Chapter 136: Chapter 136 Playing the Field

Elara’s POV

"Love you," I said.

Right then, Barrett walked back in carrying the water.

I pulled the same trick again, looking over at Alistair. "I want some strawberries. Could you pick some for me?"

Alistair grinned. "Sure thing. I’ll grab them for you."

Every single day. I’m so damn cute.

The second he walked out, I pointed at Barrett’s lips. "You’ve got something there. Come here, let me get it off."

It was the weakest excuse in the book, but Barrett—bless his dense heart—almost wiped it himself before the lightbulb went off. He set down the water and took Alistair’s spot on the bed. His ass barely touched the mattress before I kissed him.

Barrett had never felt anything like this.

Married? Sure. Experienced? Not even close.

"Elara..." His breath caught. I could tell he wanted more, but he stayed frozen, eyes shut, just soaking in how soft my lips felt.

He thought, "Like I’m floating. So this is what kissing feels like. So this is how soft her lips are."

"There. All clean." I pulled back, smirking.

Watching him get all flustered, I covered my mouth and giggled. "Why are you turning red?"

I asked on purpose. The way he looked right now—holding back, fighting it, clearly turned on—it was adorable enough to make his animal ears show.

"It’s warm," he mumbled.

"Then go cool off." Julian appeared in the doorway with a tray of food and juice, everything perfectly arranged.

Barrett, embarrassed and definitely worked up, figured he should bail. He told me to rest and bolted.

The moment Barrett left, I patted the empty space and smiled at Julian. "Jules, sit with me."

He sulked. "Don’t want to."

That lasted maybe a heartbeat before he dropped down next to me. "What do you want?"

"You."

Julian’s scales flared instantly. He hated how quick he got it. His heart hammered so hard I thought he might shift into a marine iguana.

"Jules, can you make bubbles?" I asked.

Julian straightened up. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

I leaned closer. "With your mouth?"

"No..."

"Wait, you can? That’s incredible!"

I was playing dumb, and I was damn good at it. I bit down, sucked hard, and pulled his ear fins right out. He made this small sound and leaned in—but I stopped after just two kisses.

Julian looked down, his gaze drifting back to my lips. He wanted more.

Nothing like those kisses we’d shared through the food slot back at the facility. Here, he could smell me. This was my room, packed with ridiculous toys, pink and dreamy—just like me, so cute it drove him crazy.

He wanted to give in. "Why’d you stop?"

Kaelen stood in the doorway, arms folded, watching us. "You really think it’s cool for you two to make out while I’m standing right here?"

He arched an eyebrow. "Busy wife."

He thought, "She used to focus on me most. She used to love touching me. Now that everyone looks good, she can’t keep her hands off any of them. Especially that mouth."

Julian snorted. "Look who’s jealous."

Kaelen’s chin lifted, his eye twitching. "I don’t do jealous."

He walked over, grabbed Julian by the shirt, and yanked him off the bed. "Did you root yourself there? Can’t you see I’m next in line for kisses?"

Julian stared, thinking, "Is this dragon serious?"

They were about to throw down when I pulled them both close, one under each arm. I petted them like puppies. "Easy now. I’ll kiss him, then you, then him, then you."

I hadn’t planned this. But damn, these uniforms were doing things to me.

Why let one guy run your life when you can have a whole crew? A smart woman spreads her options.

I’m young. Still young. Young and getting older. Before I know it, I’ll be older than I want to think about. So what if I kiss a few people?

My period was already a pain in the ass. Playing with my husbands made it bearable.

So what if I kiss them? I wanted to. I did.

I’m officially off the rails.

And I’m loving every second.

"You feeling alright?" Kaelen picked up the bowl and, before I could kiss him, spooned food into my mouth instead.

He continued, "Finnian mentioned you barely touched your food today. Slept most of the afternoon. And now you’re bouncing around during your period..."

The little dragon was different here than at the facility—rough around the edges but gentle underneath. Hearing that, Julian shot up quickly. "You should rest. I’ve got things to handle. If you need me, my lady, I’ll come back later."