Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
“Classic romantic movies are my comfort. I’m not giving up. Not even close.” He lifts a shoulder. “I wanted to open myself up, let you see a part of me no one else does. This…” He stands, gesturing at his unkempt appearance, the bed, and the TV. “This is me when no one else is around.”
“If you expect me to judge you for that, you got the wrong guy.”
He nods and scratches his shirtless abs.
Then he squares his shoulders, and a transformation settles over him. The passive, chill, bed-rotting, classic-movie-watching guy vanishes, and the Monty I know stares back at me, his blue eyes sharp and icy.
His expression conveys a depth of intellect and unyielding will, but it’s his dominating presence that makes me stand a little taller.
“If I’m in, I’m all in.” He stalks into the bathroom. “That means equal parts in this relationship and our family. I’m your brother and her lover.”
Kody and I exchange a look and follow him.
In one smooth motion, he strips his sweatpants and continues into the walk-in shower, fully naked.
“You said lover.” I lean against the wall just outside the stall. “Not husband.”
“If we do this, she’s married to all of us, even if the law doesn’t recognize it.” He turns, facing us, with a hand on the faucet. “If we do this, we’re giving her our last name.”
A shudder runs through me, starting at the base of my spine and spreading like wildfire. It’s not just a shiver. A cascade of electric excitement lights up every corner of my body. I feel it in my fingertips, tingling and alive. It courses through my legs, making my knees weak. My breath catches in my throat. My heart hammers in my chest.
This is her dream.
But not just hers.
It’s mine.
And by the looks of it, Kody’s, too.
He strides past me, crashes into Monty, and wraps him up in a chest-crushing, balls-slapping embrace that might’ve been awkward under other circumstances. Monty stands there, stark nude and uncertain, with his arms hovering at his sides.
Considering what we’re about to do, about to spend the rest of our lives doing, a naked hug should be foreplay for those two.
“All in.” Monty surrenders to the affection and squeezes his arms around Kody.
“All in.” Kody steps back, breathing hard, and reaches for me.
We come together, our fists buried in each other’s backs.
“We’re going to get our girl,” he whispers, hugging me tighter.
“Yeah, we fucking are.” I smack a kiss on his cheek. “All in.”
We pull apart, grinning and jittery.
“We’re doing this my way.” Monty turns on the shower and ducks his head under the spray. “I lead. Every step of the way. Understood?”
“Tonight only.” I straighten, meeting his eyes. “We’ll see how you do. Then you can negotiate for more.”
A smirk twitches his lips. “Deal.”
54
Frankie
—
I’m exhausted. The kind of bone-deep weariness that hollows out my insides. The trauma unit has a way of sucking the life out of me, one crisis at a time.
As I stand at the nurses’ station, closing out my day on the computer, my thoughts gravitate to my guys. I try to stay busy enough not to let the despair consume me.
But I miss them.
I miss them with an intensity that tortures and slays.
It’s been eighteen days since I left them on that dock. Eighteen days trapped in this hospital with nothing but loneliness and a broken heart to keep me company.
I’ve endured longer separations from them. But this time, it’s different. There’s no expiration date. It could take them months to reconcile.
It could take forever.
But I trust them. I have faith in their love. They’ll pull their stubborn heads out of their asses eventually. They’ll forgive one another. And maybe someday, they’ll forgive me.
On the bright side, it seems the stalker lost track of me. Or hasn’t found a way to torment me in the hospital. Makes me wonder how safe the island is. I often had the feeling someone was watching me there. Not to mention the man-shaped shadows in the windows.
I texted my concerns about this to Monty last week. He replied with, The island is the safest place on Earth.
Typical Monty.
Kody, on the other hand, continues to stalk me from the shadows here. He never lets me see him, but I know he comes every day. The guards confirm it when I ask.
He’s probably creeping into my room and sniffing my undies.
“Oh, my lord.” Nurse Letty runs up and shoves her arm under my nose. “Frankie, check my pulse. Hurry. I think I’m dying.”
What now?
I glance at her, but she’s not looking at me. Her mouth hangs open as she stares at something behind me.
Oh, no.
My neck stiffens, and I close my eyes. I don’t have the strength to resist any of them tonight.
“The Viking?” I whisper.
“Mm-hmm.” She grabs my elbow, drawing my gaze to her. “The Viking, the billionaire, and the caveman. Prepare yourself, honey. You’re not ready.”