Heaving in a harsh breath, I peer over my shoulder. Fuck, he’s close, his mouth mere centimeters from mine. Water from the rain shower above us streams from his dark hair, dripping across his eyebrows and past his rugged nose, landing on his parted lips as he runs his tongue across his teeth.

  “You’re going to pay for making me want you. Making it impossible to think about anyone but the two of you since the minute you brought Melina into my home, gave her my tequila, and then let her sit on my cock.”

  My knees wobble, and my heart stumbles, but somehow, I manage to tease him. “Your cock?”

  The way Declan arches his brow, as if he’s unimpressed by my denial, has me ready to blow. In bed, I typically prefer to be in charge. In control. But there isn’t a world in which Declan will allow that, and fuck if that thought doesn’t make my insides molten.

  “Pretty sure she was riding my cock, Dec. Like she did just now when she came all over it.”

  Mel whimpers against me, pulling Declan’s attention to her.

  Glaring, he grunts. “Then she has a mess to clean up, don’t you, sweetheart?”

  Heart pounding, I survey Mel, searching for signs of how she’s feeling.

  Her pupils all but eclipse her irises, and her chest is heaving, like this is her greatest dream. “My pleasure,” she purrs as she uses her hold on my neck to pull herself closer so our chests are flush.

  Then, over my shoulder, they’re kissing, and he’s pressing against me from behind, wrapping his arm around my side and pulling her in tighter. Like this, I can feel every ridge of his body. From his muscular chest to his firm abs to the thick cock Mel loves so fucking much.

  There’s no stopping my body’s instinct to roll my ass against his length. He groans against Mel’s lips, and then he’s pulling his mouth from hers, cuffing my neck, and pressing his lips to mine.

  I’m so stunned, it takes me a few seconds to do anything but stand there and keep Mel pressed against the wall. I’m still holding her up, but he’s cocooning the both of us with his strong arms.

  And holy fuck, Declan is kissing me.

  His lips are rougher than Mel’s, but his movements are gentle to start. But when I run my tongue against the seam of his lips, he ruts against my ass, making it clear that he likes what’s happening. He opens for me, and as we explore one another’s mouths, Mel wiggles free from my arms. Once she’s steady, I release her and allow Declan to spin me and press me against the wall—which is cold as fuck compared to his warm body—and then he’s diving in for another kiss.

  It’s rough, the way we’re going at it, rubbing against one another while we war for control. His fingers tug on my hair, my hands find his hips and we grind against one another. It feels so fucking good. His lips on mine, his breath, his pounding heart. Declan yanks back, and for a second, my heart sinks. But then he’s pulling Mel toward us and grabbing her chin, his eyes blazing.

  “Clean him up for me, sweetheart.” He presses his lips to hers and wraps his fingers around my cock.

  The groan that slips from my throat is nothing short of animalistic. “Fuck, Dec.”

  We’re all transfixed on the way he strokes me. He thumbs my head, then releases me and holds his thumb up to Mel’s lips. Without hesitation, she sucks him clean.

  He cups her shoulder and urges her to her knees. With his other hand, he squeezes my cock. Then he’s guiding it into her warm mouth.

  I stare, slack jawed, in ecstasy.

  “You are such a good girl,” he murmurs as he strokes her cheek. “Sucking my cock like that.” He turns to me, wearing a challenging frown, daring me to defy him. “Tell her, baby. Tell her how good she’s doing.”

  Jaw clenched, I focus on breathing through my nose and holding myself back from exploding. This moment is perfect. Declan is fisting my cock while Mel sucks me down. The way he watches me like he can’t wait to send me over the edge, like my pleasure is his pleasure, is the hottest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

  And fuck, he called me baby.

  It’s nearly impossible to speak, but I manage to force the stilted words out. “Y-you’re perfect. Like always, Trouble.”

  Mel looks up at me, eyes full of liquid heat. She’s loving this just as much as I am.

  “And whose cock is she sucking?” Dec’s tone is condescending. Why the fuck is it so hot? If this is how it feels when he owns me, I’ll give him the reins from here on out.

  I drop my head back against the tile, my body racked with tension as I stave off my orgasm. “Yours.”

  The smile that lances his face is exquisite. Angling in, he presses his mouth to mine again. He forces his tongue between my lips, and as I reciprocate, licking into his mouth, he sucks hard. And, holy fuck, I come without warning. Declan inhales my cries while Mel swallows me down. Neither relents until I’m spent. Until my legs shake and Dec is holding me up against the shower wall.

  Once he’s sure I’ll remain upright, he scoops Mel into his arms and murmurs in her ear, telling her how good she did, how proud he is of her. He pulls her in and kisses her, instantly whimpering. Tingles creep up my spine as he dives in for another taste of her. Because it’s not just her he’s tasting. It’s me, and he fucking loves it.

  CHAPTER 35

  Melina

  “Dry off and then meet us in the bedroom,” Declan growls over his shoulder as he carries me out of the bathroom. I’m so wound up, I’m pretty sure I’m leaving a trail of my desire behind as we go. Watching Declan kiss Cade was like nothing I’ve ever seen. The dominance, the sheer power they fought over, and the lust—god, that is what songs are written about.

  Pure want, need, and love.

  At dinner, Declan asked Cade if he’d known real love. What he doesn’t realize is he knows it too. He and Cade have been showing it to one another in small ways for years. But tonight—tonight—they finally unleashed it all.

  And I got to witness it. Hell, I got to be a part of it.

  I’m forever changed. No matter what happens, I’ll never accept anything less than what I saw transpire between them tonight. I’ll never settle for anyone who doesn’t need me so badly they practically combust at my touch.

  Declan runs a hand through my damp hair, pushing it off my face. “You okay, sweetheart?”

  I let out a shaky breath. “That was just…” Words are almost impossible right now. I’m still in such awe.

  As he waits for me to explain, his brow dips low with concern.

  Not wanting him to get the wrong idea, I suck in a breath and focus. “It was beautiful.”

  His lips cant up, and his eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Yeah?”

  Sinking my teeth into my lip, I nod. “If I forget to say this later, thank you.”

  Declan’s smile grows. “For what?”

  “For letting me be here for this.” My throat tightens with emotion. “For taking a chance. I’m so proud of you.”

  Rather than respond with words, he presses his lips to mine. Our tongues play and our hands wander, and just when my heart starts to pound and my body wants nothing more than to continue this until we’re fucking, Declan drops me onto the bed and pushes himself back. “I think you’ll reconsider that thank-you when you hear what I have planned.”

  Cade walks out of the bathroom behind him, a towel wrapped around his waist.

  Cocking a brow, I spread my legs, certain that one of them will take the hint and give me what I need.

  With a smirk, Cade makes a beeline for me.

  Declan turns and throws an arm out, smacking a palm to his chest and stopping him. For a moment, I don’t breathe, transfixed by the way the two of them watch one another. Cade’s chest rises and falls as his lips part, and Declan’s back ripples with tension. He’s standing in the middle of the room, naked, and for a moment, I think he might demand Cade drop to his knees and suck him off.

  My blood ignites at the thought. I’m not sure anything could be more beautiful than watching Declan accept who he is while, at the same time, Cade getting everything he’s ever wanted. Declan. He is clearly the love of Cade’s life. For the moment, I won’t allow myself to worry about what that means for me.

  When Declan finally speaks, I have to actively focus on breathing. “Last night, Melina helped me with my anxiety, and this morning, I woke up calm and feeling grounded.” He gives Cade a once-over, then slips the hand from Cade’s chest down his abdomen until it hovers just above the knot in his towel. “But then you went and got me all worked up again by flirting with someone else at the bar.”

  I smile at the memory of how jealous Declan got watching his best friend talking to another woman.

  Cade licks his lips, his blue eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” he says, his tone sincere.

  Declan lets out a caustic laugh, clearly not appeased by the simple apology. “You telling me you won’t do it again?”

  I hold back a chuckle. We all know that asking Cade to stop flirting is like asking a snake to not shed its skin.

  Cade shrugs.

  “That’s what I thought.” Declan turns to me. “And you—I promised you that you would pay for that orgasm in the shower, didn’t I?”

  Heart beating wildly at the prospect, I shift to my knees and nod eagerly.

  He chuckles darkly. “So excited to be punished.”

  “Are you going to tie me up?” I whisper as heat pools in my core.

  Turning back to Cade, he replies, “No. I’m going to tie him up.”

  With that simple phrase, all the air is sucked from the room. The image of the dark, broody man working meticulously with his rope while the lighter, brighter man is bound to his bed makes me dizzy with desire.

  Declan tugs on the knot of Cade’s towel and lets it fall to the floor. “Does that work for you, baby? Can I tie you up?”

  Cade stands before him, hard and breathing heavy. “Yes.”

  Declan nods. “Lay next to Melina while I get the rope.” He looks at me, chin lifted high. “You. Stay just like you are, but face Cade. I want your hands on your thighs. No touching. Cade or yourself.”

  I press my lips into a flat line to hold back a whimper. I have a feeling I know where this is going, and though I have no doubt that it will all be worth it, watching Declan tie Cade up—while they’re both naked—without at least touching myself is going to be incredibly difficult.

  Sauntering to the bed, Cade mouths, “No tempting me, Trouble.”

  He climbs onto the mattress, keeping plenty of space between us. Smart man. If he were any closer, I’d break the rule and kiss him.

  Even if I can resist, I still long to check in with him. To splay my hands over his chest and feel his pounding heart, to press my lips to his and let him know that we’re in this together. We’re getting everything we want right now, and the experience is so much sweeter because Cade is at my side. He makes everything better with his smiles and laughter and his easy-going nature. Already, he owns my heart. Simply watching him get what he wants is enough to bring me a joy I’ve never known.

  Despite those desires, it’s hard not to want to obey Declan. I want to give him the control he craves. The control he needs. I trust that he knows what we need and that he’ll give it to us. I have faith that he’ll figure out what it’ll take so we can all move forward together.

  As Cade settles himself on the mattress beside me, I realize that Declan has stripped the bed of nothing but one pillow and the fitted sheet. The rest of the bedding has been folded carefully and placed on the chair in the corner. My chest warms at the thought of him preparing for this while we were making out in the shower. He knew he’d have to punish us before he stepped into the bathroom, because he knew what we’d do if he sent us into the shower alone.

  This devious planning gives me yet another glimpse into who Declan is. With each facet of him I discover, I find myself falling harder.

  “Do you remember your colors, Cade?” he asks in that tone that makes my blood heat. It’s gruff and slightly condescending.

  The cocky bastard smirks, unbothered that Declan always seems to be calling the shots. Leading us. If I had to guess, Declan needs it like that. And since neither Cade nor I hold any reservations about what happens next, it’s not hard for us to relent.

  “Green: good. Yellow: slow down. Red: stop.” He’s so cocksure as he holds his arms out wide, taunting Declan, all but begging him to tie him up.

  “And why would you ask me to slow down?” The heat behind Declan’s words spreads through me, reigniting the need Cade incited in the shower.

  Cade cocks his head and studies his friend. After a moment, as though the answer has hit him, his smile grows. “Because I’m close.”

  Brow furrowed, I worry my lip. Close to what? Maybe I should ask, but I leave it alone. The guys are on the same page, and that’s all I care about.

  The dark man looming over us shifts his focus to me. “Would you like to learn, or would you prefer to watch?”

  God, I can’t imagine I could concentrate with how keyed up they’ve got me, but if I let him teach me, I could get closer. And more than anything, I want to be closer to him in this moment. In every moment. I want him just as fiercely as Cade wants him. I know I’ve said Cade is like my sun, but in this moment, it becomes clear that Declan’s our sun. Holding us in his orbit and providing everything we need. But god, when he’s far away, when his focus is elsewhere, the chill goes straight to my bones.

  “Yes, please.”

  Declan tilts his head, one brow arched, as if he’s waiting.

  For a moment, I study him, at a loss for what he’s silently communicating.

  Cade is the one who clues me in. “Yes, sir,” he says, smirking at me.

  A flush works its way up my chest and neck. That single word, sir, in reference to Declan is hotter than seems possible.

  A mixture of pleasure and need flit over Declan’s face. “Good boy,” he mumbles. The words escape him harshly, in the same way he’d curse if my lips were wrapped around his cock. Like he can’t believe how good it feels. Like it slipped out, surprising us all.

  Cade shifts his hips, his cock thickening as they assess each other.

  “Where do you want me, sir?” I breathe out, my words cutting through the thick tension in the air.

  Declan strides to my side of the bed and presses a kiss to my neck. “The things I want to do to you both.”

  His words ignite a wildfire beneath my skin, setting forth a course of shivers.

  “Are you ready, sweetheart?” he asks, raking my hair away from my face, then fussing with it.

  “Are you braiding my hair?”

  I tip my head slightly, but Declan cuffs my neck, stopping the movement. He doesn’t respond, and he doesn’t go back to toying with my hair. When the silent seconds bleed together, I look to Cade for a clue.

  He arches a brow, silently reminding me of how we’re playing this.

  With a smirk, I tack on the magical word. “Sir.”

  Declan leans down and nips on my earlobe. “Figured he’d be the brat, but he’s much better behaved than you are.”

  “It’s because she loves her punishments,” Cade says with a grin.

  “And you don’t?” Declan’s tone is full of amusement rather than reproach.

  Cade swallows thickly, his focus moving from the man commanding us to me and back again, like he’s searching for an answer.

  He doesn’t need to speak. The way his cock bobs makes it clear that once again, the thought of Declan touching him—whether it’s for pain or pleasure—is everything.

  “I’ll take whatever you give me, sir,” he finally says, his tone low and his voice full of heat.

  Holy fuck.

  Please, please, if I die, let this be my heaven. These two men. This night. Those words.

  “Yes you will,” Declan says, tugging on my hair like he’s tying off the braid. With his mouth next to my ear again, he adds, “Safer with the ropes.”

  My heart sinks in disappointment. “You’ve done this before.” It shouldn’t bother me. Of course I wasn’t his first. He was open about his experience with Shibari. But somehow, this braid, his tone, his confidence, confirm that this is a lifestyle he’s comfortable with.

  “Yes.”

  He steps back from me and then kneels on the bed. His cock hangs close to Cade’s head, and when Cade turns, his mouth is only inches from its tip. But he keeps his eyes on Declan’s face, as if he’s more interested in what he’s doing than what he’s packing.

  Newsflash, he’s way better at this than I am. I’d have already slid my tongue out for a taste. It’s impossible not to taunt Declan into being reckless with me.

  “She really is trouble,” Declan mutters as he catches me staring at the two of them.

  Chest heaving, I drag my attention back to his dick. How the hell is he not rock hard right now? It’s as if he’s completely immune to us. As if the way the two of us are practically salivating over him doesn’t affect him even slightly. God, why is his self-control so hot?

  “You gave her the nickname,” Cade teases.

  With a smirk, Declan grunts. “And then you used it to taunt me.”

  “Just offering a little push.”

  “That’s all you ever do. Push and push. Right, baby?”

  Oh, fuck. My core tightens at that term of endearment. He called Cade baby in the shower, but I assumed it was a slip of the tongue or a throwaway word. But now, when Declan is exercising so much control, it’s clear that it was no accident.

  Holy hell. If he’s this comfortable already, then I can’t imagine that his feelings for Cade are as new as he would have us believe.

  I’d bet they’ve been simmering for years.

  Cade swallows thickly and nods. “You know me better than anyone else.”

  “I do.” Declan grips his hand, ready to get started with the rope, but pauses there and squeezes. “Trust me to know what you need?”

  Cade regards him, eyes wide, as if no one on earth exists but the two of them. And there isn’t an ounce of jealousy in my heart. Cade, the man I fell hard for the day I met him, is getting everything he’s ever wanted with Declan, the man who’s come to own my body and my soul just as equally. There’s no threat here. It may be the most beautiful moment I’ve ever witnessed.