Page 47 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

I could see the battle behind her gaze, the war between fear and curiosity, hesitation and desire. But there was something else there, something deeper that told me she wasn’t shutting down.

She was still here, still listening, still trying to figure out if any of this could actually make her happy.

“I...” She swallowed hard. “I’ve been through so much. I don’t know if I can handle… all of this. But I also don’t know if I can walk away from it either. From any of you.”

Her words hung in the air, fragile, tentative, but I could hear the vulnerability beneath them.

She was scared, but there was a piece of her that wasn’t going to let fear dictate her decisions. She was trying to trust herself again. And maybe this would help her find the happiness she deserved.

The tiniest of smiles tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Okay,” she said, almost shyly. “Let’s try this. I don’t know if I can promise anything, but I’ll try.”

The room held its breath as Lila’s whispered agreement settled over us.

For a moment, no one moved, the weight of her words filling the space. Then, almost as if drawn by some magnetic force, Ryan was the first to close the distance.

His large hands cupped her face with a tenderness that seemed to catch her off guard.

He tilted her chin up, his thumb brushing lightly over her cheek, and when he kissed her, it was slow, deliberate. So different from my own kiss just moments ago. It wasn’t rushed or fiery. It was patient, like he had all the time in the world to savor her.

Her body relaxed into him, her hands coming to rest against his chest as she kissed him back. The soft sound she made sent a sharp jolt of jealousy and something else—something darker and more primal—straight through me. But I didn’t interrupt. I couldn’t.

Seeing her like this, caught between passion and surrender, was enough to render me speechless.

When Ryan finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers, and a small, knowing smile curved his lips.

“That’s how I feel about you,” he said softly, his green eyes locking onto hers.

Before Lila could respond, Jaxon moved forward. His steps were cautious, like he was still working through his own hesitations. But when he reached her, there was no hesitation in the way his hand slid to the back of her neck, his fingers threading through her hair.

“Jaxon,” she breathed, her voice trembling.

He leaned down, his lips hovering just above hers.

“You’re driving me crazy, Lila,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. And then he kissed her.

Jaxon’s kiss was different from Ryan’s, too. Possessive, consuming, like he was staking a claim. His other hand gripped her waist, pulling her flush against him, and the intensity of it made her gasp against his mouth. But she didn’t pull away.

Instead, her hands found their way to his chest, clutching at his shirt as she kissed him back just as fiercely.

Watching them was like standing too close to a fire, the heat and tension threatening to burn me alive. But instead of retreating, I stepped forward.

When Jaxon broke the kiss, his hands lingered on her, his breathing uneven. He didn’t move away entirely, and neither did Ryan. They both stayed close, their gazes fixed on her like she was the only thing that mattered.

And then it was my turn.

“Lila,” I said, my voice rough as I reached for her.

She turned to me, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen, her eyes wide and filled with something that looked an awful lot like anticipation. My hand slid to her hip, pulling her toward me as I bent down.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” I said against her lips, my voice a low growl before I finally kissed her.

Unlike before, this kiss wasn’t rushed or desperate. It was controlled but no less intense. I wanted her to feel every ounce of the desire that had been eating away at me, to know she wasn’t just some fleeting infatuation. She was everything.

Her hands slid up my arms, clinging to me as I deepened the kiss, and when she sighed against my mouth, I felt a possessive pride swell in my chest. She was ours… whether she realized it yet or not.

When I finally pulled back, her breathing was ragged, her eyes darting between the three of us as if she was struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

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