“So many f-bombs tonight, you best watch you don’t get your mouth washed out, Papa.”
Lord. That filled him with so much happiness he thought it might burst out of him. Grasping hold of the back of her head, he brushed his lips over hers. Once. Twice. “You sure? Once you’re mine, there’s no going back.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
“Brat.”
His mouth moved against hers, he slid his tongue between her lips and kissed her like he needed her to breathe, as if this kiss was their first, their last, and everything in between.
And when he kissed her, he found his home.
When Xavier drew away from their kiss, she stared up at him dreamily. That was . . . wow.
Then she remembered Brick.
Turning, she discovered she was still clutching his pants. Then she forced herself to be brave and look up into his face. But there was no anger or jealousy.
Just acceptance.
Dear Lord. What had she done to earn the love of two remarkable men like them?
“You’re really okay with this?” she said croakily. She felt like she’d spoken more in this last week than she had in years.
He cupped the side of her face then leaned down to press his lips to hers. “I am, Duchess. I promise.”
She looked to Xavier. “And so are you.”
“Yeah, Twink.” He gave her a soft grin. “You’re our girl now.”
“And our girl needs some food, then it’s bedtime,” Brick told her. “I’ll go reheat our food.”
She cuddled against Xavier, feeling completely spent.
“You’ve got a good man there, Twink.”
“I’ve got two good men. The very best.”
She ended up being fed her dinner by Brick while sitting in Xavier’s lap. It was a weird feeling, but she wasn’t certain she’d ever felt this loved. This cared for. After they’d all cleared up, Brick picked her up.
“Time for bed.” He carried her towards the door. “You coming, Xavier?”
She glanced over to find Xavier staring at them longingly. Then his eyes widened. “Um, yeah. If that’s okay.”
“Wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t,” Brick replied. “We’ll all sleep in my bed.
She reached over Brick’s shoulder with her hand and Xavier took it, entwining their fingers. A joy like nothing else filled her.
Maybe this was crazy, insane. Perhaps they’d all had parts of their brains eaten by zombies, but right in that moment, she didn’t much care.
They were hers.
She was theirs.
And whatever happened, she knew that she wouldn’t regret taking this chance. Not if it could get her all of them.
They walked into Brick’s room and he put her in the middle of the bed. “Back in a minute.”
Brick disappeared as Xavier stood on the other side of the bed.