Chapter 273: Curiosity Killed The Cat

April slowly lifted her head from his chest, her eyes flashing with a mix of lingering embarrassment and her usual sharp, stubborn defiance, even as her cheeks remained completely scarlet.

"I am a fast learner," she declared stiffly, trying desperately to regain an ounce of her dignified posture while sitting firmly on Nat’s lap. "Do not underestimate me."

All three men looked at her, and this time, even Xavier couldn’t suppress the quiet, genuine laugh that escaped him.

This was just like that time Nat had made a comment that she took as a direct jab at her height—and when she sharply insisted she wasn’t short, he had just laughed in her face. He was clearly doubting her.

And now too, they were laughing for no reason. Were they doubting her now?

April narrowed her eyes, completely unaware of the real reason behind their laughter. She didn’t realize that seeing her drop her usual guard—showing this rare, vulnerable, and deeply human side of herself—was a massive relief to all of them.

For the first time, they didn’t feel like they had to walk on eggshells around a cold, calculating strategist preparing for the end of the world.

"I’m taking that kiss now, though," Nat drawled softly, his tone shifting into something thick and dangerously low.

Before she could form a counter-argument, his long fingers slid up to cup her chin, gently tilting her head back. His eyes darkened with an intense, unyielding hunger as he pulled her closer against his chest.

"Sweetheart, I crave your lips," Nat whispered against her skin, leaning in until his breath brushed directly over her mouth. "And if you knew what I did last night just because of how soft they felt against mine... you’d probably try to block me out right now."

April blinked, her mind momentarily short-circuiting at his words. "What?"

"Jeez, Nat Collins, we don’t want to hear about your perverted endeavors!" Alexander groaned loudly, slapping both hands firmly over his ears with a disgusted grimace. "That’s repulsive."

Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose, his composure cracking once more as his face flushed a fresh shade of red. "Collins, have some decorum."

Nat didn’t care about their protests. He merely tilted his head toward Xavier, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous, mockingly sharp slit.

"I don’t think I should be hearing that from you, Reed," Nat drawled, a dark, wicked smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I saw you yesterday when I yanked her from you. You were in the exact same ’condition’ as me."

Alexander’s hands froze over his ears, his blue eyes snapping open in utter disbelief as he stared between the two of them. "Wait—both of you?!"

Xavier’s hand stiffened against the bridge of his nose. He looked as though he wanted to summon a blizzard to freeze the entire top floor solid, his ears burning a violent shade of scarlet. "That is completely private, Collins."

April looked back and forth between them, her dark eyes wide as her brain tried—and failed—to process the subtle, unspoken implications of what Nat was hinting at. What condition?

Before her mind could attempt to run a diagnostic on that particular mystery, Nat’s long fingers slid back up to cup her chin firmly, cutting off all her exits.

"Curiosity killed the cat, sweetheart," Nat whispered, his voice dropping an octave as his eyes locked onto her mouth. "Stop thinking so hard."

He brought his lips down onto hers, claiming her mouth in a deep, possessive kiss that instantly melted her remaining defenses away.

April’s world narrowed down to the overwhelming sensation of him.

His lips were warm, firm, and astonishingly soft against her own, parting hers with a possessive, but gentle pressure.

She could feel the faint, electrifying trace of his tongue, but there wasn’t a single shred of disgust in her chest. No panic, no instinct to strike, no urge to retreat either.

Instead, her fingers dug deep into the fabric of his shirt, clutching him tightly as if he were her only anchor in a storm.

She leaned into the touch, practically drinking from his lips like a starving man stumbling upon a spring, drowning in the intoxicating rush of heat and scent that belonged entirely to him.

She wanted more—

Clank.

The sharp, heavy thud of a glass meeting the table shattered the spell and she opened her eyes.

Before Nat could deepen the kiss any further, Xavier’s hand shot out, his long fingers wrapping firmly around Nat’s wrist. The temperature around the table plummeted back into sub-zero territory, Xavier’s dark eyes burning with an icy, unyielding authority.

"That’s enough, Collins," Xavier commanded, his voice dropping into a low, deadly register. "You’ve had your turn."

Simultaneously, Alexander stepped into the narrow space between the table and Nat’s chair. Without a shred of hesitation, he reached down, his hands sliding under April’s arms to gently, yet firmly, lift her completely off Nat’s lap.

"Hey—!" Nat growled, his eyes flashing with sudden, predatory fury as his grip was broken. He snapped his head toward Alexander, his jaw tight enough to shatter stone. "Hand off, Greels. Don’t step in just because you’re jealous."

"Yeah, I’m jealous. So what?" Alexander countered smoothly, his broad frame stepping in to block Nat’s path as he set April gently back onto her own feet.

His hands lingered on her waist just long enough to steady her, his blue eyes sweeping over her flushed face, her dazed eyes, and her swollen, kisspink lips. A sharp, dark spark of envy flickered in his gaze. "You don’t get to consume all her attention while the rest of us sit here like audience members."

April stood there, swaying slightly as her mind struggled to reboot. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird, her breathing short and uneven.

Xavier stood up, adjusting his suit jacket with crisp, deliberate precision, though his eyes remained locked onto April’s breathless state. "If we are establishing an understanding here, Collins, it will not be built on you hogging every moment of intimacy."

"Is that a challenge, Reed?" Nat sneered, rising slowly from his chair like a caged beast ready to tear the room apart.

"It’s called boundary," Xavier replied coldly, stepping around the table to stand on April’s other side. "But I doubt a villain like you would understand,"

Nat stood over him, letting his oppressive aura flood the air. "Oh yeah? Then why doesn’t a saint like you enlighten me?"