Their Virgin Concubine, Masters of Ménage, Book 3 by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake Page A

words were soft, but there was a hard edge to them.
    “We didn’t mean to hurt you.”
    “I know. You just felt sorry for me.”
    He pressed her against his brother, trapping her between them. He pressed his pelvis against her stomach. “I feel sorry for me right now. I’ve been like this all night long.”
    “And me.”
    Piper’s body nestled against his as Rafe pressed against her, too.
    Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I don’t understand. I wasn’t going to turn you away.”
    Kade struggled to find the words to make her understand. “Piper, we care about you. We want you, but we want to make love to you when the time is right. Can you honestly tell me you had any thoughts of the future last night?”
    Piper sighed, her body finally relaxing. She didn’t wrap herself around them, but she stopped fighting. “I wasn’t thinking at all. I was just feeling. And this morning, I’m glad we didn’t go through with it. It would have been a mistake.”
    He forced her face up. She was so beautiful. “Yes, but I do not think we’re on the same page yet. This is going to happen, Piper. We will come together when everything is as it should be. Do you remember how we explained last night that in our family, brothers must share a woman?”
    Piper flushed. “Yes. It’s not exactly the kind of thing a girl forgets.”
    “There are three brothers, habibti . Think about that.” He kissed her quickly before she could pull away. Then he stepped back.
    He deeply enjoyed the shocked look on her face.
    The plane rolled to a peaceful stop, but he was pretty sure Piper’s mind was still soaring.
    “Come on then, love. It’s time to meet your friend, Tal.” Kade took her hand and started to lead her out of the plane.
    “So I’m going to Tal’s? Should I get my briefcase? Does he know I’m coming?”
    Rafe walked behind them. “He knows. I have little doubt he is waiting for you.”
    The plane door opened, and a blast of heat hit them. Piper gasped a little. He was sure it wasn’t the last he’d hear of that sweet sound. She was in for a bit of a surprise.
     
    *  *  *  *
     
    Talib stood in the heat, adjusting his tie yet again, wondering what he was doing. It was traditional to wait for guests in the receiving room, but Piper Glen was more than a guest. She would be mistress of this house if things worked out.
    Three bodyguards stood behind him. All former US Special Forces. All recommended by his friend, Cole Burke. He almost never went anywhere now without his own small SEAL team. Every man was decked out for the occasion in a suit and those sunglasses that the US military seemed to hand out to their resident badasses.
    “You have incoming, sir.” Cooper Evans nodded toward the west hall.
    Ah, his day was complete. He stared at his cousin, Khalil, a hungry beast if ever he saw one. Over the last few months he’d dropped some weight and the new gauntness to his features gave him the air of a jackal on the prowl. This handfasting to Piper must work out. Khalil was just waiting to pounce.
    Alea frowned, moving from behind Landon Nix. The big former sergeant kept his eyes on Alea as though waiting for someone to make a move.
    “I didn’t tell him.” Alea nodded their cousin’s way. “But I think he suspects. I swear he has spies everywhere. I worry he has them even here in the palace.”
    It was probably a good idea to rerun background checks on everyone working in the palace. Once again, he worried that he was placing Piper in danger, but there was nothing he could do but try his utmost to protect her. He had to move forward.
    To call Khalil a cousin was a misnomer. They were related by blood in a distant fashion. Alea was his first cousin, born to his mother’s sister. Khalil’s family had branched off two generations back, his grandfather refusing to share a wife in the traditional fashion. He’d been given money and a place to live, but Tal often wondered if that was enough for the al