I swallowed thickly and choked out, “I’m sorry I’ve hurt you, too. I’m the one who was an idiot, and I’m sorry I didn’t know how to talk to you.”
“But, Izzy—”
“Raph.” I cut him off and cupped his cheeks in my hands. “Every time you did try with me, I pushed you away. So many times. I wanted to be with you, but I was scared I wouldn’t be good enough—”
“You’re more than good enough,” he growled, making me smile.
“I’d been hurt too many times in the past for me to be able to see you and your intentions clearly. And for that, I’m truly sorry.”
He searched my eyes, his brown orbs glowing with unshed emotion, then he gave me a subtle nod before whispering, “I’m sorry, too.”
“The only thing that matters right now is that everything we’ve been through has led us here, to this moment, it led us to Laz.”
We both glanced at Laz, who was staring at us with wide eyes and looking ready to bolt. I pulled Raph into the living room so we were closer to Laz, and I nudged our human’s toes with mine and sent him a smile before refocusing on Raph.
“We’ve both made mistakes,” I said. “But now we have a fresh start with your—” I cleared my throat and tried again. “No, with our destined. We didn’t work out before because we were missing a huge piece of the puzzle, but he’s here with us now, and you and I can finally move forward with our missing piece, with our Laz. We can move forward, Raph.”
“You really mean that?”
“Of course.”
His eyes flicked back and forth between mine, taking me in, and very slowly he leaned toward me. Since I knew he was unsure, I surged forward, closing those last few inches and pressing my lips to his. He stilled for a split-second, and just like I knew he would, he took control of the kiss as he moaned against me.
Grabbing the back of my head with one hand and my lower back with the other, he pried open my mouth with his tongue. When our tongues met, it felt like fireworks went off inside my body, sending jolts of pleasure throughout my system.
But the biggest thrill of all was feeling how much he cared, how much he loved me, how much being with me like this meant to him through our bond. There was relief and hope—so much hope—and joy and a trickle of fear like he was afraid I’d push him away again. But what I felt the most was this overwhelming sense of rightness surrounded by so much affection, so much love, I was surprised I wasn’t suffocating from it.
Raph loved me. He truly loved me so much more than I’d realized. How had I never known he’d been holding back before? How had I ever questioned how much he truly cared for me?
His demanding kiss turned tender, and all of his emotions, mixed with mine, rose to the surface until a tiny sob fell from my lips.
Raph broke our kiss and leaned back to meet my eyes, his expression immediately filling with concern when he saw the tear rolling down my cheek. “No, honey,” he whispered, wiping my tear away with his thumb. “Why are you crying?”
I shook my head, unable to form any coherent words.
He kissed away the second tear that fell. “What’s wrong, honey?”
Taking a shaky breath, I said, “Nothing, I… I’m so happy, Raphael.”
His gaze softened, and he pressed a lingering kiss to my lips before resting our foreheads together as he continued wiping away my falling tears.
After a few seconds, I took a deep breath and sent him a small smile before pecking his lips and straightening up. I lifted a brow at him and tilted my head to the side in question, and Raph smiled with a small nod. I turned to find Laz sitting on the couch, chewing on his lip, and picking at his nails. He seemed unsure of where to look or what to do.
“Laz,” I said, making him look up at me in question. I sent him a smile and held my hand out to him. “Come here, treasure.”
He glanced between us and cleared his throat. “I don’t want to ruin your moment together. I can go upstairs or stay down here if you two want to go up there, if you two want some privacy.”
I shook my head. “No, Lazarus, we want you here, we want you with us.”
He swallowed, his body language changing so he seemed vulnerable as he whispered, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Raph and I said together.
I sent Raph a smile, then turned in his arms so my back was against his chest. Raph didn’t disappoint, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the side of my neck. It always felt wonderful when Raph held me like this, like he was protecting me from the outside world and I was cocooned in everything Raph.
Laz slowly stood, and when I held my palm out, he hesitantly placed his hand in mine. Sending him a smile, I pulled him closer until his chest was against mine. Then I whispered, “Can I kiss you?”
“You never have to ask that,” he whispered back.
With a smile, I leaned in to claim his lips in a slow kiss.
The rightness settled over me again, and a pleasurable tickle started in my chest and began to spread throughout my body. If I’d questioned whether Laz was my destined as well before, all doubt left my mind. He was meant to be mine, ours. He was my destined, and the emotions from finally kissing Raph again bubbled up, mixing with the realization that Laz truly was mine as well, and a tear falling down my cheek.
Laz wiped the wetness away, stepped closer, and held me securely to him as he deepened our kiss.
And then I could think of nothing but the amazing man plundering my mouth with his. Laz’s kiss was demanding, but in a different way than Raph’s. Raph controlled our kisses entirely, and Laz, while still mostly controlling, also let me take over a little at times. It was heady in a new way, and I loved it.
Laz’s tongue brushing over mine lit me up inside, and I found myself pushing into him with my whole body, seeking more of him, wanting him surrounding me. And Laz answered in kind. He wrapped me in his arms securely and held me tight to him, his growing erection pushing into my stomach.
When Raph draped his body around me from behind again and nuzzled into my neck, I groaned loudly, completely surrounded by the warmth of the two people that meant the most to me in this world.
I broke my mouth away from Laz’s to catch my breath, and his green eyes sparkled with affection. A smile tugged at my lips, and I pecked his quickly, my chest rising and falling heavily.
Laz’s thumb brushed over my cheek, his chest heaving just as much as mine, and Raph whispered, “You’re so beautiful, both of you.” He kissed my neck, then cupped Laz’s cheek, bringing Laz’s attention to him. Raph murmured, “My turn,” before pulling Laz over my shoulder and capturing his mouth.
Laz groaned, and I felt the vibration in my chest. I watched them kissing over my shoulder, and I moaned at the sight. Raph was demanding, as always, and it was hot as hell to watch. But Laz was fighting for control, and the pure strength coming from them both ratcheted my lust up a few hundred degrees.
Having them kiss over my shoulder was the most erotic yet intimate thing I’d ever seen, ever been a part of.
When they broke apart, Raph didn’t hesitate to turn my head and meet my lips for another scorching kiss. My hands tightened their hold on Laz’s hips as Raph kissed me, and when he deepened his kiss, I felt more than heard the soft moan come from Laz.