Page 28 of Auctioned to her Stepbrothers

"Yes," I say, reaching for the handle.

"You're not going in alone," Kylian says. He's out of the car before I can object, and Nate and Lyle follow their brother.

I study them before I reply. "I'm fine. I've lived here for five years."

Lyle huffs as though the thought of me being in danger in this neighborhood pains him.

"We'll walk you to your door," Nate says before Kylian has a chance to rage again. I think he's worried that Kylian's sharp tongue wounds me. He doesn't realize that with every cutting remark and every biting line, I see the war that is being fought inside his brother.

"If you feel you have to," I say.

Using my key to open the outer door, I cringe at the overwhelming smell of cooking that lingers in the stairwell.Someone has also left a bag of trash outside their door, too lazy to make a special trip to the dumpsters around the back. I walk quickly past, taking the stairs to the second floor, not wanting to risk the elevator.

When I push the key into the lock, I turn to find all three men staring at the plain green door. Do I want to invite them in? Would they even want to come in?

Maybe this isn't about my safety but about their need to see my space, to invade more than just my body. We're supposed to meet at Club Scarlet later, but I don't know if they'll want to after this.

There's not enough time, my mind whispers.

"Do you want to come in?" I ask.

"We need to go," Kylian says firmly, but Lyle takes a step forward, and so does Nate. Looks like big brother has been overruled by curiosity.

The apartment I used to share with my mom is small, with two bedrooms, a single bathroom, and an open-plan kitchen family room. We decorated it as much as the owner allowed us to so it's fresh and clean, with a dark couch, bright cushions and a small square table and chair set. Even though I feel completely naked bringing them into my home, I try to pretend I'm comfortable with it all. Tossing my keys onto the console by the front door, I spin to find them all staring at the unfamiliar place.

"Can I get you a drink? I think I have juice or water?"

Kylian takes a step forward, his eyes drawn to pictures of me and mom that are lined up on a side table. He picks up a silver frame that shows us lying on the grass in a neighborhood park, our golden hair overlapping against the greenery. It was taken about a year after we left Montgomery House, and mom had finally got her smile back. I don't miss the twist of his mouth as he places the frame back down again.

"We should go," he says again.

"I'll take some juice," Lyle says, already following me towards the small kitchen area. I take a glass from the cupboard and open the small refrigerator. The shelves are almost empty because I haven't been home much. When I meet Lyle's gaze, there's a real pain in the furrow of his brow. Pain or pity.

"Here," I say when I've poured it. He takes the glass reluctantly as though he regrets asking. Now he's going to have to drink some of my meager rations.

My eyes flick to Nate, who's also looking at the photos, so I don't see Lyle reach out to touch my hair until I feel the gentle tug of his fingers.

"It's like spun gold," he says. "It's like it was when you were little."

"Not everything has to change," I say softly, staring into his deep brown eyes, feeling the longing like a tug at my heart.

When he bends to kiss my lips, I'm not surprised. There's an inevitability to it. We're in such close proximity, and everything about what we've been to each other since the end of the auctionhas been about this. But we're not in Club Scarlet, and the rules for what happens here, in my space, aren't clear.

I want the press of his mouth to mine. I need the slide of his tongue. I crave his hands and his hard body like an addict fixated on their next hit. But I want more. I want to know him inside out the way I used to all those years ago. I want to be a person in his life, not just a transaction.

As his arms wrap around my back, I hear Kylian mutter something under his breath. His lack of approval is expected. This is outside of the contract's terms. This is outside of his control. Of course, he's not going to like it. But as Lyle's hands run over my ass and he picks me up, wrapping my legs around his hips, I feel the presence of his brothers behind me.

"My room is down the hall," I say as he mouths my neck, breath gusting hot against my skin.

"What about Club Scarlet?" Kylian asks.

"What about it?" Lyle says, already walking in the right direction.

My bed isn't big, and the room is half the size of room twenty-eight but none of it matters. All I need is them. All I want is them.

Lyle sits on the powder blue comforter, his hands resting on my hips. Behind me, Nate takes the hem of my shirt, tugging it up and over my head. Lyle unclasps my bra at the front, allowing my breasts to spill into his waiting palms. I close my eyes as he rolls my nipples, grinding my already primed and wet pussyagainst the hard ridge of his cock. When I open my eyes, I realize Kylian hasn't touched me.

Where is he?

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