Page 14 of Her Protector

"I don't think I could ever be truly angry with you," I whispered in reply. My heart shattered at the desolation in his voice.

Kaleb snorted. "Just wait, baby girl. I'm sure that'll be put to the test throughout our relationship."

Andrei rolled his eyes and scratched his temple with his middle finger. "Love you too, Wulf."

My stomach chose that moment to let out a loud gurgle. What was it with my digestive system and making the most obnoxious noises during emotional conversations?

The guys did their best to hide their humor, but as soon as I started laughing, they followed suit.

Leaning forward, Andrei kissed my forehead. "Let's get you some food,kroshka."

"Good idea," I agreed and reached toward the coffee table for what I guessed was my plate. Because I highly doubted that the guys would make themselves a smiley face on top of my waffle with bacon for a mouth and eggs for eyes.

"Let me please." Andrei held his hand out for my plate, and I handed it over with a nod. He balanced it on the arm of the couch as he guided me to sit sideways in his lap. My legs dangled over one of his powerful thighs to stretch out on the couch.

Colby gathered my feet and started to rub the arches soothingly. Energy flowed into me, and despite how difficult the evening was, I felt safe and loved with my guys.

Andrei began to feed me small bites of waffle, each with a bit of eggs and dipped in syrup. I wiggled happily on his lap, enjoying the combination of savory and sweet.

"I love breakfast for dinner." I licked my lips, tasting the stray bits of syrup. "It's my favorite. So comforting."

Colby gave me a strange look, his head cocking to the side. "Mine too." He cleared his throat. "My mom raised me by herself, working two jobs and sometimes more. But she always managed to put food on the table, and this was one of her favorites. Even if it was just pancakes or waffles and eggs, she always had to make sure there was lots of butter on the waffles, then the syrup. A very specific order."

I smiled, enjoying the light of love that entered his eyes as he spoke of his mom. "It's the only way to do it. Lots of butter and syrup."

The laughter that filled the room at my statement made my heart lighten.

Kaleb put on some mindless TV in the background. Anime, because it was a great compromise between cartoons and adult shows. I need to make sure I rewatch this one later. The mage was some sort of Wendigo who gave off total Daddy vibes. Yummy.

Andrei finished feeding me and then took a few bites for himself. I relaxed against his chest and continued to watch the show as time slowly ticked by. I tried not to think about Viktor and Mariya.

But it was next to impossible.

I needed to put it from my mind. I didn't want Andrei to clam up again.

His hand moved up and down my back, soothing me with the lightest of touches. My fingers curled against his chest as I fought back the yawn desperately trying to crawl out of my body.

I failed.

Andrei chuckled, having felt me trying to fight it. "Let's get some sleep, alright?"

I groaned, not wanting to get up just yet. But once Kaleb paused the show, I knew they'd turned Daddy Mode on, and there would be no arguing.

"Come on,kroshka." Andrei rose to his feet with me in his arms and approached the bed.

"What about work tomorrow?" I asked, then a monster yawn stretched my lips as he placed me on the soft bedding.

"Lucky for you, the snooty executives know your boss was recently arrested, so I think they'll give you a pass if you need to work from home." Kaleb flipped back the comforter and crawled in on the other side.

"Are all of you sleeping in bed with me?" I asked, only slightly panicking at the thought of the three sexy as fuck guys surrounding me. How was I supposed to maintain control?

Kaleb's brows rose and his lips curled into a devilish smirk. Oh shit. I'd said the last part out loud.

"Dammit," I muttered.

The guys laughed.

"I'm gonna crash on the couch," Colby pointed his finger over his shoulder at the couch as he smirked. "Love Kaleb and Andrei to death, but don't really feel like snuggling or spooning with them."

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