had the night before—their shirts also coming off along with their jackets and shoes. Heaps of deliciously tanned muscled flesh on display left me gaping for a moment before I snapped my mouth shut.
I rolled over, tugging the sheet with me, grumbling, “One of you set the alarm tonight. That arrest story barely worked today. It definitely won’t work again tomorrow.” After the alarm was set, I froze when I heard a belt buckle being undone. “Keep your pants on, please. Seriously. I definitely haven’t had enough to drink tonight for that.”
King Jerome explained, “I’m just taking my belt off. It’s uncomfortable on.”
After a moment, I agreed, “All right.”
The light flipped off as the sound of his belt hit the floor.
King Balar griped, “I’m not done yet.”
“Too bad.” King Jerome sniggered softly, crawling into bed in front of me, settling himself against me, pulling me in close against him—holding me close even as King Balar flipped the light back on.
My gaze slowly slid up to his dark hooded gaze, my question quiet, “Why are you two doing this?” They hated one another.
His lips curved. “The truth?”
“Yes.”
He glanced over my head, watching King Balar for a few moments before his gaze slid back down to mine, stating with no fanfare, just simple fact, “Because we both want you in our bed, but we know the second you enter the others’, you won’t want to leave it. And that’s a problem.” His gaze flicked between my eyes when I went quiet. “We haven’t figured out how to resolve it yet without bloodying each other, and since we’re the Kings, and representing our people and our laws, even our new ones, we have to behave for now. So we’re currently doing what we can to make sure you don’t have sex with the other until we come up with a solution.”
Unintelligent was my response. “Oh.”
King Jerome chuckled quietly, his heated chest warming mine gloriously. “And truly, we are behaving ourselves magnificently. There was definitely a time when we did not. This is us using extreme restraint.”
King Balar grunted. “What I wouldn’t give to make you bleed.”
King Jerome shrugged. “The feeling’s mutual.”
King Balar flicked the light off, and then climbed in behind me, pressing himself flush against my back. He wrapped an arm around my stomach, tunneling his hand between King Jerome and me, laying his head half on mine. “Night, Lana .”
“Goodnight.”
King Jerome tipped his head, placing soft lips against my forehead, whispering, “Night.”
“Goodnight.” I yawned grandly, my jaw cracking with it, but I tapped my fingers lightly on King Jerome’s shoulder for an extended time, unable to fall asleep. Finally, I nagged, “All right, so I saw the two women King Balar slept with the first night, but who did you sleep with?”
King Jerome hummed softly. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Queen Nilkos spent the night in his room,” King Balar muttered sleepily. “She’s a regular lover of his when they see each other.”
“Dammit, you’re spying on me?”
A quiet snort. “As if you aren’t doing the same.”
My nose crinkled. “How long have you been together?” This could become problematic if she found out he was in my room.
Instant. “We’re not together.” He shook his head slightly, his chin rubbing against the top of my head. “We’re only occasional lovers.” Pointed words. “It doesn’t happen every time we see each other.”
I snorted. “How long have you been occasional lovers?”
King Balar answered for him. “Around two hundred years.”
When I stiffened at the implication, King Jerome complained, “Would you shut up?” He shook his head again, and his palm on my back gently rubbed back and forth, his words quieting. “That’s not a long time for how long I’ve lived.”
“Please,” King Balar muttered derisively. “It’s like twenty percent of your lifespan.”
“I. Will. Hurt. You.” Inhaling
I rolled over, tugging the sheet with me, grumbling, “One of you set the alarm tonight. That arrest story barely worked today. It definitely won’t work again tomorrow.” After the alarm was set, I froze when I heard a belt buckle being undone. “Keep your pants on, please. Seriously. I definitely haven’t had enough to drink tonight for that.”
King Jerome explained, “I’m just taking my belt off. It’s uncomfortable on.”
After a moment, I agreed, “All right.”
The light flipped off as the sound of his belt hit the floor.
King Balar griped, “I’m not done yet.”
“Too bad.” King Jerome sniggered softly, crawling into bed in front of me, settling himself against me, pulling me in close against him—holding me close even as King Balar flipped the light back on.
My gaze slowly slid up to his dark hooded gaze, my question quiet, “Why are you two doing this?” They hated one another.
His lips curved. “The truth?”
“Yes.”
He glanced over my head, watching King Balar for a few moments before his gaze slid back down to mine, stating with no fanfare, just simple fact, “Because we both want you in our bed, but we know the second you enter the others’, you won’t want to leave it. And that’s a problem.” His gaze flicked between my eyes when I went quiet. “We haven’t figured out how to resolve it yet without bloodying each other, and since we’re the Kings, and representing our people and our laws, even our new ones, we have to behave for now. So we’re currently doing what we can to make sure you don’t have sex with the other until we come up with a solution.”
Unintelligent was my response. “Oh.”
King Jerome chuckled quietly, his heated chest warming mine gloriously. “And truly, we are behaving ourselves magnificently. There was definitely a time when we did not. This is us using extreme restraint.”
King Balar grunted. “What I wouldn’t give to make you bleed.”
King Jerome shrugged. “The feeling’s mutual.”
King Balar flicked the light off, and then climbed in behind me, pressing himself flush against my back. He wrapped an arm around my stomach, tunneling his hand between King Jerome and me, laying his head half on mine. “Night, Lana .”
“Goodnight.”
King Jerome tipped his head, placing soft lips against my forehead, whispering, “Night.”
“Goodnight.” I yawned grandly, my jaw cracking with it, but I tapped my fingers lightly on King Jerome’s shoulder for an extended time, unable to fall asleep. Finally, I nagged, “All right, so I saw the two women King Balar slept with the first night, but who did you sleep with?”
King Jerome hummed softly. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Queen Nilkos spent the night in his room,” King Balar muttered sleepily. “She’s a regular lover of his when they see each other.”
“Dammit, you’re spying on me?”
A quiet snort. “As if you aren’t doing the same.”
My nose crinkled. “How long have you been together?” This could become problematic if she found out he was in my room.
Instant. “We’re not together.” He shook his head slightly, his chin rubbing against the top of my head. “We’re only occasional lovers.” Pointed words. “It doesn’t happen every time we see each other.”
I snorted. “How long have you been occasional lovers?”
King Balar answered for him. “Around two hundred years.”
When I stiffened at the implication, King Jerome complained, “Would you shut up?” He shook his head again, and his palm on my back gently rubbed back and forth, his words quieting. “That’s not a long time for how long I’ve lived.”
“Please,” King Balar muttered derisively. “It’s like twenty percent of your lifespan.”
“I. Will. Hurt. You.” Inhaling
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