Both men straightened.
“You may not be broken, but you’re still fragile.” This came from Cam, and Lia didn’t like it. She might have been beaten and used by the men who’d taken her, but she refused to let it define her. That would be letting the darkness win.
“I’m not fragile. I’m … goddamn resilient.”
“We know you are, baby. You don’t have anything to prove,” Travis said.
“But I do. Because I’m never going to get what I want without proving that I can handle it.” Embarrassment rushed over her at what they’d think if she kept going, and her cheeks burned. Dropping onto the bed, she covered her face with both hands as the sudden burst of courage deserted her completely. “Never mind. Just … never mind. You should both go.” So much for proving she could handle a damn thing.
The mattress sank on her right, and a hand touched her knee. Lia lifted her eyes to find Travis beside her and Cam crouched in front of her. Every nerve ending in her body surged with awareness of having them both so close at the same time.
Screw it. No one ever got anywhere by being a scared little girl.
Her thoughts were enough to give her whiplash, but Lia gathered strength from their proximity.
“I want you,” she blurted.
Both men froze. For a few moments, no one in the room seemed to even breathe.
Cam commandeered one of her hands and squeezed.
“Which one of us?” he asked quietly.
Travis laced his fingers through hers and pulled their twined hands onto his lap.
Lia wished she could have both hands back so she could hide behind them again, but that would just be adopting the scared little girl mentality again. She forced herself to meet Cam’s eyes, terrified of what she’d see in them when she admitted what she wanted.
Two deep breaths steeled her courage, and then she replied, “Both of you.”
Again, silence descended over the cabin, but each man squeezed her hand, giving her the faintest ray of hope. There were no accusations, no outbursts. Just … silence.
Until Travis cleared his throat and spoke. “Can’t say I’m disappointed to hear that, if you mean what I think you mean.”
Cam’s eyes left hers and jumped to Travis. “What the hell are you talking about, man?”
Lia watched Cam’s face rather than Travis’s—but it was Travis’s words that gave her hope.
“You’re my best friend, and I can’t believe you think I’d try to snake the girl you’re hung up on, man. I wasn’t fighting you to steal her, but to make you admit you wanted her. Because I want her, too. And I think we’ve all seen that a triad relationship can work just fine.”
Lia’s mouth dropped open. He’d stolen her words. But she didn’t care, because this meant at least one of the two men was thinking exactly the same way she was.
Cam released her hand and bolted to his feet.
“What the fuck are you talking about? You think she wants…” His stare pinned Lia. “Is that what you’re saying? Or are you just saying you don’t know who to choose?”
Lia sank her teeth into her lower lip while she gathered that courage from moments ago. “I’m saying I don’t want to choose, and … for the first time in a long time, I’m saying I want it all. Both of you. Together.”
Unease churned in her stomach as she waited for his response. A dozen emotions flashed across the rugged planes of his face. Oh hell. This wasn’t going to be good at all.
When he’d finally finished processing, his mouth set in a flat line. “This is really what you want?”
Lia held her breath before saying, “Yes.”
Cam nodded. “I need to go. I have watch tonight. I need some time to think, so I know what the hell to say.”
Her heart sank to her stomach … until he did something he’d never done before: he leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers in a swift kiss.
“Don’t freak out, sweetheart. I’ll be back.” The words were whispered against her lips, and then he left.
“That went better than I expected,” Travis laughed.
Lia turned to him, their hands still tangled. “You … you want that too? For the three of us to be…?”
Travis shrugged. “Why not? It obviously works with Graham, Zach, and Ro … and I can’t lie and say I don’t think it’d be hot as fuck to have you between—” His words cut off before he said the last.
Heat flashed through Lia at the same thought she’d had over and over.
“Fuck, I swore I wouldn’t push you or say anything to make you uncomfortable, and I’m already screwing it up. I should go too. Whatever is decided, we need to make the decision together.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to the back of it. “We’ll talk tomorrow and figure this out.”
Lia nodded dumbly as he turned to leave. Her thoughts had already started to retrace what just happened when Travis paused, hand fisted on the wood of the door.