Chapter 65: Candles and Claws
Selene
Dinner is set on the upper deck beneath a canopy of string lights and stars. Everything sparkles—cutlery, glasses, even the wine. The sea is calm and so is the breeze, but there’s nothing calm about the mood.
I arrive wrapped in a deep red silk slip dress with a thigh-high slit, braless and barefoot. Adrian’s idea. “If we’re going to feed the tension,” he said, “we might as well starve him first.”
John wears black linen. Adrian in dove gray. Both impossible to look away from. But when Kostas arrives—shirt buttoned just enough to tease, hair damp, still smelling like the ocean—I feel the air shift.
He doesn’t sit across from me. He takes the seat beside me.
And no one objects.
Dinner begins with oysters, but the real meal is the way we’re all watching each other. Adrian’s hand drifts to my knee beneath the table. John’s foot brushes mine, from across me where he is seated. Kostas’s hand lingers far too long when he passes me a glass of non alcoholic wine.
It’s a game.
And we’re all playing.
Sierra is the only one not invited.
She sits across from Kostas & I, wearing a low-cut metallic dress that screams desperation and designer clearance. Every time I laugh, she glares. Every time I speak, she fake-smiles like her face might crack.
I ignore her. For a while that is .
But when I reach for the breadbasket and she “accidentally” bumps the basket, knocking the bread sticks over , I give her a look sharp enough to slice diamonds.
“Oh, sorry,” she purrs. “Guess we can’t all be balanced.”
Before I can respond, Kostas’s voice cuts through the air.
“Enough.”
She startles.
His tone doesn’t rise, but it slices coldly through. “This isn’t the place. Or the night. I think it’s best you head back, you insisted on coming despite knowing I don’t want you here, you were a good fuck, but that’s it .”
Sierra blinks. “Are you serious?”
He doesn’t even look at her. “Captain will take you to shore tonight , there’s a chèque in your cabin with a small thank you for your services .”
The air goes still. I try not to gape.
Sierra shoots me one last venomous look, then turns and stalks off, heels clicking like gunshots.
I exhale. “Well… that was awkward.”
Kostas finally turns to me, and his smile is slow, heated, intentional. “Now, where were we?”
Adrian raises a brow. “Somewhere between oysters and open seduction.”
John clinks his glass to mine. “Cheers to that.”
The four of us talk, flirt, drink. There are no boundaries, only curiosity and glances that linger longer than necessary. At one point, I lean over to say something to Adrian and feel Kostas’s hand graze my lower back. When I look up, he doesn’t pull away.
Later, I notice John and Adrian exchange a look.
Then John stands. “Selene, mind giving us a minute and stay up here a while? Adrian and I need to check something below deck.”
I narrow my eyes. “You two are not as slick as you think.”
Adrian winks. “We’re just giving you a moment. You’ll thank us later.”
They disappear, and I turn slowly to Kostas.
His gaze is molten. “I didn’t ask them to do that.”
“I know.”
“But I’m glad they did.”
I sip my non alcoholic wine( which is technically just grape juice not fermented) "You’re not exactly subtle either.”
“I’m not trying to be.”
He leans in just slightly, voice low. “This—whatever this is between you three—I don’t just want to watch it. I want to understand it. Be part of it.”
I lift an eyebrow. “You say that like it’s easy.”
He smirks. “Nothing about you is easy. That’s why I want in.”
His eyes flick to my mouth. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
I don’t.
Because I don’t know if I want to.
And then his lips are on mine—hot, confident, slow. Not forceful. Not testing. Just there, demanding my attention like he already knows I’ve been thinking about it.
His hand finds my jaw, thumb brushing the edge of my cheek as he deepens it. The kiss lingers, warm and firm, his mouth moving over mine like a promise.
And damn it, I kiss him back.
Only for a moment.
Before reality slams into me, now isn't the time to get too carried away.
I break the kiss, heart racing, breath unsteady, and push back from the table, rising so fast the chair nearly topples.
“I… need a moment.”
His eyes search mine, but he doesn’t chase me.
I turn, dress swirling around my legs, and make my way below deck without looking back.
Below Deck – Our Cabin
The door swings open, and I find them both waiting. John is perched on the edge of the bed. Adrian’s pacing like a storm in human form.
They look up the second I enter.
“He kissed me,” I say quietly. “I let him.”
Silence.
Then Adrian runs a hand through his hair. “How did it feel?”
I don’t lie. “Good. Too good.”
John studies me, unreadable. “Do you want more?”
I freeze. “I don’t know.”
Adrian moves to me. “That’s not a no.”
“It’s not a yes either.”
John leans forward. “Then maybe it’s time we stop wondering. Let him in.”
I blink. “What?”
Adrian’s voice is low. Certain. “We trust you. We trust us. We know what we are. And if exploring this helps you figure out what you want, we want to be part of that.”
I stare between them. “You’re serious? I know we haven't really spoken much about limits and exclusivity and such."
John rises and kisses my hand. “Call him.”
Adrian’s already reaching for his phone. “Let’s see how brave he really is when the door opens all the way