Page 51 of Bound By Ruin

It’s Thanatos’s intense stare that I find the most embarrassing, so I avoid his eyes and stare up at the ceiling instead. All things considered, this position is pretty comfortable, and I find myself relaxing as Rage rubs the back of my thighs, digging his palms in to massage my sore muscles. Someone else joins him and rubs the swell of my left calf, and then another takes my right. I bite my lip to keep from moaning at the sweet relief flooding my system—moaning orcrying.

Tears fill my eyes, and I hold my breath to keep them from spilling over. None of this feels real, especially the part about having three men kneel to caress my aching muscles, but I’m starting to believe that a natural sense of awe at our situation is a good thing. “Thank you,” I murmur, chancing a glance at my men.

All three of them have the softest looks on their faces, their lips curving into smiles as individual as their personalities. Rebel’s hooks the most at one end, skewing towards a smirk, while Rage’s pride is on full display in the broad stretch of his lips. Ruin, however, has the smallest smile of them all, a quiet upturn of his lips that softens the rest of his face, his smile hiding how depraved he truly is.

Thanatos is the only one of them still standing, looking out of place with his arms crossed and head turned to the side, like he shouldn’t be here at all. The reddening blush trailing down his neck gives him away, though. I know that if I weren’t looking at him, he would be staring directly at me.

I hold out my hand and gesture for him to come closer. He watches me out of the corner of his eye for a long moment, his jaw clenching as he considers his options. Accept the naked woman’s offer, or…

Is there really a choice?

Slowly, he shuffles over to join us. He looks at his brothers as though expecting their protest, then drops to his knees by my side, taking my hand in his. He brushes the pads of my fingers with his calloused fingertips and stares at the junction of our hands. “How long do we wait for… this?” His blush deepens, blooming across his cheeks.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’mstarving.” With a laugh, I pull my legs free. “Please take me to get something to eat. Oh, and to a bathroom. First. Bathroomfirst.Or I’ll smell like a—” My nose crinkles as I think of all the things I could say. The one that sticks out the most, however, echoes through my mind in Thanatos’s gravelly baritone.

She smells like a whore.

Our eyes suddenly meet, like he’s remembering the exact same moment. “Like a lover,” he says firmly, trying to rewrite our past. “It’s a good… smell on you.”

Rebel snorts, angling his face to grin at his eldest brother. “It’s a good look on her, too. You’re fucking ravishing, baby. I can’t wait to bury my dick inside of you.”

I bite my lip as my pussy throbs, aching and full. There’s no way I can take another dick right now, or even tomorrow. Or thenextday. “I think I need a break,” I say honestly, allowing Thanatos and Rage to pull me to my feet. “I won’t be much of a lover if my pussy breaks.”

“Impossible,” Rebel dismisses quickly, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. “We haven’t even put two cocks in there yet.Thenwe’ll worry about breaking your pussy in, baby.”

Two… cocks?

“In one hole?” I grab Rebel’s arm as my jaw drops. “There’s no way!” Glancing at the others, I feel my face burn like I’ve been lit on fire. None of them seem remotely surprised. “No way, I can’t fittwoof you in there! That’s insane!”

“Orreallyhot,” Rebel muses, smirking like he’s been planning this all along. “If you’ve already got a load inside of you, it’s extra lubrication. Makes the job easier.”

Hehasbeen thinking about this!

“Ohmygod,” I moan, covering my face with my hands. “I’m dating a nymphomaniac.”

“Dating?” Rage rumbles, glaring daggers at Rebel. “You’remarryingme, mama, and I’m not a fucking nympho.”

“Not yet,” Rebel chuckles. “Just wait until we both get inside of her at once, man. You’ll change your mind.”

“We arenottalking about this!” I smack Rebel’s chest as he grins, then I catch Rage staring at me intently, the gears clearly turning in his head. “I can’t believe you two! It’s my body. I get to choose what or who or—” I swallow hard. “Or how many go in there!”

Ruin shoulders Rebel out of the way and offers me his blunt, holding it up to my lips. I know that I shouldn’t—we’re supposed to be luring out a serial killer, after all—but I might need something for my aching body… I take the tiniest puff imaginable and can’t hold in my cough, but Ruin quickly takes a drag and grabs my chin, pulling my lips to his and exhaling into my mouth.

The smoke is easier to take when one of them gives it to me, especially when it turns into a full-blown kiss. Ruin slides his lips over mine with a satisfied hum that sends tingles down my spine, making me shiver.

“She’s cold,” Than murmurs somewhere in the distance. The next thing I know, he and Rage are trying to sort out which side of my dress is the top versus the bottom, while Rebel pulls a simple black strip of lace from his back pocket.

“I think you’ve earned these,” he muses, kneeling to help me into my panties. He carefully slips them past my feet and up my thighs, gently kissing my stomach on his way back up my body. His brothers finally figure out how a beaded dress works, and I quickly put my clothes back on, heels included. Ruin buttons up his shirt, but Thanatos leaves his vest off, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it into an empty trash can.

Rage looks like he wants to say something about it, but he swallows his thought and jerks his head toward the door. “C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up, and then we’ll find you something to eat.” He wraps my arm around his and takes my hand firmly in his. Brushing his lips over my ear, he rumbles, “it’s my turn, now,krosotka, but tonight isyournight. We’re going to celebrate.”

I turn my head until our eyes meet, my heart stuttering at how drop-dead gorgeous he is. High cheekbones, intense, charcoal eyes, firm grip on my hand. Out of all of the brothers, he’s the only one wearing a coat and tie, with a hint of a five o’clock shadow brushing across his jaw. He looks the most like a gentleman out of the bunch, but I know better. He’ll touch me in front of a room full of people if it means proving that I’m his. But maybe we’ve grown enough over the past few weeks that he can believe it without provocation.

Maybe this time, I can be the one to prove to him that I’m his.

Squeezing his hand, I press my lips to his in a slow, sensual kiss that I hope he understands. I close my eyes and lean into his chest, sighing against his lips. “Thank you,” I murmur, enjoying the way he doesn’t take any more from the moment, doesn’t demand that the kiss be longer or harder or more passionate.

Rage brushes his knuckles against my jaw as he stares into my eyes. “There’s never a need to thank me.” He exhales, slowly working up the courage to say more. “I could make up every single thing I’ve ever done to hurt you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.” His eyes slide closed. “I want toearnyou, Celia… if you’ll let me.”

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