clean up," Ian assured them. "You two just cuddle with her."
As Ian headed into the bathroom, Pax flopped down in front of me. "So," he asked, "is that ever going to happen again?"
"A lot," I promised.
He smiled. "I meant the butt stuff, honey."
"Mm." I caught his waist, tugging him closer so I could press my face into his chest. "Me too. Trent's pretty good with that."
That earned me a chuckle against my neck. "Pax did most of the work, beautiful."
"Mhm," I agreed. "He's pretty good at that, too. I think next time, Pax should get my ass, Trent should let me suck him off..."
Pax turned, looking toward the end of the bed. "Make him do a little work, huh?"
Ian was walking back from the bathroom, clearly listening to us, so I nodded. "Yeah. See what happens when he's not the one calling the shots."
His steps faltered and Ian bit back a groan. "That..." He sighed, held up a damp cloth, then tossed it to Pax. "Yeah, the idea of a woman willing to tell me what to do? Hot, Elena. You decide you want to be the alpha bitch, go right ahead."
"Guess Ashley's not the only one who thinks dominance is sexy, huh?" I teased, realizing that maybe Ian had the same problem she did.
And while he'd never tried to hide that his sister was stronger than him, she was still his sister. That meant finding a woman who wouldn't submit before him had to be nearly impossible. Now that I was a wolf, I was finally figuring out just how impressive these Langdons really were.
"We," Ian said, "do not talk about my sister when I'm thinking about sex. You hear me, mate?"
I just grinned. "So, I guess that means I shouldn't mention how I got all my best moves from her?"
But he was grinning. "Not talking about it, Elena."
"Maybe I'll ask her for advice on how to tie you down, and then these two will give you a show where you can't help. Oh, I bet she has a gag somewhere to keep you from barking orders."
A muffled laugh came from behind me. Pax shoved a hand over his own mouth, but his eyes were sparkling. Then Ian crawled onto the bed, right across my body, not caring at all that his betas were still pressed against my side. When he was above me, he leaned down, brushing his lips across mine.
"This is why I love you, Elena. So strong, so amazing, so incredibly beautiful, and not a single mean bone in your body."
I just cupped the side of his face, pulling his lips back toward mine. "I love you too, Ian."
And I kissed him, aware that both Trent and Pax were right there, and those three words also kinda applied to them. Soon, I'd be able to say them. Hopefully, very soon, because I really liked this. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of, and so much more.
CHAPTER 21
* * *
I'd just made it out of the shower when Gabby got back. The guys were all helping me with dinner, and of course my parents decided to come in for one last little chat. My father looked from Ian to Trent to Pax, weighing each of them, but he didn't say a thing. My mother was simply impressed that I had a little help.
Gabby decided to make my life a little easier and thanked Trent and Pax for coming over like they'd promised to help her rehearse for her play. Pax rolled with it, telling her she owed him big time for being Alice again. Ian told me to go sit down and he'd handle dinner for the two of us. Then, just to keep the ploy going, Gabby took Trent and Pax into the dining room, and the three of them began calling out lines. Gabby laughed loudly at how bad Pax was as Alice.
I was tense the whole time, all too aware of the aches in my body and what we'd been doing while they were away. But one glass of wine was all it took to make my mother sleepy. Dad said he was taking her back to the hotel. We all said our goodbyes, and then it was safe again. But as soon as Ian told Gabby she was free and clear, my kid bailed, leaving the rest of us alone for a wonderfully relaxing evening.
The rest of the weekend was amazing. That night, Gabby got to tell Roman she loved him. He said