Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Crush moved to the cabinets, retrieving three mugs and the jar of instant coffee. “What’re you making?” he asked his brother as he dropped the grounds in each mug before adding the boiling water.
“Omelets,” Byte replied, returning his attention to the skillet. “Found some ham, peppers, and cheese in the supplies. Almost done.”
I leaned against the counter, cradling my coffee mug between my palms, watching the brothers move around the small kitchen. They’d clearly shared countless meals together, developed rhythms and patterns that spoke of their deep connection. Rather than feeling excluded, I found myself drawn into their orbit, Crush handing me silverware to set the table, Byte telling me where to find the juice.
By the time we sat down to eat, the three of us had fallen into an easy rhythm that felt almost…normal. Domestic. Like we’d been doing this for years rather than hours. It should have scared me how quickly I’d slotted into their lives, but instead, it felt right. Like coming home.
The eggs were indeed legendary. Fluffy, perfectly seasoned. I devoured mine with an enthusiasm that had both men smiling. I got the feeling neither man really smiled much. If I could amuse them enough for them to let it show, it was worth looking like a pig while I ate.
“Hungry?” Crush asked, amusement coloring his voice.
“Starving,” I admitted between bites, grinning shamelessly. “Didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Byte choked on his coffee, and Crush’s slow smile was pure masculine satisfaction.
We bantered with each other all through breakfast, falling into an easy conversation. But beneath my contentment, anxiety churned. I needed to tell them what I wanted, what I was feeling, before I lost my nerve. If they laughed at me or pitied me as the weird loner their grandmother threw at them, I’d be devastated, but it would be worse to not try.
Finally, I set my fork down, took a deep breath, and jumped in with both feet. “I want to stay here. With you both.” The words tumbled out, clumsy and abrupt. “Longer, I mean. Not forever, obviously, that would be crazy, but…” I trailed off, staring down at my plate. “Even if it’s only sex, I want this time with you. With both of you.” My voice had gone small, vulnerable, and I cursed myself for not finding a better way to say it.
The silence that followed felt eternal. I risked a glance up to find both men watching me with identical intense expressions.
“River,” Crush began, reaching across the table to take my hand in his. His palm was warm and calloused against mine. “Do you honestly think this is just about sex for us?”
I shrugged, suddenly feeling foolish. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s all happening so fast. I don’t want to assume --”
“Honey,” Byte interrupted, pushing back from the table. He moved to stand behind my chair, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. “What part of ‘we want you to be ours’ didn’t you understand last night?”
Crush squeezed my hand. “We’re not going anywhere except where you are. And this --” he gestured between the three of us --”is about a hell of a lot more than just getting off.”
“Though we are definitely looking forward to the getting off part,” Byte added with a grin, his thumbs kneading the tense muscles at the base of my neck.
A laugh bubbled up, easing the knot of anxiety in my chest. “I am too,” I admitted, leaning back into Byte’s touch while keeping my hand in Crush’s. “I’ve never done this before. Any of this. I’m used to being alone, to leaving before things get complicated. I’ve only had sex a couple of times and it wasn’t anything like what we did last night. And we haven’t even really had sex yet.”
“You don’t have to run anymore, River. Not from us.” Crush’s gentle voice settled over me like a warm blanket. “Never from us.”
As I looked from Crush’s earnest face then over my shoulder to see Byte’s tender smile, something settled in my chest, that final piece of my heart clicking into place I hadn’t known I needed. For the first time in my life, leaving was the last thing I wanted to do.
“So we can stay?” I knew I was shit at hiding how I felt. Likely, both men could see hope blossom inside me.
“Yeah, baby. We can stay.” Crush squeezed my hand tightly.
“For as long as you want,” Byte added, bending to press a kiss to the top of my head.
“What about your obligations at home? Your club? What about Mrs. Walsh?”
“Maggie can take care of herself. Besides, once you left and she knew you were with us, she went back to pretending to need to stay in that assisted living place.”
“Huh?” His read on Maggie’s actions surprised me. “What do you mean pretending?”