54. Ashlyn
CHAPTER 54
Ashlyn
I could cry. No, I want to cry. Happy tears, relieved tears, overwhelmed tears—I don’t even know. For weeks, I’ve felt them through our bond, but it’s never enough. Distance dulls it, makes it muted, like hearing a song through a wall. But now? Now, they’re here, really here, standing in my doorway, breathing the same air, looking at me like they’ve been starving for me just as much as I have for them.
I shove my laptop to the side, barely registering the way it bounces on the mattress. My body moves before my mind catches up, launching across the room.
Xayden catches me effortlessly, like he’s been waiting for it, like he knew I wouldn’t hesitate. His arms wrap tight around me, his grip almost bruising, but I don’t care. I need it. I need to feel every part of him pressed against me, need the warmth of his skin, the solid weight of him, the reality of him.
He buries his face in my neck, inhaling deep. His lips press frantic, messy kisses across my jaw, my cheek, my temple—like he can’t decide where to land first. His scent—leather and citrus and something sharp, heady with want —floods my senses, mingling with the others as they step into the room, surrounding me.
Jake’s hands slide around my waist, his chest solid and warm against my back. His scent is calming, grounding. He presses his lips to the side of my head, his voice a whisper. “Missed you, sweetheart.”
West steps in next, his hands brushing along my arm before gripping my chin, forcing my gaze up to meet his stormy eyes. “Tell me you missed us,” he says, his voice a low demand. His scent—smoky whiskey and almond—wraps around me, thick and intoxicating.
A shiver runs through me as I breathe them in. All of them. Their musks swirl together, sinking beneath my skin, claiming me all over again.
Todd is last, moving in behind Jake, his presence just as commanding as the rest. But where the others are hungry, aching , his touch is different. He tilts my chin toward him, his thumb stroking over my bottom lip. “You’re shaking,” he murmurs, his amber-and-sandalwood scent laced with something deeper, something primal. “We’ve got you, Ash.”
I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.
They’re here. They’re really here. And suddenly, two months apart feels like too damn long.
“I missed you,” I whisper, the words thick with emotion.
Xayden growls softly, his hands gripping my thighs. “You feel like you missed us,” he mutters, pressing me harder against his chest. “I can smell how much you missed us.”
My cheeks heat as my perfume spikes, their proximity, their scents, their touch sending my body into overdrive. I know they can smell it, the sweetness of strawberries and cream thick in the air, laced with something deeper— need .
West’s hands slide down my arms, slow and deliberate, his fingertips trailing fire over my skin. I shudder, the sensation making my breath hitch, my body already desperate for more.
“Still so damn responsive,” he murmurs, his voice rough with appreciation.
I open my mouth to argue— to tell him I’m not some starved, desperate thing —but the moment Todd’s hands settle on my hips, firm and grounding, the words dissolve on my tongue.
“You feel that?” Todd whispers against the shell of my ear, his voice low and deep, sending a fresh wave of heat through me. “Your body remembers us.”
It does.
Every nerve in my body hums as they close in, surrounding me in heat, in touch, in scent. I feel them— really feel them—through our bond, emotions thick and unguarded. Possession, longing, love .
Xayden tilts my chin, forcing my gaze to his. His golden-brown eyes are dark with need, burning with something untamed. “Let us have you, Ash. Let us remind you who you belong to.”
I can’t think. I don’t want to think.
The answer is already on my lips.
“Yes.”
Xayden growls, sealing his mouth over mine in a kiss that’s all tongue and teeth, a clash of desperation and relief. West’s hands slip beneath my shirt, his palms hot against my skin, mapping the curves of my waist, my ribs, up?—
Todd’s fingers slide up my neck, tangling in my hair as he tugs my head back, breaking Xayden’s kiss only for Jake to replace it, his lips softer, teasing, so damn thorough as he drinks me in like he has all the time in the world.
I moan into him, arching as West’s hands find my breasts, as Xayden’s teeth graze over the bond mark on my throat.
My slick is thick between my thighs, my body completely at their mercy.
Todd chuckles against my jaw, his voice dark with promise. “Two months, Ash. We’re about to make up for every second.”
I wake up half-sprawled over West’s chest, my leg draped over Xayden, and an arm tossed across Jake’s abdomen. Blinking against the early morning light, I lift my head, searching for Todd.
West grumbles in his sleep, his fingers tightening around my waist like he can keep me anchored to him even in unconsciousness. Smiling, I press a soft kiss to his chest, lingering for just a moment before carefully peeling myself away. He sighs but doesn’t wake, his grip loosening just enough for me to slip free.
The scent of something warm and familiar drifts through the air—pancakes, bacon… and Todd.
I follow it, padding quietly down the hall, my body deliciously sore in all the best ways. My oversized sleep shirt slips off one shoulder as I reach the kitchen, and there he is, standing at the stove, shirtless, the golden glow of morning catching on the edges of his muscles as he flips a pancake.
I take a second to admire him—broad back, lean strength, the relaxed way he moves, like he belongs here. Because he does. They all do.
A slow smile curves my lips as I step forward, slipping my arms around his waist from behind. His skin is warm beneath my palms, the muscles in his stomach flexing slightly at my touch.
He hums, low and pleased, as I brush my lips against his shoulder, inhaling deep. His musk—amber and sandalwood, rich and grounding—mixes with the scent of butter and maple syrup, wrapping around me like home.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he murmurs, his voice thick with sleep and affection.
I tighten my hold, resting my cheek against his back. “Morning.”
“Sleep okay?” He flips another pancake, his free hand covering mine where they rest against his stomach, tracing slow circles with his thumb.
“Mmmhmm.” I tilt my head, pressing another kiss to his skin. “Waking up to this? Even better.”
He chuckles, low and knowing. “Figured you’d be hungry.”
I smile against his shoulder, my fingers teasing along the lines of his abdomen. “For breakfast? Or for you?”
Todd’s whole body tenses for a second, then he groans, setting the spatula down with a quiet clink .
“You keep that up,” he warns, turning slightly to glance at me over his shoulder, his eyes dark with something dangerous , “and we won’t make it to breakfast.”
I grin, my heart kicking up its pace. “Is that a threat or a promise?”
He exhales, like he’s barely holding on, then shakes his head with a chuckle. “Sit, Ash. Eat first. Then we’ll see about that appetite of yours.”
I laugh, pressing one last kiss to his shoulder before slipping away to grab a seat at the kitchen island. As I watch him cook, his easy movements remind me of before—before the fame, before everything changed. When we were young and eager for life to begin.
But it doesn’t hurt. If anything, it brings a smile to my lips, because even though we took the long way back to each other, we found the happiness we once thought we had to search for elsewhere.
Todd turns, catching my gaze, his expression shifting as he studies me. “What are you thinking about?” he asks, setting a plate of pancakes down in front of me.
I glance down at the food before looking back at him, my voice low but honest. “Us. The past. Our future.”
His expression shifts, something warm settling in his eyes. He nods, like he understands exactly what I mean, even without me elaborating.
“We wasted a lot of time, didn’t we?” he murmurs, leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his bare chest.
I shrug, twirling my fork between my fingers. “Maybe. But if we had figured it out back then, maybe we wouldn’t have appreciated it the same way we do now.”
Todd exhales, pushing a hand through his messy hair. “I don’t know, Ash. I think I would’ve appreciated having you in my bed every damn night.” His lips tilt into a smirk, but there’s something deeper in his tone, something raw.
A blush creeps up my neck, but I smile, shaking my head. “Yeah, well. Now you get me for good.”
His smirk fades into something softer, something real. “Damn right we do.”
Before I can respond, a sleepy groan echoes from down the hall, followed by the shuffle of footsteps.
“Tell me there’s coffee.” Jake’s voice is rough with sleep as he enters the kitchen, rubbing at his face. His hair is a mess, and his sweatpants hang low on his hips.
Todd chuckles, pushing a steaming mug toward him. “Always.”
Jake grunts in appreciation before taking a sip, eyes closing briefly like it’s reviving his soul.
Another set of footsteps follows, and Xayden appears next, stretching his arms over his head as he steps into the room. His shirtless torso is on full display, the tattoos winding up his arms catching the morning light.
“Something smells good,” he mutters, voice still thick with sleep.
“That’d be me,” Todd quips, flipping another pancake onto a growing stack.
Xayden smirks. “Cocky this early in the morning? You must’ve gotten laid last night.”
Todd shoots him a flat look, while I roll my eyes, reaching for my coffee.
West is the last to arrive, his expression unreadable as he steps into the kitchen. His gaze finds mine immediately, and my stomach flutters at the intensity in his eyes.
“Morning,” he says simply, his voice carrying a quiet weight.
“Morning,” I echo, feeling the warmth of last night settle between us.
Todd plates more food, sliding them toward the guys. “Sit. Eat. We’ve got time before we have to figure out the rest of the world.”
For a moment, it’s just us—the five of us together, warm and easy, like we’ve been doing this forever. Like we were always meant to.