RIVAL: An Enemies to Lovers Why Choose Country Romance

Chapter 53

Edith and I turn our heads toward the kitchen when we hear a crash, followed by cursing, disrupting us from our reading.

I’ve got her curled between my legs on Jaxon’s couch where she’s able to lean back without having the weight of her stomach crushing her lungs. Dragging my fingers across the bump, I smile to myself, impressed with how quickly this little girl is growing. It’s as if every time I see her, she’s doubled in size.

Well, her stomach, not her, and fuck anyone who makes a comment about it because our Edith is shockingly sensitive about her body right now.

Another slammed cupboard and clanking has Edith turning to glance at me over her shoulder. “Do you think they need help?”

She jumps when Mason shouts unintelligibly at Jaxon, then seconds later storms in, annoyance pouring off him.

“‘Sup buuuuuddy? Whatcha got goin’ on in there?” Laughing when he shoots me a warning glare, he picks up Edith’s feet and drops onto the end of the couch, holding on to them as if it’ll keep him from laying out Jaxon. He doesn’t notice the soft inhale from her, holding her so familiarly. They haven’t fully worked through her hurt yet and this move was done subconsciously.

He’s gritting his teeth as he digs his fingers into her arches, completely missing the way her head falls heavily to my chest at the unexpected foot rub.

I might have learned a few days ago that Edith’s feet are an erogenous zone when I gave one a squeeze to get her attention. Her reaction was instantaneous. Maybe it’s from the pregnancy, but I won’t lie; I hope this little trick sticks around because she reacts fast. I have to bite my cheek so I don’t clue him in, interested to see what happens.

“It doesn’t take a fuckin’ rocket scientist to figure out how to boil some goddamn pasta.” Putting in more effort, he seethes as he works her over. “I made the sauce, even kept the burger to a minimum since red meat isn’t sitting well for everyone. Found a recipe online for pull-apart garlic bread and got that goin’, too.”

Edith’s head lolls from side to side, eyes closed as she sinks down further against me. Leaning forward, I spy on her and catch sight of her teeth digging into her bottom lip, so I slip the hand I had resting on her stomach up a bit higher, just below her breasts.

“It’s a pot of water. You turn the fuckin’ thing on, throw in some salt and wait for it to boil. The box even says how long to cook it for! How hard—”

A low, barely perceptible, breathy moan interrupts him, and he jerks his head toward her, finally noticing what he’s done. His hands pause on her feet, and I shake my head slowly so she doesn’t notice.

“Don’t stop, man.” I keep my voice low, grazing my fingers over her ribs. He throws himself back into her foot massage with more effort, and quirks a lip up at whatever expression he’s seeing on her face.

I also found that if I circle my arm under her stomach and pull up gently, the relief in pressure is practically orgasmic for her, so I carefully adjust her. Curling my arm under, I lift up a few inches, eliciting another deep moan.

Mason cocks his head, watching what I’m doing, then raises a brow in silent question as he meets my eyes.

“Somethin’ about this feels good, but you gotta be careful not to do it too fast or let go quickly. It relieves pressure from her hips, I think.” I lay my cheek against her head and rub it gently as I hold her stomach, feeling slight bubbles of movement as our girl shifts around, still grazing my fingers over her skin.

A sigh escapes Edith and she murmurs, “I don’t know what it is, but it feels really good.”

Clearing his throat, he checks with me briefly before asking, “Edith. Will you let me—”

“Yes,” she hisses out, knowing exactly what he’s asking. “But I’m still angry with you.”

Chuckling, he nods his head once. “I’ll let you lay into me after.” Using his hold on her feet, he spreads her legs to hook them over my knees. Shifting my body to support her better, I ignore when his hands bump against mine as he works her pants down her hips and tosses them to the side.

Another sound from the kitchen distracts her, and she glances in that direction. “Do you think he’ll be…” She trails off and tips her head up to an answer for her unfinished question.

Laying my lips against her forehead, I murmur, “Nope. And if he comes in here, he’ll get to see you bein’ taken care of. I’m sure Mason is just dyin’ to bury his head between your thighs. Makin’ Jax jealous is probably just icin’ on the cake for him.”

Mason rumbles out a low hum of approval. Rubbing his hands up and down her inner thighs, I feel her spread them more. She turns her head to the side and buries her heated face against me, but Mason isn’t having any of that.

“You can watch me, girl. Maybe Fin will too. He could even learn a little somethin’.”

“Jackass,” I mutter without any heat behind my words. Honestly, the shit he gives me has been entertaining as fuck, and at this point, I know he’s just trying to get a reaction. Holding up five fingers, I brag, “I’ve gotten five out of her just this week.”

Edith hums, then covers her laugh with a cough. She’s been shy and hesitant anytime things moved toward intimacy, so when she reaches for Mason and threads her fingers through his hair, begging, “Please, Mason,” I’m fucking floored.

With palms on her knees, he pushes them open further, my legs spreading with hers and my cock hardening under her ass. I never thought about what it’d be like if none of us gave up in our pursuit of her, but if it means I’m going to hold my girl’s legs open so another man can eat her out? I don’t think I mind it so much.

There’s no way to see exactly what Mason is doing, but when her body stiffens, I know he’s just licked up the center of her pussy. He lifts her with a hand under her ass, giving me a better view so now I can watch.

“Holy fuck.”

Flicking my eyes to Jaxon, I see him standing in the center of the living room, a dish towel in his hand hanging limply at his side and mouth gaped open, focused on Mason’s head between Edith’s legs.

Without looking away from him, I lower my lips to her ear and whisper, “I know you’re not right with him yet, but I’m sure he’d love to continue that foot rub Mason abandoned. What do you think, darlin’?”

Hiccupping on a sob and nodding sharply, she arches her back, Mason clearly paying attention to that little bundle of nerves now.

“Jax.” I wait for him to drag his eyes from them. “Mason was massaging her feet. I’m sure she’d love if—”

His towel hits the floor in his hurry to the end of the couch, definitely onboard with what I was about to suggest. I shift my body around, so Mason now has his knees firmly planted on the floor, mouth never moving away from her pussy. Jaxon takes up the job of her feet, running a thumb up the center of her heel, eyes flying from what Mason’s mouth is doing, to her face, then back again.

“Fuck, you taste so fuckin’ good, girl.” Mason’s words are muffled as he devours her. Remembering her flavor on my tongue, my dick pulses heavily, demanding to be buried inside of her tightness. We haven’t fucked yet, but I don’t care. I mean, I do care, but I’ll wait years if that’s what it takes for her to feel comfortable.

Getting her pussy worked over, though? Now that is something I’m shocked she’s onboard with, considering the first time I did it, she was so unsure.

Her breathing is heavy and loud, gripping the back of Mason’s head to keep him in place, but her other arm reaches around to hold the back of my neck. My fingers find her nipples and pluck at them as I trail my lips over the sensitive skin of her neck.

“She’s going to come,” Jaxon says softly. He’s holding onto her foot tightly, watching her trembling and facial expressions. Her nipples are sharp under my fingertips, and I know he’s right.

Mason nods and shifts to push his fingers inside of her. Her broken cry is loud, and it ramps up all of us like a switch has been flipped.

Jaxon leans forward, his hand leaving her foot and roaming up her leg, fingers digging into her calf muscles as she shakes beneath him. Mason is driving his fingers into her hard, sucking at her clit as he attacks it, murmuring begging words for her to come for him.

I lift her chin up to kiss her lips, then trail my mouth over her neck and shoulders, biting and nipping, whispering encouragement to fall apart for us.

“That’s it, darlin’. Just like that,” I whisper as she starts to tip over the edge, then I praise her as I feel her curl up, a keening cry followed by a scream as she explodes.

Mason sucks on her clit and follows her body as her hips tilt, pushing against him, and he lets her ride his face through her orgasm. Jaxon’s harsh breathing is loud as he grips her leg to keep her still. I dig my teeth into her shoulder for an extra bit of pleasure. The way her body is rolling over me has me on the verge of coming right along with her, but I will myself not to.

We all keep our hands on her, touching and kissing until she finally relaxes against me, her body boneless as she sighs and closes her eyes. Releasing the hold she had on Mason’s hair, she runs her fingers over his strands to smooth them out. Her other one falls from my neck and drops heavily over my hand still cupping her breast.

Patting it tiredly, she lets her eyes fall shut and within a moment, she’s fast asleep.

Jaxon hasn’t let her leg or foot go as if his life depends on it. He’s watching her sleep with so much longing I actually feel sympathy for him. The way he spoke to her all those months ago hurt her deeply, and she’s been struggling to move past it.

She doesn’t trust him. It all boils down to that. She has no confidence he’s here for her and not out of duty. After spending so much time with him, I know he’s here for the long haul, but it’s not my place to fix what’s broken between them.

When it comes to Mason and her, that’s a whole different ball game. He needs to open up, let her know what she means to him instead of being a grumpy bastard and waiting for her to just be satisfied he’s here.

Jaxon slowly sets her leg down with a pained expression as he drags his hands away. Getting up, he watches for a few more moments before whispering, “I’m going to finish making her dinner. We can let her sleep for a bit.”

“Jaxon.” I keep my voice soft to not disturb her. When he looks at me, I give him an understanding smile. “She knows you’re not a bad guy. Just give her some time. Trust is a hard thing to earn back, but you’re doin’ the right things.”

“I’m in love with her.”

I nod, knowing he is. He hasn’t said it to us, but it’s obvious. “I am too.”

Mason sits back on his heels, subtly trying to wipe his face, then picks up a blanket to lay over her so she’s warm. He remains silent while Jaxon and I talk, but the fact he hasn’t given anyone shit tells me he’s pretty much in the same boat as us.

“I’ve told her. Every time we’re alone, I tell her. It seems as if it only hurts her when I do, but I can’t stop saying it.” Agonized over the damage he’s done, Jaxon wipes his hand over his face, then looks toward the kitchen. “I’ll finish up dinner.”

After he disappears, I shift my legs back onto the couch and help Edith turn slightly to the side, never waking fully. Her fingers dig into my chest to hang on, her mouth parted as she sighs softly.

Mason sits on the coffee table, his arms hanging loosely between his legs to watch her.

“You gonna help Jax in the kitchen?”

He frowns and shakes his head. “I did enough. You think she knows I’m here for her, no matter the outcome of paternity? Or if any of you stay as well?”

“Why, Mason Cooper, are you wantin’ to have a heart to heart with little ol’ me?” I press a hand to my mouth in a gasp, then laugh when he scowls at me.

“Shut the fuck up. I’m serious. I know I wasn’t smart with everythin’, but I didn’t know about all of you. It started off as fun, but she grew on me so fuckin’ fast and I do love her. I do. Maybe it makes me a fuckin’ pussy, but Christ, I did not see her comin’.”

My humor dies down when I hear how torn up he is and he just keeps going.

“I talked to Jax. He wants her to stay here after the baby is born, which is fine, as long as he doesn’t try to tell me I can’t come over whenever I want. I was thinkin’ about bringin’ little Bonnie over for her, but then realized those two other shits would be torn up about it. So, I thought maybe it’d be okay to have three cats, then I started readin’ about dangers to pregnant women and changin’ out litter.”

“Mason,” she mumbles against my chest, twisting her head only slightly to peer at him.

Both Mason and I widen our eyes, a bit embarrassed she’s been listening the whole time. She shifts to sit up, but doesn’t stop using me as a pillow, so I get stuck as the two of them have their talk.

“Before you say anythin’, you gotta know I’m fuckin’ in this. I want to be here and with you. I fucked up thinkin’ I could just have my fun with you and not tell you I was fallin’ for you. And when you told me you were pregnant, I honestly just short-circuited. I was so shocked by what you said I can’t remember a moment after.”

Blowing out a breath, she leans forward, touching his hand. “Mas—”

“No. I need you to hear me. I fucked up. I knew your dad was a piece of shit, and I’m so fuckin’ sorry I didn’t say a word and let him drag you away. I barely remember it happenin’, but I’m sick over it. I want this little girl to be mine more than I want to breathe, and if she’s not, I still want to be her daddy.”

Edith’s chin lowers as she sucks in a deep breath. “What if I can’t choose? What if I want Griffin to stay too, then we find out she’s yours?” Her hand falls to her belly as she peers up at him.

“Don’t care,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “You want him, you can have him. I won’t stand in the way of that. I just hope you’ll want me as well. Even if the baby isn’t mine, I’ll make sure she knows I’m her dad, too.”

My heart tightens, aching for her when she murmurs, “I just want her to be loved. If you can be here to give her that, it’s all I’ll ever ask for.”

I open my mouth, readying my argument that she’s just as deserving to be loved, but he beats me to it.

“That’s a load of crap. Of course she’s gonna be loved, but so are you, girl.”

When her head falls, Mason cups her chin to keep her looking up. She’s chewing on her lip, doing her best to believe him.

“Listen, and I feel like I’m beatin’ a dead horse, but this is where I’m at.” Her head turns to where Jaxon just walked back in, but he doesn’t interrupt, clearly picking up the sincerity of the moment. “I want to take a chance, I do. So, for now, we’ll pretend things will move forward, but I have to see after she’s born. Not because I don’t believe you, but because it’s hard for me to accept that you, any of you really, would be here if it were only me.”

Pointing a finger toward Jaxon, her voice cracks. “He told me he loved me a month ago. Did you know that?” She doesn’t wait for him to answer. “That was the first time I’ve ever heard those words spoken to me, and I still question it, which is terrible. To reduce something so precious to doubt? I wanted to hear those words my whole life, and up until the moment I found out about her, I would have curled around that feeling of someone possibly loving me and protected it like it was the most previous thing in the world. Now, all I want is for her to have it.”

Edith is openly crying now, but her posture is stoic, like a fucking queen sitting in the room before her subjects desperate to please her.

“Girl, I know you know when I first hired you on it was to fuck with him. I swear to God, one week and all that changed. You changed me. I’m awful with apologies and words, but I want you to let me love you, because fuck, I fuckin’ feel it.” He grips his shirt and I glace at Jaxon, meeting his look of surprise.

“I know you’re sorry for what happened. I don’t blame you for manipulating me at the beginning. My father was an easy man to hate. His actions belong to him, and only him. I can also understand why you didn’t say anything when I told you about my pregnancy. But Mason, that’s the part that makes sense in my head and still hurts in my heart. Time heals that part, and it is healing. I promise you and thank you for that.”

He surges forward from his seat and kisses her lips hard, holding her face to keep her from falling back. When he pulls away, his eyes dance over her face before meeting her eyes to have a silent conversation I think only the two of them understand.

Finally, he nods and lifts the corner of his mouth in a smirk. Sitting back down, he picks up her feet and wordlessly continues her massage.

Seems as if the conversation is done for today.

“Dinner is ready,” Jaxon says thickly. I can’t be certain, but I’m almost positive a lot of those words she gave to Mason were meant for Jaxon as well. I also won’t be forgetting and will take them to heart.

Without looking away from her, Mason says, “We’ll come in shortly.”

Taking the cue, I wiggle my way out to stand, then press a soft kiss to her temple, whispering against it. “I do love you, darlin’.” Then I follow Jaxon into the kitchen to set the table.