Page 86 of More Than I Can Bear

“So show me,” I said.

I couldn’t take another declaration. I needed to know first hand if they were everything they said they were. I stepped up to all three of them, daring them to put their money where their mouth was and that was where I made my mistake. Goldilocks didn’t tell the three bears to bring it, because those hulking creatures knew exactly what they were capable of.

My hand was grabbed and I was tugged further into the darkened apartment. Bars of artificial light streaming in through the massive windows flickered over my skin as I stumbled after them, but somehow it felt entirely apt that they didn’t turn the lights on yet. Instead I saw them as dark shapes and burning eyes, indistinct demonic creatures until one of them yanked me forward.

“Need a hands on demonstration of what it’ll be like to become our mate?” That was more growl than man right now, so I couldn’t tell who, his grip like iron as he kept me pinned against his hard body. “We’ll give it to you.” His other hand slid up my throat, thumbing my pulse before forcing my chin to rise and my mouth with it. “We’ll give you everything, Freya.”

I had a smart arse reply right there on the tip of my tongue, but he kissed me before I could say anything.

And then words didn’t matter.

Not when I felt a hard body pressed against mine, not when he was forced to suck in a sharp breath, right before he kissed me, like he was diving in and wouldn’t be coming up for air for some time. Not when my mouth and his seemed to wrestle for dominance, right up until the point he made clear there was no competition. He chuckled when he pulled away, sensing my lips moving closer, unwilling to break the kiss. But I got it on his terms and his terms only, and when his mouth slammed down on mine, he declared himself victor.

Tongue, teeth, no make that fangs that raked across my swollen bottom lip, right before he sucked it in. But when he let it go, he was right there before I could rally, thrusting his tongue between my lips in a slow sensual sweep that made clear what else he’d like to do with it. I wriggled against his grip, my arms held behind my back with a hand made of iron, forcing me to stop still and take this.

Which was exactly what I needed.

Him holding me, keeping me still, seemed to stop more than just my body but my mind too. Something unleashed inside me, something hungry that had been beaten back too many times. I made a hopeless, desperate little sound, right before he pulled away.

“Shh…” The lamp flicked on and I saw Kaine lying on the bed, River watching us wide eyed as Adam stood over me.

I was sure it was Kaine I was kissing. The masterful way he controlled my body, it seemed…

“Adam…?”

“Give it to me,” he demanded, not bothering to explain what that meant. “Give it to me, Freya.”

“What, I—?”

“You’re needy,” he announced and I flushed instantly. “Give me that.” He let go of my hands and threw his arms wide, making himself the target, but for what? “Give me that hunger.”

But he didn’t understand what he was asking for. I’d been ignored, rebuffed, never even got beyond friendship with other men I’d become interested in, left to moon after them in private and put on a brave face when I was out with others. People didn’t want desire from me.

“Give it to me,” Adam said again, like he knew exactly what I was thinking and he wasn’t backing away for a second.

They were always growling, so I guess they weren’t surprised when I made a strange little strangled sound, right as I launched myself at him.

I tried to undo buttons with shaking hands and when that didn’t work my hands turned to claws, trying to force the shirt open. Not literal claws, because that would’ve been actually useful, just useless blunt nailed things that raked across his shirt front. Adam didn’t move to help me, just nodding when I got one button free, then another, then enough to tear his shirt up from out of his pants and rip the rest of the buttons off so they went pinging off around the room.

And then there he was.

In the golden light of the lamp, he was beautiful, making me wish my drawing skills were more like River’s, so I could record such masculine perfection. There was no softness in him, something I compared as I touched him with the fingertips of one hand, before jerking it back.

“You can touch me.” His voice was low and encouraging. “I’m yours, beautiful.” When I didn’t move fast enough, he put his hand over mine and pushed it towards his chest. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you the whole time.” His voice broke then. “I’m yours, Freya, and that’s all I’ll ever be. Since that night, nothing else has made sense, nothing else has felt right, but you.”

He drew me closer much more gently now, stroking his hand down my jaw.

“And if it’s alright with you, tonight, just for tonight, I want to make you mine.”

I kissed him then much more sweetly, because dammit, I felt the same. When I kissed him, it was like coming home and when his arms went around me, I knew I’d been missing them since that night. Screw football, screw the media, screw everything but this and I think I mumbled something to that effect.

“Screw all of that, huh?” he said, grinning down at me. “I dunno, I’ve got other ideas that are likely to feel a whole lot better. Whaddya think, baby, wanna do this right this time?”

Chapter43

Kaine

I’d spent my life being envious of my brother, but never more than now. He was staring down at Freya with all the love each one of us felt for our mate, but he held nothing back. That was always his gift. Adam was always completely and utterly open with everyone about everything, and that opened doors for him that I couldn’t walk through.

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