Page 137 of The Payback

I look back at Dimitri, who follows closely behind us, his eyes wide and jaw hanging. He and Nik are getting the run down from Max about the island we now fucking own as Bella sits comfortably in his arms.

My husband nods that Olivia is right, and he’s set aside enough money that we’ll never have to worry, but he knows that’s not who I am. “It’s up to you, my Sabre. What do you want to do? You don’t have to decide today, but you can think about it while we’re on holiday.”

Nik shrugs. “Sounds like a good time to me. But we need to go over where and how Bella will go to school and how we’ll parent her. That’s my priority.”

Did you hear that? That was the sound of my ovaries exploding.

“I’ll think about it,” I tell Olivia as we step through the tree line, already knowing my answer. We’re met with a sprawling one-story white house with white cladding... or is it shiplap? I haven’t watched enough of those home reno shows to know which. There are expansive windows, blue shutters, and a big red door.

“Welcome home,” Olivia says, gesturing to the home. “I know it’s different from ours, but you don’t strike me as the dark woods and dark floors type.”

She puts her thumb on the top of the door handle, and a beep sounds. She turns the handle, letting us in through the biometric scanner door into a vast, open-plan room with high ceilings. Everything is bright and cheerful. Even the trees around the house are culled back a bit so the sunlight streams through the windows. It’s very unlike Olivia’s place, which essentially has treesinsidethe living room.

My eyes can’t seem to take everything in, even as I spin in place and try to absorb every detail. “Olivia, this is...”

“I know, isn’t it? Told you she’d love it,” she says over her shoulder at her guys.

“No one argued that point with you, Via,” Rory says.

“I know! I was hoping for make-up sex, but none of you would fight with me.”

Collectively, Max, Rory, Viraj, and Zach roll their eyes.

Bella squirms in Dimitri’s arms and wants down. He puts her gently on her feet, and she tears across the living room and towards the back of the house. I follow her, my longer stride keeping up with her little one.

She stops in front of a door with a unicorn and points. “Bella!” she cheers, trying to reach for the handle. She’s clearly spent some time here already and knows which room is hers.

Inside, it’s an explosion of colour and plushies. Literally, hundreds of them piled against one wall, forming a cheerleading pyramid of chaos. Bella runs and dives into the animal tower, emerging with a massive smile.

“I’m in,” I say, turning to find Olivia behind me.

“Perfect. You start in a month. Until then, I want you to relax on the beach, play with Bella, and bone those two men so much they think their cocks are broken.”

I laugh. “Deal.”

Bella’s room has security cameras, and Olivia hands me a monitor so Bella can keep playing while we find the guys in the living room. They’re sprawled on the couches, all with beers in their hands, feet kicked up on the coffee table, getting to know one another. I’m not oblivious to the glare Nik keeps shooting at Zach.

“Boys, roll out! Their holiday starts today, and we’ll let them...experiencethe island by themselves for the next few days, at the very least.” Olivia waggles her brows, and the guys get the gist real quick.

Lightning quick, they down their beers, put them in the recycling bin, and slip through the door, one by one, until it’s just Nik, Dimitri, and me in the living room. I check the monitor and find Bella passed out amidst her plushies. She dragged approximately ten of them onto the mattress on the floor—safe from falling and bumping her head; thank you, Zach—and her mouth is open. I click the volume up, and her snore comes through the speakers.

I smile, but looking up from the monitor, I find Nik and Dimitri standing before me with hungry gazes.

“Where is our room, Ellie?” Nik asks.

“I don’t know. Olivia didn’t show me.”

“You better find it quickly, wife,” Dimitri says as he takes a step forward, his icy-blue eyes boring into mine, the threat of pleasure stark on his face.

Turning on my heel, I take off in the opposite direction, feeling a little bratty and a lot brave. I fly through the front door, watching the monitor as I run, ensuring I don’t lose signal as I race through the trees.

Footsteps follow behind me, the three of us crashing through the foliage, and my laugh escapes, wild and free, as the men I love hunt me down.

A hand wraps around my middle, the tattoos alerting me to my capturer.

“Tut, tut, baby. This definitely isn’t our room, but either way, I’ve got you now.” He spins me, pressing my back against one of the palm trees. The bark feels odd against my skin, but I forget the sensation when his lips take mine, threading a hand through his long hair.

A warm body presses to my right, Dimitri’s lips finding a spot on my neck and causing me to arch my back against the tree, pressing my hips towards Nik.

---