Page 46 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

I sneak a peek at him, trying to get a read on his thoughts. I really want to touch him and hear exactly what’s going on inside his head, but that would be a major violation of his privacy, and I can’t do that to him.

Nick takes another casual sip of his coffee. “It doesn’t happen as much now, because she’s already started building her harem. What do you think you are to her? And Rook, Parker, Terrance, hell, even Ren.”

“Ren?”Oliver and I both frown at that.

I’m the one who blurts the obvious. “But Ren’s gay. And Terrance doesn’t think of me like that.”

Parker has been silently staying out of the conversation up to this point. He mentioned earlier that it wasn’t my fault—that it was just my natural instincts. He didn’t seem disgusted by me, but he didn’t just up and agree to be part of my harem, either. He can’t hold back his curiosity and asks the question Oliver and I are both thinking. “What do you mean Terrance and Ren are part of her harem?”

Nick grabs a nearby chair, spins it around, and straddles it as if preparing for a long conversation. “A siren’s allure is different from a mermaid’s and even succubae and incubi,” he explains.

I lean back in my chair, putting aside the photos for now and settling in for an informative lecture. Oliver catches my gaze and takes my hand, tangling our fingers together and smiling softly at me. He sends me a specific thought before turning his attention back to Nick.Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.

“What’s the difference?” I ask Ren, my own curiosity burning through me.

“Lust demons attract their prey using hormones,” Ren explains. “Our allure is physical. A mermaid’s allure is mental. They mesmerize their victims—hypnotize them into enslavement.”

I flinch at the termenslavement. Is that what I’m doing to all of my friends? Are they enslaved to me? Could they not walk away if they wanted to?

“Sirens are different,” Nick says. “Your allure is emotional. You call to the hearts of men. Basically, you amplify a man’s deepest desire, where you’re concerned.”

It’s like a light goes off in my head, and excitement floods me. Excitement and relief that I’m finally starting to understand myself. What he’s saying makes so much sense. “That’s why people react so differently to me—like Terrance and Henry, for instance. When I first met Terrance, I was hurt and in danger. His greatest desire toward me at the time was to save me; therefore, I triggered his protective instincts. Henry learned about my powers before anything else, and he wanted to use me. He wanted to control me, own me.”

“Hence the kidnapping and crazy obsession,” Oliver finishes for me.

Nick tosses his empty cup across the room toward the small trash can. I watch, impressed, as it drops cleanly into the basket. “Lust is straightforward. It’s physical, so all a lust demon needs is those hormones that come with sex. Sirens needlove, and that’s a lot more complicated. Because there are so many different types of love, sirens need all different forms of love to be truly satiated,” he says. “That’s why they collect men in all different ways. All of the men in your harem will love you in one way or another, but not all of them will necessarily become your physical lover.”

My face heats up, but Nick keeps going with his explanation, as if my future love life with multiple partners is an everyday topic. He waves a hand at the FUA secretary. “Ren offers friendship. Rook—the companionship of a mate. Terrance seems more like fatherly affection. Parker’s got a lust thing going on, and Oliver…”

I glance at the man in question. “Pure devotion,” Oliver says at the same time Ren says, “Infatuation.”

Nick snorts. “He’s just plain whipped.”

Oliver grins, unfazed by the taunt. In fact, he looks rather proud of the label. “I watched you struggle through life for so long,” he says. “My greatest desire where you were concerned was that I just wanted to see you happy. Therefore, I’ll do whatever it takes to see you smile.”

My chest tightens. I don’t want to ask my next question, but I have to. “Even if that means sharing me with other men?”

My stomach churns, but Oliver doesn’t hesitate with his answer. He holds my eyes with his and squeezes my hand reassuringly. “If it’s what you need.”

“Just like that?” Parker asks. “You’ll just share her with other men?”

Oliver shrugs. “If it protects her? If it brings her peace? Of course I’ll share her.”

He says it so easily, so surely, that my mouth drops open.

Oliver blushes at my shocked reaction. “I wouldn’t want to share you with just anyone,” he says, sounding a little more hesitant now, “but I’d share you with Parker. And Rook. They’re both good men. I know they both care about you and will treat you right.”

My chest starts to burn with gratitude and relief and love. I just don’t know what I’d do without Oliver in my life. As if he knows exactly how much I’m wrestling with my emotions at the moment, he gives my hand another squeeze and says, “You’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. You’ve got more than enough room in it to love all three of us.”

The room falls silent. Everyone is watching Oliver and me. I can’t handle the attention, so I blurt out, “What about Nick?”

Nick lifts a brow. “What about me?”

“How do I affect you?”

Nick sits up straight and frowns, surprised by the question. “I don’t think you really do.”

Ren lets out a loud laugh. “Ha!” He points a finger at Nick. “You are completely under her spell. You’re a hard-ass toward everyone except her. She’s got you wrapped around her finger.”

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