“Today,” she starts, settling between us as she always does. “I spoke to my mother.” Her confession has both Bennett and me staring at her, then at each other. “She knew.”
Those two words break her. I see it before me. After everything she endured, all the pain and agony my uncle put her through, she didn’t look like this, so… shattered.
“All this time, she allowed it to happen.” She swallows, her throat working, her pulse thrumming against the delicate skin of her neck. I want to hold her, but she needs to make the move. “I’ve been so broken all this time. Each day was like walking through quicksand, trying to stay afloat. My mother,” she utters, her gaze flitting between us. “She allowed him to do those things to me.” That’s when she takes my hand and Bennett’s and holds them so tight, I’m sure she’s stopping my blood flow.
“Sweetheart,” my best friend starts, but she shakes her head, shushing him.
“I’m nowhere near ready for this, but I need it.” Her words are raw, ragged, and husky. “I want you both to open my robe,” she tells us on a whisper. Placing our hands on the towel material, she leads us to do as she says. The robe falls open and we both suck in a breath. Her form is perfection, her flesh wet and bare. Every inch of her is naked.
“What are you doing, Princess?” I don’t recognize my own voice. It’s heavy with confusion and desire. Yearning to have her once more, it ignites my love for her. My need to protect her.
“Just let me be.” She closes her eyes, taking our hands. We allow her the control. With every gentle caress, she shudders violently as if she’s in pain. When she whimpers, I see the tears trickling from her lashes. “He made me believe I was nothing.”
She leads my hand to her full, heavy breast, and Bennett’s to the other. Our touch must be healing, because the more she cries, the more she tells us. Tears fall heavily from her eyes. The agony that screws up her face makes me want to pull my hand away, but somehow, I know she needs this.
“He took. Every night. Every day.” Her lips move with the dark confession. “I was no longer a girl.” She doesn’t allow us lower than her waist. But her legs are slightly open, just barely. Enough to get a peek of what’s between her thighs. “All this time, I walked around convinced I was wrong. But then you both came to me…”
She opens her eyes, looking at me, then Bennett. No more words come. Instead, she rises, dropping our hands. The robe that once covered her falls to the floor. When she turns to face us, standing between us, she watches as our hungry gazes travel over her.
“You heal me every day. And one day, when I can stand it again, I want you to fu*k me. But right now, all I need is to take it one step at a time.”
“Anything you need,” I assure her. I’m hard. I can’t stop it. When I look at her, it’s something that cannot be helped. She’s perfect, beautiful, and she belongs to us.
“You know we’re always here for you,” Bennett tells her.
She smiles, nods. Then covers herself once more. We watch her walk to the bedroom, and moments later, when we check on her, she’s curled in the fetal position on my bed.
“Do you think she’ll ever be healed?” he asks.
“Yes. She’s strong. She’s done it before on her own. This time, she has us.”
* * *
I watch her clean. She’s been slowly allowing us back in. It’s been almost a month since her ordeal and I’ve been watching her like a hawk. She hardly has time alone. Between work and home she has two alpha men following her around. I’m sure she’s tired of it, but I’m so scared of losing her.
There’s one thing I need to talk to her about. Bennett and I have been looking around for a house. Just outside the city where the three of us can live. I’m looking forward to seeing her smile when I show her the space.
The garden is big enough for her to potter around in. There’s enough rooms for kids, lots of them. And there’s a suite where we’ll be able to spend time together. Every night.
“Are you going to sit there and stare at me all day, or are you going to come over here and help me?” Her cheekiness is returning, which is a good sign. A strong woman who seems to flourish with the love she receives. And it’s doubled up with both men at her beck and call.
“Your cheeky mouth will be punished, Princess.”
Pushing up from the sofa, I head into the kitchen and find her on her knees. She’s scrubbing out the oven, which is spotless, but I let her do her thing. It’s her release. We’ve gone to counselling together and her therapist suggested she find something to focus on. If she’s not working and finding new property for me, she’s at home, reading, writing, or cleaning.
“And how on earth do you plan on punishing me, Carter?” Gray eyes peer up at me with amusement. Since we rescued her, I told her I wanted the real her. No more contacts and she’s grown out the blond hair she’s been born with.
We haven’t really been intimate for weeks. Since she asked for time, Bennett and I have given her that. It’s killing us both. I can tell he’s as frustrated as I am. As much as I am a gentleman, I’m a savage too, and I’d love to unleash it on her cheeky mouth.
The front door opens and my best friend stalks in. He looks utterly stressed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he mutters, dropping his keys and phone on the counter. “I just had a long meeting with a new client.”
“Aww.” Ella rises as she coos. Barefoot, she pads over to Bennett and circles her arms around his waist. The tension eases from his shoulders, but I can tell he’s stressed.
“Our little Princess was just toying with me,” I inform my best friend over her head. “I’m thinking she’s enjoying giving us blue balls.”
His lips quirk and she spins around, staring at me.
“Maybe I can ease that for you both.” Her voice is sultry, that of a lioness about to devour her dinner. Her eyes are hooded as she peeks at me through those long lashes. “Why don’t you both go sit down?”
As our girl requested, we head to the sofa and settle in beside each other. Moments later, she joins us, sitting on the opposite seat, watching us intently.
“It’s been too long since I’ve been with you both. It took me time to heal, to feel real again, but there’s something that’s been on my mind since Bennett mentioned it.”
I cast a quick glance his way, then drag my gaze back to her.
“I want to see you both. I mean, I’ve fantasized about seeing you together, sexually.” She’s taking control and I let her.
I nod. This is something I knew she’d want and now that it’s happening, my cock has hardened in anticipation.