“All or nothing, I guess.” I gave Stuart a hesitant smile, then turned and strode across the concrete floor. Tate stood in front of the anvil, with Eddie and Chayton just behind to either side. Their gazes tracked my movements, but they remained still, their sweat from the hours of work shining on their shirtless bodies.
“April,” Tate said when I stopped in front of him, close enough to taste the tangy scent of male sweat and iron clinging to his big, solid body. He was breathing heavy, which could have been from the strenuous work, but I had a feeling was for another reason entirely. I was breathing heavy too.
I took a deep breath, willing myself to be calm despite my rapid heartbeat. But my pulse had nothing to do with fear, I realized. It had everything to do with the certainty that this moment marked the beginning of the rest of my life.
“Tate. Chayton. Eddie.” I said each name and paused to be sure they knew this was meant for all of them. They seemed to lean ever so slightly toward me as if ready to leap to action the moment I gave them leave to do so.
I swallowed, took a breath, and bared my soul.
“I want you all. Not halfway. Not because I need you to serve a purpose. But to be mine. Completely.”
24
Tate
I couldn’t believe my ears. Despite every instinct telling me to hold my ground and wait for April to take the lead, I reached for her. Behind me, Chayton let out a hiss of warning, but it was too late. I closed the distance, cupped the back of her head, and took her mouth like I was diving off a cliff into an abyss.
Exhilaration rushed through me, even stronger than the surge of adrenaline from taking my favorite high dive into one of the many lakes in the ursa Sanctuary. My cock hardened so quickly my head spun, and I almost resorted to my usual mental tricks to stave off that arousal. I knew how to remain in control with a woman, but with April, I wanted to lose myself. I probably already had.
With a reluctant groan, I forced myself to end the kiss, if only just to catch my breath. But I held on, both hands cupping her jaw, my fingers tangled in the damp curls that had escaped her braid and clung to her nape. I rested my forehead against hers, simply breathing for a few heartbeats before pulling back enough to look into her eyes.
“Are you sure? This isn’t just your estrous talking? I don’t think we would survive if you changed your mind.”
She held my gaze steadily, without even blinking. “This is all me, big guy. Take it or leave it.”
With a hungry growl, I hauled her up against my chest fast enough to make her cry out. She grabbed my shoulders for balance, her face hovering over mine as I walked us across the studio and set her on the shining steel surface of the marver table, where not thirty minutes ago she’d been shaping molten glass. Stuart, Murdoc, and Gray took a step back, making room for us, and Eddie and Chayton crowded in on either side. Neither were willing to cross the line the way I’d done by kissing her without permission, but April didn’t miss a beat. She reached up to Chayton first, stroking his dark goatee. He swallowed audibly, his body tense and poised for action.
“Kiss me.”
It was as if a dam broke in him the second the words came out. He reached for her, curling his fingers around the back of her head and lowering his face to hers, growling as their lips met. She held onto the back of his neck with one hand while with the other she groped toward Eddie. When her hand met his bare stomach, she reached to the side, found his arm, and slid her hand down to his wrist. She tugged him closer, and he went, letting her direct his hand to her breast.
Eddie lightly squeezed and cupped her fullness in his palm, eliciting a pleased shudder when he grazed his thumb over her nipple, but he and Chayton had always been rule-followers. He leaned in and whispered, “I need more, baby. Tell me what you want.”
Tearing herself away from Chayton, she breathed a single command that was music to my ears.
“Have your way with me, boys. Do whatever you need to do for me