Page 44 of New Nebraska Home

“How do you feel about Liz?”

I’m unsure why, but that wasn’t the question I expected.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because I want her, and so does Cal. We like the idea of sharing her. The only thing we don’t know is if we were to make a move, would you stop us, help us, or just murder us in our sleep?”

I laughed out loud at the absurdity and frankness of his question.

“You’re forgetting something. What does Liz want?”

“See, here’s the thing. We think she wants all of us. Cal and I are prepared to give that to her. But we need to know where you stand.”

“I stand with whatever she wants.” I shrugged as if it was the most straightforward answer ever, and I didn’t just imply that I would be the fourth in some kind of kinky arrangement.

Brock opened his mouth to say something else when Liz’s scream cut through the air.

Liz

STUPID SPIDERS

Finally, after what felt like forever, I was able to trap that stupid spider under a cup. Usually, I wasn’t the type of girl to get squeamish or hysterical at the sight of a creepy crawly, but with all the stress of the last few days and the way this giant spider came out of nowhere and was suddenly on the edge of my glass, I must have lost my damn mind.

Standing at the sink for a moment, looking at my little captive, I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. I screamed like a banshee because a spider spooked me. If it had been my sister, I would have mocked her relentlessly for days for being so silly.

“What is it?” Cal said, zooming into the room. “Who hurt you? Who—”

“What happened?” Brock and Malik came bursting through the back door.

All three men stood in my kitchen, panting, looking for a fight. Cal’s fangs had dropped, Brock had water swirling in his palm, and smoke came from Malik’s nose while his fists were clutched into tight fists raised, ready to defend me.

“Guys, this is so embarrassing—”

“Are you hurt?” Malik cut me off, grabbing me by the hips and running his hands over me, looking for what I assumed was blood or some kind of wound. I didn’t mind his hands on me as much as I should have. Truth be told, I didn’t mind them at all. I’d missed them the last few days. I liked the way it felt when he touched me. His touch was rough and manly and made me a little weak in the knees. It made me wonder if he would be this rough as a lover. Would he be the kind of man that picked me up and moved me into whatever position he wanted me in? Would he leave finger-sized bruises on my hips?

My god, I hoped so.

What was wrong with me? I went from a perfectly normal respectful woman to a cat in heat any time these men were around.

“Move,” Cal barked, grabbing me and pulling me from Malik’s hands. “I don’t smell blood, but I heard you scream. What happened? Are you okay? Who hurt you?”

I was going to answer him, but Malik pulled me back into his arms and growled at Cal. He actually growled. It was a low, deep warning that I should not have found incredibly sexy.

“Don’t touch her,” Malik said, and I was caught between two huge, muscular men.

“Guys, it was just a spider. It startled me, and I guess I’m a little on edge.” I tried to break up the fight, but they were too busy glowering at each other to listen.

“Oh, for the love of all that is holy,” Brock said, rolling his eyes. “I think they just need to bang and work this alpha male shit out. What about you, princess?”

I smirked at Brock, and his eyes showed a little glimmer of mischief.

“What are you up to?” I mouthed as Cal and Malik argued over me, each of them with their hands on me.

“Hey, Liz, do you know what to do when two alpha males are fighting over you?”

I shook my head and bit my lip, expecting him to say something funny like “duck” or helpful, like “back away slowly and don’t make any sudden movements.”

Instead, he gave me a saucy wink and pushed himself between the others. He grabbed me by the nape of my neck and ran his thumb over my throat, sending sparks of electricity over my skin.

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