Cabin of Axes - Bea Paige Page 0,34

basically. When we were back in the marines, Matt used to whittle figurines. It was his way of coping with the shit we saw every day. He taught us,” Berrin explains.

“I see…” My voice trails off at the troubled look in Berrin’s eyes. “Was it really bad?”

“Being in the Marine Corps? It was both the best and the worst time of my life. I met Matt and Franklin. They’re more than just my brothers-in-arms. They’re family. We bonded…” I watch as he swipes a hand through his hair and cants his head to the side, smiling a little. It’s a whimsical smile, not filled with humour like normal.

“Bonded?” I ask carefully, knowing now that they share a bed and desperately wanting to know if they’re intimate with each other sexually just like Cassidy, the waitress at Fairy Tale and Wine, had suggested.

“Yes. Bonded. We saw a lot of death, a lot of things that would turn your stomach. That kind of violence against human life changes you. We went through hell together. After one particularly violent confrontation with the enemy, many of our fellow Marines were killed. The three of us managed to survive, physically at least….”

“Not mentally?” I ask gently, placing the piece of wood on the table between us and reaching for him. He lets me take his hand, even though his hand swallows mine up when he curls his fingers around my own.

“Matt suffers the worst, but we all have our demons.” He grits his teeth and I squeeze his fingers tightly.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say any more.”

Berrin nods, heaving out a sigh. “Ever since our tour in Afghanistan, we vowed to have each other’s backs until the bitter end. We do everything together, share everything.”

“Including a bed,” I blurt out, my mouth running away with me yet again. I could kick myself for being so intrusive, so insensitive. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”

“It’s true, we do share a bed,” he confirms, a hint of a smile playing about his lips and a gleam lighting his green eyes. He knows what I’m thinking but he’s not about to tell me what I really want to know. That is, do they have sex with each other? The thought alone makes my legs press together to ease the sudden ache forming between the apex of my thighs.

“At night, that’s when the horrors come back to haunt us. Sleeping together, knowing we’re beside each other, helps to ease that… It’s hard to explain.”

“I get it,” I say, softly. I don’t need to know the truth of me or the truth of them to understand what it means to feel afraid, to want to feel safe, loved. That’s something integral to human nature. It makes sense that they rely on one another to feel that way. Berrin turns his face away, staring into the fire that crackles in the grate.

“We need each other,” he murmurs. “It’s as simple as that. I know it seems unusual, but it’s how we’ve survived this long.”

“Maybe it’s unusual to some, but I’m glad you have each other. I can only imagine what you went through. I understand your need for… comfort…”

Heat rises up my neck and spreads across my cheeks. Goddamn my dirty mind. This time Berrin grins, flashing his straight white teeth. Teeth that nibbled and nipped at my most sensitive parts not more than an hour or so ago. “Just tell me what’s making that pretty skin of yours flush so pink, darling.”

My dirty thoughts. “It’s nothing, really,” I mutter instead, concentrating on the orange flames flickering in the fireplace. Despite the fact that it’s the middle of July, it’s surprisingly cold.

“You want to know if we fuck each other, don’t you?” Berrin chuckles when my cheeks flame even more. “Well, the answer is no. We haven’t. I love those motherfuckers, but so far I’ve not wanted to stick my cock in them or have them stick their cock in me, come to think of it.”

“Shame.”

I twist in my seat and watch as Franklin steps into the room. He smiles rakishly, and when he looks at me his nostrils flare, but he seems to shake off whatever he’s feeling enough to rib his friend. “I’ve always wanted to know what your cock would feel like buried in my arse.”

“Mate, you wouldn’t be able to handle my cock.” Berrin winks salaciously.

“Is that a challenge?” Franklin counters, raising an eyebrow whilst stroking his beard seductively. Again, my pussy clenches. I’m not