Page 12 of The Arabis Triad

He’d kissed her! Just like she’d always wanted to be kissed. The type of kiss those romance novels told her it would be like. A kiss that satisfied on every physical level and wound its way into her soul. A kiss that indicated she would want more, much more, than just one.

He’d also kissed her right after she’d asked him to kiss her. She stiffened, comprehension washing through her. Her fingers firmed on the leather strap and heat washed through her body.

“Oh, my god. You can understand everything I’m saying, can’t you?”

Chapter Six

Evelyn

Man-bun spoke, the lilting words sounding erotic in his deep rumbling voice. Her cheeks heated, realizing she’d said far more than just asking for a kiss. She’d said they were hot. All of them.

Fingers brushed her shoulder. She glanced up to see Boy-band offer a cheeky grin. A grin that was all too intimate to be sending a girl that had just been kissed by, and was in the arms of, another man.

Tatt-man swept a hand along her thigh. The towel had ridden up to reveal too much skin. She squeaked, pulling the material down.

He also wore that possessive, predator look in his eyes Man-bun had, and if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t totally unwelcome. She glanced at Tatt-man’s mouth. Full, sensuous, and wholly kissable.

She stiffened, frowning. She hadn’t meant to kiss Man-bun, and she certainly hadn’t meant to enlist the interest of the other two. What the hell was going on with her? She must be sicker than she’d thought. Otherwise this was a dream and she was in a coma somewhere.

She glanced up at Man-bun, who regarded her with a considering expression. He spoke to his friends without breaking their gaze and Tatt-man and Boy-band slowly withdrew their touch. She was left curiously bereft, as though it was only natural that they all touch her at the same time.

She shook her head, trying to clear cobwebs, but it didn’t work.

“I’m in a coma. I have to be. It’s the only reason,” she muttered to herself.

Her stomach twisted in on itself, emitting a loud growl. She clutched her abdomen, as though her touch would stop the devastating hunger ravaging her. She hadn’t eaten in… a long time. Enough to leave her weak and doubling over with pain.

Tatt-man spoke a harsh word, and they bolted through the jungle. Although they ran, she was cushioned, so much she hardly felt a jolt. Leaves parted, and they approached the open door to the craft she’d just escaped.

A sinking feeling filled her body. She tightened her fingers on Man-bun’s huge bicep. He glanced at her.

“You’re not going to put me back into that coffin thing, are you?” Her eyes blurred with tears. She didn’t think he would, but they were all so big, she wouldn’t exactly have a chance to stop them.

He murmured to her, wiping away her errant tear. She sagged in his arms, too tired now that worry felt like too much effort.

Man-bun strode up the ramp, and the coolness of the corridors encased her bare limbs. They passed several rooms that looked like bedrooms and she stiffened all over again. They could doanythingto her and she’d be helpless to stop them. Man-bun did that growly thing that had her wondering if he could read her mind before stepping into a room. A glance at bench utilities, and a table with chairs told her they were in a kitchen.

Tatt-man sat in a chair and held his arms out to her. Man-bun passed her over to him without a thought. A deep rumble sounded in Tatt-man’s chest as she settled in his arms. He was just as solid and warm as Man-bun and his unique scent was just as pleasant.

Her gaze bounced between them both. No doubt they were large, alpha-possessive men, but there was no indication of dominance between them where she was concerned. Once she was settled, Man-bun spoke a few curt words to Boy-band and then moved to the utilities.

“I’m okay to sit on my own.” She made to leave Tatt-man’s arms, but they tightened around her, stopping her from leaving his firm, warm lap. His thighs jostled and she was more than aware of her naked buttocks against his solid thigh muscle.

He spoke a few words to her as he stroked her arms in a soothing manner. It seemed he didn’t want her to move, and she was so tired she didn’t have it in her to argue. She settled against his chest. He sighed in contentment as his arms folded around her.

A delicious smell ticked her nostrils, and all thoughts of dominating men fled her mind as Man-bun placed a bowl of savory-smelling soup on the table. He scooped some of the soup in a spoon and lifted it to her.

She frowned. “I can feed myself.”

Man-bun rolled his eyes in a confusingly human manner, spoke a short word, and placed the spoon on her bottom lip. Flavor burst in her mouth and her stomach lurched. It didn’t care how food got in there, so why should she?

Her mind was consumed with the warm, savory meal and she ate until her stomach protested its fullness. The bowl was only half empty, but lack of eating anything much over the past few weeks would have made her gut shrink. He scooped another spoonful, but she placed her hand over her belly.

“Thank you, but I don’t think I can eat anymore.”

Boy-band appeared, filling the room with more eye-catching testosterone. He held a silver instrument. She caught the questioning look he sent to Man-bun. They spoke and Boy-band slowly approached her.

“What are you doing?” Panic fluttered in her chest. They were going to do something to her, and judging by the looks, she wasn’t going to like it. “No. Please. I’ll be good. Don’t… don’t hurt me.”

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