Chapter 53: Games We Shouldn’t Play
Josie
I stirred with a faint groan, the sunlight spilling into the room far too bright for my liking. But it wasn’t the light that pulled me from sleep—it was warmth. Gentle, solid warmth pressed against every part of me. I blinked slowly, and as my vision adjusted, the shape of a shoulder filled my view. No—two shoulders. Three bodies. I was tucked like a precious thing between them. My breath caught.
My body was draped over Varen’s chest, his arm protective around my waist. Thorne was behind me, close enough that I could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat against my back. And Kiel... Kiel had his hand resting lightly over my thigh, his touch like a lingering memory of a dream I couldn’t remember but ached for.
I swallowed, heat creeping up the back of my neck.
Why the hell was I this warm?
No. It wasn’t just warmth.
It was heat. Need. Hunger. Something darker curled beneath my skin like a whisper, something I’d never felt so sharply before. I squirmed slightly, rubbing my legs together. My body felt too aware. Too flushed. Every breath seemed to pull in their scents and settle it low in my belly.
Kiel’s fingers tightened slightly around my waist, and he shifted. I could feel him... he was hard.
"Oh," I whispered before I could stop myself.
Kiel let out a sleepy groan and blinked his eyes open. He didn’t even look surprised to see me staring at him. Instead, he gave me a soft smile, leaned in, and brushed a kiss to my forehead.
"Morning," he murmured, voice thick with sleep. "You okay?"
"I feel weird," I whispered.