think you can catch us, pumpkin?” Zay asks.
“Oh, I know I can,” I say.
“What do we get if you don’t catch us?” Kain asks.
“What do you want?” I counter.
“You,” Silas says immediately. “Always you.”
“Then it’s a good thing,” I say, walking toward the door, “that either way, you win.” I pause in the doorway and look back at them. “Eight o’clock. Don’t make it too easy for me.”
As I head toward the shower, I hear Zay’s laughter echoing through the apartment.
Finally I have learned what it feels like to be completely seen by someone, and to have them want me—not despite my flaws but because of them. Turns out love doesn’t need to look like everyone else’s version of normal, and family isn’t only the people you share DNA with.
But the best part? Taking the terrifying leap six months ago and choosing the unknown—instead of what was expected of me—was hands down the best thing I’ve ever done. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m home.
