Page 32 of Gilded Whispers

I nod, without going into detail. If they knew William was in the same building as us I’m not sure what kind of chaos would ensue. Instead I stick to a form of the truth. “You did.”

My treacherous stomach picks that moment to growl. Having a run-in with my crazy ex and having the best orgasms in my life with total strangers leaves me hungry for more than wild sex.

I flush from head to toe. “Ugh. Sorry.” I slap a hand over my midriff. “Nothing like trying to pour your heart out and have your stomach rumble.”

“That’s something we can fix.” Emilio rises and kisses me before tossing everyone their clothes.

When I go to give Adrian his shirt back and slip into my dress, he refuses.

“I can use my jacket.” His lips are soft against mine. “I love seeing you wear something of mine.”

“Okay, I guess we have a little bit more time.” I’m not ready to leave them just yet so I don’t put up any arguments.

All the men dress in record time. Adrian takes my hand and pulls me into his arms. I let out a soft laugh of surprise.

“Let’s get breakfast and then we need to talk.”

His tone is light, but his words weigh with worry.

Food sounds nice. It’s easier to deliver bad news on a full stomach rather than an empty one.

* * *

Half an hour later I have a stack of blueberry pancakes, syrup, bacon and freshly squeezed orange juice in front of me. Sweet God in heaven. It’s been forever since I’ve had enough of an appetite to eat more than a few bites here and there. The sickness and then what happened with William stripped me of a lot of favorites for a long time.

Suddenly I feel ravenous. With all this delicious food in front of me, I can’t take my eyes off the way Stefan rocks a “Kiss the Cook” apron.

“I thought you meant we would order room service. I did not know you would cook for me. Thank you. I guess it is pretty handy living a few floors below a sex club.”

Stefan shakes his spatula at me as if to punctuate his next words. “Not for the reasons you may think. We hardly visit The Gilded Key Society and when we do, it’s normally for drinks.” He pauses, raising a sharp brow at me. “I can see the hurt in your eyes, Stella. Believe me when I say, yes we have shared lovers. I won’t lie. None of us will. But you are the first we’ve brought into our home.”

Damn. Am I that transparent? What is crazier is the man caught the flash of jealousy before I could erase it from my face. Thinking about them visiting the sex club and spending time with other women makes me see red. Which is crazy. I have no claim over these men. But my heart doesn’t seem to understand the hard facts my brain wants to feed it.

“Thank you for that. Not sure I actually earned that explanation. You don’t owe me anything.” I’m not ready to talk about the pricing pain stabbing at my heart right now so I focus on my surroundings.

Where everything is dark in the club, their apartment is nothing but bright open space. Morning light filters through the massive windows that make up the entire apartment.

“You’re an amazing cook and sharing your home is the perfect way to end a special evening. Thank you,” I add. The level of gratitude I have for their devotion to sating my many hungers is hard to put into words. Instead of speaking, I focus on clearing my entire plate of food in a show of appreciation.

Adrian takes my hand and rubs the pad of his thumb over the back of my knuckles. “You’re welcome, little flower.”

Emilio serves both of his brothers plates before making one for himself. All three take seats at the kitchen island and we watch the sun rise through the massive windows that take up the entire wall beyond the kitchen.

Golds, pinks and bursts of yellow filter through the pristine glass leaving me in awe of not only the company, but nature’s quiet beauty.

“On clear mornings like these, my dad would take me to the tallest building in the city once a month and we would drink hot cocoa in the winter while we watched the sunrise. In the summers it was one of those cherry slushies from the corner store. A secret we never told mom about. I suspect she knew, but she never asked why I always came home with red lips before ten in the morning. I haven’t thought about that in a long time.”

“You loved your parents.” Emilio pushes his plate away and turns his attention to me. Adrian settles his hand on my bare thigh on my other side. I’m still dressed in nothing but his button-down shirt so his palm is warm against my skin.

“I did.”

“They’ve passed?” Stefan gathers our plates and places them in the sink.

I nod. “It’s just me and my sister now.”

Emilio drags my stool into his personal space and peels the collar of my borrowed shirt to the side. His lips trail a hot path over the slope over my neck. “I’m sorry, little flower. But you’re not alone anymore. You have us now, too.”

I inhale softly and tilt my head, pressing my forehead against his.

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