No promises that it absolutely wouldn’t, no flowery words. Simple honesty. I kissed him lightly. “I’ll just have to kick your asses if it happens again,” I told him gruffly. Hesitantly, I stroked the side of his cheek. It was different, somehow, knowing he loved me. I’d never had a lover before, let alone one who told me they were in love with me. He’d just said it didn’t bother him that I was with the others, but I was confused now. As if he could read the fear and confusion dancing in my eyes, he brushed a kiss against my lips. “Let’s get the others. We all need to come up with a plan. It seems waiting isn’t an option.”
Chapter Six
Pixie
Shannon had joined the others when Ian flung the door open, and I had to quickly swallow a giggle at the way the twins were flinching under her glare. I wondered what she had done to provoke that reaction. Her expression softened as she caught sight of me. “Hey, love,” she murmured, reaching out to stroke my hair. “Did you give them hell?” Wide eyes watched the pair of us as I blushed, realizing that Shannon’s shower covered the scent of our lovemaking. While they had been distracted inside before, it was clear to them now what Shannon and I had been up to. As their eyes caught on the marks Fillian had left, there was no doubt what Fillian’s lesson had been about either.
“Come on and eat,” I encouraged everyone. “We need to make a plan about Lyle.” I waved everyone in before shutting the door with a decisive click and headed back over to the counter as others began to gather their food. I scooped my plate back up, intent on demolishing what was left. I really did need the nutrients. My skirt was hanging loosely on my hips at this point, and I could do with putting more weight back on top of what I’d lost over the last few weeks.
“Good,” Zev grumbled around a mouthful. “I’m sick of waiting to deal with him.” I was on the fence on that opinion—I wanted him gone, but I wasn’t in a rush to face off with him either.
Fillian adjusted his glasses before looking the others over as they ate. “I told Ms. Miller I am in love with her.” Fillian’s announcement had everyone choking on their food, and I dropped my plate as I tried to breathe around the egg I’d just inhaled.
“Fuck, Ian!” I gasped out.
“Language,” he scolded me with an arched brow. “I’m just making it clear to them that I’m serious about my pursuit of you, yet I do not expect my feelings to be reciprocated nor do I expect you to choose me over any of them. You are still interested in all of us, so you continue to date all of us. My admission does not invalidate that decision. If anyone else announces their feelings for you, the same rules apply.”
Shannon sighed as I stared at Ian in shock. “Love, he’s saying we will never make you choose no matter our own feelings for you. If you fall in love with only one of us and want to end things with the others and just be friends, that will be up to you.”
“That’s not really fair though,” I whispered, dropping my eyes as guilt gnawed at me.
“Why?” Surprisingly, it was Chann who spoke up. “You’re not responsible for our feelings, only your own. If we fall in love with you, it’s our responsibility and our choice to tell you or not. If we want to share our feelings with you, then it’s our burden to bear if you choose not to respond in kind. Sometimes it feels good just to say the words.” He shrugged and smiled at me before shooting a glance at Ian. “Besides, I bet she was shocked, right?” he asked the other man.
Ian laughed, a low rumble of sound that was contagious as grins danced across the others’ faces and caused a blush to stain my cheeks. “She forgot how to breathe,” he informed them with a smug smile.
“Well, you try going from threats to admissions of love and see how you respond,” I grumbled, even feeling my ears heat with a blush.
It was Alarick who piped up next. “It’s clear that you and Shannon spent the morning together as well.”
“Oh my God,” I groaned, turning to hit my head on the cabinet behind me. “Is this some kind of punishment for me standing up to you guys? Or are you simply seeing who can embarrass me the most this morning? Why would you announce that?”
“No, but you’re clearly concerned about it,” he reasoned as the others gawked at him. “You’re terrified of what it means for you as well as for the rest of us. I’m merely removing a stressor for you. Group relationships work when honesty and openness are in play from the beginning. With our sense of smell, a sexual relationship is hard to hide.”
“It doesn’t mean we need to announce it either!” Could my face get any hotter? At this rate, I was going to end up with a tan, no sunshine needed.
Ian cleared his throat, sliding a palm down his vest to smooth it. “We don’t need to talk about anything you’re uncomfortable with if you’d like to keep your relationships individual. But if you’re interested in combining partners at any point, it will eventually come up.”
Okay, now I was both horny and embarrassed as I imagined what it might be like to be taken by more than one of them at once. Shannon laughed lightly as she winked at me. “I’m strictly female, sorry. I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing her kiss any of you, but group sex probably wouldn’t be in the cards for the future for me.”
“We’re clearly not opposed to group sex,” Zev interjected with a chuckle as he blew me a kiss.
“Double the fun, isn’t that right?” Chann remarked, throwing his arm around his brother’s neck and wiggling his eyebrows. More than once those two had offered to put me in the middle of a twin sandwich, and goddess help me, I wanted what they offered despite my inexperience.
“How?” I turned my eyes to the ceiling, clasping my hands as if in prayer. “How did we get here?”
“I think it started with—” I waved off Zev’s words.
“Can we stop talking about who has been in my bed and all this stuff and get back to me being mad at you guys? Or how about everyone being worried about Lyle?” Or anything that wasn’t going to make me combust, for that matter.
“I thought you wanted your opinion considered,” Chann teased, and I growled at him. “Besides, this is all important to talk about, and you’re the one who wanted to do more than train.”
“Yeah, but I meant watch movies or, I don’t know, do anything besides this,” I seethed, digging my fingers into my hair as they chuckled.
“You’ll get used to it,” Ian assured me. “It’ll be second nature before you know it, kitten.”
I murmured a noise they seemed to take as agreement and turned my focus back to Alarick. “I really do want my opinion considered in everything. I will train, I promise, I just need a say in what that training is.”
Alarick sighed, setting his plate aside. “I know you think we’re pushing you too hard, but we want you ready for anything that’s going to happen.”
“I want to be ready too,” I told him softly. “I just want to be strong enough to survive it, and that means periods of rest as well. I’m not talking about a week’s vacation, but I need a full night’s sleep. If I’m going to have night drills, I need naps during the day to make up some of that time. And I need to sit down to have full meals during the day.”