Page 39 of Theirs to Possess: The Marriage Claim
Brennan slides his hand onto my lower back. “We’ll go at your pace.”
Not that I even know what that is.
“Let’s go into the bedroom.”
My heart begins racing once more, and I blow out a breath to steady myself.
Dorian heads down the hallway, and I follow, my footsteps short. Brennan is right behind me.
When I reach the middle of the room, I stop. Part of me wishes I had any experience to call on, that I could pretend to be confident or at least less panicked than I am right now.
Like he had earlier, Dorian traces my cheekbones. “Relax, Isla.”
Easy for him to say.
He doesn’t have two large men wanting to claim him.
Moments later, his lips brush mine again—soft at first, seeking rather than demanding.
My shoulders loosen a little.
“That’s it. Give yourself over to me.”
Unlike earlier, when I was alone with Dorian, Brennan comes in closer. Instinctively I stiffen a little.
But he places his palm on my lower back, his fingers splayed in a way that feels oddly protective.
I catch his scent—spice and warm night air—and I breathe it in.
Maybe taking advantage of the fact I’m a little distracted, Dorian deepens the kiss. This isn’t the raw, consuming firefrom earlier, but a deliberate tease that he slowly builds into something deeper.
Warmth begins to spread through me, and I can’t hold back my soft sigh.
Despite myself, I bring up my hands and rest them on his broad chest, feeling the solid warmth of him beneath my palms.
When he pulls back, his eyes are dark gray. “You’re ours, Isla. And we take care of what belongs to us.”
I shiver. There’s no way I should trust them. So why am I starting to?
“We want to see you.”
I breathe deeply. Of course they’d expect that. They’re not the kind of men who’d allow their wife to dive under the covers and turn off the lights.
Dorian reaches for the knot in my belt and tugs it open. Then Brennan pushes the terry cloth material back from my shoulders and allows it to fall to the floor, leaving me standing in front of them in only my bra and panties.
Even though Dorian had lifted the hem of my dress earlier and slid his hand inside the bodice, this is different. I’m totally exposed to them.
Brennan sweeps his gaze over my body.“Beautiful.”
Shaking my head, I scoff at his pretty, required compliment.
I’m more than a little aware of my faults. After all, they’d been pointed out to me my entire life.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t compared to Margaux, who truly is beautiful. As for me, I’m too tall. Not athletic enough. God forbid, I am not even passable at tennis, and I am barely competent on the piano. My hair is an unruly disaster, I prefer to be alone, and I don’t have any of the womanly curves that my mother insisted my husband would want.
“He meant it.” Dorian captures my chin and tips it back. “Youarebeautiful.”
Because good manners have been drilled into me since birth, I force a smile, hoping they can’t see how fragile it is. “That’s very nice of you to say.”To lie, even though you don’t need to.
