Chapter 30
Thirty
JAXON
Iglance at Dimitri, who’s scrolling through food options. He’s determined to find the right one for Hope, who’s taking her time in a shower. Knox is flipping through TV channels. It’s normal.
The apartment feels bigger now that all the threats have been dealt with. It feels… good, actually. Shockingly easy. Breathing feels right.
I slide Knox a beer. “Enjoy your sweet nothings with Hope?”
He flicks me off, but pauses.
My eyes flick to Hope walking around in just a towel. I groan appreciatively and she bites her bottom lip, but Knox swats my shoulder and nudges to the tv as he calls out to Dimitri.
Hope comes over and sits next to me, kissing my scar again before her eyes catch on the TV. We’re all immediately drawn in to the report and Dimitri’s father on the screen.
“You said that a cabin owned by Coach Harbaugh has burned down. Has there been a full investigation on who may have done that?” the female reporter asks.
Dimitri’s dad looks haggard, tired, like he’s worked himself to the bone. I have a feeling that’s guilt and fear of being linked to everything going on in this case. I grit my teeth all the same.
We’re an easy excuse after all.
“I can’t go into details since there’s an open investigation going on, but I can tell you that the cabin burning down was arson,” he says, looking from the reporter to the camera. “However, we assume that was to clear evidence based on some additional information that has come up.”
“Do you mean evidence that could suggest that Coach Harbaugh was murdered?”Again, Dimitri’s dad hesitates.
Hope presses herself closer to me, but stares at Knox, who’s now leaning forward, his attention entirely on the news report like he’s waiting to see if he needs to jump into action.
My gaze slides to Dimitri. He seems suspiciously calm from the outside, but the grip he has on his phone reveals how tense he is.
“We don’t know if he was murdered. Currently, he’s considered missing, though it’s suspected that he’s on the run based on some additional facts that have arisen,” Dimitri’s dad states.
There’s no waver in his voice and no hesitation. No one would ever believe he’s lying. Hope lets out a soft breath and starts to relax a bit. “I didn’t think he’d actually… be decent, I guess.”
The woman almost smiles at the opportunity to speak again. “Speaking of those additional facts, can you comment on rumors about this… illicit website that Coach Harbaugh was a part of? Many have hinted that it may have involved underage participants being forced to—”
“I’m not able to discuss that. I can share that the right authorities have been assigned to the case and arrests have been made in accordance with evidence that has been found. If or when the trial goes public, everyone will know the facts rather than the rumors surrounding the case.”
Dimitri scoffs. “Dad’s still playing it safe. Can’t risk his job once we gave him the chance to secure it.”
“Did he… I mean, did he see…” Hope clearly doesn’t want to finish the thought.
“No,” Dimitri murmurs. “His name wasn’t on the list. I checked. He knew what was happening and took a cut to stay quiet. He never got details. Never looked, at least never downloaded.”
My arm curls around Hope protectively. He kept quiet. She came to him for help and he did nothing. I want to make him pay for that. I want him to regret not helping her, not pulling her out of the trenches when he had the opportunity.
“Easy,” Hope whispers in my ear.
“He deserves to be hurt,” I growl.
“Past versus future,” she insists.
“I’m listening,” Knox says, voice sharp but controlled.
“So what can you tell us then, Chief Kessler?” the reporter asks before almost rudely shoving her mic into Dimitri’s dad’s face.
“I can tell you that Coach Harbaugh seems to be on the run with two other individuals who are wanted for questioning by the police. Yes, the business they were or are involved in is terrible. It’s condemnable and that’s why we want to bring them in for additional details,” Dimitri’s dad says.
“Can you tell us anything else? Anything to give the community some answers about the man they’ve been looking for and wishing the best for?” she presses, obviously annoyed with the radio silence.
Dimitri’s dad stares right at the camera. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he knows we’re watching and wants to do something to prove that this is done, that it’s over. He can sleep, hopefully fitfully, and so can we.
“I can tell you that the man we revered was a fraud. He fooled us all into thinking he was a good father, a good mentor, and a good man. He was not. He abused his power. All the good he did doesn’t come close to balancing the pain he caused and played a part in.
He isn’t a man worthy of any legacy,” Dimitri’s dad says.
“That’s all I have to share at this time. ”
Knox turns the TV off and glances at Dimitri. “He came through.”
“Shockingly,” Dimitri adds.
Then all of us glance at Hope. She’s in her towel, not looking quite as small as she did weeks ago, not as fragile, not as empty. Her eyes aren’t glassy. She isn’t struggling to breathe. She’s here, settled against my side like there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.
Leaning into me, she closes her eyes, then lets out the biggest sigh I’ve ever heard. “It’s done. It’s actually done.”
I kiss her forehead and Knox finally takes a drink from the beer he’s been holding. “No more sacrifices, sweetheart.”
“No more running, no more fear. Just us enjoying life now, baby. What do you want to do first?” Dimitri asks.
“Other than fuck like bunnies,” I chuckle in her ear.
She beams. “Eat, drink, and have a date night, right here in our apartment.”
“Done,” we say together and prepare for a date night to knock Hope’s socks off and prove that we can offer her more than drama, horror, and revenge.
We have love, affection, and a hell of a lot of fun to give her.
HOPE
I wake up between Knox and Dimitri. Jaxon surrendered his spot and is actively spooning Dimitri, which makes me smirk. Rather than waking any of the guys, I just let my eyes wander across the ceiling, where the sun is spilling in through the curtains.
We danced, laughed, flirted, kissed, had a good night.
I want to be with all three of them, to dive into the kind of sexual relationship we haven’t gotten to enjoy, but I want us all to be ready.
I’ve been with all of them one at a time, sometimes with the others watching, and only one of them inside me. I want to change it.
And now it feels more possible than ever. I can lose myself in them. We don’t have to cross our fingers that something from our past is going to devour us whole or ruin whatever we build.
I roll my hips back against Dimitri and hear his soft groan as he shifts. My hand strokes down Knox’s chest to where he’s already hard. I could play with them, enjoy them, maybe test my own limits, stroking Knox while wiggling until Dimitri fills me.
If Knox wakes up, he can move and claim my mouth, then I can stroke Jax. They can take turns, we can explore every option available. I shudder and grind against Dimitri again until he hisses and grips my hips, thrusting against me.
“Hope,” Jax moans from behind Dimitri.
Knox lets out a groan as I squeeze his hard cock, then shifts against me. I slide my hand into his boxers and stroke him more fully while continuing to wiggle against Dimitri.
“Fuck,” Knox groans, his eyes opening slowly, then dipping down. Then his gaze flicks to me. “Not a dream?”
I shake my head.
Dimitri makes a face and moves closer to me, trying to get away from Jax, who seems to be echoing every roll of his hips. Dimitri huffs and shoves Jax off him. Jax just rolls over and slips back into sleep.
I don’t want just two of them. I don’t want to leave Jax out, but I don’t want to stop either.
I want them. All of them. And I know they want me.
Dimitri kisses across my neck while grinding against my ass.
He lifts the nightgown I put on and grabs my ass, adjusting me so his now-free cock thrusts between my thighs.
“Please,” I whimper. “I want you.”
They don’t waste any time. Knox shifts, just like I predicted, and helps guide me around his cock. I wrap my lips around him and he lets out a low groan while thrusting deeper into my mouth.
“That’s it. We have to let Jax sleep. He’s still healing,” Knox whispers.
“Keep her from being loud,” Dimitri agrees while lifting my leg, letting me stay on my side. He fills me in one frictionless thrust and muffles his low, long moan against my shoulder. “So fucking wet.”
I want to beg them not to stop. I want to beg them to be rough.
Dimitri sets a slow pace, one that keeps building and building as he rubs my clit.
Knox guides my head the way he needs, choking me on his cock again and again, but never being too rough.
He gently massages my breast, pinches my nipple when I suck him hard.
“Fucking perfect. Open your mouth wider for him, baby. Take him as deep as you can. Moan around his cock… yes, just like that, good girl,” Dimitri coaches me through it.
My eyes nearly roll back as I follow every command, rolling my hips to meet each of Dimitri’s rough, fast thrusts.
A soft groan draws my attention and I see Jax watching. He’s no longer behind Dimitri; he’s kneeling at the foot of the bed, savoring the view of me almost naked, fucking his two best friends.
He grins, his hand slipping into his boxers. “Best morning I’ve had in years.”
And it’ll be the first of many. I’m sure of that. Where I rotate between them, bask in their affection, their lust, and their love. It’s a life I can get used to.