Page 82 of My Ex's Billionaire Brothers

Anya blinks. “Oh, right! I totally forgot. They always go with my aunt to the hotel in town after the big party. She’s got a standing reservation with a suite that overlooks the coast, and they drink wine in the hot tub. It’s like their annual tradition to not come back until late morning.” She sighs. “I guess I got so wrapped up in everything else, it slipped my mind.”

Theo dries his hands on a dish towel, eyebrows lifting. “Does that mean we have the house to ourselves?”

She nods, leaning into my side. “Unless some random cousin forgot their keys or phone, yeah. My folks won’t be back until tomorrow.”

Hunter shares a look with Theo and me, his grin widening. “Well, that’s convenient. Especially considering we got stuck doing a ton of yard work and dish duty.”

“Poor baby,” Anya teases him with a playful nudge. Then she turns to Theo. “Thank you, both of you, for taking care of all this.”

Theo shrugs lightly, putting the towel aside. “I like to keep busy.”

Anya’s gaze sweeps around the kitchen. Everything sparkles with that newly cleaned shine—the counters, the floors, the stove. My chest swells with pride at how my brothers step up.We’ve come here for Anya, and I want to prove that we can bring more than just trouble to her doorstep.

The excitement in Anya’s eyes is mirrored in the subtle smirks from Theo and Hunter. Usually, I’d be the first to break the moment by grumbling about how it’s late and I’m tired—but not tonight.

“Are you hungry?” I ask Anya abruptly, half expecting her to say yes. “We saved some dessert if you want more.”

She shakes her head, though she still wears a grateful smile. “I’m stuffed. And honestly, I could use some rest. It’s been a long day—scratch that, a long week.”

“Upstairs, then?” I offer, tilting my head in the direction of the old staircase. “So you can relax?”

She bites her lip, sharing a meaningful glance with all of us. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Hunter hops off his stool, grabbing his phone. “Lead the way.”

Theo brushes past us, turning off the kitchen light as we follow him to the stairs. We reach the top of the steps and head for her bedroom. I can’t walk in there without thinking about last night and what it meant to me.

Together. All of us. It feels like the start of something new, and I’ve been around the block enough to know there are fewer new things ahead of me than behind me. But I want every new thing I can have with Anya.

She steps inside first, flipping on the lamp by her bed, and then she turns to face us, hugging that new scarf around her neck, a small smile quirking her lips. “This was such a strange, wonderful day. I still can’t believe it’s over.”

“Doesn’t have to be over just yet,” Hunter teases.

Theo, never one for explicit jokes, offers a half smile. “It’s late, but I’m not in a rush to sleep if you’re not.”

Her gaze flicks to me, and I nod, stepping forward. “Whatever you want.”

Anya lifts her chin, eyes shining. “I want to just be with you guys for a while. No expectations, no big plans. Just…us.”

With that, she starts peeling off her clothes as we watch. Theo and Hunter make themselves comfortable, each claiming a spot on her bed’s edge, dwarfing it, while I linger by the dresser, my hands in my pockets. Standing in that creaky old bedroom, enveloped by the hush of the night and the scent of the ocean, I know one thing for sure. I’ll protect Anya with everything I have, no matter where life takes us next.

I’ll happily keep knitting her scarves if that’s what it takes to see her smile at me like that again. There’s no good reason I should feel the way I do about her. A few years of a crush should not have let me slip into thinking about the L-word when it comes to Anya.

And yet, standing in her bedroom and watching her undress in the low light, my heart clenches, and the dominant side of me demands more skin. I meet her eyes and hold her in my gaze. “The panties too, pet. We deserve to see all of you.”

She bites her bottom lip, but her gaze lingers as she slowly takes them off. We’ve gone easy on her so far, kink-wise, and we have all the time in the world to explore each other. But right now, I need it. That feeling of control.

Control has been a distant memory for the past week. Since Anya came into our lives, I’ve gone from one crazy idea to the next without much consideration. She needed help, so I offered. She needed to explore herself, so I offered. Every time she had a need, I wanted to fill it.

Now, I’m the one with a need.

I grab the soft scarf from where she left it and slowly circle her. “Close your eyes.”

She does, without hesitation or fear. She trusts us so completely that it intoxicates me. I have to slow down to keep a grip on myself, or that lack of control will creep up again. It’s a delicate dance that a dominant does out of care for himself and his submissive, and sometimes, we fuck up.

But I will not fuck up with Anya. Not now. Not ever. I have to keep myself reined in.

I let the end of the scarf trail over her breasts, earning a short gasp and a flinch. But she stays in place, accepting the touch. “Good pet.” Methodically, I trail it over her again and again until her skin pebbles. Her eyes remain closed the entire time. I quietly ask, “Do you remember your safeword?”