Chapter 2
TWO
SEVEN
I stare at the painting in front of me. It has got colors, and splotches, and lines that could resemble something. I don’t know what they’re meant to resemble, but there’s a sign next to the painting that explains the significance of the piece and the artist’s intention about…
My eyes glaze over the words.
Havoc leans closer to the sign. “Why is the text so small? Don’t they want people to read this?”
I’d chosen the art museum because I thought looking at pictures would be different and easy, but the museum pamphlet had a whole thing about art movements and symbolism and long words I don’t recognize. I can’t tell what the pictures are, so I fail at even the basic act of looking at the paintings.
But what use would someone like me ever have for art?
Havoc glances back at the painting, a small furrow in his brow. “I guess I don’t need a sign, though.”
Vortex snorts. “I do.” It’s his turn to squint at the sign. “Blah blah blah, it represents freedom and power.” He shakes his head, and he looks at me for a moment. He puts his arm around me, and I realize that somewhere along the way, he’s picked up on the fact that I’m not going to be an art connoisseur any time soon.
He doesn’t ask me what I think, instead leading me on to the next painting. It’s more of the same, and I don’t understand how any of these are supposed to represent freedom or anything like that.
I definitely don’t like the ones painted with green, though the red is too garish, too.
It reminds me of Raymond’s body.
I press myself closer to Vortex, and I wonder if I could disappear into him. He’s probably twice as wide as me, and he’s six inches taller than my measly 5’8”. My head brushes against his scruffy chin.
If I’d been born big like him and Havoc, would I have been trapped in that room?
Havoc trails behind us, lingering on some of the paintings. “Man. I wish I could do this kind of thing.”
Vortex gives him a look. “It can’t be that hard. It’s just some random paint splatters.”
“Sure. Like you know how to pick the right colors, and the right brushes, and how they interact, and you can get all that emotion with those right brush strokes so when a person stares at it, they can feel…” Havoc trails off when he realizes neither Vortex nor I understand what he’s talking about. “Never mind. I never got into painting. Supplies were too expensive.”
“Maybe you should,” I suggest. “You have a passion for it.”
Discomfort makes me want to suggest that we bail on this place and head to an art store or something, but he’s enjoying this and I don’t want to ruin it for him.
Besides, that would mean heading back to the Roi de Pique sooner than I’d expected, and despite my general paranoia, it’s nice to be out.
I think.
“I think I’ll save up for more important things first.” Havoc sighs. “You two really don’t feel anything when you look at these pieces?”
Vortex shakes his head without a second thought .
I’m less eager to disappoint Havoc, and I bite my bottom lip before reluctantly doing the same. “It’s just… colors. I don’t know. Who decides which squiggles end up in a museum?”
“Whoever owns the museum,” Havoc answers glibly. “I mean, I don’t know about art history or anything, but I like these. There’s something visceral about them, like I can tell just what the artist was feeling?—”
The loud ring of a phone interrupts Havoc’s explanation. The sound echoes in the mostly empty art hall, making Vortex grimace. “Sorry. Can’t risk missing a call from the boss,” he explains.
He pulls it out and lets out an irritated sigh when he sees the screen, though.
“I need to take this,” he says, stepping away from me and robbing me of his warmth. His voice is low as he asks the person on the phone, “Is this important?”
I can’t hear what the other person is saying, but I carefully watch Vortex’s expression. I have no idea who he’s talking to, but I know it’s not Caleb from his reaction alone. He’d have been quicker to answer and sounded less… resigned.
“Okay. Okay, yes,” he says. “Jesus, no, I’m not going to…” He glances at me and Havoc, lips pursing. “It’s fine. I’m just busy right now.” He listens, then says, “No, I’m never too busy for you.”
He has my full attention now. I don’t know who he’s talking to, but unwelcome jealousy creeps up inside of me. I’m not really one to judge, considering I have all three of them, but I’d thought I’d had them to myself.
Vortex steps farther away from me, lowering his voice so I can’t tell what he’s saying.
“Who the fuck is that?” Havoc murmurs to me. He squeezes the back of my neck. “Has he ever taken a call like that?”
I shake my head, that ugly feeling getting more intense the longer he stays on the phone. “No,” I tell him. “He texts sometimes, but he never really answers calls when he’s around me.” I frown, thinking. “He got a call and stepped out once. I wonder… ”
I don’t say my suspicions aloud. As it turns out, I don’t have to.
“He doesn’t have a side piece,” Havoc says with certainty. “He wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Maybe,” I mumble, my shoulders slumping. “I don’t know. I’m… a lot.”
That’s one way of putting it.
I’m a walking train wreck, a disaster, and expecting someone to stick around me feels like too much sometimes. Could I really blame him if he did find someone else?
Though when he’d find the time to be with them, I have no idea since he’s always working or with me.
Vortex concludes the call and walks back over to us. His eyes instantly go to my expression, and he pulls me close, like I’m as easy to read as a book. “My sister,” he explains. “She’s…” He shakes his head. “She’s a handful.”
I wonder if she’s like Emily, who’s smart and pretty and perfect in every way.
“Is she okay?” I ask, determined not to think about my own sister. I should be relieved that Vortex doesn’t have someone else, not hyperfocusing on my family.
Vortex grimaces. “Yeah. She has a habit of getting herself into trouble, that’s all. It’s nothing major.”
Not like Emily, then. She never has anything negative to say about her pride and joy.
The one she’d really wanted.
Unlike me.
Havoc lets out a small chuckle. “And here I thought at least one of us didn’t have a messed up family. What is she? A junkie? A gambling addict? Oh, maybe a cam…” He stops himself and shakes his head, and I wonder curiously what he’d been about to say. He doesn’t say it, though, instead going on to suggest, “One of those fake influencers online?”
Vortex’s face flushes red as Havoc runs through the possibilities of what his sister might be. “No,” he snaps. “And it’s none of your business, even if she was.”
I touch his arm, like he always does to me when I’m getting upset, and tell him, “It’s fine. You don’t need to tell us anything.”
I wish he would, and maybe if Havoc wasn’t there, he’d let me in on the secret. But I know both of them well enough by now to understand that they don’t trust each other. Their fist fight in the bathroom is still vivid in my head, after all, and they haven’t really come that far.
“What, you know all about us, but we don’t get to know anything about you?” Havoc asks. He puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer to himself—and away from Vortex.
Vortex glares at him. “I don’t know much about you, actually,” he says frostily, “except for the fact that you can’t keep your temper in check for a whole twenty-four hours.”
“Guys,” I say, but they’re too busy with their bickering to pay attention to me.
“Like you didn’t read the full background check,” Havoc snaps back. “I bet Caleb told you everything, too.”
“No, actually,” Vortex says, “because unlike you, I respect people’s privacy and don’t go digging around.” He lets out a derisive sound. “Do you really think that little of Caleb?”
“Guys!” I say, a little more loudly.
A security guard, clad in a black uniform and wearing a walkie-talkie at his belt, approaches us from one of the big archways. “Sirs! If you don’t calm down, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Havoc makes a frustrated sound. “Fine.” He glares at Vortex. “Look what you did.”
“Me?” Vortex starts to say, but one look at the security guard has him swallowing back whatever he’d been about to say. “Sorry, sir,” he tells the man, much more politely than he’d been speaking to Havoc.
“We were just leaving,” I say, my heart racing as I stare at the man. He’s about the same size as Havoc, and I bet that the two of them could take him if they really wanted to .
Not that they’d need to, I tell the paranoid part of my brain that keeps insisting that everyone who even remotely looks threatening is actually going to do anything.
Havoc’s fists stay clenched all the way back to the car. He kicks the tire and shouts, “Fuck!” Then he sighs and looks at me. “Sorry, Seven. We ruined your outing.”
It had been ruined before they’d started to argue, but I don’t tell him that.
“It’s okay,” I say, grabbing his hand. “I was getting tired anyway.” I force a smile. “I’m not used to so much walking, remember?”
The last time I’d done so much walking had been in the desert, where Caleb had found me.
I make sure the smile lingers on my lips, but I know it’s strained. I don’t really want to think about that, or about how I got trapped until I got found , but things are better now.
They have to be.
“Is there anywhere else you want to go before we head back?” Vortex asks.
It opens up a whole new realm of possibilities, and I freeze because it feels like a little too much, a little too fast. I quickly shake my head.
Havoc starts tapping on his phone. “We still have time for the history museum, or the American Indian museum. That one’s actually pretty interesting. Kind of depressing too, I guess, if you think about all the shit the conquistadores did to the locals.”
I have no idea what conquistadores are, but I don’t want to tell them that. I don’t really want to see anything depressing, either, especially when I’m already on edge from how stupid the art museum had made me feel.
I guess I should be interested in learning something beyond the Bible and other classic books, but I’m… not.
“No more museums,” Vortex says before I can say anything, and I’m not sure if he’s rescuing me or if he really does hate the idea. “Seven, do you prefer physical books over the e-reader? ”
The question catches me off guard, and I blink at him. “What?”
“We can go to a bookstore, if you want. Or the library,” he says patiently.
I don’t really want to go to those places, either.
I don’t want to say that I’ve had enough, though, because I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to get out of the Roi again. What if they decide not to take me out if I don’t agree to do what they want?
“Sure,” I say.
Havoc turns in his seat to look at me. “Seven… Would you rather go watch a movie? Or we can chill at my place for a bit. I got a gaming system. We can beat Vortex at games.”
I glance at Havoc, trying to keep my rising uncertainty and discomfort under control. “I…” There are too many options, and I don’t know what to start with. I know we can’t beat Vortex at anything because I can’t win at any of the games.
I can’t win at anything. Not blackjack, not the slots, not life .
Vortex shakes his head. “I haven’t vetted your place yet. We don’t want to risk somebody lurking there already, and your security is probably shit. I guess we could go to mine. Do you want to stop at a drive through for coffee or a snack, Seven?”
“Someone might be there?” I whisper, the harsh reality setting in. “I didn’t… I didn’t think that Havoc might not be safe because of me. Oh god.” I press my hands to my eyes, trying to hide from the world in a stupid way that won’t help at all.
“It’s not likely,” Vortex says immediately. “It’s only a consideration, that’s all.”
“I can take care of myself,” Havoc quickly assures me. “I might be a military reject, but I still got all the training. You’ve seen how I can handle myself, Seven.”
I imagine someone waiting in Havoc’s home, ready to attack the second he walks in, and I choke back a whimper. It’s my fault.
All of this is my fault.
If it wasn’t for me, they’d be safe.
My thoughts start to spiral down and down, and I wish I was only worried about whether I should go to the bookstore or a drive through.
But no.
This is so much worse.
“Shit!” Havoc says. He gets out of the passenger seat and slides into the back with me, but I can’t tell what he’s saying anymore.
Even when he puts his arms around me, I only feel numb.
The car starts moving, the two of them talking to each other in a way that sounds muffled, like it’s coming through a thick steel door with three separate locks.
I shiver even though it’s not cold outside — but I am, and it runs straight through me, right to my bones, until my teeth are chattering. I can’t keep doing this. I’m worrying them. I’m freaking out over what they’re trying to tell me is nothing, but I know what my family does to people that piss them off.
By standing with me, Havoc and Vortex have done just that. At least Caleb mostly stays in the casino, where he’s surrounded by security, but the two of them? They’re at risk.
It isn’t until the car finally slows and someone tugs gently at my arm that I blink my eyes open. Everything is hazy, and I have to blink again and again, trying to clear my vision.
“—upstairs,” Vortex is speaking, I realize. “We’ll get him in a warm bath.”
“Yeah.” Havoc coaxes me out of the car. As soon as I’m on two feet, I wrap my arms around him as tight as I can. “Fuck, Seven, sorry. Whatever we did, sorry.”
I shake my head quickly, croaking out, “No! No, no, you didn’t… You didn’t do anything.” Panic flares again because I obviously messed up if they think they did something wrong.
All they’d done was tell me the terrible truth I should’ve realized before.
Havoc and Vortex guide me toward the employee elevator. My breathing starts to ease once the elevator doors close .
I’ve made a fool of myself. I’m pathetic. Nobody wants me if I’m crying.
You don’t look pretty when you cry, baby.
I force myself to let go of Havoc.
“I’m sorry, sir,” I say, forcing myself to smile. “I’ll make it up to you.” The words come instinctively, something I’ve said so many times when I’ve made mistakes.
It doesn’t seem to help, though.
Havoc looks stunned.
“You don’t need to make anything up to either one of us,” Vortex says, his voice fierce as he pulls me into a crushing hug. “And fuck, Seven, you don’t need to call us sir .”
Despite what he says, I can hear the anger, and I can see Havoc’s fists clenching. They’re furious with me.
Havoc takes a heavy breath, and I tense, waiting for the rebuke, the blow.
“Should I call Caleb?” Havoc asks.
“No,” Vortex says, at the same time that I say, “Please.”
At least Caleb won’t be mad at me.
Unless he is, because I spoiled this for everyone.
I squeeze my eyes shut. “No. Sorry. You don’t have to bother him.”
“No, it’s fine,” Vortex tells me, and he releases me when the elevator doors open before grabbing my hand. “Come on. Havoc will call him, and I’ll get you into a bath. It’ll make you feel better. Or we can cuddle on the sofa.”
Maybe if we go to the bathroom, Havoc will push me under again.
Maybe this time, he won’t let me back up.
I notice Havoc on the phone. His eyes are on me as he talks to Caleb. Havoc nods, and after a few seconds says, “Got it.” After he hangs up, he says, “Caleb’s on his way. He says to make tea.” After a pause, he adds, “I’m not asking. You’re going to sit with us and drink tea, okay? ”
I swallow hard, but the clear direction helps — a little. “Okay,” I whisper. “I’m so… I’m so sorry.”
“You haven’t done anything to apologize for,” Vortex says. “I’ll go make the tea.” He kisses my forehead, then nudges me in Havoc’s direction. It would be funny if I wasn’t still freaking out.
Havoc takes me to the couch, forcing me to cuddle against him. I bury my head in his shoulder and clutch his shirt, trying to force myself to calm down. They don’t want me to act like this.
No one does.
You need to calm down, baby .
I shudder, her voice as vivid as if she was standing in the room with us. There’s no room for negotiation there, no room for anything but obedience.
I sob even though I’m not supposed to cry, either. I feel so helpless and hopeless, like there’s nothing that’s going to break through this.
The tea kettle beeps right as Caleb arrives. He looks disheveled, like he rushed here, and I feel even worse for my silly tantrum.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
Caleb glances at me, and Havoc’s arm around me tightens.
“Tea,” Vortex says, holding up the tea mug. He walks around Caleb and comes over to me and Havoc. “It’s a bit hot, so be careful not to burn yourself.”
My hands are shaking so badly, and I think that if I spilled it, I’d get a touch of pain. Nothing they could blame me for, and nothing overt, but something that might make this more bearable.
Would they realize what I’d done?
Would they care?
The only thing that stops me is that it would probably get all over Havoc, too, so I hold up my trembling hands. “I… can’t.”
Vortex nods, then brings the mug up to my lips. “Slowly, okay?”
I don’t know if I can drink it slowly, but he’s gentle, and he only gives me a few sips at a time. I pull back after only a little, and my eyes go to Caleb. Raggedly, I tell him, “I’m so sorry. I… I shouldn’t have…”
Caleb’s eyes pierce into me. “Shouldn’t have what , pet?” he asks harshly.
I shrink back against the couch, hurt by the tone. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to… to interrupt…”
Havoc squeezes my shoulders. “What the fuck? Lay off, Caleb.”
Caleb ignores him and keeps staring at me. “What shouldn’t you have done, pet?”
The panic starts to surge again, and I can’t catch my breath. “You were… working…”
I can’t. I can’t deal with this. I can’t handle it.
But I can’t stop looking at Caleb, either.
“I shouldn’t have interrupted,” I manage to get out between raspy inhalations.
I don’t understand Caleb’s expression, and I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for a rebuke or a blow.
“Do you want me to hurt you, Seven?” Caleb asks. “Do you want Havoc to choke you? Do you want Vortex to hold you down?”
His words surprise me into sucking in a deep breath, and my eyelashes flutter at the thought of something so tangible, something I could tether myself to. I want to tell him yes, but I can’t get the word out. I’ll choke on it if I try. So I nod quickly.
All of it , I want to say.
I want all of it, need all of it.
Vortex moves, setting the cup of tea down on the coffee table. I’m not sure what he thinks of the idea, but he’s at least going through the motions.
“All right. Havoc, Vortex, take Seven to the bedroom. I’m going to feed the cats, then I’ll follow. Seven…” Caleb trails off and shakes his head. “Never mind. You’re going to suck Havoc. I want you milking him by the time I’m done with the cats. Got it?”
Feeding the cats. Right. Other important things that I’d forgotten to do, things that I should be punished for not doing .
Instead, they’re going to let me comfort myself by gagging on Havoc’s cock, and I can’t help the gratitude I feel over that.
I nod again, and I let Havoc help me up. Vortex stays close behind us as we go to Caleb’s bedroom, and I’m grateful for that, too.
“If you don’t want to do this, say so,” Havoc mutters. “We can cuddle on the couch, regardless of what Caleb said.”
I grip Havoc’s hand, and I finally manage to speak again. “I want you to choke me on your cock,” I say with as much determination as I can manage. I’m still scared he’s going to reject me, that he’s going to deny me, but I glance up at him in time to see the way the words spark something heated in his eyes.
“Yeah, okay,” Havoc says, swallowing hard. He pulls me onto the bed, and he has to let go of me to undo his belt.
Vortex stays nearby, and he clears his throat. “I can go…” he begins, but I shake my head.
“Please,” I say. I would say more, but I’ve already said so much, too much , and it’s all I can do to get that single word out.
“Okay,” Vortex says. He takes my chin into his hand and urges me up to my knees so he can kiss me. “I’ll be right here.” He glances at Havoc, then looks back at me. “C’mon. Let’s get you out of these clothes.”
I let him help me out of my shirt, and Vortex quickly discards it before pulling off my pants.
Cold air hits me, and I freeze for a moment as the entirety of my body is bared to them. It isn’t like they haven’t seen it all before, but it’s still new, and they might change their minds. They might see me as bad, see the scars and marks as evidence that I can’t do anything right.
But Vortex only kisses me again before gently nudging me toward Havoc.
Havoc has pulled his cock out and is stroking it, bringing it to full hardness.
I make a sound and crawl toward him. I want to remove his hand from around his cock, but I don’t dare .
Havoc stops his movements and smiles down at me. “Hey, Seven. You look amazing.”
I can’t possibly look amazing. I’m only just calming down, and I know my expression has to be wild and wanting. But I take the words as truth because it’s all I can do right now.
I don’t quite manage a smile in response, but I nod in acknowledgment of his words — only to wonder if that wasn’t enough. Maybe he wants more. Maybe he’s going to get angry at me?—
But he doesn’t. Instead, he brings the head of his cock up to my lips.
“Is this what you want?” he asks me.
I nod. “Please,” I whisper hoarsely.
Havoc lets go of his cock and brushes his knuckles against my cheek. “Go ahead, Seven. Take what you want.”
I nuzzle against his crotch, burying my nose briefly in the wiry hair there, but then I lean up until I can take him into my mouth. A little at first, then a little more, then I’m greedily taking him down as fast as I can manage. Havoc moans and lifts his hips in response, driving deeper into me.
I hear footsteps, then the door closing.
“Nice,” Caleb says, making me flush in pleasure. “Vortex, do you want to stretch Seven’s hole?”
“Yeah,” Vortex says, and his voice is rough, too. With pleasure, with need, with something — I don’t even know what, but I don’t care. He’s already grabbed the lube, and the bed sinks behind me as he kneels there. He starts with one thick finger right as Havoc’s cock pushes into my throat, and I end up gagging because it catches me off guard.
Caleb sits down on the edge of the bed, close enough that I can see him. “This is what you need, isn’t it, pet? To choke on cock and be reminded why you’re here.”
Havoc’s fingers tighten in my long black hair, tugging enough to give me little pinpricks of pain.
I would nod if I could, but all I can do is whimper as Vortex slides another finger into me with the first. He’s going too slowly, too gently, and I wish I could tell him to speed up. To fill me. To fuck me.
Caleb reaches out to squeeze my shoulder. “Vortex is going to get you nice and loose for me, pet. I’m going to fuck you hard. You can come whenever you want, but I will fill you while you’re choking on cock. And if Havoc comes too fast, we can always switch you over to Vortex.”
Havoc lets out a shaky laugh. “Fuck off. I’m going to last.”
I swallow around his cock, almost wanting to prove him wrong… but at the same time, he’ll be rougher with me than Vortex, and I don’t want him to come too fast and end this. I want to feel Caleb behind me and Havoc in front of me.
Vortex adds a third finger, starting to pump in and out of me. “That’s right, Seven. Just take it.” His voice is so gentle, so at odds with what he’s doing, and it makes me want to cry.
Crying makes you ugly.
A tear runs down my cheek.
Caleb rubs the corners of my eyes, and I glance up at him. “You’re so beautiful when you cry,” he says, his voice raw with lust.
I sniffle, but I don’t try to make the tears stop flowing.
Now that they’ve started, I’m not sure I can stop. But I press forward, taking more and more of Havoc’s cock into my throat until my nose is flush with his body. It’s all I can do to stay up, especially with the way Vortex’s fingers have picked up the pace inside of me.
Havoc growls and pushes Caleb’s back. “Go, get inside Seven.”
“Afraid you won’t last?” Vortex suggests with a chuckle.
“Fuck you. I just want to feel Seven get pushed onto my cock. Want to feel his throat constrict while he chokes on me.”
I want to feel that too.
Vortex’s hand moves away, and I whimper, but as soon as he’s free of my ass, I lift it in the air. I look at Caleb through blurry vision, and I don’t know if it’s Havoc’s words or the pleading in my tear-filled eyes that have him moving to shed his pants so he can join us on the bed .
Caleb lines up behind me, his bare cock pushing against my hole. I spread my legs wider for him, and sigh in relief when he slides in. I don’t think he added more lube to his cock, but Vortex loosened me well.
“You look so hot like that,” Vortex murmurs, touching my bare back. “Cock on both ends while you whimper and beg for more. Because I know you’re begging, aren’t you, beautiful?”
Beautiful .
I don’t think anyone’s ever called me that before, and it makes me cry even harder.
Caleb thrusts forward. “Seven loves begging for us. Only the three of us, right, pet?”
I try to nod, but Havoc has started to shove into my mouth again — slowly at first, but then faster as Caleb pushes me onto him. He groans, and I push to take him deeper again.
It really is only the three of them.
They held onto me despite my parents sending somebody after me, despite how much easier and safer it would be for them to give me up. I’m worth absolutely nothing, but they still want me.
More tears roll down my cheeks, and I suck Havoc with as much enthusiasm as I can. I tighten my ass for Caleb, too, and his hips snap forward. His fingers dig into my hips, Havoc is tugging on my hair, and Vortex is gently stroking my back.
It’s almost too much to handle.
It seems impossible that my body could feel so much pleasure when my thoughts are so difficult , but my cock is hard and I feel the thrum of an approaching climax. The sensations are good, so very good, and it’s like I’m getting the best of all three of them.
Havoc’s roughness.
Caleb’s dominance.
Vortex’s gentleness.
The three of them together make up something I didn’t even know I was missing .
“Gonna come,” Havoc warns. “Open up your throat for me, Seven.”
I’m not ready for him to come yet, and I let out a whine. But I’m not going to protest too much, especially when I still have Vortex’s cock to service.
I relax my throat as much as I can, giving Havoc what he needs, and it feels like only seconds pass before he’s spilling into me.
Vortex suddenly wraps his hand around my cock, and I let out a startled scream as pleasure overwhelms me. I try to hold on, but Vortex is relentless while Caleb pounds my prostate.
I’m coming in seconds, sobbing raggedly against Havoc’s softening cock. It rubs against my cheek, leaving a wet spot there, but I don’t mind.
Vortex murmurs, “That’s right. Good. Good boy.”
His words make me shiver, or maybe that’s the aftermath of the climax. I feel so sensitive as Caleb keeps fucking me hard — too sensitive, and I beg, “Please, I can’t…”
“You can take a little more,” Vortex says, and despite how gentle his tone is, I can tell he’s not going to stop until he’s wrung me dry.
“Amazing. Tighten up for me, pet. Show me how much you want me,” Caleb says.
I sob again, squeezing my ass despite how sensitive I am, and the next thrust sends frissons of pain and pleasure through me—but Caleb moans, too, and I feel him coming inside me in hot spurts.
If I could come again, I would, but I only feel discomfort until Vortex finally releases my cock. He has to be hard, too, but he doesn’t push for me to satisfy him. I try to turn around so I can anyway, abandoning Havoc’s cock, but Vortex shakes his head.
“No. This was for you,” he says. “You got what you needed from me.” He glances at Havoc and Caleb. “From all of us, I think.”
And I think he’s right. I think I did get exactly what I needed.
Caleb pulls out and bends down to kiss one of the scars on my back. “Good pet,” he says, his voice much gentler now. “Good job, letting us know that you were scared. ”
I don’t feel like it was a good thing — or rather, I hadn’t. Now, though, in the aftermath of a climax, where my throat feels rough and my ass feels used, I think it is.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“We should be thanking you,” Havoc says, stroking my hair.
We all squeeze into the bed, which is a tight fit for four adult men. I’m mostly on top of Vortex, half asleep, when a loud meow interrupts the quiet.
After a few seconds, another meow follows, along with scratching at the door.
Caleb laughs. “I think Nacho wants in.”
“Ungh.” I should be the one to get up and let him in, but my limbs feel like limp noodles.
“One of you can get the door,” Vortex rumbles. “I’m not moving.”
Havoc sighs and rolls off the bed. “Yeah. I should get going anyway.” He kisses my forehead and fastens his jeans. “You might want to clean Seven before Nacho attempts to do the job for him.”
I make a face, but thankfully Nacho is content with settling down on top of Caleb and licking my nose.
I pet him, but I glance at Havoc, and my voice is quiet as I tell him, “Please be safe. Okay?”
In the aftermath of my fit, I’m exhausted but more rational. Still, it doesn’t escape me that he could still end up hurt — and all because of me.
“You too,” Havoc answers, waving goodbye.
I have to believe he’s going to be okay.
And here, in the wake of this series of moments orchestrated to make me feel good, I feel warm.
Maybe I even feel safe.