“We can control ourselves,” Kade said. “No bonding during this heat. Just pure, raw sex.”

The way he grinned and the way his eyes sparkled told me he was looking forward to it. They wanted me. I gasped a little, the true knowledge of it sinking in like it hadn’t yesterday when I was so overwhelmed with scent and everything else I was stuck inside my own head. They wanted me.

“You want me.”

“Yes.” Luke slipped an arm around my waist and tugged me sideways until I was nearly in his lap. “If anything, I hope spending your heat with us will show you exactly how much we want you, and let you believe it.”

Kade rose up on his knees and kissed me. Really kissed me. Oh, fuck. “Esme, I wanted you the second Ben shoved that ratty-ass t-shirt in my face. The reason I didn’t touch you more yesterday was because my cock was rock hard the whole time and I didn’t want to make you nervous. I never believed in scent theory, and that single breath made me a believer. I don’t care how long it takes for you to get to where we are. I’ll wait as long as it takes. But please, let us take care of you. Don’t ask us to walk away knowing you’ll be in pain.” His hand curled around the back of my neck and he pulled our foreheads together, gathering me into the scent of cool woods and a winter bonfire. “Please.”

Being taken care of sounded nice. Staying in this room, aching and wanting more than I could have as I had during every other heat in my life wasn’t appealing. Besides, this solution involved sex with men who made my mouth water, and would, in no way, be a hardship.

Still, it was hard to let go of the safety of the way things had always been. But they wanted me, and I needed to try. I was scared. Terrified. But I wanted them too.

My head was filled with visions of them walking away after my heat. Firmly, I closed my eyes and blocked out the voices which always seemed to tell me the worst outcome for everything. “Okay.”

“Yeah?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. Doesn’t mean I’m not nervous.”

Kade stood and pulled me to my feet, purr growing louder as he held me against his chest, and I felt the echoes of what it would be when my heat fully arrived. I would be ravenous for these men. All of them. “Nervous we can work with.”

“What about the studio? Your clients?”