Page 21 of Room Seventeen

“You can. Please, Car. You’ve already broken my heart once. Don’t do it again.”

I slide my hand down his chest and rest my palm over his heart. “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you.”

“Then admit your truth.”

“Maybe this will help,” Xander says, kneeling beside us over the spilt contents of my purse. At the top, a black and emerald green mask. He fingers the mask and then lifts his hazel eyes to me.

“Oh, God,” I gasp, my shoulders slumping over as the last of my energy drains away.

Darian stands and takes the mask from Xander’s hands. He looks at me for the first time today with the gentleness I know he’s capable of. “What should we call you?”

I break down into tears, sobbing in Garrett’s firm embrace.

“Don’t cry, baby,” Garrett coos in my ear.

Darian offers me his hand, which I take, and pulls me into his arms. “Why all the games, Carlisle? Or do you prefer Ivy?”

“You can call me whatever you want as long as you call me yours,” I sniff against his chest.

“You are ours. You have been since the day you walked into this office.” Xander threads his fingers into my hair and leans forward, pressing a sweet kiss against my lips.

“But we didn’t know how you felt, so the last six months have been pure torture,” Garrett says at my back, his lips on the back of my neck.

“I wanted you before I even understood what I wanted. I’ve loved you all for a long time.”

Darian tilts my chin up and lays his mouth over mine. He kisses me deep, taking my breath away. “We love you, too, which is why it hurt so much when you left us.”

“I couldn’t come back after our night together. I thought I could, but the idea of seeing you after what we shared and pretending like nothing happened was too much for me.”

“Do you really think we would have been able to act like nothing happened?” Xander pulls me out of Darian’s arms and wraps me up in his embrace. He kisses me softly, his mouth growing firmer and more insistent as I melt against him. Before I know it, he’s run his hands down my ass and is lifting me into his arms.

I wrap my legs around him without a second thought, and scrape my fingernails across his scalp. “I’ve missed you all so much. This has been the longest three weeks of my life.”

“Ours too, sweetheart.” Xander murmurs against my skin, trailing kisses down my neck as he sets me down on the conference table.

Darian stands to my side and puts his hand over mine, pressing it down against the conference room table. “No more running away from us, do you understand?”

I nod. “Yes, Sir.”

“You’re ours, Carli. Forever.” Xander kisses me forcefully, pushing me back until I’m lying on the table with my legs wrapped around his thighs.

“We’re never letting you go.” Garrett walks up on the other side of the table, pushing the conference chairs away.

“I’m not letting you go either,” I say, glancing between my men and making sure our eyes meet, and my intentions are clear.

They are, as we exchange knowing smiles that fill my broken heart, making it as strong as ever.

“You remember the day you interviewed with us?” Darian says as he flicks open the buttons on my blouse.

I press my lips together and nod, my skin burning with every flick of his fingers.

Xander flashes his wolfish grin and pulls me forward so my pussy presses against the hard cock tenting his slacks. “We wanted to take you that day, right here on this conference room table.”

“And now we will, just like we should have so many months ago.” Garrett leans forward and kisses my neck, running his lips over my exposed flesh as Darian unfastens the last of my buttons and pushes my blouse open.

“We’re going to claim you here, once and for all, Carlisle, and after that, we’re taking you home and making love to you all night.” Darian leans forward and presses his lips to my collarbone.

“Home?”

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