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She laughs under her breath, and the sound eases the tight place behind my lungs.

Theo reaches for her. “Come here, little rabbit.”

She climbs over my lap carefully, straddling my thighs while Theo keeps me braced against him. Her heat settles over me, separated by thin fabric and not enough patience. My hands go to her hips. They stay solid.

Thank fuck.

Pepper notices and covers one of my hands with hers. She guides it beneath her shorts. “Your body is still yours.”

The words crack through me.

I cup her, finding slick heat with my fingers. She shudders and drops her forehead to mine. Theo’s purr deepens behind me. His hands move over both of us, one at Pepper’s back, one across my chest. He surrounds us and it feels like a cocoon of safety.

I tease Pepper’s clit until her breath breaks. She keeps stroking me, our rhythm messy at first, then matched. Her mouth finds mine. Theo kisses her shoulder, then my neck, then the corner of my mouth when I turn toward him.

Their bodies cradle me tightly. Theo’s fingers curl around my cock. His hand syncs in a rhythm with Pepper as our mouths slide against each other. The three of us move together in the dim room, slow enough for comfort to stay ahead of hunger.

Pepper comes first, trembling over my hand with her face tucked into my neck. Her moans and ragged breathing spill against my skin, sweet and helpless, and my body follows hard. I come in their hands while Theo holds me through it, his mouth at my temple, his voice low with praise I feel more than hear.

For long moments, no one moves except to breathe. Then Pepper lifts her head and kisses me so softly it hurts.

“There,” she says. “More of you.”

I close my eyes. The water is quiet.

Theo’s arms tighten around us both. “Stay here.”

“Demanding.”

“Without a doubt.”

I smile because my body feels like mine again.

Theo cleans my stomach and Pepper’s hand with a warm cloth he grabs from the bathroom. Pepper drinks when he tells her to, then makes me drink too. I eat another apple slice under protest, which fools no one because it tastes good.

Theo checks the camera feeds one last time. His shoulders lower.

“All clear?” Pepper asks.

“Clear.”

“Then no more watching the dark.”

He looks as if he might argue.

“Alpha.” She pats the bed. “Come be useful here.”

Theo comes.

We settle under the quilts Pepper built around us. Theo lies behind me, his chest to my back. Pepper curls in front of me with one leg hooked over mine and her palm resting over my heart. Theo’s arm reaches over my waist to cover her hand.

I’m held between them without feeling as if I’m too much and not enough.

Rain taps against the window. The house creaks softly around us. Somewhere downstairs, the refrigerator hums, and the camera monitor gives its faint electric buzz. Normal sounds. House sounds.

Pepper’s breathing slows first. Her fingers twitch once against my chest before settling. Theo stays awake longer, his thumb moving now and then over my stomach as though he’s counting me by touch.

“You can sleep,” I whisper.