Page 68 of My Ex's Billionaire Brothers

“You can’t over-sugar the tea, Hunter,” Anya says with a slight smirk. “You’re in the Deep South.”

He chuckles lightly. “I know your parents’ opinions matter a lot to you, and so do everyone else’s here. But what comes next is your choice, kitten. Always.”

Anya’s smile returns briefly but fades. “I don’t know what to call…this.” She gestures at us again. “But I know what I want.” She squares her shoulders, sitting up. “I want you. All of you. I tried to keep it casual, but?—”

“Same,” Hunter blurts.

Gage echoes, “Same,” almost simultaneously.

I add my own “and same,” before we all share a sheepish laugh. Knowing that we all want this puts some part of me at ease, but that doesn’t settle the details.

Gage scrubs his jaw. “But we did set ground rules for a reason, Anya. Casual, no feelings, wrap up in Castle Beach. You’ve had a rough few days. It’s easy to get attached to the first safe harbor?—”

She cuts him off with a shake of her head. “Don’t do that. I’m not a child. I know how I feel…how I’ve felt.”

She swallows and takes a breath, like she’s nervous again. What else could there be?

“I met you at the family Christmas two years ago.” Another deep breath. “And I’ve crushed on you three since then. But I buriedit. Being around you this week”—her voice hitches—“poured jet fuel on an old ember. This isn’t a rebound for me. I want you all to know that.”

Gage’s mouth opens, closes. He paces one step, then admits, “The gala where you met Calvin? You remember that night?”

“Of course. He swept me off my feet, the asshole.”

“I spotted you across the ballroom and told Calvin, ‘That’s the kind of woman you marry.’ He distracted me, and introduced himself to you instead. I stayed silent.” His eyes darken. “I don’t have many regrets in life, but that’s one of them.”

She gasps, hand over her mouth. “Calvin always wanted what wasn’t his. That’s probably why he’s dating Brenna now. She’s married.”

Shit. She knows?I glance at Hunter, who mutters under his breath, “Fuck.”

She smiles at him. “You think I didn’t notice that you tinkered with my phone? I reset it the second you gave it back.”

Hunter feigns offense. “I’m losing my touch.”

Laughter—thin but real—ripples before settling into expectancy. Anya’s gaze seeks mine. “And the future? What…what do we do now?”

Gage pulls out a chair from her vanity table. “Question for the group. Do we commit to exploring this, long-term? All of us are serious?”

“Hell yes,” Hunter says, offering his hand to her palm-up. She places hers atop it. Gage rests his broad hand over both,and I add mine last. The four palms feel improbably right—an unstable molecule that somehow balances.

This is uncharted territory for me and my brothers. We’ve fooled around or performed kink with the same woman—orwomen—multiple times. It was fun, like playing a round of tennis with them. There was a sense that one of us would say, “Good game,” afterward.

Seriously dating the same woman is a completely different kettle of fish. And yet, I couldn’t pull out of this if my life depended on it.

Nothing will tear me away. Them either, it seems. What are the odds that three brothers would fall for the same woman simultaneously, and be okay with that? Astronomical seems too pitiful a word for our connection.

A hush follows—weightless, a fragile new constellation. I break the silence with practicalities. “Tomorrow, your extended family arrives. We’ll face their gossip head-on. Together.”

Gage nods. “Our mother will try to muzzle Calvin once she hears he broke Hunter’s skull.”

“Just a flesh wound,” Hunter murmurs.

Anya brushes his arm, worry etching her brow. “No more battle planning. You three think we’ll work? Can we do this? Really?”

“We already are,” I say, smoothing hair from her cheek. She leans into my touch, and I kiss her gently, sealing the evening’s accord. When I pull back, exhaustion shadows her eyes. “You should rest?—”

“I’m not tired anymore.” She hooks her hand around my neck, pulling me down as she lies back onto the bed. Instinct guidesme between her thighs as we kiss, and I scoop under her to bring us further up the bed.

Long, wavy brown hair spills over the pink pillowcase, and when I break the kiss, she looks at me like I hung the moon. She casually strokes my cheek, taking in my features. “You’re right about us. We already work. I was wrong to doubt it.” She leans past me, glancing at the other two. “Do you forgive me for trying to leave?”