Page 33 of Malice and Surrender
“Won’t I just be ruining the little time you and Jace have together?”
“Do you mind if we play with one another?”
My mind drew a blank at that question. I’d never slept beside anyone other than Kai, and that was by accident while watching a movie or when I had a scary dream and would end up in his room on the floor. Kai would always be so angry when I did that and said that I was going to get him into trouble, but I just wanted to be close to him. He made me feel safe. Rather, he had made me feel safe.
To sleep in the same bed and then have them possibly have sex beside me sounded hot and all sorts of naughty at the same time. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous about the idea.
“Is this normal?”
“You mean with three people?”
I nodded, and Avro cocked his head as he thought. “It’s different for everyone.” He rolled his shoulders. “Jace and I are very comfortable together and want you to feel the same. This shouldn’t be a scary situation, Raine, or one where you are okay with me but scared of him.” I nibbled on my lip as I thought about the teasers I’d already witnessed and knew I wanted to see more. “What does that mean exactly? That’s open for discussion, but I can tell you that it means you can be with me or him or us together, and the same goes for us. There can’t be any jealousy between us. That is the steadfast, hard, cut-and-dry rule. We have nothing if we don’t have trust and are jealous of each other’s individual time together.”
My mind was reeling. This was a lot to toss at someone when they had a ton of experience, let alone me, who had none. What I did know was that I wanted to try. His confidence in me made me want to try.
“Okay,” I said, and the smile that spread across Avro’s face made it feel like everything in the world was rainbows and cotton candy. It was a lie, though; the world was far from that, but that was how he made me feel.
Avro linked our fingers together as we walked out of the bathroom. Jace was under the covers with his arm casually tossed over his head while the other lay on his abs, which always seemed to be flexed.
“Raine has agreed to sleep with us, but that’s all for tonight,” Avro announced, and even though I knew it wasn’t his intention, it sounded like I was a kid coming over for a sleepover. I groaned as Jace’s lip curled up like he was thinking the same thing.
Those inquisitive silver eyes found mine. “Alright, but if I want to fuck Avro, I’m going to,” he said, and the image of Jace doing just that flashed before my eyes.
Damn, that image was hot. Maybe I was being corrupted, but I was already along for the ride. Unlike Avro, who asked if that would be okay, Jace just proclaimed he would do what he wanted. My eyes flicked between them, understanding their personality types and getting a glimpse of their dynamic. I nodded, not trusting my voice.
I thought for a moment that Avro would put me between them, but he lay down in the middle as we got on the bed. He held the covers up, pulling me into his body as I climbed in. He was so warm to the touch. I always bundled up when I went to bed with flannel pants and thick socks, sometimes a sweatshirt, but with the thin cotton material, the heat from his body soaked into mine. I sighed, and my muscles relaxed as I let myself be snuggled for the first time.
So this was what it felt like to be the little spoon. I flinched as an extra hand touched my stomach. I knew it was Jace, his hand was warmer, and his fingers were firmer. I couldn’t see him or his hand, yet it felt like he’d just commanded us to stay put. Biting my lip, I was so tempted to lift the blanket and look at the two hands holding me.
“How do you feel?” Avro whispered, his breath fanning my ear.
It took a moment to assess myself because I didn’t understand the subtle sensation that had taken over. I was never entirely calm; it always felt like I was looking around for a threat when there wasn’t one, but right now, there was none of that.
“I feel…relaxed, actually. This is the safest and most peaceful I’ve felt in years.” As I said the words, I let the truth and weight of them into my soul. It was as if one of the scars smoothed out and became whole once more.
“Good.” Avro kissed my neck and found a way to cuddle closer. I was dwarfed by his tall frame, and I loved it.
For so long, the touch of another human had been terrifying, and a single tear trickled from my eye with the realization that there was hope for me yet.
Kaivan
I didn’t know who I was going to kill first. The rage at seeing Raine go home with that bartender was bad enough, but then the fucking rock star and his friends showed up. From my hiding spot, I’d glimpsed the three of them going up the stairs together. No one else did.
I’d stayed all night, wide awake and ready for any sign of movement. The first to leave as the sun came up was the larger group of people who had stayed somewhere on the lower level. I didn’t give two flying fucks about them. My stomach complained that I hadn’t eaten anything in twenty-eight hours and thirty-two minutes, but my stomach could go fuck itself as well. We’d gone longer in prison. It could handle a day now.
The black car, with blacked-out windows, left at 4:17 p.m., and I watched it head down the street toward the bar. I waited until it was far enough ahead and with vehicles in between to pull out. I was seriously considering investing in a small nondescript car. I did enough stalking that it would certainly be helpful and a shit ton less noticeable than either of my bikes.
I followed them into a lower-income area with small homes that reminded me of birdhouses. Each one was painted a different color but hadn’t been kept up. The lawns were cut, but most of the grass was yellow or just dirt, and the house the car pulled up to was not much better.
My eyes tracked Raine as she got out and jogged up the steps and into the house alone. I could kill the guy in the car. Just walk up and shoot him now. No, that was my irrational anger talking, and besides, the fucker did me a favor. I now knew where Raine lived, and as soon as the car left, I could sneak in and teach her a proper lesson.
That fucking car never left. Nope, it stayed there until she came back out. She had changed into a new outfit and carried a bag. A bag big enough to hold multiple nights’ worth of clothing. My jaw cracked as I ground my teeth together.
She got back into the car, and I swore as it started back my way. I parked in a driveway with a truck and stayed on the bike with my jacket collar pulled up until the vehicle was long gone.
Not wanting to be seen later, I circled the area, learning all the potential hiding spots I could use to access the home, and then went past the bar. Sure enough, the sedan was in the parking lot, and my anger took on a life of its own.
Then Mannix called, and now here I was, as angry as a bear woken up during hibernation.
