I nod once.
“That is all,” Hunter growls.
“And complaining about the way our dad spoke to you and about you.” Chase rolls his pants up and puts his feet in the water.
Hunter is the only one that stands back and away from me. I meet his eyes. “Do we have something to talk about, stud muffin? Something I did wrong?”
“I didn’t enjoy you touching Stefan or using me to tease him.”
“It was your idea for me to flirt with him. I kept coming back to you because you make me feel safe and respected – the exact opposite of him,” I whisper.
He softens and runs his fingers through his curly hair. I look at my men, overworked, exhausted, stressed beyond belief. Maybe we all need a break from this. Stress is a killer. I know that. And I don’t think my men have had a real break from work in years. Maybe ever.
I look between them and lay back. “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?”
“Amsterdam.” Lief volunteers.
“Mexico.” Chase sighs. “The drinks, the beaches, the bathing suit life.”
My gaze flicks to Hunter. “Denver. No one knows us there. The skiing is wonderful. So much to do.”
“Sounds like we have a vacation to plan, then.”
“Dorogaya, we can’t just leave.”
“You are rich boys who need time off before you get hurt. You put me in a safe house when you were at risk. Imagine how much longer Stefan will have to wait to act if you’re not around for the taking. We can clear our heads, maybe do some research, potentially visit my best friend and her new baby, and get some perspective.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time off,” Chase agrees.
“It’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity. So says your doctor.” I tap his foot with mine and look back at Lief. “I know you’ve been stressed too. The kind of stress that sex can’t fix.”
“If we do this, it means we’re going to be seen together. We may end up in magazines, online, and all over the place. It will be out there in the open,” Chase says.
“Then our formal counseling sessions ended when I stopped going to the office. I haven’t put you on the formal schedule since then.” I shrug. “Considering the implication to my ethics.”
“You want to be seen with us?” Lief adjusts me in his arms. “All three of us? And for the world to know?”
I take a shuddering breath. It sounds like a whole lot when he says it like that. I still have my family to think of, I have my reputation … but this uneven beating in my chest, the way my body warms whenever I’m around them, the fact that they wouldn’t let their father talk down to me, push me away, any of it, and the trust we’ve built over the last months …
They’re worth it.
And honestly, I want to exist with them. In their lives. To have good memories to share instead of dates in the house and us conspiring against others.
“Yes.”
Hunter walks forward at my answer. “There won’t be any going back once we’re seen out and together, Valerie. You will be ours.”
“I’ve called you my boyfriends all the time.”
“Inside. Where no one else can see,” He reminds me. “I called you our girlfriend to my father. Once it’s public …”
“Once it’s public, so is our relationship. People will comment on you, on our relationship, on us. They will talk about us. They will watch for any signs of dissent.”
“I know.” I rub Lief’s arm, then head to the side of the pool, pulling myself out to sit between Hunter and Chase. “I want the three of you. It’s taken a lot for me to figure that out, I know. But I want everything, not just the sex and a safe house.”
Chase kisses me softly. “You know where I stand, Valerie, but you have to understand that this relationship will always be … difficult. The public aspects, the danger. Privacy when we’re out and about will be difficult.”
“I know that and I know the three of you are worth it. Especially if it gets us out of D.C. for a while so we can relax for a bit. Even if it’s just a month … or two weeks. We need this. For our relationship and our sanity.”