Chapter Thirty-Four
Maddie
I have no idea how long I sleep, but by the time my eyes reopen, darkness already spills into my bedroom through the open windows.
The stars glitter in the sky, the moon peeking from behind a flurry of clouds, providing the only light in the room.
There’s nothing but silence in my apartment, everything quiet other than Bax’s gentle breaths as he sleeps beneath me.
Lifting myself carefully off Baxter’s body, noticing things don’t feel particularly messy between my legs, I check the time on my cell, which has somehow found its place on my bedside table with the charger already plugged in.
The time is a little past one o’clock in the morning, and I can’t help but blink at the clock in shock.
Bax and I somehow managed to lock ourselves away in my room for hours on end, screwing until we both fell asleep, only talking in between rounds of mind-blowing sex that will go down as the best I’ve ever had.
Biting back a smile, a giddy feeling blooming in my chest, I peer down at a sleepy Baxter.
His mouth is parted as he breathes deeply, sound asleep with his ink-covered arm wrapped snugly around my back while the other is tucked beneath his head.
He looks just as beautiful asleep as he does awake, and I reach over to press a kiss to his cheek before carefully wriggling myself free.
Looking around the room in the dim light, I check for something to throw over my very well-used body, finding Baxter’s shirt dry, clean, and folded on a nearby chair.
A slow smile grows on my face when I realize we either have fairies taking care of things, or one or more of the guys have been busy doing chores while we were otherwise occupied.
Sure enough, I find my own clothing in a neat little pile beside Baxter’s, and I bite down on my lip before I laugh and wake the man sleeping soundly in my bed.
With a small shake of my head, a surreal feeling washing over me, I throw Baxter’s shirt over my head, nab my phone from the charger, and tiptoe out of the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind myself.
On silent footsteps, I head into the bathroom to empty my bladder and clean up, once again noticing that I’m not as messy as one should be after a marathon of sex.
It makes me wonder if Bax cleaned me up before he fell asleep, and warmth spreads in my chest at the thoughtfulness.
As soon as I’m done, I wash my hands and face before leaving the bathroom, my empty stomach leading me straight to the kitchen. Bax and I missed dinner, and none of the guys interrupted us, so my stomach is officially in protest mode.
I’m so focused on the rumble of hunger that fuels my movements that I completely miss the signs that I’m not alone, not until I open the fridge door with my hand tucked under Bax’s shirt to press against my gurgling stomach.
“That’s a really pretty picture,” Caid sighs from somewhere behind me, and I gasp so hard that I feel light-headed, terror rushing through me so fast that I can only react like a girl in a horror movie who is destined to die first.
My right hand slaps against my chest as I spin around, back colliding with the shelves in the fridge, condiments and groceries rattling around when I slam into it harshly.
My left hand is still tucked under my stolen shirt, riding up enough to reveal all to the man lounging on the couch in the living room, and I squeak in a very undignified manner when a water droplet from what I assume is a bottle of water falls down my spine.
I can’t even be embarrassed, uncaring that Caid is catching an eyeful of my vagina after likely catching a cheeky glimpse of my ass first, because the fear that shot through me has my heart pounding hard enough that I simply don’t care.
He can look all he wants. It won’t matter if I have a fucking heart attack.
“Now, that’s an even prettier picture. Jesus, Blue,” he groans, chuckling under his breath before he sits upright and grins over at me.
“Unless you’re ready for another man to lay claim to that delicious-looking body of yours, you need to lower that shirt.
It took everything in me not to barge into your bedroom and demand Baxter share after I heard the two of you going at it earlier. You’re testing a man’s willpower.”
The laugh that comes out of me contains a mixture of amusement, shock, and an unusual bashfulness I’ve never felt before.
Which isn’t really a surprise, because this is all very new to me, and hearing Caid talk about it like he’s already well-adjusted and comfortable with the arrangement makes a girl a little bashful.
Especially knowing that Bax’s and my activities earlier were not only watched by Ryan, but heard by Caiden, too.
Biting my lip as I will my heart rate to go back to normal now that I know the threat isn’t a threat at all, I remove my hand from under my shirt and turn back to the fridge, quietly chastising the blond-headed man. “You just scared the life out of me, you ass. Why are you loitering in the dark?”
I gather the makings of a sweet chili chicken wrap and carry them to the island counter, spreading them out before kicking the fridge door shut with my heel as I await an answer that comes pretty quickly.
“I was sleeping before I heard you pitter-patter into the kitchen,” he explains, and I hear the couch rustle before his footsteps draw near me.
There’s a pause before light fills the open-plan kitchen and living room, Caid leaning away from the lamp he’s turned on nearby, and he flashes me a muted version of his signature cheeky smile that melts me in more ways than one.
It doesn’t take him long before he’s at my side, leaning his hip against the counter, an adorable sleepy look on his face that swoops my stomach and squeezes my heart.
He watches me closely as I make a masterpiece of a wrap and says, “There’s leftover takeout in the fridge if you’d prefer that.
We didn’t want to barge in while you were busy, so we put your portion and Bax’s in the fridge for when you were hungry enough to finally crawl out of the bedroom. ”
Huh. That would have been nicer than the wrap, but since I’ve already made one, I shake my head and quietly tell him, “This will do for now, but thank you. Are you hungry? I can make you one, too.”
Caid nods, and I smile softly before sliding the first one I made over to him, going about making another straight away before he can insist I eat and he makes his own.
“Thank you, Blue,” he offers, leaning close to kiss the side of my head, and my hands pause the moment I feel the contact of his lips at my temple.
The butterflies in my stomach soar to life once more, my heart hiccups a beat, and I turn to face Caid as soon as he pulls away with a very cute look on his face.
Before he can do something goofy like apologize, I reach for his shirt, pinching it loosely between my fingers. I tug him closer, and he comes willingly, a questioning look in those tired eyes.
I answer with a short and sweet peck to his lips, kissing his mouth gently before pulling back and releasing his shirt, smoothing out the small wrinkle I’ve caused in the material. I smile at him before finishing up making my food, almost whispering, “No need to thank me, muscles. Eat up.”
Caid chuckles lowly, almost a disbelieving sound that makes me peek at him from under my eyelashes, and I’m pretty sure I catch him blushing slightly.
Which is a crazy concept given that he just admitted to hearing Bax and me fuck.
I don’t know why I find it so endearing, my own laughter slipping out as I finish with my food and start placing everything back in the fridge.
As soon as I’m done, I carry my plate to the living room, grabbing my phone from the island where I left it upon entering the kitchen.
Caid follows after me, grabbing a blanket from the back of the nearest couch before both of us sit close together.
I reach for the remote and turn on a show Caid mentioned a couple of weeks ago, lowering the volume before settling back in my seat, while Caid throws the blanket over us both before we dive into our food in companionable silence.
Neither of us speaks for a long time, the silence comfortable while we finish our food.
By the time both plates are clear and my stomach is no longer gurgling like it’s reenacting a mating call for a bear lover, I’ve grown comfortable in my seat with my knees tucked up against Caid’s side and his arm slung around them, his hand resting on my blanket-covered thigh.
We’ve never sat so cozy before, but it came so naturally that I didn’t even question it, proof enough that I’m deeply on board with being with these men and they’re comfortable being with me.
I mean, if Caid is couch-cuddling with me after hearing his best friend fuck me brainless, then I’m not sure what more proof I could even need.
It is nice to know that they’re all keeping in touch with each other about everything, though, meaning there are no crossed wires, no secrets, and no one is left out of anything.
It makes me wonder how long they’ve been thinking about this relationship, impressed by how well this thing could go if we’re already at this stage.
I’m fighting off a yawn just as a new episode starts, and Caiden is already fighting his exhaustion, his thumb slowing down from his sweet ministrations against my leg.
Reaching for my cell while the intro plays, I scroll through several notifications, clearing emails and messages on social media.
It’s almost two o’clock in the morning by the time I’m done, and Caid has sunk down in his seat, his head resting on the back of the couch.
It looks like he’s on the verge of falling asleep, his eyes barely propped open as he watches the show, and I smile over at him just as my cell vibrates with an incoming message.
And then another. And several more in quick succession.