Chapter 274: I Want Attention

Alexander stepped further into the space between them, his posture unyielding as he subtly positioned himself in front of April. "If you two want to turn a private conversation into a brawl, take it outside. You’re suffocating her."

Nat’s eyes snapped down to Alexander, his upper lip curling into a dangerous sneer. "Move, Greels, before I knock that self-righteous look off your face."

"Try it," Alexander replied, his voice dropping into a low, even rumble, not flinching an inch against Nat’s oppressive aura. "I’m not that weak, you know."

"Hah!" Nat scoffed, clenching his fist. "Why don’t I test that out for myself?"

"Enough."

April’s voice wasn’t loud, but the absolute stillness in her tone cut through the thick, suffocating tension in an instant. The three towering men paused, their focus snapping back to her.

She stood between them, her chest still rising and falling slightly from Nat’s kiss, her cheeks still dusted with a lingering, faint pink. But the dazed haze in her eyes had cleared, replaced by a sharp, grounding clarity.

She looked at Xavier, whose knuckles were still tight at his sides; at Nat, who looked ready to tear the marble floor apart; and at Alexander, who refused to back down.

"We came up here to talk, not to tear this place to ground," April said, taking a slow, steady breath. She raised her head, her gaze sweeping over all three of them with a quiet, unshakeable authority that reminded them exactly what kind of woman she was. "If this is how you react over a single boundary, then I don’t know what to say. Maybe... I made a mistake and we shouldn’t be doing this."

The moment the word mistake left her lips, the temperature plunged into a suffocating, terrifying stillness.

Nat’s sneer instantly died. The aggressive, murderous aura radiating from his broad frame evaporated, replaced by a sudden, panic that locked every muscle in his body tight. His fists unclasped, his eyes widening as he stared at her in utter disbelief.

Beside her, Xavier’s eyes widened with a somewhat terrified look in them. His face drained of color as a sharp, hollow pang struck his chest. He took an involuntary half-step toward her, his dark eyes burning with an intense, desperate plea. "April,"

Even Alexander froze, his posture softening into immediate, silent alarm. His breath caught in his throat, his hand twitching at his side as if reaching out to anchor her before she could pull away completely.

None of them moved. None of them dared to breathe.

"Don’t," Nat rasped out first, his voice dropping into a low, desperate growl that stripped away all his usual arrogance. The terrifying beast who feared nothing in this world looked genuinely shaken by the one thing he could not afford to lose. "Don’t say that, April. Don’t call this a mistake."

"But... She’s right," Xavier spoke up softly, his voice trembling slightly despite his best efforts to stay composed.

"Shut up, Reed!" Nat hissed, his voice strained. He wasn’t helping matters.

Xavier looked at Nat, then at Alexander, before fixing his gaze entirely on April. "We acted like fools. We let our territorial instincts overshadow the very promise we made to you—and to each other. I am sorry, April. It won’t happen again."

Alexander stepped back, creating space and lowering his head in a quiet, solemn gesture of respect. "I lost my head, April. We all did. But please... don’t take your words back. Don’t put those walls back up."

April looked at the three of them—three of the most powerful, dangerous, and unyielding men in the world, all standing completely subdued, waiting on her every word with breathless anxiety.

It was inevitable for them to argue, fight, and even throw punches. Even if they were on the same page regarding their feelings for her, they were still separate individuals with massive egos and their own intense set of pride. She didn’t expect them to coexist peacefully right off the bat—or ever, really.

She just wanted peace while they were with her. It wasn’t like they would be around for much longer once the apocalypse officially broke loose and destroyed the world order, so until then... she wanted to enjoy whatever time and warmth they had to spare.

"I know you three aren’t going to become best friends overnight," April said, her tone softening as she looked across their tense faces. "I don’t expect you to. You’re all far too arrogant for that. But when you’re with me, I want peace. I don’t want to spend every minute mediating a war." I want... attention.

The absolute stillness in the room shifted. Nat let out a low, rough exhale, the last traces of his predatory edge smoothing out. He looked up at her, his golden eyes holding a rare, quiet understanding.

"Peace," Nat repeated softly, a faint, almost self-deprecating smirk touching his lips. "Got it, sweetheart. I can manage to keep my fists to myself when you’re in the room."

Xavier adjusted his cuffs, the color slowly returning to his face as he offered a steady, respectful nod. "You have my word, April. I won’t let pride ruin the time we have."

Alexander stepped up to her side, his blue eyes warm as he placed a reassuring hand near her shoulder without crowding her. "Whatever rules you set, we’ll abide by them."

April looked between them, her heart giving a heavy, grounded thud against her ribs. The suffocating anxiety of the conversation was finally fading, leaving behind a clear, quiet understanding.

Her gaze lingered on Xavier’s steady posture, then flicked to Alexander’s warm, devoted blue eyes, before settling back on Nat’s sharp smirk.

She never imagined she would get involved with her clients this way but it happened anyway.

Her mind lingered on Nat’s kiss, making her pulse race with an addicting, restless thrum.

Having admitted her desires out loud, the restraint she usually maintained felt impossible to summon. She didn’t just want to talk about warmth anymore; her body was practically aching to feel it again. The fire from Nat. But she guessed if she let him again, the other two would be too dissatisfied. So...

Without overthinking it, April took a step toward Xavier.