“They should know better than to look at something that doesn’t belong to them.”
Sometimes I worry about these three. They place me in these compromising positions because, in part, all three are exhibitionists, but they also hate the idea of any other man looking my way. It’s one reason we never partake in anything in the sex club Axel owns. He thinks blood baths would be bad for business. So I sit with my feet on the dashboard, exposed in daylight in a rather busy parking lot.
Their demands are like hot embers against my skin. I need this from them as much as they need it from me. Maybe that’s why we work so well. Our different parts are useless when separate, but together they form a bond forged in perfection.
Axel’s warm breath flutters against the shell of my ear, igniting my body. “That’s my good girl. If you close your legs, you’ll regret it. Remember, Stella. Good girls get rewards, and bad girls get punished.”
I nod as Kian starts the ignition and drives.
My eyes travel along the streets, praying no one dares to look at me, exposing myself. I’m the one committing the crime, but I worry for anyone who dares point it out.
At a stop sign, my fears are realized as a young man gawks at my open, exposed pussy. I scan the area. There’s no one there. Until there is. A young guy on a motorcycle. At first, I think Kian’s going to drive. The guys are crazy, but they aren’t that crazy.
Then the guy opens his mouth. “How much for your whore?”
The car comes to a screeching halt, jolting my body. Kian’s the first one out of the car, like usual. He’s always the one who goes into a quiet rage. The quickest way to bring out the killer in him is to say anything offensive to me.
I blink, and the guy is off his bike. Kian’s fist flies into his face in a rage. Blood splatters on the floor. “You don’t fuckin’ put your eyes on her, you don’t talk to her, and you sure as fuck don’t call her a whore. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
The man obviously cannot fight or defend himself.
Kian doesn’t wait for an answer and takes out his knife. Before he can do anything, Ronan and Axel are on him, dragging him off.
“Get the fuck off me!” Kian shouts.
Axel frames Kian’s face as he desperately tries to get him to calm down. “Kian, get a grip, man. We can’t just fuckin’ off someone in broad daylight.”
Ronan digs into the guy’s pocket before flipping through his wallet with his foot on the guy’s chest. I know Ronan isn’t keeping the pressure off by how the man whines and moans. “Vinny Price. Listen here, Vinny, I’m gonna keep this driver’s license for insurance. You talk to anyone, and we’ll be back to kill you and everyone you love. Got it?”
“I got it! Got it!”
Vinny screams as Ronan kicks his side and spits in his face. “Watch who you call names next time.”
ChapterTen
STELLA
The girl facingthe mirror isn’t the same person who stepped out of the car at the Moretti mansion. The insecurity that used to run rampant through me, the fear, the hesitation, have vanished. “I can’t believe I’m getting married.”
My mother’s hands shake as she adjusts my veil. “Are you sure you want to do this? I know the new men in our lives can be intimidating.”
I turn to my mother, wanting her to see the sincerity in my eyes and the conviction in my voice. “Yes. I was floating, and even when alone, I was lost. I didn’t know it until I found my home. Those three are it for me. Home. They may not be perfect, but they’re perfect for me. Can you understand that? They fulfill me. We might not be conventional, but we fit. We’re all puzzle pieces, and the picture’s not complete until we’re connected to each other.”
My eyes roam to my mother’s withered hands, evidence of the years of hard labor. Her eyes are glassy with unshed tears. “All I’ve ever wanted for you to be is happy and loved.”
“I am. Those three would do anything for me, Mom. They’ll burn the world down to protect me and keep me safe. I get all the support and encouragement I could want. They cherish me and worship the ground I walk on. They love me, Mom. More than their own lives. I’m happy and loved.”
“Then let’s walk you down the aisle.”
“I’m not sure if you’d call this an aisle.”
I take my mother’s hand as we walk out the veranda doors to the forest where it all started. “Oh, wow.”
“Isn’t it beautiful?” my mom asks. “The guys did it all. They made sure it was perfect.”
My eyes take in the white rose petals on the ground and the newly built high gazebo under the large, lush trees. But the best part is my three beautiful men standing there gazing at me like I’m the sun rising above the clouds on a cold winter’s day.
Holding my mother’s hand for dear life, I walk toward my future full of love.