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There was a half-formed growl followed by a yip then a noise I could only describe as a “woop-woop-woop” like he was Curly or Shemp from the Three Stooges. The unexpected noises had me twisting a little and even Alphabet leaned forward. Goblin raced in his sleep.

Adoration swarmed me. He was such a good boy. Also, I loved that dogs could dream. He definitely sounded happy.

“Gracie,” Alphabet summoned my attention back to him even as he surged upward. He stood, balancing me easily, and I looped my arms around his neck. Nose to nose, I smiled at the ease around his eyes.

Passion crackled in the air and need simmered around us, but Alphabet was just there. Solid. Strong. Warm. He kissed me again. This one wasn’t urgent or fiery, yet it could so easily transform and burn us both up.

But this kiss was different. It was a promise. It said,I see you, and I’m not going anywhere.

I answered the pledge in his kiss with one of my own. I saw all of them. Loved them…

“AB…” His name was a prayer on my lips as he took a single step. Then the door opened without a knock. It cut off Goblin’s sleep romp. He thumped his tail twice, but didn’t leap up.

So, unsurprisingly, the person at the door was a friendly.

“Well, damn,” Legend drawled, stretching the words, thick with surprise and something else simmering beneath. “Should I come back later—with flowers and a formal apology?”

Alphabet smirked, the expression softening his sharp features in a way that was almost criminal. “Serve you right if I told you to get lost.”

I shifted just enough to glance back. Alphabet moved with me, instinctively—just a small step so I could stay close, still pressed to his warmth, but now able to meet Legend’s gaze.

He lounged in the doorway like he owned the moment, arms crossed, a slow burn of curiosity and hunger flickering in his eyes. He wasn’t just watching—he wasdrinking us in.

“Or,” I said slowly, flicking a look to Alphabet as I spoke. “You could stay and make it interesting.”

Alphabet’s smirk deepened, turning sly—dangerously close to a dare. His gaze flicked to Legend, then back to me, like he knew exactly the effect we were having and was perfectly content to let it simmer.

Legend arched a brow, amused and undeniably interested. “Alright,” he said, voice lower now, velvet and heat. “Howinterestingare we going to make it?”

“As interesting as Gracie wants,” Alphabet murmured, still watching him. “But you’re going to have to figure out what she likes…”

That landed like a spark in dry grass.

“You sure about this?” Legend asked, eyes fixed on where I leaned into Alphabet. “Both of you?” He cleared his throat and his gaze came up to my face though it definitely seemed to take some effort. “I can fuck off.”

I almost laughed. It was exactly what he’d said to whomever had knocked on the door at Rachel’s apartment. “I am,” I said, testing the words. “I don’t mind if you stay as long as AB is okay with it.”

Switching my attention to Alphabet, I frowned. We hadn’t really talked about this. I was basically intimately involved withall of them, even Bones. Though I hadn’t gotten to so much as kiss him yet.

“Tell me to fuck off, brother, if you just want the time with our girl.”

Three things hit me all at once.

First—Alphabet’s expression softened at Legend’s offer, the edges of his usual guarded confidence rounding into something almost tender. There was a quiet exchange in that look, unspoken but unmistakable. The connection between them wasn’t just history—it wasdepth: loyalty, affection, a hard-earned trust that ran bone-deep.

Second—being calledtheirsshouldn’t have felt sexy. I wasn’t a prize, or a toy, or some fragile thing to be claimed. After years of being reduced to looks and curves, that kind of language usually set my teeth on edge. But somehow, when Legend said“our girl”, it didn’t land like ownership.

It landed likehome.

The third surprise—though maybe it shouldn’t have surprised me at all—was Alphabet turning his full focus on me. The weight of it nearly stole my breath.

“Whatever you want, Gracie,” he said, steady and certain. “We’ll make it work.” Then the corner of his mouth quirked into that crooked, dangerous smile. “We’ll just makehimfigure out the complicated positions.”

The air shimmered, thick with possibility. The kind that curled around your spine and dared you to sayyes.

My heart swelled, too full to hold the moment—and then the laughter burst out of me, bright and breathless. Because this wasn’t just intriguing. It waseverything. I clenched around the idea ofbothof them, already hungry for it.

“Only one caveat,” I said, and instantly their attention sharpened, twin spotlights pinning me in place. “I’ve never donethis before. So if we’re doing this... I’m gonna need a little guidance.”

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