Page 10 of Needing More
Somethingwarmpassedoverher ear and Sapphire smiled in her sleep. The warm feeling grew hotter and hotter until she felt the liquid heat around her ear lobe and the familiar feeling of teeth gently tugging at the soft flesh. Sapphire opened her eyes and met Joel's dazzling blue eyes.
"Hey there," he whispered.
Smiling sleepily, Sapphire opened her arms and wrapped them around his neck. She had told herself she would give them the silent treatment when they came back. And that when she saw them again she would make sure they knew how angry she was for what they did. But seeing Joel's face erased all of her plans.
Turning in his hug, she looked over her shoulder to Hayden who was sitting on her right on the edge of the bed watching her. His storm grey eyes said everything and nothing at once. There were too many emotions on his face for her to pin down just one. Turning from Joel, she sat up and silently beckoned Hayden forward.
Like a trap being tripped, his thick arms snapped her up, pulling her across the bed into his overwhelming hug. Tears stung in her eyes as she felt his heaving sigh of relief press into her.
"How do you feel?" Hayden asked, one hand tentatively going to her head.
With her worry ebbing under the tide of relief, Sapphire couldn't resist giving him a sharp look. "Well, if you were there at the hospital with me, you would've heard what the doctor said."
Both men flinched.
"We were there at first," Joel assured her. His earnest face and pleading eyes willed her to listen. "We were there only minutes after Vic called us, just as the ambulance wheeled you in. I lost ten good years off my lifespan."
Sapphire dropped her gaze to his clenched fist against the bed. Glancing up at them, her heart twisted at the pain etched into their hard faces. A small, insecure part of her wanted to needle them further, but she couldn’t. Sapphire could feel the solid tension radiating off of them. They were here now and that’s all that mattered.
As if sensing her capitulation, Hayden let out a sigh and pulled her completely from the covers, turning and lifting her until she was on his lap and her legs stretched out across the warm bed.
Both men paused at the sight of her short nightshirt.
"I can assure you she definitely wasn't wearing that last night."
They all looked to the door to see Vic leaning casually against the frame. Wearing a white shirt and pale jeans, the light tones clashed beautifully with his dark skin and long black hair that hung loosely around his face.
Hayden's arms tensed around her and he shifted on the bed until his back covered her from Vic. Turning his head, Hayden glared at his other brother.
"And why are you here?"
Vic's eyes lit up with mischief. "Well, for one, because I own this shithole."
"It's not a shithole," Sapphire interjected over Hayden's big shoulder.
"Sorry." Vic nodded apologetically at her before looking back to Hayden. "I mean this place that has potential if someone gave a shit to put in the work," he amended which made her laugh. "And two, I'm here to make sure you three don't have sex in my bed."
Joel nodded understandingly before shooting her a lustful wink. "That's fair."
Still shielding her in his lap Hayden glared at Vic. "And why your bed out of all the damn beds in the house?"
"Did you want me to put her in a room even in the same vicinity as that bastard upstairs?"
Hayden made a grunting noise under his breath before standing up suddenly.
Sapphire gasped and held onto his neck as he lifted her up higher in his arms.
Hayden looked at Joel. "Get her stuff. We're leav—Ow!"
Wincing in pain from where she pinched his neck, Hayden gave her a confused look.
"I don’t want to be carried out in my nightshirt. Besides I want to see Krrsantan before we leave."
With a reluctant sigh, Hayden placed her on her feet but kept a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place directly in front of him. Looking over his shoulder, he gave Vic an almost feral look.
"Leave so she can get dressed."
Sapphire could see the responding flame of ire in Vic's eyes at Hayden's demand. Vic stepped forward into the room, his shoulders straightening and his jaw set.
