Chapter 3

Three

Magnolia

W inter is only a couple of weeks away and so is Christmas. Cold has set in and the rainy season for Seattle might mean snow is on the way.

It’s been three weeks since I’ve seen the inside of my apartment. I need to get back to my life. My house plants. I haven’t picked up fresh milk since the night of the Autumn ball. My fridge must smell terrible by now.

But they don’t let me go for longer than my shift at the Golden Key Society and now I am two thousand miles away from home, wearing a dress that I didn’t own twenty-four hours ago and walking into New Orleans’ the Golden Key Society.

It’s safe to say they had no problem learning I am part of the staff back home. It made Oliver nearly break a rib laughing at Danika for picking the one woman they shouldn’t touch, and Rune is forever trying to get me to spill secrets about the key bearers and key masters. When I refuse to fork over information to the mafia man, he spanks my ass and makes me say dirty things. I’m not sure if he is punishing me for not giving him secrets or rewarding me for holding my ground. I don’t ask. And then we have a two-way or four-way over the kitchen counter, bed, or couch. Even the wall isn’t safe from these three.

However, the club owners were not happy about me breaking the rules. I don’t know how I didn’t get fired, but I think the three men swarming me from all sides are the reason, but they won’t confess their sins to me.

“You’re beautiful. Stop biting your lip already or we won’t make it inside. I’ll ravish you right here on the front steps and then what would you do?”

“Let you,” I quip ruefully with an arrogant smirk. I brace for impact and Rune doesn’t leave me wanting.

He takes my chin and claims my lips in a hot kiss before ushering me along.

Sweet, sensual hints of Jasmine wrap around us. Oliver and Danika lead the way along the brick path. To my left is a wrought-iron gate with a team of security standing watch.

To our right are pristine gardens, sensual sculptures, and endless amounts of moonlight. Willow trees sway in the late autumn night. Back in Seattle the chilly nights would have frost on the grass on either side of the walk, but it’s warm enough here that I only have a light wrap covering my bare shoulders. I clutch at the side of my shawl and use Rune’s hand on my elbow for balance.

Through the moving branches I can see a beautiful white mansion with willow trees swaying in the wind as if waving to us to join the debauchery happening on the other side of the main door we step through.

Once inside, Danika greets the security with a nod. He knows the protocol, so he slips from his jacket and rolls back his sleeve.

“Evenin’, gentlemen and lovely lady,” an aged voice welcomes us from the darkness before a secondary door is eased open and golden lights color the night around us. “Key bearer or key master, sir?”

“Master. Danika Sinn. We have a reservation for the exclusive Belle Constantine show.”

Oh. A show.

The older gentleman with a sun aged-face and kind eyes holds up a black light to verify Danika’s position within the Society.

“Very well.”

The gentleman checks the list and, as I suspect, he looks back to the group of men around me with little interest outside of making sure membership is in place. If this establishment is like the one I manage, this man is not judging anyone who steps inside. He’s just doing his job.

“Welcome, Mr. Sinn.” Warm eyes turn to me. “Ma’am, should you need anything all you need to do is ask.”

“Thank you.”

“She’s under my care and my partners. We will see to it no rules are broken.”

Curious when I’ll be presented the Society's book for signing in, I get a backward glance and a sexy wink from Danika that has my insides flooding with heat. I inhale deeply at the affectionate playfulness in his expression. Broody is more his style, so the change of pace is pleasantly surprising.

I stare up at him, caught in the darkness of his eyes that belies the heat rolling off him. His powerful position as the head of his crime family comes with a lot of stress, but he’s never once let it bleed into how he treats me. From the outside looking in, he appears to be the very epitome of calm and collected.

Oliver and Rune give off the same calm vibe. Though they merely need to snap their fingers to have an army at their beck and call. You would never know the extent of their power by merely looking at them, though.

Of course, they rather believe I don’t know how to use a search engine and dig up new articles on them, but they are like vaults of information about them, so I dig in my free time. Which usually aligns with my time at the Golden Key Society back home because these three don’t leave me alone long enough when I’m off the clock.

The gentleman gestures to an item that looks no bigger than my cell phone. “If everyone would pass their keys over the reader on the far door, we will be done here for the evening.”

“And the book?”

The older man’s smile stirs my curiosity.

“You’ll see, ma’am.”

Oliver and Rune peel back their sleeves and take turns passing their bared wrists in front of a device hooked to the wall.

Below it, a tablet screen brightens and their names are added to a digital book.

Oh. That is nice. I need to talk to my boss. The Seattle branch needs one of those readers. It would make monitoring membership easier and faster. The analog and black light old school method takes too much time ? —

My thoughts are cut short. Oliver presses his lips to the shell of my ear and whispers his husky warning in a low tone that has me wishing I was the kind of woman who would tell him to show me his worst.

“Those gears turn any faster and I’ll be forced to take drastic measures in order to get your mind back on tonight’s events. You’ve worked enough. Tonight is about the four of us and you will need all your senses about you if you catch my meaning.”

I turn to find Rune’s grin mischievous. Which is exactly what this man is down to the marrow in his bones.

“Are you trying to handle me, Oliver?”

From the corner of my eye, I watch the side of Oliver’s lip turn up. He’s listening, but staying quiet. Something Rune has a hard time doing.

Case in point…

His hand comes around my hip, and his fingers curl into the soft fabric of my dress. It’s possessive and hints at the night’s entertainment if I have my signals figured out.

“When I take control over you, Magnolia Lafleur, you will know it.” He does not stutter or growl his words. He speaks evenly in a way that has my skin erupting with chills of anticipation.

“Like I said… I will take drastic measures to get your mind on where it needs to be.”

The word drastic on Oliver’s tongue has me slamming on the mental brakes. When he uses words like that, I’m usually tied to their bed and either covered in honey or wax. At least that is what happened last week when I pulled an all-nighter and failed to answer my phone.

Last Saturday I wrapped up my shift at the Society after a long night and the three of them were outside waiting for me. They had a plan in place, and it took all weekend for them to execute each intricate detail. I now have a deep appreciation for honey covered…

“Magnolia Lafleur, there you go again.”

I huff out. “What? I can’t help it. You say things like that, and my head starts throwing scenarios together.”

Rune’s laugh is low, warm, and soothing. And so are his arms. He holds me tight and shares his body warmth. It’s nowhere near as cold here as it is in Seattle but it’s enough to have my nipples pressing against the soft fabric of my dress. We follow Danika inside. He leads us through beautiful arching doors with multi-colored stained glass in frames pinned open with golden hooks on either door. I can’t tell for sure in the low light, but I am pretty sure the angels in the glass had fallen from grace from the sinful things they are doing to their human lovers.

“Why are we here?” I want to hear all the dirty details of this special exclusive show they’ve lined up for us.

Danika’s brush of his knuckles over my cheek does things to the tether around my heart and I forget about my question. I’m trying really hard not to fall madly in love with my men, but they make it harder by the day. The more time I’m with them, the easier it gets to forget my past.

Until now they haven’t asked me about a single day of my life before they entered it, and I haven’t pressed for information on where they go when they tend to “meetings”. Eventually someone will break, but I’m happy hanging out in our blissful bubble for a while longer.

“Gentlemen. Ma’am.” A beautiful woman in an elegant emerald dress made of crushed velvet greets us at the end of a hallway. The N’awlins mediator isn’t a local, but she looks at home here and in tune with the calmer energy, but there is no missing the fiery spark in her eye as she extends a hand to me. I take it.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Lafleur.” She’s no older than me, and looks to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. I know because I recognize the untold pain in her eyes. I see the exact shadows in the mirror every morning.

My lips form an O of surprise. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

She slips another hand over our clasped ones. “I doubt it. I’m new here. I’ve only been part of the Golden Key Society roster for a couple of weeks now. I’m Bailey. The Autumn ball was a sensation I had to see for myself. The women in edible glitter were brilliant.”

“You were there?”

“I was long enough to see the dramatic coordination of their moves. I went with a friend from Chicago before I asked to work here for a while. Now, if you will follow me, please.”

Oh, her story merits more than a quick brush of words. I want to pull her to the side, hug her, and then sit down over ice cream and make a new friend. I am not really an outgoing person, but Bailey makes my protective instincts come to life.

Maybe I can ask her for her number before the night is up.

Black carpet muffles our footsteps as we follow Bailey to a table set in the middle of an empty foyer.

“Club rules state every member must sign in before taking part in our exclusive events. Sorry to make you do this twice,” she offers with a kind smile, covering all her bases.

“I understand.” I take the pen and this time there are no rules holding me back from signing since I don’t work here. I put my name in the leather-bound ledger without a second thought and then Danika, Oliver, and Rune do the same.

They stayed oddly quiet while I spoke with Bailey, but not once did the three drop their hands from my body.

Bailey notices too. Her eyes are on mine, but her attention is on how Rune holds my hand. The way Danika stands with his weight leaned toward me and his arm around my waist.

And then there is Oliver. He’s more subtle. He stands so close I can’t tell where my personal space starts and his ends. But it’s the small kisses to my shoulder and neck that drive me wild.

Bailey cants her head and gathers up the ledger. “My job here is complete. And with that, I leave you all to your evening. Please enjoy your stay with us.” Her smile is polite, but hollow. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I follow my gut, and pull her into a hug.

“Thank you for your kind words. I’m so used to judgment and ridicule.” I pull back but her hug back gives me hope in people again.

“You are welcome, Miss Lafleur.”

“Magnolia,” I correct her.

She gives me a parting smile before leaving us.

“ Amore mio .”

Sweet Jesus. My nipples instantly turn rock-hard. I shudder at the sound of Oliver speaking his native language. Italian has always been on my list to learn and now I have a man who is beyond gorgeous calling me his love in the most beautiful language.

I turn to the brush of warm hands on my skin.

“You are truly amazing. You make friends everywhere you go, don’t you? We don’t deserve such a kind soul, but we are greedy bastards, aren’t we, Danika?”

Oliver is talking to Danika, but looking at me. He gathers my hand in his and kisses the back.

“Bastards to the core,” Danika mutters.

Rune leans his substantial weight into me and kisses the top of my head. “Are you ready for your early Christmas surprise, petals?”

“Will I ever get you to stop calling me that?”

“Never.”

Another kiss and we follow a short corridor that opens into a lavish round room with a dome overhead that lets in copious amounts of moonlight through stained glass. Colorful light throws the room into a multitude of shades. Reds, pinks, golds, and blues.

It’s beautiful, but I lose my train of thought at the sight of the stage toward the back wall.

“Why are we here?”

“There’s a special show tonight. And you have worked hard this week. It’s time for a little playtime.”

Danika takes my hand and leads me past a booth with thick curtains drawn back with thick gold ropes. The lights are low, but there is enough light to reveal each of the private areas are filled with harems of men with their women. One, two… I count eight partitioned mini-rooms to my left. More fan out to my right. Several of the members have already started on their evening fun, but I brush it off, and keep walking.

My desensitization is born from a couple of years of seeing all there is to see from performers and other members. Not much phases me anymore.

Or at least I thought that to be true. As it turns out, watching events happen and checking off my little boxes as a mission accomplished at the end of the night is a whole other experience compared to being the one taking part. The biggest difference being the men at my sides.

Danika stops and gestures for me to enter a large booth with a horseshoe-shaped sofa large enough to fit half a football team. Seriously. I step inside and small lights flicker on to reveal that there is more to this little room within a room. A minibar and a towel warmer, for starters. I mentally take notes for ways to update Seattle.

“You’re overthinking again.”

Rune moves into the booth—mini room, indoor oasis…whatever it’s called—and pulls me onto the sofa with him. I settle over his lap and pull the tail of his braid around to wind it around my finger. A habit I’ve formed that he seems to love.

Oliver flashes me a devilish grin.

Uh-oh .

Before I can miss the heat of Rune’s embrace, I’m in Oliver’s. No one has an ounce of respect for personal space, and I can’t find it in me to care. I could use a little more skin on skin.

He settles me over his lap and Danika comes to sit beside me. I lean back and his arms come around me.

“Thief.” Oliver’s hands grip my hips, but there’s no jealousy in his touch.

“You stole her from Rune. I only see this as fair,” Danika grunts and then kisses me senseless. I groan into his mouth and savor the sweet taste of the bourbon we shared on the plane ride earlier this afternoon. He pulls back to where his lips brush against mine when he speaks. “We hope you like your early Christmas gift.”

Hoping to God they don’t take this the wrong way, I say, “A gift beyond having you three? How could I ever be so lucky?” It may sound like I’m teasing, but I mean every word. I feel beyond blessed right now that I’m not spending another holiday alone.

Lips find my neck, and teeth follow right after. Oliver is on a bent knee and taking advantage of my upswept hair. The low cut of my dress helps give him more real estate to explore as well.

Rune joins Oliver and he bites into the tender flesh beneath the pulse point. I cry out, jerking in his hold. I tighten the cloth of Danika’s dress shirt in my fist.

“Mm,” Oliver growls against my neck. “So responsive and the evening hasn’t even started.”

My lashes fall and I take a moment before I can open my eyes again. When I do, all three of them are looking down at me with so much affection in their gazes they steal my breath away.

Danika has his hair neatly combed while Oliver’s is more tussled from running his fingers through it.

“Yes, I’m ready. But to be fair, I want you to know I don’t want anything else other than this. Our time together is more than I could ask for.” I run my fingers through both and hold Rune’s eyes captive. Their massive amounts of body heat wrap around me.

“Your sweetness does naughty things to a man’s control.” Danika moves me higher up his lap and I understand what he’s referring to quickly.

“Oh!” I giggle and tuck my face into his neck.

“Is it the dress?”

“It’s you and everything you are,” he answers honestly. “Your gentle way of viewing the world. That southern drawl. Fuck, your voice makes my dick hard every time you open your mouth. And your heart, Magnolia.”

I murmur a soft laugh and the way he inhales when I sigh makes me feel like he’s pulling me into him and filling his soul.

Rune traces lazy circles on the back of my hand and Oliver’s eyes haven’t left my face this whole time.

His eyes are hooded in a way that conveys he agrees with everything Danika said. A hand moves up my arm until he’s cupping my face. He leans forward until his shoulders connect with Rune’s and Danika’s. Tucked inside their cocoon of warmth Oliver whispers, “You’re the one reason we wake up in the morning.”

Not I, but we. These men are a unit. I know this, but seeing them speak for each other and treat themselves as one is a foreign notion to me.

It’s comforting and sets me off-kilter at the same time.

The lights dim twice, signaling the start of a show. Oliver and Rune move to sit on either side of Danika. I rest my head on Rune’s shoulder and my feet settle in Oliver’s lap.

Whatever show this is, I’ll pretend to enjoy a bit of it and then I want to drop the curtains and find my own happiness.

A beautiful woman steps on stage. She walks to the middle where a spotlight highlights a beautiful royal-blue settee. Curls spiral down her left shoulder and her eyes glitter even from this distance. She’s stunning. A couple of twists and she unties the front of her robe. It drops in a puddle of snow-white silk at her feet and then she is suddenly joined by three powerful men.

But that isn’t what captivates me.

Her middle is beautifully round.

“She’s pregnant.” About seven months. I sit up, entranced by the attention to the pregnant woman’s needs. None of the three men let her take a single step without their help. The moment she lifts a foot to move from the fallen robe, a hand is extended.

I gasp lightly. “She’s beautiful.” My fingers come to my mouth. I can feel the heat of Danika’s eyes on me, but I can’t break away from the sheer strength and air of nobility about the men. They carry themselves with so much confidence it saturates the room. If I had to guess, I would say they are in the military.

“This is my Christmas Gift?” I look at Danika first and then Rune and Oliver.

“Do you like what you see so far?” Danika is not looking at the stage. His eyes are on me.

“You knew she would be pregnant?” My pulse hammers so hard I can feel the rush of my blood speeding through my body. They don’t mean what I think they do. We’ve never talked about a family. I’ve only just met them. Three weeks is nothing. They could not be suggesting what I think they are. I can’t think in terms of forever. I want to, but I told myself on the plane ride here that nothing good lasts forever. I swallow past my nervousness and ask a question I might not be strong enough to know the answer to.

“Guys, why did you want me to see this show?” My voice is soft and barely reaches over the sound of the soft music and growing moans of the surrounding booths. The performance on the stage has begun, too. But my attention is fully on my three men.

Danika reaches up and pulls the silver snake clip out of my hair. Blond curls tumble free. He gathers a thick lock and twirls it around his finger before answering. “We wanted to show you how it would be to be round with our child and us worshiping the ground you walk on. The way Rush, Aziel, and Gage treat Belle is the way you would be with us.”

Whoa. Wait. What? Forget that they know the performers for a minute. Danika is blowing me away with what he is saying. I’m not prepared for his honesty and my heart is dripping with so much hope right now I’m afraid it’s oozing into my bloodstream. Other people might find comfort in hope, but I’ve been let down too many times in life to give it space in my adult years. It’s easier to live with your feet firmly on the ground.

Ha. And how is that going for you, Magnolia?

Living it up with three criminals who worship your body isn’t living on hope?

Okay, so the irony is not lost on me, but how long will it be before I’m drowning in the stuff and unable to see through the veil of this whirlwind romance? When reality sets in, the pain and hurt will be that much greater.

“We want you to be our everything, Magnolia.” Danika leans in and kisses the spot over my heart. One arm is around my back and the other lays over my lap. He grips my thigh, and I can feel the heat of his touch branding me while his words drip more hope into my system.

Their everything?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

I swallow thickly. “Do all of you want this? Me? Like they have her?” I look at the stage.

Are they talking about love? Can you love someone so entirely in such a short amount of time? I’ve been hung up on that question for weeks and they are all nodding like I am the last one to jump on the train.

“Yes,” they answer in unison.

“This is all too fast. I don’t know what to say.” My brain wars with my heart. But my soul is telling them both to shut up and believe in soul mates for the first time in my life.

Rune lifts my hand and kisses the inside of my palm. The desire in his eyes sends arrows into my heart.

This is madness. Chaos. And I want it all to be true.

“This is all a show. I know how the Society works. They pull in people who are comfortable to perform together and deliver on kinks the members request. What they are demonstrating isn’t real.”

Danika cups the back of my head as he holds me to him. “She’s their wife, our beautiful flower. There’s nothing fake between them just like there’s nothing fake between us.”

I’m not one who usually falls into tears or lets emotions take over, but I want to ugly cry right now and throw myself at them. They do not know how much I want to belong and have a tribe of my own. I always daydreamed of finding that one perfect man. And now I have three.

They don’t know what it is like to wake up in the morning and wonder if they’ll have a home to come back to after school or if their guardians have returned them to the state. At least I don’t think they do. I don’t know enough about them to say. All I know is that growing up in foster care ripped my soul out and kept it hostage for a long time. And right now, it’s in limbo once again and in danger of these three men crushing it if I let them get close enough to hurt me.

Trembling fear rushes through me. Rune and Oliver make room for Danika. He moves me off his lap to place me on the sofa before lowering his massive weight to one knee in front of me.

I’m surrounded. Rune on my left. His black-on-black suit is nothing more than shadows encasing beautiful muscles.

Oliver is on my right. He opted for a deep red tie to wear with his flawless black ensemble. Like a hint of his inner light among all the shadows he walks among.

Fine-tailored material of Danika’s suit jacket strains over his broad shoulders. He unhooks the front button, and the sway of the silk gray tie draws my hand. I finger the soft material before hooking my attention on him. When our eyes connect I feel like I’ve dived into an Olympic-sized pool filled with emotions.

“You’ve only just met me. How do you know I would make a good mother?” I hear my words and want to slap a hand over my mouth. I want this. I want them and the family they are offering. And their babies. All of it. And here I am mentally throwing on the brakes.

“I could be anyone or anything. And yet if I am reading this right you want me to carry your children.”

Oliver looks to Danika, and they exchange an entire conversation in a three-second glance.

“Do you want us?” Danika asks me directly, his hands on either of my knees. The fine lines at the edges of his eyes offer hints of his age. If I had to guess mid-thirties. But I know he’s closer to his mid-forties. They all are. Everything is on the internet.

His suit moves and molds to the broad form of his shoulders and the thickness of his arms. Around us, sensual music is nothing more than white noise. It’s the sighs of the women and the men’s groans of pleasure that play havoc with my libido.

“Come here, beautiful.” Oliver’s fingers twine through mine and he pulls me down the sofa until I’m sitting directly in front of him. He traces the outer edge of my face with the tips of his fingers. “You’ve stayed with us, shown us the heart you have, and we hope we have done the same. Something in you keeps you at our sides.” Soft lips meet mine and the world fades to only this man.

I shut out my surroundings and fuse all the emotions the three of them have stirred inside me into our kiss.

Fear and excitement merge inside me.

Possessive hands come to rest on my hips when he takes the kiss deeper. I open for him and give the man what he’s searching for.

They always tell me the truth. Otherwise, I would have ditched them after one night. I’m like a walking lie detector. It’s one thing I am good at. Knowing a liar when I hear one speak. I will not disrespect them by lying to them. Or myself.

He breaks the kiss and repeats Danika’s former question. “Do you want this? Want us? You can be honest.”

“I do. But I’m scared.” And that is the truth. “You know nothing of me or my past and I know enough about you three to understand you should come with warning labels. Your lifestyle is not accepted in modern-day society. And I’m not talking about three men and one woman.”

“The guns, the late-night meetings.” Rune nods in understanding. He strokes the back of my hand with his thumb. He comes to sit beside me and raises an arm over the back of the sofa, opening himself to me. I can’t read lips worth a damn, but body language is a second language to me. Reading when a man is about to attack has kept my virginity intact.

Rune wants me to know he is an open book. If anything, I am the one who can hurt him.

I can appreciate that. But the same is not true for Oliver. He’s staring at my hand and the monsters raging in his brown eyes are heartbreaking. He’s gone from open to distant in the span of a few seconds.

“Oliver?” I ask tentatively and turn my hand over to where our fingers interlock.

He raises his gaze to mine and the impact of his emotions are fierce. I almost fall into his arms and wonder who hurt him so deeply to make him so quiet.

I clear my throat softly. “Talk to me, lover.”

“Do you fear us? Is that why you haven’t answered us? Have we ever given you a reason to think we mean you harm?”

I turn to Danika and then Rune who are watching me with their best friend.

And then I confess another truth while surrounded by their intense heat. “I see the blood on your shirts when you return at night when you think I am asleep. The new wounds and bloodied bandages in the trash. It’s not my place to say anything, but I have eyes and I see the lives you live. When you return to your home, I’m there, but I am always on the outside looking in.” I’m careful when using that word. The penthouse they’ve shared with me is not my home. It’s theirs. And I am nothing more than a guest.

All three consider me for a moment and like a stone statue their expressions remain unreadable.

Oliver’s brows climb in understanding from the way he slowly nods his head. And then those dark brown eyes morph from patient to determined in a single blink. “That is not an answer, amore mio . Do you fear us?”

I watch intently as Oliver’s lips move with each word. I feel the other two waiting for my answer. That first night together I fell in love with the way his lips moved over the foreign words.

In all the moving around and getting passed from one lap to another, my dress has ridden up my legs to nearly indecent exposure. Danika strokes lazy circles over the top of my thighs silently watching us.

“That’s the crazy part, Oliver. And I don’t understand how or why, but no. I do not fear you.” I look between all three of them. “Any of you. But I fear what comes next. I’ve never been in any kind of relationship.”

I physically see their shoulders ease.

Oliver moves to sit beside me. He takes my chin in a gentle hold. “Look at the stage, Lia. Does she look scared with three lovers surrounding her, protecting her?”

Lia ?

I smile and stroke the tips of my fingers along the fringes of Oliver’s face. “Lia, huh?”

Oliver’s nickname for me shoots Cupid’s freaking arrow into my heart. No one ever cared enough about me to give me a nickname, let alone two.

“She looks happy,” I answer honestly. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to find the courage to confess. “I want that. The love, the comfort of not being alone.” This isn’t the place for a full-hearted confession, but I can offer them one more truth without cutting a vein in the middle of the Society. “I want your baby. I have loved the three of you from the first kiss,” I offer softly into the confines of our private booth. I blush scarlet but look at each of them in turn, showing them I mean what I say. It’s funny how much weight a few words carry. Once they leave my lips, I feel a million pounds lighter.

Danika’s gaze is unwavering when he rakes those cool steel eyes over my face. “You love us? You’ve seen our savagery, and you still want to be with us?” He settles a hand over my abdomen almost reverently. “You would have our child?”

“He thought for sure the second we told you what we wanted you would turn us down, petals. Put the poor bastard out of his misery and tell him in words what we see in your eyes.”

That is Rune. He releases my hand and settles it over the one Danika rests on my abdomen.

It seems it’s a night of hard truths. I release a shaky breath before speaking. “I’ve seen the aftermath left on your body. I hope to never have a run-in with your dark side, but none of that changes the truth. The first kiss we shared played wicked games with my emotions. The first night made me a believer in fate and soulmates. Even if it took me a while to admit the truth to myself.”

“You never have to worry about the darker side of our lives ever touching you. That is a promise.”

I want to tell Danika to be careful what he promises, but I bite my tongue. Past traumas have no place in my life. I’ll make damn sure the hell I lived in before I aged out of the system never touches their lives, too.

“How do we do this? What happens now?”

I look between all of them, but it is Danika who settles his forehead against mine and answers. “Our home is your home. You come to live with us. Everything else is up to you.”

“So, does only one of you take me to bed until I’m knocked up or…?

Rune and Oliver chuckle softly on either side of me and Danika moves back with a smile on his face.

“No, beautiful. We all take you at the same time. I am positive we would break down any door put in our way if only one of us got you at a time, anyway.”

Damn. That sounds so freaking hot.

“We don’t care about the finer details. No matter who fathers the baby, they will have three fathers who love them and their mother until the end of days. Period.”

Shock has me drawing in a harsh breath.

“Love?”

There’s not a chance in hell of keeping hope from filling my insides so I don’t fight the emotion any longer.

“Love, crave, can’t live without… the whole fucking nine yards, amore mio .”

I place my hand on Oliver’s chest and feel the thud of his heart beneath my palm. I finally have a home.

Every cell in my body tingles with awareness. Any woman with half a brain would sense the darkness rolling off them. See the danger in their eyes. It only turns me on. I inhale deeply and take Rune’s mouth in a passionate kiss. I break away but stay close enough that my lips move over his when I speak. “Then what are you waiting for? Who’s going to breed me first?”