Nolan rambled, seeming off balance for once. “Look, I’m sorry it’s come to this. I didn’t anticipate it would and totally understand if you’re not interested in putting yourself in this position. Sola could be made up to look like Laurel from a distance, and one of our guys can stand in for Jace since Draven won’t expect her to come without him by her side.”
Laurel snorted. “No one is going to mistake that siren for me.”
“Sometimes I wonder if we live on the same fucking planet.” Jace turned to her, exasperation making the corner of his eyes wrinkle. “And you…” He stabbed his finger into Nolan’s chest. “Might as well quit wasting what time we have. She’s made up her mind. It’s done. We’re in this now.”
“Fuck.” Nolan kicked the bed hard enough to make it thump into the wall. “I don’t like it either, Jace. You have to know that. I can’t stand the idea of either one of you anywhere near that sick bastard.”
“And you?” Laurel asked, still quietly refusing to let the storm brewing between the guys suck her in.
“This is my job.” Nolan looked over his shoulder, cringing. “You’ve known that since we met. Is it a problem all of a sudden?”
Why did he look like he’d been expecting this, or something like it?
Laurel crossed to him and wrapped her arms around him. She refused to let any of them walk into peril with their personal life crumbling around them. “What’s really going on here?”
“My job is hazardous. I accept that. I figured that if something went sideways for me you’d still have each other. You’d be fine without me.” Nolan shrugged as if it was a casual comment despite his voice shredding. “But I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you or to Jace. I couldn’t handle it or face the other knowing I hadn’t done my job to protect you both.”
“Well, then let’s make sure the three of us come home in one piece. And we can figure out the rest when we do. Okay?” Laurel didn’t wait for their assent—she started ditching her clothes. It might not have been a sexy striptease, but it was efficient.
Nolan and Jace quit eying each other with mistrust and rage and despair. Instead, they focused on her as they had so many times during the past month. Laurel realized then that she’d been selfish. It was time to show them they could be more.
“I’m sorry, Nolan,” she whispered as she trailed her fingers down his jawline.
“For what?” He scratched where she’d touched. “Don’t you dare try to let me down gently. If you’re over me, say so. I always knew you and Jace would realize you didn’t need me.”
Why were men so dumb sometimes? Laurel barely refrained from rolling her eyes like James so often did. Meanwhile, Jace was shooting Nolan an incredulous stare that she could get behind.
“I fucked up. It turns out, I haven’t been entirely honest with you either.” Laurel sighed. “See, I’m not really capable of casual affairs. I never could be after what happened in the past.”
“I understand.” Nolan swallowed hard. “I figured this was coming eventually. And I swear I will hunt Draven to hell itself if I have to in order to make sure he pays for what he’s done to you.”
There was his “bad” side. And damn if she didn’t find it kind of sexy in an edgy sort of way.
Jace still gawked at Nolan as if he was dense. “No. You don’t. She’s telling you she has feelings for you. We both do. So make sure your fine ass doesn’t have any extra holes in it at the end of this thing.”
“Oh.” Nolan’s eyes dilated, his energy shifting as he went from retreating to offense. “For the record, this is the only thing I’ve ever had that lasted beyond a one-night stand or a weekend fuck-a-thon.”
“Someday, when we have a lot more than two hours, I want to talk to you about why that is.” Laurel cupped her breasts. Then she ran her hands down her sides to help shimmy out of her leggings. No longer was she the least bit shy about being nude in front of Jace and Nolan, no matter what they were wearing.
Besides, it didn’t take long for them to get the hint. They practically ripped off their clothes before capturing her between them, Jace at her back and Nolan plastering himself to every inch of her front. Their warmth chased away the chill that had invaded her when she’d realized that she was going to have to risk her future to be done with her past once and for all.
Hell, she’d been willing to charge into the midst of things alone the night Nolan had found her. Found them. Going in with the three of them together, and the rest of Jordan’s team as backup…well, the odds were much better than they ever had been before even if they still weren’t great.
She refused to think about that. Not until they left this room and faced reality together. Until then, she intended to show both Jace and Nolan how damn much she loved them.
Oh shit.
Laurel drew Nolan to her for a kiss to keep herself from blurting out her revelation. The last thing they needed was for her to complicate the situation even further before they had to concentrate in order to stay alive.
If the silky glide of her lips over Nolan’s was tinged with desperation, she was sure he would understand. If they weren’t careful, this could be the last time they ever tasted each other.
Jace’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close to his heat and hardness as if he would never let go, no matter how Draven tried to rip them apart. Something shifted inside Laurel. No longer afraid, but angry. No longer timid, but assertive.
She nipped Nolan’s lower lip, encouraging his groan before shoving him toward the bed.
He tipped onto it, then reached for her, but she didn’t go to him, not yet. Instead, she ordered Jace to join him. “Lay there, side by side.”
His brows rose, but he did as she commanded. Laurel climbed onto the mattress, standing so that she towered over the two men spread out before her like a sexy buffet. She ran her hands over her own body, thrilled by the way their eyes tracked her every motion. Their cocks were hard and thick as they rested across their tight abdomens.