Page 29 of Six of Hearts
"No," I admitted, suddenly very aware of how little I was wearing. "What are you two still doing up?"
"Same problem," Ronan said, gesturing to the bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. "Want some? Might help."
I should have said no. Should have made an excuse and gone back upstairs. Instead, I found myself walking toward them, my bare feet silent on the hardwood floor.
"Sure," I said softly.
Julian poured me a glass while Ronan shifted over, making room for me between them on the couch. The moment I sat down, I was hyperaware of their proximity—Julian's thigh almost touching mine on one side, Ronan's arm stretched along the back of the couch behind me.
"Cheers," Julian said, handing me the glass.
I took a sip, the whiskey burning pleasantly down my throat. "What were you guys talking about?"
"You, actually," Ronan said, and my heart skipped.
"Me?"
"Mmm." Julian's eyes were dark in the dim light. "About how you've been with everyone else, but not us yet."
My breath caught. "I didn't realise you were keeping track."
"Hard not to," Ronan murmured. His fingers brushed against my shoulder, barely a touch, but it sent electricity through me. "We've been patient.”
"Very patient," Julian agreed. He set his glass down and turned toward me. "But sitting here with you right now, in the middle of the night, with everyone else asleep…"
"It's hard to keep being patient," Ronan finished.
I looked between them, my pulse racing. This was different from the others—more deliberate, more charged. The tension that had been building for weeks was finally reaching its breaking point. "The kids—"
"Are sound asleep," Julian said. "We checked before we came down."
"We'd hear them if they woke up," Ronan added. His hand moved from the couch to my shoulder, his thumb stroking my skin in slow circles. "We'd stop.”
"But until then..." Julian's hand landed on my knee, warm and solid.
I should have been nervous. This was new territory—both of them, at the same time, for the first time. But instead of nerves, I felt heat pooling low in my belly, desire making my skin hypersensitive to every small touch. More than that, I felt safe. Wanted. Cherished.
"Until then?" I whispered.
Julian leaned in and kissed me. His lips were soft but insistent, tasting of whiskey and want. I melted into him, my hand coming up to his chest, feeling his heart racing under my palm—as fast as mine.
Then Ronan's lips were on my neck, kissing and sucking at the sensitive skin there, and I gasped into Julian's mouth.
"Fuck," I breathed when Julian pulled back. "We're really doing this?”
"Only if you want to," Ronan said against my throat, his voice rough with restraint. "Say the word and we stop."
I turned my head and captured his mouth with mine, answering without words. His kiss was different from Julian's—more demanding, more intense, but no less careful. His handslid into my hair, holding me to him while Julian's hands explored my body under my thin tank top.
"So fucking beautiful," Julian murmured, his fingers finding the hem of my shirt and sliding underneath. "I've wanted to touch you like this for so long."
Ronan broke our kiss and helped Julian pull my tank top over my head. I wasn't wearing a bra, and both men groaned at the sight of my bare breasts.
"Perfect," Ronan said, his hand cupping one while Julian's mouth closed over the other.
I arched into them, my head falling back as pleasure sparked through me. Julian's tongue circled my nipple while Ronan's fingers plucked and rolled the other one. The dual sensations were overwhelming in the best way, and I felt myself getting wetter with each passing second.
"We should move to the floor," Julian said, pulling back slightly. "More room.”
