Esme
Leaving Parker’s bed was too much of a task. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it for anyone. Not even Amelia. With Elsa officially gone to some French prison for the foreseeable future, my friend would be free of her biggest bully at school. And because Elsa was the one who led the charge on Amelia so often, the others would leave her alone without their leader to initiate.
But even if that weren’t a factor, I didn’t think it would have mattered. Not after the night I’d spent with Parker. His “my love” was something I’d echoed without much thought to our audience at the time. It was an automatic response simply because that was how I felt. And fighting my emotions never went well for anyone, myself included. The timing wasn’t ideal, and maybe my delivery wasn’t as pretty as how it was when I told Malcolm I loved him, but Parker wasn’t Malcolm and Mal was very much not Parker.
We were going to have different experiences together. And the emotion that clouded Parker’s eyes when I whispered “ my love” nearly caused my knees to buckle. His kiss had been full of a hundred different things, all of them telling me how happy he was, how much he loved me, and if we hadn’t been surrounded by hundreds of people, I would have been naked on the nearest flat surface.
But we were surrounded by all those people, two of whom were his fellow board members who had been watching us with amused but interest-filled eyes. I knew of both women. Rich or poor, few people in the world didn’t know who they were and not just because of their charity to help women and children escape abusive homes. Just as I knew there was a third member of the group, but she was back in Northern California because she tended to stay out of the spotlight to keep the shelter she had built as a sanctuary for abused women on her own dime as the focus.
Parker probably had no idea how informed I was about his fellow board members. But I’d never known about his sister, Alora. My heart still burned, experiencing his loss like it was my own. From the moment he’d said her name, I’d felt all his pain. The grief and guilt were crushing.
And yet, when he shared that huge burden with me, it seemed to free him a little. I gladly took on the weight if it meant he didn’t have to carry it. I couldn’t remember how long we stayed on that dance floor the night before, barely moving, simply holding on to each other while the world around us continued to exist. Everything but Parker was a blur until we were home.
Home.
It was crazy how I’d only walked through the doors to the house a few times, but already, I thought of it as my home. But my daddies kept referring to it as our home, and that made it hard not to consider it mine as well.
“I love you, little one,” Parker groaned as he sank deep into me for the first time.
Hearing the emotions choking him, I couldn’t fight the sob that erupted from me even as my orgasm climbed higher. “Parker, I love you.”
Kissing away my tears, he thrust into me harder. “My sweet, perfect, beautiful girl.” His entire body shuddered, but he didn’t rush, drawing out every moment until it was too much and I was trembling and begging for release.
When I woke up in bed with him the next morning, I refused to let him leave for work. If I was going to skip school and leave Amelia alone for an entire day, then he was going to blow off work and stay with me. I didn’t have to urge him too much. A few kisses, a single pout, and he was rolling me over, promising me anything I wanted. And I didn’t think he wanted to be away from me any more than I wanted to be away from him.
Snuggling me from behind, he kissed my shoulder. “Do you need to let your parents know you’re okay?”
I lifted my wrist with the smartwatch on it. “They know I’m alive.”
His eyes narrowed at my answer. “You should call them, . Let them know where you are. The headmaster will alert them you weren’t in attendance today. Don’t cause your parents to stress over your safety.”
Turning over to face him, I cuddled close. “Astro and Otto get the alerts from school, not Papa or Maman . My parents aren’t exactly active guardians.”
His handsome face clouded. If I didn’t already know I was safe with him, I might have felt a moment of unease at the ripple of rage that I saw pass through him. “They neglect you.”
“They have always ensured my sister and I are well cared for. We had the best nannies growing up. And then our guards, once we were more self-sufficient. Although I question Eloise’s ability to make smart choices.” Just speaking my sister’s name made me feel irrationally violent. The last time I saw her, she’d pushed me further than she ever had before. I hadn’t trusted her before, but now, I was sure she was unhinged. If I never saw her again, it would be too soon.
Shaking thoughts of her away, I smiled up at the delicious man holding me. “Regardless, I’m eighteen, Parker. That’s a legal adult. Getting parental approval to sleep over at my boyfriends’ house isn’t a requirement.”
“This is your house too, little one.” He stressed that fact, not for the first time, making me melt a little more. “And I wasn’t telling you to get approval, simply to let your parents know you were safe.”
“The people who matter know where I am and that I’m safe, Daddy. If they didn’t think I was, I wouldn’t be here.”
“I think the guys and I need to have a conversation with your father,” he grumbled half under his breath.
“Not anytime soon. Papa is abroad for the next few weeks. Otto told me he and Maman left yesterday. I didn’t ask where, and I’m not interested in the logistics or the time frame. They will be back in time for my graduation, though, so you can meet them then if you want.”
“We want,” he confirmed, his jaw popping.
“So you can punch him in the nose?” I teased, but when he didn’t answer, I lost my smile. “He’s a good father, just not a very involved one. Papa did his best. It’s just, he and Maman aren’t equipped to be full-time parents. They aren’t wired like normal people. They’re…not selfish…but… Okay, yeah, fine. They are kind of selfish. All they see the majority of the time is each other, and their children are afterthoughts. But they do love us, Parker. And I love them very much.”
After a tense moment, he blew out a long breath. “No one will punch your dad.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Giving him a quick kiss, I sat up. “I need a shower and food. Could we go out for dinner?”
“We have open reservations at a few different places. Decide what you would like, and I’ll make a call, sweetheart.”
My head was under the spray rinsing the shampoo from my hair when I heard Parker open the stall door. “, love, something came up at work with a client. Tell me no, and I will pass this off to my CFO.”
I wiped the water from my eyes, blinking up at him through the steam. His face was set in serious lines. It was easy to tell he was torn. Obviously, whatever was going on was very important. Pushing up onto my tiptoes, I gave him a quick kiss. “It’s fine, Daddy. I understand.”
Cupping the back of my head, he deepened the kiss for a moment. “I love you, little one. Take your time. Malcolm is getting ready now.”
Some of the disappointment I felt faded at the mention of Mal. It wasn’t that I forgot about him or Benson when I was with Parker, or that I forgot about Parker when I was with Malcolm. I wanted to live in the moment with the man I was with rather than focus on who I wasn’t with at the time. “I hope whatever is going on with your client doesn’t take too long. Maybe you can join us later.”
“As soon as I’m done, baby,” he promised, dropping one more lingering kiss on my lips. “Love you.”
“I love you too, Parker.”
An hour later, I walked out of the bathroom with my hair blown out and makeup done, dressed in a pretty pink corset bralette and a matching skirt that hit midthigh with a flare. Given that Parker had had my stylist meet us before the event the night before, I wasn’t surprised to find an entire closet stocked with not only clothes in my sizes, but my favorite makeup and hair care products in the bathroom.
There were enough shoes to keep any woman happy for at least a month, and so much jewelry, I didn’t know if I’d ever wear it all. But I’d definitely try my best. My daddies were already spoiling me and making sure I felt at home in their house.
Securing the bracelet around my wrist beside my smartwatch, I picked up my phone and practically skipped out of the bedroom. As I opened the door, Malcolm met me, his brown eyes eating me up like I was his first meal in a week.
“Jesus Christ.”
Grinning, I turned in a circle to give him the full effect. “You like, Daddy?”
“Daddy loves, baby girl.” Taking my hand, he guided me toward the stairs. “That skirt is going to get someone killed tonight. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Laughing, I paused so we could grab our coats. Outside, Otto already had the car waiting, and Astro was at the back door. It was a cold night, but we weren’t outside long enough to feel the chill before I was being hustled into the vehicle.
But I stopped completely when I saw that Benson was already waiting inside. My heart jumped into my throat at the sight of him. I hadn’t seen him since Sunday. And other than a few texts, we hadn’t spoken since then either. He hadn’t tried to communicate with me, hadn’t attempted to see me, and no one had brought him up. It had only been a few days. I knew that, but it felt longer. Like an entire lifetime.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I’d missed him.
“Hey, baby.”
He didn’t get to go silent on me then show up after days of little to no contact, expecting me to act like everything was okay.
“Where have you been?” I meant it to be a demand, but my voice barely came out as a whisper.
His eyes went turbulent. Behind me, Malcolm cursed viciously. Benson slid across the seat and lifted me into his arms. With his arms around me, I felt my emotions get the better of me, and I sensed myself beginning to crumble. Fighting it, I smacked my hand against his chest. “You’re an asshole.”
“Can’t argue with that, sweet girl.” He caught my hand, kissing my palm before placing it over his chest. Biting my lip, I watched as he stroked his thumb back and forth across my skin. His hand was so much bigger than mine. Just like Malcolm’s and Parker’s, and just like with them, I always found the size difference so comforting. Their touch, their closeness, simply knowing they were close, soothed something in me that had always felt…restless.
Benson squeezed my fingers. “Please don’t be angry with me, baby. I’m trying not to fuck this up, but that’s all I seem to do with you. This is new territory for me.”
Hearing the door shut, I glanced over to find Malcolm had gotten in on the other side of the vehicle. Behind me, Astro made sure everything was clear outside the car before shutting the door and taking the front passenger seat. I glanced from Mal to Benson, the darkness of the back of the car making it a little easier to collect my thoughts with the two of them so close.
What Mal and I had came easy. Neither of us fought what we felt. We just let ourselves go and loved each other like we were meant to do. Benson had held himself back from the moment our eyes locked, and I’d been on guard ever since, scared he was going to hurt me.
Because if I let go and he broke my heart, it would destroy not just me, but what I had with Malcolm and Parker. I knew all the way to my soul that I couldn’t fully have one without the other two.
Closing my eyes, I took a slow breath, gathering my courage. When I lifted my lashes, I met Benson’s gaze. “You understand that if you ever break my heart, I will kill you, right?”
His relieved laugh filled the car. “I love you, you little fucking maniac.”