15. Greedy
Chapter 15
Greedy
Though I know I shouldn’t, I once again study the results on my phone, only glancing up occasionally as I stalk down the long hallway that connects the primary suite to the rest of the house.
Why the fuck did I even click on the damn file? Every time my mind starts reeling or fresh insecurity creeps in, my subconscious goes for the jugular. It’s happened at least a dozen times today. On the boat leaving the isle, when Hunter was on the other boat with Joey. In the car at the marina, when she and Levi and Joey and her crew piled in to Kendrick’s Suburban and Decker’s G-Wagon to head to Lake Chapel University. Then when I parked in front of the sciences building at South Chapel. Every one of those instances happened before nine a.m.
I’m a glutton for punishment, apparently. I should just delete this file from my phone. Several times today, I’ve considered it, but I always chicken out. Some sick part of me wants to stare at the lab results showing that Hunter’s pregnant. Even if I know it’s not true.
I breeze past the butler’s pantry and the dark, empty home gym. The pantry appears to be vacated, too. That spurs a thought that, for once, I don’t want to push away. I wonder how I can convince Hunter and Levi to meet me in there for round two.
As much as I hate to admit it, the Crusade Mansion is starting to feel like home.
We’re together, and despite all the bullshit happening with Magnolia, we’re safe.
I quietly enter the bedroom, ready to unwind. I’m anxious to be done with this day. My class load is lighter this semester—part of my plan to stave off graduation and stick around for another year. I only had two in-person classes today, plus an unofficial workout session with some of the guys from the team.
My day will start earlier tomorrow. I didn’t bat an eye at the eight-a.m. lab when I scheduled it, but now that I live on an isle and my commute requires a boat ride and a drive to campus?
I huff, but quickly cool my attitude. The minor inconveniences of staying at the Crusade Mansion amount to practically nothing compared to the safety and security this place affords us.
A dim light is on in the en suite bathroom, but the door’s wide open, so I stride straight for it.
Inside, Hunter is standing in front of the double-sink vanity brushing her teeth.
From here, she can’t see me, but I can see her profile and her reflection in the mirror. I take a minute to watch her, savoring the mundaneness of this moment. Her hair is loose down her back, her posture casual. Her hips sway slightly as she shifts from foot to foot. She’s already in pajamas—a pink cotton set that clings to the globes of her ass.
There’s no hard exterior around her now. No faux air of loathing. No more need to keep me at arm’s length.
She’s safe. She’s okay. Right now, in this place and this moment, she may even be happy.
I rap my knuckles on the molding to get her attention.
Her eyes widen and find mine in the mirror.
The foamy toothpaste smile that lights up her face is equal parts adorable and goofy.
She squeaks when she catches her reflection and quickly spits and rinses her mouth. When she’s toothpaste free, she turns to properly greet me. “Hi.”
I stroll into the bathroom with purpose, and when I’m within reach, she yanks me into her body like she can’t stand the distance between us anymore.
Good. Me neither.
Crowding her space, I thread my arms low around her back and cage her against the vanity. I run my nose along her jaw, then place a kiss at the pulse point of her neck. “Hi.”
She melts into me, but it’s still not close enough. I tighten my hold and pour every damn ounce of desire and need coursing through me into the embrace.
It’s a heady combination, what I feel for Hunter. It’s lust and love, two passions personified and constantly at war for dominance.
Physically, I crave her, my body thrumming and aching to make up for lost time. I want to fuck her and claim her and make love to her like it’s my sole directive. She’s mine. I want to mark her and fill her up over and over again until she accepts it as her truth. That’s lust.
Then there’s the deeper desire beneath the surface. I love her. My instinct is to provide and protect. I want to be responsible for more of her foamy toothpaste smiles. I want her to have everything she wants and needs, even if those needs extend beyond what I can offer alone. Her happiness is my purpose. I want her to thrive in our polyamorous relationship. She’s endured a lifetime without the love, care, or devotion from her family she deserves. But the guys and I can give that to her now, tenfold.
I sigh into the crook of her neck. “Missed you today.”
One thing I won’t ever take for granted is how effortless it is to allow myself to be vulnerable with her. Now that there are no secrets between us, I couldn’t imagine not appreciating every tender moment we have together.
“I missed you more.” She presses a kiss to my sternum.
Her words dull the envy that spending the day without her has caused, though I’m still a little off-kilter.
“Levi came home beaming.” I drag a hand up her spine and find the tension near her neck, massaging it on instinct, eager to absolve her of any discomfort.
Sighing, she turns her head, offering me better access. With her cheek resting against my chest, she says, “He had the best day. I’m so happy for him.”
I tense. “I hate that I wasn’t there. With you. To see him in his element. I’m about to fucking transfer schools.”
Hunter’s responding laugh is breathy. “It’s just for the semester,” she reminds me. “Sixteen weeks. Plus, you have a lighter course load for spring, don’t you?”
With a grunt, I nod.
“We’ll see each other plenty,” she assures me.
When I say nothing, she cranes back and searches my face.
“Greedy.” She places a soft, tender kiss on my lips, then cups my cheeks. “We just have to get through this semester. If it helps, you and I can have some alone time each week. Tell me the day and time, and I’m yours.”
“ Only mine?” I definitely don’t hate the sound of that.
“Only yours,” she promises, bringing her lips to meet mine once more.
I capture her mouth and lick along the seam of her pretty pink lips. Immediately, she lets me in. The minty taste of her sparks a tingle in my own mouth. I take the kiss deeper, gripping her chin to hold her mouth open as I feed her my tongue.
She kisses me back, the desire in the air around us skyrocketing as she finds the hair at my nape and tugs. Hard.
On a groan, I break away, then pepper kisses along her cheek and jaw before settling into the crook of her neck.
Gently, I lick and kiss the smooth skin below her ear. When she whimpers, I bite her and suck the pleasure point with abandon.
Mine .
“Greedy.” She tugs on my hair again. The sound of my name on her lips, all breathy and needy, makes me want to mark more of her.
I kiss a trail down her chest, between her breasts, and bite one nipple, then the other through the thin fabric, leaving them pebbled beneath her thin tank top.
As I sink to my knees, I smooth both hands up her bare legs and rest them on her hips, then dip my head to kiss the apex of her thighs.
Lust and love war inside me once more.
I want to lick her. Bite her. Fuck her with my tongue and shove my cock so deep into her cunt she doesn’t remember anyone else exists. Kabir who?
The deeper longing is there, too. The love that lives in my soul, the connection I had to shove down for so long.
I may be a possessive, horny, red-blooded man. But the soft, vulnerable, deprived romantic in me is winning the battle tonight.
With reverence, I lift my head and lock eyes with her.
Her smile is soft as she brushes my hair off my forehead. Every time she tugs on my hair or scrapes her nails against my scalp, I wonder if she knows.
No. I don’t think she understands just how desperate and unhinged I was when she left for Europe.
Slowly, without breaking eye contact, I flip down the waistband of her sleep shorts. I turn them again, and then I’m eye level with the smooth expanse of her stomach.
I place a kiss on her low abdomen, the place our baby once occupied.
“Greedy,” she murmurs, her voice rife with emotion.
I know.
I fucking know.
It’s torture to think of what could have been. To ruminate about what we lost. It was years ago, but grief doesn’t have an expiration date.
Kabir’s surprise announcement this week stirred up all sorts of feelings for me that had just begun to settle.
“I’m still mad at him.” My voice is low and gravelly as I fight back the tears that want to leak from my eyes.
She cups my head, pressing my cheek against her pelvis, and sniffles. “I know. You’re allowed to be.”
A lump lodges itself in my throat. “I didn’t get to know the first time, when it was real. Then to see those test results without being warned that it was all a ruse…”
With a growl, I push to my feet and scrape one hand through my hair.
“Do you think it’ll even work?” I demand.
Hunter’s not the enemy here. I know that. Yet I can’t temper the emotion brewing beneath the surface. We haven’t had a chance to talk, just the two of us, since the incident. I’ve barely begun to process everything I’m feeling.
With a sad smile, she shrugs. “I honestly don’t know. It’s worth a shot, I think. Spence thought of almost everything, and I trust that he has a bigger plan in place.”
Yeah. Another plan I’m sure he’ll refuse to share.
She crosses her arms over her chest and regards me. “Levi’s mom called today. Demanding to have lunch with the both of us, plus Magnolia. She wants to talk about the baby.”
The reminder that everyone assumes Levi is the father is like a punch to the gut. I understand why we’re going along with it, but dammit. It was supposed to be me .
With a long breath, I force out some of my pent-up frustration.
I’m not upset with Hunter, but this whole situation is picking at the scabs of old scars and fresh wounds alike.
I give myself another few seconds to fixate. Then, with a shake of my head, I clear my mind and let go of my anger.
“Sorry.” Inching closer, I open my arms to hug her once more.
She sinks back into my hold without hesitation.
“I’m not upset with you,” I assure her. “It just… hurts. The constant reminder that I didn’t support you then. Knowing that I wasn’t there for you when this was real.”
She shakes her head against my collarbone. “You couldn’t have known. Then, once we found out our parents were engaged, I wouldn’t let you get any closer.”
Regret and grief pour from her, all the same emotions pummeling me in this moment, too. The fact that she’s hurting—that she’s still hurting after all these years—sends my anger skyrocketing once more.
“I should have at least been there when you found out you were pregnant.”
Hunter stills in my arms. “Greedy… I never found out.”
I brush the pads of my thumbs along her cheekbones, aching to be the soft, gentle version of myself right now, knowing that she’s grappling with the same heartache that’s rooted deep inside me. “What do you mean, you never found out?”
She sniffles, the green of her eyes like sea glass behind unshed tears. “I never took a test. Never even suspected. I found out I was pregnant the same moment I was told I was losing our baby.”
My heart cracks wide open. “You’ve never taken a pregnancy test?”
She shakes her head, blinking and releasing the tears she was holding on to.
I wipe away the moisture, then dip my head to kiss one cheek, then the other, along the path of wetness.
As I right myself and take her in, an idea sparks inside me.
A selfish, slightly unhinged idea.
I’m speaking before I can even think the question through. I can’t help it. It’s the test results on my phone and the residual anger still living inside me because of Spence’s announcement.
With bated breath, I ask, “Will you take one for me now?”
Her breath hitches as her eyes go wide and search mine.
“Why?” The single whispered syllable is filled with pain.
I shouldn’t ask her to do this. I don’t want to cause her any more heartache. But now that the idea has been planted in my mind…
“You’re not pregnant,” I state. I know it’s the truth.
“My period was last weekend. It ended a few days ago.”
“And yet we have blood work that says you are. Blood work I’ve studied at least a hundred times since Kabir AirDropped it to my phone.”
Understanding registers.
Expression resolute, she pulls my face down and presses her forehead to mine. “I’ll take a test,” she murmurs. “Let me see if Joey has any on hand.”
Before she texts Joze for help, we peek in the cabinets, and, sure enough, find one below the sink.
Heads bent together, we read over the instructions. She doesn’t ask me to turn around or look away when she sits on the toilet to pee. Her cheeks go pink when a trickle of urine hits the bowl, but I hold her gaze, hoping she can sense the immense gratitude and appreciation I have for this moment.
She caps the test. Per the instructions, I set a timer for two minutes on my phone.
Once she’s cleaned up, she blows out a long, timid breath.
Throat thick, I hold out a hand. “Come here.” When she sinks into my hold without hesitation, I press my mouth to hers. “Thank you,” I whisper against her lips. “I love you, Hunter. I love you so much, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you before.”
I steal another kiss before she can refuse my apology or insist it’s okay.
It’s not. It’ll never be.
All we can do now is move forward.
I kiss her tenderly, my movements sweet and slow as I savor every second that ticks by.
When the timer dings, we still.
Hunter turns to retrieve the test, but I don’t let go of her. With her hand in mine, I follow closely.
“It’s negative.” She holds up the stick so I can see the word for myself, her expression in the mirror crestfallen.
“We knew it would be.”
I sweep her hair to the side so I can kiss her neck from behind.
“But Tem?”
I freeze with my mouth still on her skin, waiting until she looks me right in the eyes before I continue.
“One day, it won’t be.”
Still holding her attention, I snake one hand down her stomach, dipping beneath her waistband, and cup her sex. I kiss her neck again, sucking and coaxing until she’s making little noises of pleasure. I caress one breast, toying with her nipple while the fingers of my other hand caress lightly over her clit.
“One day, your stomach will be round and full, these perfect tits heavy with milk.”
She grinds her ass into me, and I press right back, nestling my length between her cheeks. Fuck. I’m already hard and aching to be buried deep inside.
“One day,” I murmur, moving to her other nipple and pinching it hard. “We’re going to make a baby for real. Again.”
“Greedy. Please.” She moans, head hung low, and squeezes her thighs together, creating an even tighter grip on my hand. Though I haven’t breached her entrance yet, my fingers are coated in her slickness.
“You want that, Tem? You want me to fill this pretty cunt with cum and put a baby in you?”
She whimpers in response.
I tug on her hair, forcing her to look at me in the mirror. “Yes or no, Hunter? Are you going to have my baby someday?”
“Yes,” she pants, cheeks flushed.
“That’s right. I’m going to fill you with my seed. Come in your cunt again and again until it takes and you’re pregnant with my child.”
Her eyes are glassy with lust, her chest heaving with want. She rolls her hips forward and back, seeking me. “Greedy,” she whines. “I’m so empty.”
That fucking does it.
I jerk away from the vanity, turn her around, and smash my mouth against hers. The negative pregnancy test flies out of her hand and clatters to the tile as we claw at each other.
“Get on the fucking floor and spread yourself wide open.”
With a whimper, she lowers herself. I follow, dropping to my knees. We’re a mess of limbs, tearing at our clothes while still kissing and biting, anything to maintain contact.
This isn’t just a quick tryst or a little kinky role playing. This is sexual healing fueled by biological desire.
Once she’s bare for me, she does exactly as I ask, spreading her legs wide and holding her thighs open.
“Fucking perfection.” Hovering over her, I line myself up at her core and drag my cock through her wetness, groaning with each pass.
“Greedy,” she begs, writhing. “Fill me up. Please. I need it. I need you .”
With a deep inhale, I plunge inside her in one smooth thrust. I work myself all the way to the hilt, grinding my pelvis against her clit and capturing her lips once more.
I hold the position, then, without pulling out even an inch, I thrust and grind against her.
“Do you feel how deep I am, Tem?”
She mewls, biting my lip, hips scraping against mine. “I’m right there. All the way in. Right at your womb, ready to fill you up and make us a baby.”
She moans into my mouth, squirming, attempting to meet me thrust for thrust.
“Lay still and fucking take it.” I kiss her harder, bite at her neck, nip at her breasts and suck hard, marking her so intensely she’ll have bruises tomorrow.
“Harder,” she pants, her hips still now as her fingers dig into my ass cheeks, urging me on. “Fill me up,” she begs. “Put a baby in me,” she pleads.
I pull all the way out for the first time since I entered her. She claws at my low back, marking me in this moment just like I’m marking her.
Good. Fucking claim it, baby.
I slam back into her with a thrust that pushes her along the tiled floor.
For a moment, still seated fully and with hands splayed on either side of her and my arms locked, all I can do is admire the woman who will carry my children one day.
When she meets my gaze, the most feral growl tears through me. I press my forearm along her low belly, holding her in place, then thrust forward, giving her quick, hurried, hard pumps of my cock. She’s so tight. So warm. So needy and pliable as I drill into her.
“This is how I’m coming.” I rut into her, my orgasm building from the base of my spine to the top of my skull and through my extremities. “I’m as deep as humanly possible, Tem. Filling you up. Right here, right now.”
Flames lick up my calves and thighs until they form one combustible fireball burning bright in my pelvis.
“Greedy.” She claws at my skull. “Put a baby in me,” she begs, her voice hollow and far away.
That’s all it takes for me to detonate. Heat spreads through my balls and low back with such ferocity I nearly topple over with the force.
“Fuck, I’m coming. Clench around me, Tem. Take it all and hold it in,” I command, frantically rubbing her clit to get her there, too.
She shrieks, and as the pleasure crescendos, her walls squeezing so tightly my balls swell with another surge of cum, she lets out a long, low moan.
“That’s it. Milk me. Take it all, Hunter. Take it fucking all.”
When the pleasure ebbs and we’re catching our breath, I study her, mystified.
I’ve never been that rough during sex. That intense. That demanding. But based on the way she’s smiling up at me, glassy-eyed, soft, and malleable, I think she enjoyed it as much as I did.
“I love you.” I drop to my elbows, careful to remain buried deep inside her, and brush my lips over hers. “I love you so much, Hunter.”
She clenches around me in response.
A groan escapes me. “Fuck. That was incredible, but I’m sorry if—”
“Don’t you dare try to apologize.” She tightens her walls around me once more for emphasis. “That was incredible, full stop. I loved that side of you.” With her lip caught between her teeth, she takes me in. “I can’t wait to do it again.”