34. East

THIRTY-FOUR

east

THE BED DIPPED, there was a rustling of sheets, and then King's familiar scent was back beside me. Still half asleep, I reached out for him, throwing my leg over the top of his, and he responded by sliding his arm over my waist.

I knew I was dreaming, because I never slept in the same bed as anyone else. But I couldn't deny that it felt good to have the weight of both King and Zac's arms resting across me, their bodies warm and their quiet breathing in my ears.

Huh. I was still asleep, right?

I opened my eyes and startled when I saw King staring back at me. He felt me jerk and smoothed his hand over my hip.

"Sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep." He settled in on his pillows and closed his eyes, but I was wide awake now.

It was still dark out, so we couldn't have been asleep for long. I tried to remember how we'd all ended up in King's bed, because I couldn't imagine I'd chosen to pass out in the middle of his huge mattress with them. He slept alone—he'd said so the first night. Hell, so did I. So did Zac.

But Zac was curled around me from behind, his entire front pressed against my entire back, holding me tight to him.

My heart began to beat faster, sweat breaking out on my lip as I struggled to breathe. My first instinct was that I needed to break free from the cuddle-fest happening against my will. They were suffocating me, their limbs thrown over my body to keep me trapped.

"Calm down, little prince." King's words were soft as he trailed reassuring fingers up and down my side.

Warm lips sleepily kissed between my shoulder blades as Zac stirred behind me, and slowly my heart rate began to come back down.

"There you go," King said quietly before pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Sleep now."

But the time for shuteye was a thing of the past with the realization of where I was, and with whom.

I tried to lie there still and silent—not something that ever suited me—and several minutes later I felt King's inaudible chuckle vibrating against me.

He opened his eyes. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"Do you want me to stay?" I found myself asking before I fully thought the question through.

Again, he smoothed his hand over my sheet-covered hip, rubbing back and forth in a soothing motion. "I think I do."

It was strange. I should've bolted the fuck out of there at his words, but his dark eyes held me in a trance. That was the only way to explain it. I couldn't possibly want to be there.

"Okay, well, I guess I'll stay," I said, and then added, "But only because you want me to."

"Okay."

One word—that was all he said to one of the most monumental decisions of my life. Then his eyes drifted shut again.

Right, now what? I lay as still as I possibly could, trying to decide where to put my hands so he didn't think I was too needy or—God forbid—clingy. I glanced down the bed to where my leg was thrown haphazardly over his and slowly started to shift it off him, but before I even moved it an inch, he clamped his hand around the back of my thigh and held it in place.

"I thought you were going to stay?"

"I am. I just, well…"

One of King's eyes opened, his lips twitching. "You seem nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"Then just relax."

"That'd be a great idea if I didn't have a steel pipe up against my back."

King chuckled, his eyes drifting over my shoulder to where Zac was curled around me like I was some sort of comfort pillow, or worse… lover .

"He doesn't seem ready to wake up just yet. Must be dreaming about something good."

"Not sure why he's hugging me, then."

A frown pulled between King's dark brows. "You don't think you're good?"

"Depends what we're talking about. Good at getting what I want, yes. Good at sex? Again, yes. But good in general… I've never been accused of that."

"That might be true to some extent."

" Some ? Pretty sure that up until, oh, maybe a week ago, you would've shared that opinion."

King tapped my thigh and nodded. "You're right. I did. But you know what I've learned this past week?"

"I'm sure you're dying to tell me."

"You're good for him. With him."

"Him…?"

"Don't do that," King whispered against my lips. "Don't make this less than what it is because you're actually feeling something."

I was about to vehemently deny that, but Zac picked that exact moment to stir behind me. His arms tightened and pulled me back against him as he nuzzled warm lips up against my neck, and King raised his brows and mouthed, Deny it.

I wanted to. But the surprise of it all was that Zac felt pretty damn good like this.

"Who am I to deny the guy what he's obviously desperate for?" I said.

"Who's desperate?" a sleepy voice mumbled against my back.

King shook his head at me. "No one," he told Zac. "Go back to sleep."

"You know, you're bossy for a guy who woke us up," I said.

"My apologies."

He didn't sound too sorry. "Where'd you go, anyway?"

"Out on the balcony."

"To get away from us?"

"If I wanted to get away from you, I wouldn't have come back."

I didn't recognize the feeling in the pit of my stomach, but it felt like something did a backflip.

I brushed it off.

"What are you talking about?" Zac said, lifting his head. Then he froze. "Wait, what are you doing in my bed?"

"You're in my bed," King answered.

Zac frowned and took a look around the room—not that he'd be able to see much in the dark. "Oh damn. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." King ran his hand from my waist up to Zac's arm that was still folded around me. "Stay. East isn't going anywhere either."

"Only because you're clinging to me like a koala," I said over my shoulder. "I thought you didn't cuddle."

"I don't." Zac propped himself up on his elbow, and I noticed he didn't bother moving away from me. "You are a pretty good pillow, though."

"Don't get used to it."

"I think I will. Just to drive you crazy."

"Not if I smother you with this pillow first."

Zac glanced down at where my leg was intertwined with King's, and a smug grin curled his mouth. "I think you protest too much."

"Nope."

"You do. You like this."

"Not a bit. You can get off me now."

King leaned down and nipped at my lower lip. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with us."

He didn't give me room to argue, not when he kept my mouth busy. It must've been a trick he'd picked up from Zac, who kissed along my shoulder, clearly awake now.

Truthfully, this wasn't so bad. Being sandwiched between two of the sexiest men I'd ever been with and waking up to wandering hands and mouths on me? I could get used to that.

What? No. No, you won't get used to it.

We were leaving soon, and the door would be slammed shut on anything more than this one week of escaping reality. None of this counted when we were back in the city.

I thought that fact would bring relief, but all I felt was a dull ache between my ribs. Another entirely unfamiliar feeling that I wanted nothing to do with.

"I don't do secrets and I don't cuddle,"I said.

I squirmed out of their arms with much more effort than I'd put in earlier, my pulse racing, and not in the I'm-so-turned-on kind of way.

"I'm getting hot." I kicked the sheets away and scooted down off the mattress. "Is anyone else hot?"

When I turned back to face the bed, I saw Zac shifting across the mattress to take my place by King.

"I'm quite comfortable," King said as he pulled the sheet up over their hips. "Zac?"

Zac snuggled into his side with a grin. "I'm very comfortable."

King pressed his lips to the top of Zac's head and winked at me. "Well then, if you change your mind, we'll keep a spot warm for you."

My eyes narrowed on the pair who seemed to be taking great delight in my discomfort, their lips barely able to contain their smirks. But I didn't care. I wasn't getting back in that bed. They could snuggle, cuddle, make moon eyes all morning—count me out.

I didn't do romance.

I didn't do this .

But as I reached the door to King's room, I couldn't stop myself from taking a final look over my shoulder, and wondered—what if I did?