Three is a War(22)
“You can’t keep that promise.” My heart ricochets against my ribs. “There would be too much resentment.”
“You don’t know that.” Trace lifts his eyes to me, hooded by thick lashes. “None of us knows what the future looks like.”
“Trace and I have come a long way in the past five weeks,” Cole says. “Other than the standoff earlier, which should’ve never involved a gun”—he shoots a glare at Trace—”we haven’t had any major altercations. But I’ll warn you. Even when we liked each other, we fought constantly.”
“Because you’re a stubborn prick.” Trace says matter-of-factly.
“I’d tell you to go fuck yourself.” Cole grunts. “But that would be cruel and unusual punishment.”
“See?” Trace smirks. “We have it all worked out.”
Maybe it’s all the testosterone in the air, but I’m foggy on how it’s worked out. “Two alphas in the same pack doesn’t end well. It’s usually a fight to the death.”
“Which is why this arrangement has an expiration date.” Trace releases a slow breath. “In the meantime, I’ll keep Cole on a leash, and he’ll…” His lips twitch, as if holding back an insult.
“Save your breath.” Cole arches a brow. “You’ll need it to blow up your girlfriend.”
“What are you…?” My eyes widen. “You’re talking about a sex doll?”
“It’s the only action he’s going to get for the next six months.”
“Whoa.” My head spins. “Okay, I’m missing something. What happens in six months?”
“We put a time line on this arrangement.” Trace rolls to his side to look at me.
“Why? So I’ll make a decision by a certain date?” I sit up and scoot back to the headboard. “I haven’t even decided if I’m staying.”
“You’re staying.” Cole shifts to sit cross-legged, facing me. “Admit it, so we can move on.”
“No.” I cross my arms. “What’s the six-month time line?”
“I put you at an unfair advantage before.” Quiet, heavy, Cole’s voice scratches in his throat. “You’re so beautifully submissive, and I leveraged that, making it difficult for you to stick to your no-sex rule.”
He seduced me, thoroughly and completely. But my actions are my own. I knew what I was doing and could’ve stopped it.
“This time, Trace and I are making the rules.” Cole runs a finger over his eyebrow. “Decisions about sex are between him and me.”
“What?” Fire ignites in my veins. “That’s not—”
“I’m not finished.” He leans closer. “We’re staying here until summer—”
“But it’s January! That’s six…” My voice falls. “Months.”
“Six months,” Trace says. “We don’t want a decision from you before that.”
“That’s crazy.” I run a nail over my fleece pants, thinking. “What if I know before then?”
Wouldn’t I know? Six months is a long time. Especially while living under the same roof with them.
“If you know, we’ll all know.” Trace’s eyes lose focus and clear just as quickly. “And that will be that.”
“The point is there won’t be any pressure.” Cole tilts his head. “No pressure to decide. No pressure about sex.”
“You’re going to go six months without sex?” I look at them with disbelief.
“Trace has his inflatable friend.” Cole shrugs.
“I bet your ass is jealous of the shit leaking out of your mouth.” Trace grunts an abrasive sound. Then he turns to me and softens his tone. “With regard to intimacy, we’re taking those decisions away from you.”
“You can’t—”
Trace moves so quickly I feel my air cut off before I see his hand wrap around my throat. I claw at his fingers, and he loosens them just enough to open my windpipe.
My breaths come fast and shallow. My skin heats beneath his ferocious gaze, and my heart hammers out of control.
The pressure of his hand doesn’t make me fearful. It thrills me, arouses me, and he knows it.
Warmth trembles in my thighs, and a heavy ache swells between my legs, gathering, throbbing, and forcing a whimper past my lips.
Cole doesn’t move beside me, his fist resting beneath his chin, his expression dark and unreadable.
“Nothing turns you on more,” Trace breathes, leaning in, “than surrendering your power to another. You don’t want the control. You want to be relieved of it. You crave the freedom it gives you. Shake your head if I’m wrong.”