SARAH The life I’m living right now is straight out of a romance novel. I stand there, continuously pinching the skin of my thighs wondering when I’ll wake up from this dream. Let me explain it. Luxury has never been this…romantic. Kevin never spared any expense in treating me to nice things, since he practically raised me. But it’s different when it comes from not one, but three men you really like. In exactly thirty minutes, the store is closed. Suddenly, I’m in the VIP fitting suite with three of the most jaw-dropping, thoughtful men I’ve ever met, seated on a buttery-soft chaise lounge. The creamy leather and gold trim makes me want to sink into it. I can’t remember the last time I was spoiled—by someone aside from the HawkThorne brothers. How am I supposed to take anyone else seriously when they never spare any expense? There’s a bottle of champagne and four flutes on the table in front of us. And here I am in my ripped jean shorts, constantly rubbing the collar of my shirt. My hairs are erect against the surface of my skin. Everyone who was in here saw Ronan pull me close. Anyone could have taken a picture. They’re the most popular men in Durmont, and they don’t seem to care that anyone could have seen me with them. I sit between Malachi and Ronan , with my legs awkwardly crossed. I try to hide the fact that I’m two seconds away from spontaneously combusting from all the jagged nerves clawing at my insides. It feels so right sitting there with them, but still so damned wrong. Jaxon hands me a glass of champagne from his side of the lounge. I flash him a small, nervous smile. “Thank you.” He doesn’t look away from me. Ronan drapes his arm over the back of the lounge. I shudder at the mere feel of his hand against my neck. Malachi—ever the devil—puts his palm right on my thigh and leans into me. I’m certain he’s read the look on Jaxon’s concerned face. “Relax, baby,” he murmurs against the skin of my ear as he traces my shaky hand with his soft fingers. He lets them travel all the way to my shoulder where he squeezes gently. Relax? RELAX?It’s almost as though he can hear my thoughts, because he continues, “You know you don’t need to be so tense around us.” His voice is low and calm. calm for the chaos he’s stirring in my bloodstream. How the hell am I supposed to relax when one-tenth of Durmont’s elite population have just seen them claim me? “What are you worried about, kitten?” Ronan joins in. Do I tell them? I mean, I’m more than happy. Aaron never did things like this. Sure, he had put in a little effort when we were dating, but he completely changed after we got married. I should probably shut the fuck up and enjoy this, but I can’t. Not when I know what’s at stake. “Aren’t you worried?” I blurt out, turning my head to catch him already staring. My eyes rake over his face, searching for any sign that he’s feeling even a fraction of the nerves that threaten to swallow me whole. But I find nothing. Just that raw, arrogant confidence that clings to him like second skin. It makes my breath hitch at the back of my throat. “What should we be worried about?” I narrow my eyes on him. “That someone saw how you held me and took a picture of it.” He sighs and looks away. “Sarah…” “What if it makes it to the tabloids?” I cut in, sitting up right. “Aren’t you worried about that?” Malachi reaches for the back of my neck and strokes it gently. “Are you ashamed of us?” Ashamed of them? These three? They shut down a high-end designer store. For me. I’m not ashamed. If anything, I’m overwhelmed. “That’s not it,” I reply. “I just…Kevin doesn’t know yet. He asked and I lied to him. Aren’t you worried about what’s going to happen if he finds out? What he’s going to do to you?” Malachi’s hands cup the sides of my waist. Ronan watches with a faint smile as he brings me up to his thighs. He brushes the loose strands of hair off my face and leans backwards. I can’t look away from those deep grey eyes of his. “We’re not scared of Kevin,” he starts to speak. “Sure, we love him, he’s our best friend. But we want you more, Sarah.” “We will do whatever we can to prove ourselves to him,” Jaxon adds. “But if he doesn’t understand…” “We can live with that.” Ronan interrupts. I watch him take a long sip of his champagne before looking at me. “You’re worth it.” I blink hard, trying to convince myself this is real. But Malachi kisses my cheek. Just a light, affectionate press that makes me want to melt into the damn floor. “You feel better now?” he whispers. Not even a little. It sounds to me like they’re ready to tear their friendship apart to have me. But I don’t want that. I want to be able to keep them all together. I’ll never be happy knowing their friendship with Kevin ended because of me. They’re all still looking at me, so I nod like a liar and take a very big sip of my champagne, hoping to drown away my thoughts. The store manager reappears with a broad smile and tells us everything is ready for me to begin shopping. The brothers stay seated and let me roam. The boutique is absurd. Racks of handmade gowns, shelves lined with silk and lace. I can have anything I want here. Absolutely anything. Still, I pick three dresses. The first is black halter-neck that seems to hug the waist just right. It flows all the way to the ground. I can already see myself in it, with a pair of gold heels. I smile at the thought. The second is a dark green silk slip dress with straps for sleeves. The only opening is by the right hip. It leaves the skin of the curve open for admiration, and the rest of the body is covered down to the knees. The third is the red dress. The one that had me stop and stare. She is scandal in fabric form. Bare back, deep plunge neckline, and a very impolite thigh slit. The color is an exact match to my red hair. She was definitely made for me. I hold her up in front of the mirror and bite back a grin. “Oh, you’re going to cause so many problems.” My reflection just smirks back. I scoop up the three dresses and head back to the fitting suite. The brothers look up when I walk in. “I’m back!” I squeal. The concept of retail therapy has never been more real to me. It took me from zero to hundred in mere seconds. Malachi’s legs are crossed, glass in hand. His gaze drops to the dresses, then slowly—too slowly—returns to me with a smolder that makes my thighs press together. Ronan’s watching me with an intense gaze. His eyes are dark, unwavering, and they crawl all over me like smoke. It’s slow, domineering, electric. Jaxon lifts a brow. “Just three?” I shrug. “That’s all I liked.” “You sure?” he asks. “We’re not in a hurry. You can go wild if you want.” “I’m good,” I say, even though my heart is hammering against the walls of my chest. “Thank you.” I’ve been naked in front of these men so many times, so why am I a blushing mess standing in front of them right now? Malachi stretches and cracks his neck. “Well, if that’s all, we have somewhere else we’d like to take you.” My champagne confidence makes a brief return. “Wouldn’t you like to see the dresses on me first?” I ask, batting my lashes just a little. Yes. Call me a horny mess, I don’t care. But I want them, and I’m determined to get what I want here and now. Three heads turn toward me. The room suddenly feels thirty degrees hotter. “We are in a private fitting suite,” I add sweetly. “Just the four of us.” Ronan’s eyes darken. He leans back in his seat, the first few buttons of his shirt are undone, revealing the inked outline of a wolf’s head on his chest. Malachi runs a hand through his messy curls and slouches deeper into the couch. Jaxon, still perched on his stool, leans forward with forearms resting on his knees. I take their stances as a yes. Ronan’s voice is a low rumble as his lips thin into a proud grin. “All right then,” he waves at me. “Show us.” All that champagne confidence suddenly fades away. Every drop of it evaporates under the weight of his gaze. But I can’t back down now. I have a feeling they won’t let me. So, I start to undress. My shirt drops to the floor. Then my shorts. I stand there, stark naked in front of three men who have made it very clear they want me and would stop at nothing to get me. Malachi groans. I will replay the sound in my head for many nights to come. I blush hard, but I don’t stop. I slowly slip into the red dress, tugging the fabric over my hips, adjusting the plunge over my chest, smoothing it down my sides. I turn around to face them. The room goes dead quiet. Ronan’s eyes are black with hunger. I can see his jaw clenching. The dress barely covers my ass and bugs every single curve that exists on my body. My back is bare. I feel naked standing in it. “Where do you think you’re wearing that to, kitten?” Ronan asks. His deep, velvety voice almost sounds laced with a threat. Seeing them like this, working up over how sexy I look, makes me smile. My allure slowly returns. “I don’t know. Maybe wherever you’re taking me today?” Malachi leans forward. “You want to walk around with your body on full display? You want to walk around like this and let every man imagine touching what’s ours?”Ours. I bite down gently, my lower lip is the only thing that stops me from saying something utterly reckless. I cock my head to the side. “What? It’s not like you guys are my boyfriends or anything.” Jaxon stands up. “Take it off, Sarah.” Yes. Just like that. “Why? I really like it.” As if on cue, Malachi and Ronan rise up as well. I stand still, anticipating as they cross over to me. Ronan gets to me first. He catches my chin in his grasp, lifting it just enough to steal every inch of defiance from me. His eyes bore into mine, and my knees wobble from the pressure…the wanton heat boiling in my stomach. “Take it off, Sarah,” he breathes out. His broad chest rises and falls with every word. “I swear to God, I’ll tear it off your body right now.”