Page 57 of Hunting for her Heart
They all look to where I’m pointing with looks of surprise on their faces.
Finally, Hawk shakes his head. “We’re fools. Of course that would attract predators.”
“We’re cooking all of this meat now,” Ronan says angrily as he stands and grabs the other carcass, dumping it in the giant pile of raw meat.
In order to cook it fast, instead of skewering it like they usually do, they lay bigger pieces out over large, flat stones that they place in the fire. They work sort of like frying pans, being so thin that they seem to heat right through.
It takes a few hours, but by the time the sun has set and the crickets are out chirping loudly, all the meat has been cooked, and Ronan announces we can finally goto bed.
I’m grateful because today has been exhausting, and I’m ready to go to sleep and start tomorrow fresh. Besides, it will mean we’re only three days away from being able to leave this place and go home.
I’m just not sure where home is for me anymore.
Bo lies down behind me, moving close to my back as Hawk lies on his side, facing me. He reaches up and runs his thumb down my cheek as he examines my face.
“Are you okay?” he asks, after a few moments.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Well, that won’t do,” Bo says with an exaggerated sigh.
“What?” I ask in confusion.
“You should never bejust fine. Not with us.”
Bo moves my hair back from my face, exposing my neck, and places a long kiss there, just below my ear. The action sends a bolt of desire coursing through my body, and I bite my lip and squeeze my legs together.
“Will you let us make you feel better?” Hawk whispers as he starts to move even closer to me, our noses almost touching. “Let us show you what your mates can do for you.”
He strokes my cheek again, and I find myself aching to say yes. I want to know what it feels like to have them touch me.Reallytouch me. But thoughts of the future have me biting my tongue. Would saying yes mean I’m committing to them forever?
I’ve only known them for a few days, and even though I already know that my life would feel empty without them, it’s hard to cross that line. Even though they’ve repeatedly told me they will help me find my sister, it feels like I’d be choosing them over her somehow. Like I’d be replacing her as the most important person in my life.
Izzy and I have barely spent any time together in the pastfew years, since they scheduled us in different places, and she was forced to marry. I’ve only seen her once in the past six months when she’d snuck back in and found my wrist chained to my bed, not allowing me to leave.
She didn’t know that father had been doing that to me, so when she came to break me out, she had no way to break the chain, and we were interrupted before she was able to help me. That was just a week and a half ago.
I was so happy to see her. She told me it was almost impossible to break into the compound, and that she’d been trying to get me out for months. So agreeing to stay with my Vikings feels like I am throwing away everything she has done for me, because she has nobody out there, and she will never stop looking for me. I just know it.
“This won’t solidify the bond,” Bo tells me, bringing me back to my current situation of being sandwiched between the two strong and handsome Vikings who seem to want nothing more than to be with me and make me happy. “Nothing has to change if you say yes. You still get to decide your future.”
I try to take in what he’s telling me, but with the soft kisses he keeps placing up and down my neck, I’m a little distracted.
“We just want the chance to try to persuade you,” Hawk says, his nose almost touching mine.
“Persuade me to do what?” I ask, tilting my head to give Bo more access.
“To choose us,” Bo answers for him. “So what’s your answer, little mate?”
My heart leaps in my chest at the nickname. The more they call me that, the more I like it. I’m not sure if it’s mydesire that has me whispering, “Yes,” or if it’s curiosity at what they are going to do.
Hawk closes the distance between us and kisses me. His lips are firmer than the other two, and I find I like the differences between them. I reach up and touch his face, my fingers itching to finally know what he feels like. When I scratch my fingers along his jaw, he groans, his mouth moving over mine hungrily.
I open for him, and he isn’t shy about experimenting with his tongue. It’s wider and thicker than the other two, surprising me since he’s the shortest. But he’s still a giant of a man. The way his tongue caresses mine has me whimpering with need.
My free hand trails over his stomach and abs, all that firm skin making me want to touch him everywhere. Bo’s hand on my stomach starts to move lower, and I find myself silently begging for him to touch me between my legs, my core positively aching for them.
His fingers pull up my nightdress as he whispers, “Can I touch you, Willow?”
