Orgasm overwhelmed his senses as he spilled himself into her. The world seemed to fall away around him except…all he could see was Tori. All he could feel or hear was Tori. The world narrowed down as he ground against her, giving her everything he had.
He cradled her body to his. He let his hand find her breast and through the softness, he heard the pounding of her heart.
The world seemed a perfect place and only one thing could make it better.
The night wasn’t done. He looked up at her and winked. “I think it’s time we introduced our gorgeous girl to the anal plug.”
Her eyes widened and joy suffused him.
Finally, his world was perfect.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tori woke with a start, panting. She forced herself to slow down her breathing, to drag in longer breaths. Fear tightened her whole body. Tears streamed down her face. She blinked in the shadowy dark, finally recognizing it as a bedroom in the palace. Her men lay sleeping all around her.
She’d simply had a nightmare. Her body sagged with relief. But the visions kept playing out in her head.
She’d had a version of this dream before, many times since she was thirteen. She’d been on the couch with her sister watching TV when the doorbell had rung. She’d followed Piper, and the sheriff had been standing there. He’d told them about their father—except he hadn’t been talking about her dad this time. Fat tears had rolled down her cheeks. Suddenly, she’d been an adult and the sheriff had told her that Callum Thurston-Hughes had been killed by an unknown assailant
Instantly, she’d known Thea was the killer. Tori had run toward his body and that was when she’d seen Oliver and Rory locked in combat. They’d gripped bloody knives in their big hands. Red dripped down their torsos. They were fighting over her.
When they’d stabbed at one another again, she’d awakened with a start.
Now she looked around and panicked. What had she done? The night before had been perfect and now her heart was racing for a different reason. She lay cuddled between Rory and Callum. Both men had their hands on her and she couldn’t breathe.
She loved them. She loved them down to her soul—and that terrified her beyond anything. What if she lost them, really and truly? What if she woke up one day and they were all gone? It had happened to her before and she hadn’t been able to do anything about it. She’d been utterly helpless to do anything except bury the two people she’d loved most, her parents.
If history repeated itself, she wouldn’t survive.
And she couldn’t take that risk.
To anyone else who hadn’t suffered such a loss as a kid, it would probably sound stupid, but the towering swell of dread sucked the air out of her, stained her blood with icy fear. She panicked completely at the notion of losing them.
Tori pushed back the covers and managed to haul herself out of bed. The night before had been magical. She’d opened herself up and surrendered herself to them. Somewhere in the middle of the night, she’d given up the notion of leaving them. She wanted them. She wanted to be the center of their worlds.
But she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t risk her sanity and soul like that.
A sob nearly tore from her throat. Tori carefully extricated herself and crawled out of the bed. What had she been thinking last night? She’d been focused on pleasure, on the drugging bliss of the touches, on their protection and adoration and…everything else that would disappear in the snap of a finger if something happened to them.
If? Try when. Life wasn’t forever. People died. She couldn’t stop that. Besides, if she stayed with them, she would eventually tear them apart. They could handle sharing her for a night, but they were possessive. She’d seen how they fought. What happened if one of them wanted to get married legally? Or she became pregnant? How would they deal with that? Cohabitate in the same house or bed for years? No, she would eventually tear them apart and if she didn’t, she would likely be taken apart by the tabloids
“Sweetheart, where are you going?” Rory whispered.
She managed to clear the tangle of sheets and arms. Oliver was asleep on the other side of Callum. They all looked so gorgeous. Last night, they’d been so devoted. Tori had to bite back a cry. She couldn’t let Rory know she was upset or he would be all over her. She needed a few moments to herself. Everything that had happened in the last twelve hours had all been too much.
“Just to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” she said, happy that her voice betrayed none of her whirling emotions.
“Hurry.”
She heard him settle back on the bed. When she glanced again, his eyes were closed and his chest had taken on the rhythm of sleep once more.
As quietly as she could, she grabbed a robe in the wardrobe and dashed to the outer rooms, refusing to look at a guard manning the hallway. From there she found her way back to her own quarters.
Inside, Tori locked the door and tore off the robe. She made it to the shower before the sobs hit. Too much. Everything had happened so quickly. She’d closed herself off for too long and now the emotion hit her like a hurricane. She let the hot water blend with her tears and prayed she could find the strength to make the right decisions.
* * * *
Two hours later, Tori stared at herself in the mirror and wondered why she was such a coward. She’d woken up surrounded by the three men she loved. Her body had felt deliciously sated and she’d been so warm. She’d never slept the whole night with another body at her side. When she’d been a child, her parents sometimes cuddled her in between them when she was scared or sick. She remembered looking up at them in contentment as they kissed her before turning out the lights. Even as a young kid, she’d felt their love. With them, she’d been safe and warm.