Page 209 of After the Burn

Along with Lucas and Beck, I stopped pretending we couldn’t take our eyes off the beauty in front of us.

Taryn had taken her hair down. Dark waves spilled over her shoulders and down her back, slightly mussed from whatever Wren had done to it earlier and somehow better for it.

Taryn’s eyes, made hazy and gentle by the wine, seemed to gleam softly. She was still wearing the cream dress, but without the flowers, the chapel, and everyone watching, it looked different on her now. Less innocent bride, more dangerous woman, the kind all three of us couldn’t resist. As the gentle fabric caressed her form, leaving her shoulders exposed, the skirt murmured around her ankles whenever she shifted her weight.

She caught me staring, and one eyebrow lifted. “Problem?”

I smiled. “Not even close, baby.”

Lucas stood and moved behind her chair.

Taryn tipped her head back to look at him. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he went for the innocent look, but it was a total fail.

He bent and kissed her… slowly. His hand settled against her jaw while hers reached for the front of his shirt.

Beck watched them for a moment, then turned to me. “Still think three was a good idea?”

I smiled. “Ask me tomorrow.”

Taryn pulled away from Lucas just enough to look at us. “I can hear you, and it’s too late to back out now.” She held up her ring finger.

Beck crossed the room to her. His hand slid around her waist, gently pulling her from the chair. For all the violence in Beck, he could touch her with astonishing care when he wanted to.

This would be the first official time we shared her.

The torture session to get her to agree to marry us didn’t count because it was all about her. We’d discussed it among ourselves and agreed to claim her together tonight. I didn’t think it would become a regular thing. Each of us was still a possessive bastard, and nothing was going to change that.

Beck kissed her forehead first, then her mouth. Taryn relaxed against him.

Lucas stayed close behind her, and I was surprised to see the heat in his eyes.

I stood, and Taryn’s eyes met mine over Beck’s shoulder. And there it was… the invitation. It would take a stronger man entirely to resist the imploring gaze of those wide, gray eyes.

I crossed the room.

Beck released her without being asked, and Lucas shifted aside.

The ease hit me again. A few months ago, every touch had felt like marking territory.

Tonight there was none of that.

I cupped Taryn’s face. “Are you happy?”

Her eyes softened. “More than I deserve to be.”

I leaned in and bit her full bottom lip. “You deserve everything.”

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, and I couldn’t help but lean in once more. This time, the kiss was tender and deliberate. I poured all my feelings for her into that moment. I sensed her smile against my lips before I drew back. We were both breathing hard as she gently pressed her forehead to mine.

“So, what happens now?” The vixen asked in a teasing voice.

Beck laughed quietly behind her, even as Lucas’s hand settled at her waist.

“That depends.” I kissed the tip of her nose.

“On?”