Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
A headache suddenly builds right in the center of my forehead. Making my way over to the couch, I sink onto it and raise my hand to rub the spot. “Kai …”
“Did he threaten you?” Gage asks.
My head whips up. “What?”
He arches an eyebrow as if to say, You heard me.
I sigh, feeling weighed down and exhausted, even as a buzz of energy vibrates deep inside me at the nearness of these men. “He said that it was up to me how well your new show would do, because the audience would be upset if you weren’t single.”
“And you believed him?” Kai accuses.
“It’s a dating show, Kai, and I’ve seen your groupies. They’re at your shop every single day, and they hate me. Thorn, you have women proposing marriage in the comments of your cooking videos. What was I supposed to think?”
“You were supposed to fucking talk to us.”
My temper finally snaps. “Right. I was supposed to ask you to give up all your future plans for me.”
Kai shakes his head. “You still don’t get it.”
“Get what, Kai?”
“You are our future plans. We only want you.” He pulls me up from the couch, taking my hand and pressing it to his chest. “Everything else is negotiable.”
I want to believe him. I want his arms to wrap around me and never let me go, but I don’t think he’s seeing the reality of the situation. It’s not just the show. It’s our families, it’s this unconventional situation, and the way we live our lives …
Thorn steps up, and I pull my hand back. “Tell us the truth, Lexy. Did you really stay away because of what the producer said?”
“I believed what he said.” I take a deep breath. “And I wasn’t willing to share you. I know it’s selfish and hypocritical, but I can’t help how I feel.”
“Share us with who?” Gage asks.
“The women on the new show. I don’t even know how I’ve managed to share you with all of your groupies.”
“Lex, what the fuck are you talking about?” Kai’s anger has diffused into irritated confusion, and I glare back at him, frustrated that he’s choosing not to understand me.
He scrubs his hands over his face. When he speaks again, his voice has gone very quiet. “Lexy. None of us has been with anyone else since you came back to Vegas, and we’re sure as hell not making a tv show that requires us to date anyone who isn’t you.”
A little glow starts to form in my chest. I’d hoped that they weren’t seeing other women while they were with me, but we never had any agreements or commitments. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, Lexy,” Gage says. “You’re it.”
I’m afraid to let the glow get too big. “But the show … it will provide so many opportunities for you.”
“None of that means anything without you.” Kai’s tone is tender but firm as he grips my hip in his big hand, his fingers pressing in possessively.
Thorn slides his hand around my middle as he gazes down at me. “You’re the only thing that matters, Lexy.”
I’m going to cry. I’m not sure everything has been worked out, but for the first time, I believe it can be.
“I love you,” I say. “All of you.”
“We know,” Kai says, “and it’s about time you figured it out.”
When I give him a playful shove, he grips my wrist in his free hand. “I’m still mad at you, though,” he says.
I give him a tremulous smile. “So … spankings?”
His mouth twitches, and then he bursts out laughing, and the little glow in my chest grows into a fully-formed ball of happiness.
“You sure as fuck know how to bribe me,” Kai says, sliding his hand down to give one side of my ass a squeeze big enough to make me jump.
“Come here.” Gage pulls me into his arms, covering my mouth with his, making silent promises with his lips and his hands.
Thorn is next, and the look in his eyes makes new tears prickle at the corners of mine. “Lexy,” is all he says before giving me the kiss of a lifetime. A kiss I’ll never get enough of in this lifetime.
“My mom will be home soon,” I tell them when I catch my breath and realize where I am.
“We’ll take her to dinner, “ Kai says, “and after that, we’re taking you home. Happy New Year, Lex.”
I’ve never felt more like the new year was the start of something wonderful.
EPILOGUE
LEXY
One month later
“Ooh, that’s so pretty! I love it!” Ava crouches down to get a better look at the patch of skin just below my hip that I’m revealing for her. We’re in a parking lot, but the open car door shields us from anyone else’s view. “Did it hurt?”
I grimace, remembering the recent pain. “It did, but it was worth it.”