Page 62 of Inked Beasts

“That was nice of you.” Thorn brushes his lips along my cheek to my ear, giving it a little nibble.

“How about you, Gage?” I ask through a giggle as I squirm in Thorn’s arms. “How will you be spending Christmas?”

“I’m flying out to see my family,” he says. “I have a lot of catching up to do with them.”

“They’ll be so glad to see you.” I have fond memories of Gage’s family, and wonder what they would think of our new adult relationship. They might not mind, but I’m not at all sure about that.

“Speaking of gifts …” Kai reaches down on the opposite side of his chair and brings out a small garnet-colored bag that had been concealed there.

I jump up. “Wait, let me get the gifts I brought.” I have three thin boxes, all the same size, each wrapped in different paper and tied with ribbons.

“Open them at the same time,” I instruct as I hand them each one of the boxes.

All three men tear into the boxes as if it’s a contest, and then each of them pulls out a frame. The photos in the frames are identical, but I chose each frame to specially match each man’s home decor.

“I remember this day,” Thorn says first. “It was epic.”

A low laugh rumbles from Kai’s throat. “I still say you cheated,” he accuses his brother.

“You’re just a sore loser. Look who’s wearing the gold medal.”

In the picture, I’m standing between Gage and Kai, who have their arms around my shoulders. Thorn’s hamming it up, stretched out on his side on the grass in front of us, one hand holding out the construction-paper medal that hangs around his neck, so that it shows well for the camera.

The four of us spent at least a week of our summer vacation that year creating silly games to include in our own personal Olympics competition. My mom officiated with a stopwatch, and when it was all over, she had the difficult job of getting the four of us to stop laughing long enough to pose, so she could capture the moment.

Gage stands and pulls me into a hug before pressing his lips to mine. “How thoughtful of you to find this old picture. Thank you.”

“There’s a gift card, too,” I say.

The pictures didn’t seem like enough on their own, so I got Gage and Kai gift cards for the coffee shop that’s around the corner from Beasts Ink. Thorn’s card is from a spot near his apartment.

Thorn reaches for my hand and pulls me over to him. “Come get a kiss from the Olympic champion.” He shoots Kai a cocky look before putting all of his focus on me. “Our three-legged race was the highlight of that day for me,” he says.

“But you and I lost that one,” I recall.

“Totally worth it to be tied to you. You might not remember, but that event was all my idea.” He pulls me much closer to him than I was that day and gives me a kiss that makes me forget he was ever a boy.

Kai pulls me into his lap when I walk over to him. His expression is serious when he says, “This is very special, but you didn’t have to get us anything. All we want is you.”

I don’t know what to say to this, especially because he still has me locked in his gaze, and there’s an intensity there that goes beyond even his normal level of fierceness.

He kisses me then, tenderly at first before he deepens the kiss, and then he stills but doesn’t pull away, as if he’s waiting for me to take the lead, which is unlike him. It’s a question, and I’m not prepared to answer.

I kiss his closed lips and then pull back, covering my discomfort with a smile.

Kai hands me the red gift bag. “This is for you.”

I find a long, thin box inside. After shimmying off the ribbon that wraps around it, I open the box to reveal a delicate gold necklace.

“It’s beautiful,” I say immediately, touched that they’ve given me something as romantic as jewelry.

Kai arranges it so that I can see it better. There are three sparkling diamonds set along the chain, and the piece has a beautiful artisanal quality, making me wonder if they had it made specially for me.

“Oh, wow,” is all I can say.They didn’t need to give me a gift, because all I want is them.

“One gem for each of us,” he says.

“It’s gorgeous. Thank you.” I kiss him again, and this time it’s a smooth give and take as his hands slide up my sides, his fingers holding onto me possessively.

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