Page 58 of Princess Claimed

“Darling.” Flame slides his hand into my hair.

Phil tightens his hold on me, his arms hugging me against him like titanium bands.

“Don’t worry about us.” Flame tips his head back toward Blade. “I’ll be with you again soon.” He winks. “Better yet, inside you again soon.”

Phil’s palm presses against my belly, his fingers spreading to cover most of my torso, but he adds that chuckle-grunt thing, and I’m grateful he has no current plans to put a stake through Flame’s heart.

“Better get going,” Crusher says.

Blade shoots me a look of longing before turning to walk away, and my gaze follows the pair as they cross the space toward the stairs. On the second step down, Flame turns. “Miss me yet?” he asks.

“Desperately,” I call back, and he grins.

“Anyone want another drink?” Crusher asks.

“Sure.” Phil drains the rest of his whiskey and passes his glass to Crusher.

“Ana?” Crusher looks into my eyes, and I inhale deeply, absorbing the ferocious protection I see housed there.

“Another one the same?” he asks.

I look at my glass, still half full. “I’m doing very well with surprises tonight.” I shift my head, sliding it on Phil’s chest. His fingers flex against my belly, and his hardness presses against my back.

Crusher heads toward the bar. Phil loosens his hold, and I turn in his arms so I can look up into his amber eyes. The beard on his chin has grown since we’ve been here, and I slide my fingers over the stubble. Taking my hand in his, he kisses my palm and I swear I feel his lips on my clit.

“I need to fuck you again,” he says, his voice a deep rumble. “Now.”

I glance back over my shoulder. “How much did Crusher see when he walked in?”

“Enough.” Phil shrugs.

“It’s not like he caught us having sex.” But it’s clear that Crusher wasn’t thrilled with what he saw, and I’d lay bets that’s what he wants to discuss with us. Why he didn’t want to be the one to go to the archives with Blade.

“He’d be less pissed if we’d been fucking.” Phil shakes his head. Worry flicks through his eyes, but then his expression firms. “Crusher’s got to face this sooner or later.”

“What do I have to face?” Crusher arrives, holding three drinks in his massive hands. He sets one down on a glass table nearby—the drink that’s clearly for me—and it’s just as elaborate as the one Phil got. The new one’s lit from within, the ice cubes illuminated, and the liquid’s sparkling as if it contains flecks of gold.

“Look,” Crusher says, when Phil doesn’t answer. “You two both know what I walked in on yesterday.”

“What’s the big deal?” I ask, angry about Crusher’s accusatory tone. “I mean, you’ve been inside me. Flame and Blade have too. All Phil and I were doing when you came in was relaxing. And yes, he had his arms around me. But they’re around me now too.”

Crusher’s brow furrows. “You both know what I saw was more than that.”

My teeth scrape my lower lip as I fight the urge to argue my point. But it seems Crusher saw more than I thought. Yes, when Crusher opened the door, we were only lounging on the sofa, but the way that Phil and I were looking at each other, the way we were touching each other… It’s obvious Crusher saw through the surface and straight into our hearts.

“What I saw was way too intimate.” Crusher shakes his head. “Very dangerous.”

“Fuck this.” Phil barks. “I’m done with these bullshit rules.”

My heart flutters. Phil’s words confirm everything I already know to be true. He has feelings for me, deep feelings, feelings that just might be love.

But the tension between the two men is so thick I doubt Blade’s sharpest knife could slice through it.

“Enough.” Breaking out of Phil’s hold, I finish the last sip of the cocktail I’m holding. “We’re at a club. Let’s dance.”

Chapter

Twenty-Five

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