“And you’ll still let me help?” I press, suddenly worried that now that Marcus is back, they’ll try to protect me by keeping me on the sidelines.
Theo laughs softly, his hands skimming down my back. “Rose, I don’t know how the hell the three of us got lucky enough to have you in our lives. But I think we’re all—finally—agreed on the fact that this is exactly where you fucking belong.”
I can’t help the smile that blooms across my face.
In these men’s lives is a dangerous place to be. It’s a place where I’m as likely to get shot again as I am to live another year. As Ryland told me once, none of them expect to live long, and standing beside them puts me at the same risk.
But my smile grows anyway as I slide my fingers through the hair at the nape of Theo’s neck, gazing down at him. “Good.”
He grins, and I lean back a little more, skimming my fingertips over his shoulder and chest before ghosting them over his ribs and the tattoo I noticed earlier.
Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam.
My brows pull together as I cock my head. “What does this mean?”
His eyelids droop for a moment, as if he’s lost in the feeling of my touch. Then his expression hardens a little, and he answers.
“It’s Latin. It means ‘I will either find a way or make one.’ I got it after our first game. After I realized what the fuck my mom had signed me up for.”
He catches my hand, lacing his fingers with mine as he pulls me a little closer. Our bare skin brushes together, sending little sparks of heat scattering through me. His other hand rea
ches up to cup my face, and I lean into his touch like a cat.
“I never wanted this, Rose,” Theo says softly. “To play this game. Fuck, I don’t even want the prize. When you’re at the top of the heap, everybody’s eyes are on you. Everybody wants what you have, and they’ll do whatever they can to tear you down.” He shakes his head. “But now I’ve got another reason to win. We all do. It’s our best chance at keeping you safe.”
My chest tightens, and I drop my head to press a soft kiss to his lips. Then I slide my hand through his hair again, gripping it tight.
Tight enough to hurt a little.
To be a warning.
“You better fucking keep yourselves safe too.” My low murmur is almost a growl, and I kiss him again, harder this time. “I’m not losing any of you.”
He wraps his arms around me, pinning me against his chest as we kiss each other over and over, feeding an addiction that only seems to grow more consuming with every press of our lips.
I lose track of time, but after a while, Theo tightens his grip on me and pushes to his feet. He sets me down gently and zips his pants back up.
His cock is hard again, and I can’t help but ogle the piercing at the tip before it disappears behind the fabric of his black pants. He catches me staring, but instead of giving me shit for it, he just gives me a look that tells me I’m welcome to get as well acquainted with that part of his anatomy as I like.
He helps me get my dress back on, then leads me from the room. I expect him to turn toward the stairs that will take us to the guest bedroom on the second floor where I’ve been staying, but instead he strides down a hallway on the first floor. We pass Ryland’s room, and Theo opens the next door we come to. Even before I peer inside at the figure lying on the bed, I know who it is.
“He needs you,” Theo murmurs, opening the door a little wider. “And I think you need him too.”
Fuck. He’s right about that.
I was prepared to go back to my own room, but the truth is, I’d probably spend all night tossing and turning, fighting off nightmares in which Marcus never came back to us, or lying awake wondering if he was all right.
How the hell Theo could see that in me without me saying a word about it, I don’t know. But at the moment, I’m insanely grateful for how well my ex-stalkers know me.
Tiptoeing forward, I rest my hand on his chest and rise up to press a kiss to his lips. Then I step inside the room, keeping my footsteps light as I cross toward the bed.
Marcus is lying on his stomach, his face illuminated by the soft beam of light that streams in through the halfway open door. I can still see bone-deep weariness and signs of pain in his features, but his expression is peaceful as he sleeps quietly. His long, dark lashes fan across his cheeks, and the vulnerability of him in this moment hits me like a ton of bricks.
I want to both wrap myself up in him and wrap myself around him.
To be protected by him and protect him right back.
He has become my anchor in a world of chaos, and I hope like hell I can be that for him too.