Cuff Me

Alex and Max had taken him—Owen—to central booking. It felt weird saying his name like he was a regular person. He wasn’t. Nate kept looking at me like he was waiting for me to break out into a panic attack.

“Where is the restroom?” I asked him. His hand was warm and heavy on my lower back as he led me to it.

After I used the bathroom and washed my hands I let everything I was holding in go, not caring if anyone else was in the bathroom. I hadn’t cried that much in a bathroom since sophomore year of high school. Every emotion I felt since the whole thing started just came barreling out. When I finished, I tried to make my eyes look like I hadn’t just cried them out, but it was no use. I almost wished I wore eyeglasses at that point. Finally, I left to go and face them.

I rounded the corner and they all stood outside of Alex’s office. Their eyes fell on me at the same time and I knew they all saw the truth in my eyes, but I tried to fake a smile anyway.

“I need to head home,” I announced. I wanted to be around them for comfort, but they reminded me of the whole ordeal, so I really didn’t know what I wanted.

“We’ll drive you.” Alex stepped forward, his voice stern and imposing. It made me shiver with submission and excitement.

“Don’t you have to work?” I gestured to all the people bustling around, working on the new case. They hadn’t seen something like that in a while, apparently.

“It’s fine, you shouldn’t be out by yourself,” Max said, and I gave him a funny look.

Nate sighed and explained. “We want you to be safe, and that means you’ll probably be seeing a lot more of us for protection. When you aren’t at work, we want to be with you.”

I stared back at him like it was something new. But it had just gotten increasingly suffocating. Not the being around them part, but just needing protection. Knowing I wasn’t safe on my own. I had been safe on my own for my entire life.

“Okay. Fine.”

Chapter Twenty-Five: Rose

They drove me home and I didn’t say much the entire way. It was completely different than that first night. Things were more serious now. It was obvious I was in danger and it didn’t sit well with them at all.

They walked me inside my place and Parker went crazy trying to break through his crate. He had never been around them all at once, so he thought I was in danger.

“Hey boy, it’s okay,” I rushed to calm him down, scratching behind his ear as a signal things were okay.

His barks calmed down to quiet snorts and I let him out of his crate. He immediately went to his food bowl. I set my bag down and looked at my three protectors, who didn’t mean to start feeling like captors.

“You should eat something, it’s been a long day,” Max suggested. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was after four, and we had left so early in the morning. I couldn’t believe the day was already gone.

Though it was Sunday, so I didn’t have any shifts. Lucky for me, because I was ex

hausted and might have called in sick anyway.

“Okay. I don’t feel much like cooking though,” I answered. Nate sat on the couch and took his glock out and put it on the table.

“We’ll order something, just relax.” Alex gave me a reassuring smile.

I glanced at Nate who gave me an inquisitive look before I sat down on the couch. I turned on the television and let HGTV play in the background. Alex brought me water after he ordered, I didn’t pay attention to what. And we just sat there silently, with Max and Alex on either side of me and Nate on the love seat. There was so much I wanted to say but didn’t know how.

I am attracted to all three of you, I am also afraid that I am being watched this very moment and I don’t know if I can ever get past this. Something like that.

Instead I just ate the turkey and cheddar sandwich and drank my water down. About an hour later, when the sun started going down and Parker excused himself to the dog bed in the corner, something passed in the air that loomed like a dark blanket. The three of them exchanged some sort of silent cue before Alex stood up and looked down at me.

The darkness in his eyes made me swallow audibly.

“Come to bed with us, Rose.”

~

The clanking of my bedroom door made my stomach clench. I turned to face Nate, who had stripped himself of everything but his pants and undershirt. In the corner of my eyes I could see Alex and Max undressing, but I barely noticed after Nate trapped me in a toe curling kiss. His lips were urgent but did not force mine to do anything. It was natural and sweet until his tongue slide over mine and I moaned into his mouth. The flurry in my belly was already undeniable. I wanted him so badly. I wanted them all.

He took off my shirt and pants and looked over my body like he had never seen it before. Nate prompted me to turn around and I was faced with Max, imposing as ever with the bulges of his muscles sharpening with every breath. I held his strong gaze until he claimed my mouth and I had two tastes swirling around over my tongue. I raked my nails down the hard planes of his abs and gripped his cock over his pants. It almost seemed bigger than I remembered. With Nate’s chest flush against my back and Max’s cock against my belly, I could barely breathe. Nate palmed my breasts, pinching my nipples through my thin bra as Max slid his finger over my clenching sex, dampening under his touch.

Nate pressed his lips to my neck and I turned into Max’s mouth to give him better access to my neck. I felt my body surrendering to them, but it was like I couldn’t get my mind to cooperate with it. I wanted them, but I just kept thinking too much. About everything, about nothing.