“You okay?” I work my bottom lip between my teeth, trying to get a read on Bear’s current state of mind. Eyeing him, I’m not entirely sure what he must be thinking. He’d thrown back the hood from his head the minute we got in the dressing room and dropped onto the couch. I know it had to have been hard for him to take a back seat like that and watch Duke step in to take his place. Difficult, but necessary.
Upon our arrival, Duke and Mason had gone directly into the bathroom, where Mason is checking Duke over for bumps and bruises. I can barely make out their hushed conversation about the fight. I doubt they’ll waste any time, as none of us have any desire to stay longer than necessary. Sure enough, the shower turns on a moment later, the sound of water drowning out anything being said in there. That also means they can’t hear what’s going on out here either.
If only Bear would talk to me. He has to know this was our best course of action.
Rubbing his hands on his joggers, Bear lets out a deep sigh, leaning back and resting against the couch cushion. His hands grip the back of his neck. I can tell by the stance that he’s trying to relax, but he’s not having an easy time of it. His eyes finally connect with mine. “I’m good. Just hate that he had to do that. And don’t know what it’ll cost us.” His lips twitch in amusement. “But fuck, did you see the look on my old man’s face when Duke won?”
A smile curves my lips as I nod, glad to see he’s not completely thrown by the situation. Scooping my hair off my neck and twisting it into a knot, I try to suppress my laughter, but some of it bubbles out. “Oh, yeah. I turned around because I knew it’d be good and seriously thought he was going to pop one of those bulging veins in his forehead.” The vision I conjure in my mind makes me outright snicker. “And the thing is, he couldn’t even express how pissed he was without everyone knowing he’d bet against you.”
“Yeah. That gave me a little thrill, too.” He holds out his hand to me. “Come here, Lennon.”
I walk over to stand in front of him, cocking my head to the side. It shouldn’t catch me off guard, but it does when his hand snakes out and grips mine, then tugs me onto his lap. I end up straddled there, hands resting lightly on his chest as I meet his gaze. Something about it is a little off—and I get a feeling that maybe what transpired in the ring tonight is at the root of his concern.
“I want you to be extra careful, extra vigilant. Will you do that for me?”
“Of course.” My throat goes dry, and I barely squeak out my next words. “You’re worried.”
“I am. We’ve just hit them where it hurts. They’re greedy bastards, Lennon, all of them, and I have no doubt they’ll be looking to repay us in kind.”
It hits me like a sledgehammer to the chest. “You mean they’d do something … to me?”
He nods, holding my head between his big hands. “I can think of nothing that would hurt us more than to see you harmed again … or taken from us.” I let his words sink in deep as his thumbs sweep over my cheekbones, and he stares cautiously into my eyes.
A line forms on my forehead as I consider what he’s saying. “You won’t let them hurt me. Not if you can help it. I know that. But you also taught me how to fight. And I’ll use that knowledge to protect myself, if necessary. I—” My throat feels like it’s thickening as I attempt to swallow. Looking down at my hands, I blink, trying not to let on how emotional I feel as I look up at him from under my lashes. “I don’t ever want to be separated from the three of you. It’d be like losing part of myself.”
“I guarantee you we all feel the same.” His rough thumb brushes over my cheek again as he tugs me closer. “Let’s put it out of our heads for a minute. Give Daddy a kiss from these sweet lips.”
Those same lips quirk at his demand, but I have no desire to say no. I lean forward, resting against his chest, our mouths only a fraction of an inch apart. My heart pounds, like it recognizes him as mine. It knows that he’s part owner of every beat it takes. I drink him in—his strength, his protective nature, everything that makes him my Gideon.
On a desperate sigh, I give in, pressing my lips to his. He moans into the kiss, and I breathe him in, licking into his mouth and touching his tongue with mine. The resulting grunt from deep in his chest is everything. “Fuuuck, baby.” He shifts his hands from my face to my hips, pulling me tight against his hardening cock as we continue to seek solace in each other. Heat floods my body, little explosions going off everywhere as our tongues twist and curl and stroke.
A cough from across the room is followed by a chuckle. “Stella Bella, I thought it was the winning fighter that earned the right to be taken care of.”
My eyes widen as I stare at Bear. Is Duke mad? He doesn’t sound mad … My brow pinches together. Bear shakes his head, noticing my concern, then throws it back laughing. “He’s teasing you. But maybe he’s got a point. I’ll go get the SUV from the parking garage.” He brushes one last kiss over my lips, then urges me up.
I catch my lip between my teeth as I climb off Bear’s lap. Turning around, I smile sheepishly at Duke, then close the distance between us. I fall into his embrace, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I think we all won tonight. But apparently our fighter has needs that I should be taking care of?”
“Mm-hmm,” he mumbles, sweeping his lips over my jaw before kissing me soundly, all hot and aggressive. A residual effect from the fight, maybe? Leftover adrenaline fueling an angsty, possessive claiming. Whatever the cause, I like the way his tongue wars with mine. It makes me feel secure. Wanted.
“Well shit, if a stint in the cage is what it takes to get some of that, I guess it’s my turn next weekend.”
I break Duke’s kiss only long enough to grab the front of Mason’s shirt and yank him close. I bite down on my lip, tilting my head to the side. “Or maybe join in, instead?”
“Go on, Mase. Kiss them,” comes Bear’s gruff command. My brows shoot up and I find his hot gaze watching us as he backs toward the door. He winks at me and nods, my reply an appreciative grin. I dive back in, nipping first at Duke’s lips, then finding Mason’s. Bear groans audibly at my antics before heading out to get the SUV.
For the next few moments, the three of us go at it, and it’s almost effortless in the way we explore each other. I can’t get enough. We’re a wild tangle of lips and tongues and teeth. The room fills with groans and pants and moans.
Duke pulls away first to say, “Bear’s waiting,” then leans back in, swiping his tongue over my lip before pulling Mason’s mouth to his. Their kiss makes warmth race through my veins. I join in, getting lost in the fray. Another few moments pass before Mase pulls away to nod, groaning his agreement with Duke, but immediately after, turns his head to steal my breath again, stroking his tongue with mine.
“We’ve really gotta go,” I pant, coming up for air and catching Mason’s gaze, then Duke’s. “You two are trouble.”
“The best kind, Kintsukuroi. Only the very best kind.”
Duke shakes his head, laughing, then rubs a hand over his face. “Who the hell in their right mind would have seen any of this coming?” It’s almost as if he’s talking to himself. He pushes the door open and exits. Mason puts an arm around me and guides me out of the dressing room and down the hall to the exit.
Outside, Mason kisses my cheek and lets me go. My gaze bounces from him to Duke. Maybe I missed some cue or something, but with the way Duke is looking at me, I figure he must have a reason for wanting Mase to get into the SUV first.
Duke loosely collars my neck and turns me to him. “I’m gonna sit in back with you.”
“Okay.” I pause. “Did I miss something?”
“I wanted to ask you a question.” Duke skims his lips over my cheek. His exhale is slow and steady, almost like he’s attempting to calm himself, in a way. He clears his throat, then whispers, “What you said earlier before the fight started … about not leaving me? Did you mean …? I mean—” He huffs out a frustrated breath.
I search his gaze, not understanding, then reach up, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Duke. Talk to me.”
He takes a couple of deep breaths. “It just— It felt good to know I have someone else in my corner. Literally, this time. It’s something I don’t have a lot of.”
The intensity in his blue eyes has something inside me cracking wide open. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to fully see it, but Duke, despite the controlled exterior, is sensitive. And the more layers of Duke Valentine I peel back, the more I realize I’ve fallen so damn easily for him. “I’ll always be here if you want me.” I clutch him to me, incapable of more words. We stand there for a moment, holding onto each other. I’m just about to suggest we get in the SUV so we can head home when the crunch of gravel behind me gets my attention.
“Well, Lennon. I’m glad you’re here tonight, it’ll save me the trouble of coming to pick you up. Now, if you can pry yourself off your brother, we need to go.”
I startle away from Duke, the deep voice making my stomach pitch and go sour. I whirl around, blinking hard as I take in my stepfather’s presence. His blue eyes—so similar to his son’s but lacking his warmth—pierce mine.
“She’s not going fucking anywhere with you.” Duke smacks the SUV twice with his hand, and in response, the doors burst open. I hear the shuffle as Bear and Mason exit the vehicle and come to stand behind us.
Before either gets a chance to speak, Tristan growls, “Your mother has had enough of this.” He holds up one of the photocopies of the pictures from campus. “The cops brought this to the house. I wasn’t there. She saw it first. You can imagine what that did to her.”
My mouth opens and closes a few times, as I’m completely taken aback. I never considered that they’d take this to Tristan, much less give a copy to my mother.
“She wants to know—and so do I—what the fuck is going on in that house!” I jerk back as his voice raises with his rant. Tristan’s gaze tears from mine to meet his son’s. He steps forward and jabs a finger toward him. “I left her in your care. And you let this happen!”
Eyes blazing, I step forward and bat Tristan’s hand forcefully out of Duke’s face. “They’ve done nothing to me. Nothing.” I sense the tension rolling off the guys, but I know better than to tip our hand. We fucking know that Tristan and Derek and maybe even Murdock have been giving orders, but I’m not saying a damn word. I wonder if they know their little minions got caught. I may have felt like shit while in the back of that SUV with my puke bucket, but I’d been watching. I don’t know what the odds are that those two idiots made it out of there, but even if they did, I highly doubt they’d have the balls to show up on the OG’s doorstep. I swallow, staring at him. “Tell my mother I’m fine. She can call me herself if she wants … Not that she’s bothered since I came to KU.” I fold my arms over my chest, straightening my back and glaring.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. I said, you’re coming with me, instead of parading yourself around like a little slut,” Tristan grits out as he grabs my left wrist, wrenching it toward him. It happens so fucking fast, I don’t get a chance to breathe, don’t get a chance to think, I just act. Yanking down sharply, I free myself, step back to give myself room and strike. I smash the back of my fisted hand into Tristan’s nose, just like Bear taught me.
Tristan howls, blood dripping from his nose and down into his mustache, over his lips, and into his beard.
It hardly registers what I’ve done, but no sooner have I lashed out than I hear the guys roaring behind me.
“Oh, hell fucking no you didn’t,” Bear grinds out.
It’s followed quickly by Mason’s shouted, “Get the fuck away from her.”
And then Duke finishes my job, shoving his already off-balance and cursing father to the gravel of the parking lot. “Fucking prick. Keep your goddamn hands to yourself. She’s not yours. She’s ours.” His eyes are a fiery blue now, rage spilling from him.
I put my hand on Duke’s arm to get his attention because I don’t want him to take this further. Instead, I step forward, towering over Tristan. My lip trembles, but not from fear—from anger. “I’m not yours to manhandle.” I shake my head, exhaling hard. “I won’t ever be. Keep your fucking filthy hands off me.”
A few minutes later, we’re all safe in the SUV and heading toward home. We’re quiet for the first several minutes as we struggle to wrap our minds around what’s just happened. I probably broke my stepfather’s nose. Went against his demands. It makes me slightly fearful of what’s to come. But I let my gaze slide from Duke to Mason, and then to Bear, knowing we’re in this together.
From the driver’s seat, Bear finally grits out, “Lennon, you good?”
“Yes, I’m okay. Duke?” I ask, biting my lip.
He blows out a breath. “I won a fight and pissed some people off. And I assisted in knocking my father on his ass.” He shoots me a teasing grin from over his shoulder. “Never been fucking better.”
My gaze slides to Mason, who’s been staring out the window since Duke put him in the back with me. He’d gotten strangely quiet almost immediately after Tristan tried to grab me.
“Mase—”
But before I can ask Mason what’s in his dark, twisted-up head, he grabs my hand, holding on tightly. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispers. “If I hadn’t—” He can’t even get the words out.
My brows dart together, and I turn in my seat to face him. “No. We’ve already discussed this. Don’t go there. You and I are the only people who need to know the specifics of what happened in that attic and why. Just because someone stole some photos doesn’t mean jack shit. You aren’t responsible for that.”
He lets his breath hiss out, and finally he shakes his head. “You’re one of a kind, Lennon.” A moment later, his mood shifts, and he snorts. “I can’t believe you punched him.”
I shrug, smiling. “Yeah … well. I guess that little move Bear taught me works.”
