Page 2 of You're ours now

“Storm!” I squeal. “You animal.”

He leans in and rubs his face against mine, causing me to squeal again, but he simply laughs.

Julius throws a tea towel at me as Storm moves away. I’m wiping my face as I hear my phone buzz on the counter in front of me, but by the time I move the towel, Storm has my phone in his large hands.

“Hey,” I jokingly snap, and his eyes widen at whatever he’s reading. I only hope it’s not another email demanding I come into work on my day off.

Storm smirks as he hands back my phone. “You should do it, Mellie. If any of us deserves to find love, it’s you.”

Looking down at my screen, I scan the opened email.

Dear Malaney Foster,

Thank you for your interest in our matchmaking show, True Love’s Match. You are required to come into our office for an in-person interview. Please see the information listed below for more details.

I skim through the rest of the email. Now that I think about it, I do vaguely remember signing up a couple of months ago after a failed date. I was eating ice cream and binge-watchingGilmore Girlsfor the hundredth time, while poor Zayne sat by my side and held me.

Julius watches me curiously, so I slide my phone across the counter. He catches it and reads the email, then nods. “Youshould do it. You believe in all that lovey-dovey stuff. There must be a man out there for you.”

My heart sinks. I know there are plenty of men out there, but any who managed to get past the first date, I can’t help but compare to my guys. Why don’t they text me back or even text first like Julius, or touch me like Zayne does, or ensure I walk on the inside of the sidewalk like Storm? And then the handful who made it to meeting my best friends ran for the hills once they met them, unable to handle them being men.

“You really think so? What if I embarrass myself on television?” I ask them skeptically.

“Well, you can’t embarrass yourself more than choking a guy and him laughing at you,” a rough voice grumbles from the doorway.

We all turn to Zayne, who has stumbled into the kitchen wearing nothing more than his black boxer briefs. I shamelessly take in his tanned skin, sexy snail trail, sculpted V, and tattoos; though he might be slimmer than Storm, he is still smoking hot. His black hair pokes up at wild angles—clearly, he slept hard. When he notices me checking him out, his blue eyes sparkle with mischief, and he shoots me his cocky smirk.

“Excuse me, but if I’m not mistaken, it was you three dickheads who told me how hot it would be if a girl did that to you. Do you know how mortifying it was? I ran out practically naked to get away from him and left my favorite T-shirt there.”

Zayne chuckles as he encircles me in his arms, his naked, glorious chest pressed against my face. “I know because it was Storm and me who picked you up. Remember? You were hiding behind a dumpster.”

Zayne pulls the spare stool closer to my side and takes a seat, leaning his head on my shoulder.

“I’m having a quick shower, but save me a plate,” Storm says, leaving the kitchen.

“Man, how did you grow up living with him and not want to screw his brains out?” Zayne asks Julius as soon as we hear the bathroom door close.

“He isn’t my type—besides, our parents are married. It would have been weird.” Julius’s cheeks turn pink.

“But you have thought about him naked, right?” Zayne teases.

“Don’t pick on him. Be honest, we’ve all imagined Storm naked,” I quip as Julius returns to cooking our omelets.

“Do you imagine me naked?” Zayne whispers in my ear.

I snort. “Zayne, I don’t have to. I see you naked all the time. You don’t close the bathroom door, and you forget to put on clothes before you leave your room in the morning.” I’ve also seen Storm naked, purely by accident, a handful of times. It’s only Julius who I haven’t, as he’s more careful and locks the bathroom door.

Zayne laughs against my shoulder. “I haven’t heard you complaining.”

Julius slides a plate in front of me and points his spatula at Zayne. “Just because you have a nice dick doesn’t mean everyone wants to see it.”

“You talk a big game, but you love looking at it and putting it in your mouth.”

Julius’s face goes a deep red, and oh, how I wish I was a fly on their wall. Julius is shy, but I think he would be totally different in the bedroom.

We move our plates to the table as Storm walks back into the room. He’s now freshly showered, but shirtless and wearing a pair of basketball shorts that hang low on his hips.

I let out a sigh; I know I’m never finding a man who would be okay with this dynamic. Maybe Lily is right. Maybe I should wrap myself in a bow and beg them to seduce me. At least I knowthey would never shame me for wanting something more than vanilla in the bedroom.

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