Jade’s POV

“You scared me.”

Ryder’s voice was barely louder than the ocean behind us, hid voice was husky and filled with raw emotions.

I looked up at him, still half wrapped in the towel they’d thrown around my shoulders, salt clinging to my skin, lungs aching faintly. His hands were still on me, steady, grounding, like he hadn’t even realized he was holding on.

And he looked.... wrecked.

Not angry. Not distant. Not guarded.

Scared.

For a split second, my mind refused to accept it. Ryder didn’t look at people like that. Didn’t care like that. Not about me.

I shifted my gaze, heart pounding unevenly, and that’s when I saw them.

Ronan stood just behind him, jaw tight, eyes dark with something that looked like panic to me. Renzo was already moving toward us with the medical team, his expression sharp and focused, but his eyes flicked over me, checking, counting breaths, like he needed to see for himself that I was still standing.

They all looked... shaken.

Concerned.

I swallowed hard.

This isn’t real, I told myself quickly. You’re reading too much into it.

They weren’t scared for me. They were scared of what would happen if I died on their watch. Of what their father would say. Of the fallout.

That had to be it.

The medical team worked quickly, checking my breathing, my pulse, asking questions I answered automatically cause I barely heard them over the rush in my head.

“She needs rest,” one of them finally said. “No more activities for now. Take her back to the suite.”

Ryder immediately stepped forward and held out his hand.

The sight of it made something twist sharply in my chest.

I panicked.

If I took his hand, if I let him help me, I didn’t trust myself not to believe things I couldn’t afford to.

So I ignored it

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, pushing myself upright before he could insist. My legs wobbled, but I steadied myself and turned toward the resort.

I didn’t look back.

I could feel them behind me anyway.

The walk back to the suite felt longer than it should have. The silence was heavy, filled with things no one was saying. When we finally got inside, I headed straight for the bed and sat down, exhaustion crashing over me now that the adrenaline had faded.

They hovered.

Ronan returned first with a cup of steaming tea, setting it gently on the bedside table without a word. Renzo draped a blanket over my shoulders, careful not to touch my skin too much, like he was afraid I’d flinch. Ryder disappeared and came back with a warm towel, placing it in my hands.

Their movements were restrained. Controlled.

Cold.

And yet... they were there. Watching. Checking. Making sure I drank the tea. Making sure I was warm.

It messed with my head.

Which is it? I wondered. Do you care, or is this just obligation?

I hated that part of me that wanted it to be real. That craved for such attention.

A knock sounded, breaking the tension. The resort manager stepped in, posture apologetic.

“Due to the incident,” he said gently, “the cooking class has been postponed. However, the sex therapy session will still proceed. The therapist has already arrived.”

Sex therapy.

My stomach tightened.

The manager stepped aside as a man in his forties entered, calm eyes, relaxed posture, no judgment in his gaze.

“I’m Dr. Chad,” he said warmly. “Thank you for having me.”

He took a seat on the couch, gesturing for us to do the same. After a brief hesitation, we did, me in the middle, the three of them spaced around me like they were afraid of crossing an invisible line.

Dr. Chad observed us quietly for a moment.

“Well,” he said mildly, “this is... telling.”

Ronan scoffed. “We’re not...”

“Comfortable?” Dr. Chaf finished. “Yes. I can see that.”

I pressed my lips together.

“Let’s start simple,” he continued. “Why are you here?”

Silence.

“Because our father arranged it,” Ryder said finally.

“And how do you feel about that?” Dr. Chad asked.

Ryder hesitated.

“I don’t know.”

Dr. Chad nodded, then turned to me. “And you?”

I swallowed. “I... don’t think they like me.”

That got their attention.

Ronan turned sharply. “That’s not....”

“Then what is it?” I asked before I could stop myself. My voice shook. “Because one moment you act like I don’t exist, and the next...” I gestured vaguely. “ you all look at me making me wonder if you do care or not.”

Dr. Chad leaned forward. “It seems to me,” he said calmly, “that you all care deeply, but you’re each convinced the others don’t. So you protect yourselves by pulling away.”

No one spoke.

The tension thickened.

“Fear doesn’t always look like distance,” Dr. Chad added. “Sometimes it looks like restraint.”

"We are not afraid of anything, some things are just better left the way they are" Renzo stated

"Really? Very well then." Dr Chad said not arguing further.

"Let’s move on to your sex lives shall we?" Dr Chad said I could feel the atmosphere tense

"Jade" He called looking at me and my body stiffened. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Tell me about your sex life with you and your mates"

"Non-existent" I blurted.

"So your mates haven’t fully claimed you yet, why is that?" He asked looking at Ronan, Ryder and Renzo.

"Its none of your business" Renzo stated coldly.

"Your father flew me in here and paid for my service just so I could hear your sexual problems and see if I can help so I’m sure this is very much my business" Dr Chad stated.

"She doesn’t want to have sex with us, she hates us" Ronan blurted and I looked at him in surprise before I could stop myself.

"What? That’s not true" I said

The three of them looked at me surprised.

Dr Chad stood up, smiling gently. “I think that’s enough for today, I’ll take my leave for now."

When the door closed behind him, the room felt too small.

Too quiet.

No one moved.

Then something shifted. Like their restraint all broke in an instant.

I didn’t know who leaned in first. I only knew that suddenly Ryder’s hand was on my cheek, warm and trembling, his forehead resting against mine like he’d been holding back for far too long.

Ronan’s presence closed in from the other side, his breath uneven, his fingers brushing my arm like he was testing whether this was real.

Renzo moved towards me, and his lips came crashing on mine. Rushed. Wild. Electric.

It was overwhelming.

It was urgent and desperate all at once.

Their lips found my skin, my temple, my jaw, my mouth, my boobs.

I gasped, hands fisting in fabric, heart racing as warmth spread through me in dizzying waves.

They kissed me like they’d been denying themselves for too long.

Like this moment had been inevitable.

Renzo lifted me up and gently placed me on the bed, Ronan and Ryder followed.

"Want to see us naked Jade?" Ryder asked and I nodded.

"Say, tell us to strip naked for you and we will" Renzo said and I looked at him, heat flushing my cheeks.

"Strip naked for me"