Page 247 of Better When Shared
“I know. But my brain doesn’t always get the memo.” I smiled wryly. “The thing is, seeing you two together... it settled something in me. Like maybe there’s a way forward that doesn’t involve breaking anyone’s heart.”
Ryker’s eyes widened. “You mean...?”
“I mean I want both of you. And after talking to Kiaan, I think you each other, too.” I looked between them, heart hammering in my chest. “Am I wrong?”
The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable so much as charged with possibility. Ryker was the first to break it, his voice low and rough.
“You’re not wrong.”
Kiaan’s throat worked as he swallowed. “No. I want that, too.”
Relief and desire crashed through me in equal measure, making my knees weak and my pulse race. “I need to know something else. Are you both willing to be good for me? To let me lead this... whatever this becomes? The way we do in chat.”
Understanding dawned in Ryker’s eyes first—he’d always been quicker to pick up on my needs, my desires. Without a word, he shifted forward onto both knees, his posture straightening, hands resting on his thighs. The sight of him kneeling there, waiting, sent a jolt of pure heat straight to my core.
Kiaan’s brow furrowed briefly before comprehension hit. Never one to be outdone, he quickly moved to kneel beside Ryker, though his posture was less practiced, more tentative.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, uncertainty making his voice rougher than usual.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for a moment. The image of them both kneeling before me—Ryker calm and sure, Kiaan nervous but determined—was almost too much to process. Power I’d never wielded in person before surged through me, heady and terrifying all at once.
“Yes,” I said. “That’s what I want. My good boys.”
Ryker’s lips curved into a small, private smile, while Kiaan’s breath hitched. I circled them slowly, letting my fingertips trail across Ryker’s shoulder, then Kiaan’s, feather-light touches that made them both shiver.
“We should establish some ground rules,” I said, stopping in front of them again. “Safewords, first of all. Do you remember the one we used in sexting?”
Ryker nodded immediately. “Pickle.”
“You used the same safeword?” Kiaan added, a hint of his usual snark breaking through his nervousness. “I suppose it’s a joke for all of us.”
I laughed, some of the tension in my chest easing. “Exactly. So if anything gets to be too much, too fast, too anything—pickle. No questions asked, everything stops.”
They both nodded, the seriousness of the moment settling over us.
“Say it for me,” I commanded, needing to hear them acknowledge it.
“Pickle,” they said in unison.
“Good.” I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “And what should you call me?”
“Duchess,” Kiaan whispered. “For your powerful character in the game, DuchessCypher.”
I smiled. “I like that, Kitten. Now, are you both okay to play a little game? Nothing too intense for our first time.”
Ryker’s “yes” was immediate and certain. Kiaan hesitated only a fraction of a second before nodding.
“Use your words, Kiaan,” I said, letting a hint of steel enter my voice.
His eyes darkened at my tone. “Yes, Duchess.”
The nervousness that had been fluttering in my stomach transformed into something electric, something powerful. I’d never done this in person before—only through text, where I could edit and revise, where I had time to think about what to say next. But the way they were looking at me, waiting for direction, made me feel like I could do anything.
“I want you to undress each other,” I said, the words coming out before I could second-guess them. “Just shirts for now. Slowly.”
They turned to face each other, Ryker reaching out first, his fingers finding the hem of Kiaan’s button-down. With careful movements, he began undoing the buttons one by one, revealing inch after inch of Kiaan’s smooth brown skin. Kiaan’s breath came faster when Ryker’s knuckles brushed against his chest, the contact seemingly innocent but charged with meaning.
When all the buttons were undone, Ryker pushed the fabric off Kiaan’s shoulders, letting it slide down his arms to pool on the floor. The contrast between them was striking—Kiaan’s lean, wiry build beside Ryker’s broader, more muscular frame, both beautiful in different ways.
