Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Because Frankie…she’s utterly perfect, the complete package, drawing us both in with her warm eyes and easy affection. It’s no wonder Kody is captivated by her.
But for me, it’s a constant battle between wanting her happiness and struggling with my own.
“I’m trying.” I stroke her silky hair. “My past with Gretchen made me jaded. But that’s just an excuse. I’m an asshole with control issues. You deserve someone who is open and willing to share like Kody—”
“Stop right there.” She lifts on an elbow. “You’re wrong. Except the part about being an asshole with control issues. But so is every alpha male on the planet. You have nothing on Monty.”
“Fucking great.” I grind my molars.
“Point is…alpha men don’t share. Kody’s willingness to do so is shocking. Mark my words, the moment we get out of here and enter society, his stance on that will change.”
“What do you mean?”
“When another man smiles at me at work or approaches me in a park, what will Kody do?”
“He’ll break the fucker’s face.”
“Yeah.” She sighs. “Then you’ll jump into the brawl and both go to jail for assault. We’ll work through an adjustment period to get you two acclimated to rules and social norms.”
“Nah. If a man goes near you, we’ll still break his face.” I take in her exasperated expression. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem is I don’t want you to escape this prison only to end up in another. Listen, Kody loves you and trusts you. He would never share me with someone who isn’t you. I don’t want that, either. I don’t even know how to manage two lovers. Never even considered such a thing. I’m as new to this as you are.” She edges closer, brushing her nose against mine. “I know what you’re feeling, Leo. I can’t fathom the thought of sharing you with another woman. Even if I had a sister, I couldn’t do it, no matter how much I loved her. The idea makes me murderous. What I’m asking from you is selfish and unexplored and could blow up in our faces and shatter our souls.”
Her admission loosens the tightness in my chest. I don’t know why, but her words give me permission to frame it in a different light, to study it from another perspective.
She’s right about sharing her with an outsider. Under no circumstances would Kody and I be okay with that. But keeping her between us? That’s safe. It’s right.
The three of us are connected in a rare and unbreakable relationship. We find our strength in one another, in the promise of a dawn beyond the darkness, a spring beyond the winter. Three hearts, entwined by circumstance, bound by necessity, and fueled by love, beat as one against every threat we face.
“If this is what you want…” I kiss her lips. “I won’t fight it.”
“Leo—”
“I’m not finished.” I taste her mouth again, lingering, savoring her breath. “The three of us…it’s the only thing that makes sense. But I’m going to fuck up.”
“Me, too.”
“How do we do this?”
“We’re already doing it.” She peers at me through her lashes. “There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but I think the basics apply. Trust your instincts. Set clear boundaries. Communicate openly. Manage jealousy. And have lots and lots of sex.”
“How much sex are we talking?”
“At least ten times a day. Probably more.”
Rock hard. I’m instantly, painfully, impossibly hard.
It’s been too long. Bathing with her, sharing her bed, breathing her air, watching her walk, hearing her voice, staring into her eyes, and not fucking her?
Torture.
But not unbearable.
Nothing is unbearable when I’m with her.
The way she looks right now, like she didn’t just spend the past twelve hours on her feet in the ruthless Alaskan wind, I want nothing more than to devour her.
I shouldn’t be getting worked up, but it’s her. She’s so tempting and sweet, and I’ve been carrying the taste of her mouth on my tongue all day. I’m desperate for more.
But first, I need to address something she probably hopes I’ve overlooked.
“You broke a promise today.” Keeping my gaze on hers, I curl a hand around her hipbone and hold it still.
“Hmm?”
“You swore you would remain in the cave. Did the bear chase you out?”
“Not exactly.”
“There are no signs of bears in these tunnels. Did it venture in here?”
“It could have.”
“But it didn’t.”
If she followed my order, the bear would’ve lumbered by without detecting her. Maybe it would’ve encountered me instead. Maybe not. I won’t lecture her about disobeying me. She learned a hard lesson. But I will drive home my point another way.
“Roll to your hands and knees.” I push to a sitting position, thrumming with anticipation. “Time for your punishment.”
The only part of her that moves is her eyes as they thin into sexy slits.
I remind myself that only a few months ago, she gave me that same look when I tossed her a knife and told her to cut her wrists.