Yeah, there was a lot of excitement to look forward to. A lot of changes, both good and bad.
But those changes didn’t seem so terrifying anymore. When Reese had told Christine she was invincible, she’d only been joking. And yet that was exactly how she felt at the moment. Invincible. Strong. Free. She felt as if she could face any challenges that came her way, any storm that threatened to knock her down, any enemy that threatened to destroy her.
She could face it all, conquer it all, because she wouldn’t have to do it alone. Sloan and Rylan would be there with her. Her right hand. Her left hand. The rock and the wind. Unshakable strength and soothing sunshine.
As long as the men she loved were by her side, she could handle anything the future decided to throw at her.
Don’t miss seeing how Jamie and Lennox got together in
ADDICTED
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“I miss our house.” Sighing, Piper nestled her head against Lennox’s shoulder and curled one arm around his chest. “Are you sure it’s too dangerous to go back?”
She’d been asking that same question for weeks now. Lennox was getting tired of answering it, but of all the people he’d extended his protection to over the years, Piper was one of the few he had a soft spot for. She’d turned twenty a few months ago, and despite the hard life she’d lived, her youth and innocence had been preserved. Well, maybe not the innocence—even as she voiced the question, her hand was drifting seductively toward Lennox’s waistband.
“It’s too dangerous to go back,” he confirmed. Then he chuckled and intercepted her hand before it could slide inside his pants. “And what you’re doing is equally dangerous, love.”
Her laughter warmed his ear. “Aw, come on, Lennox. How long are you going to hold out on me?”
Hmmm. Probably until he could look at her without seeing the bedraggled sixteen-year-old who’d shown up at his doorstep four years ago. He’d been twenty-three, and lusting over a teenager hadn’t felt right. Sure, Piper had grown up since then, but it was still hard for him to reconcile the skinny kid he’d taken under his wing with the gorgeous woman she’d become.
Which was ironic, because he had no problems lusting over his best friend, and he’d known her since they were both in diapers.
As if on cue, a blond head across the room swiveled in his direction, and the object of his thoughts flashed him a mischievous wink. It was as if Jamie always knew when he was thinking about her, and he had the same sixth sense about her. Growing up together had created a bond between them. They knew each other inside and out.
Though in a moment, another man would hold claim to the inside her part.
He’d known it was bound to happen after he and Jamie moved to Connor Mackenzie’s camp. In a world filled with danger and uncertainty, it was important to form alliances, and Connor was a valuable ally to have. Lennox was damn grateful for the man’s assistance.
Connor’s right-hand man, on the other hand . . . Lennox liked the guy, he really did, but Rylan’s flirtation with Jamie was starting to wear on his nerves.
It was Rylan who was sprawled on his back right now, his chest bare as Jamie’s fully clothed body straddled his on the frayed couch. He reached up to cup Jamie’s breasts through her shirt, summoning a moan from her rosebud lips. Even though her blue eyes went hazy with pleasure, they stayed locked with Lennox’s.
If any other woman were looking at him like that, all heavy-lidded and visibly turned on, Lennox would have sprinted over there and joined the party. But he knew Jamie wasn’t sending an invitation. She simply got off on being watched.
Watching was all he was capable of doing anyway. Jamie had been his best friend for more than twenty years. She was the only person in this fucked-up world who he trusted implicitly, who he could confide in and count on. After everything they’d been through, their friendship was rooted in feelings. Respect, admiration, affection . . . all those pesky emotions were too dangerous to bring into a sexual relationship. Sex was fun, but it was complicated as hell when feelings were involved.
And these days, life was already complicated enough.
For twenty-seven years, Lennox had lived and struggled in the free land, labeled an outlaw by the Global Council that ruled the Colonies with an iron fist. In order to prevent another war and ensure that the remaining natural resources weren’t squandered, the council was all about population control and enforcing rigid restrictions on its citizens. If you didn’t live in one of the four council-run cities and follow their rules, then you were considered a threat.