Chapter 9 Wren
CHAPTER NINE
WREN
“Let’s pull off here. It’ll be our last stop before we reach the safe house,” Elias says, pointing to the off-ramp as Pete turns off the highway.
Jagger gives me a little squeeze, and I look at his pale blue eyes and smile. “Just making sure you are awake,” he signs. Like I could sleep with his thumb rubbing my inner thigh for the past half hour.
I swear all the guys were purposely working me up.
We hadn’t done anything other than a few heated kisses since Elias had joined us six days ago, and I felt ready to combust. But I did not want to risk Elias hearing anything through the thin hotel room walls.
I knew he was disappointed I was dating convicts, and I didn’t want to make it worse.
The SUV hums down the exit ramp, and Pete lets out a sigh. “Finally. I thought we were gonna die of boredom.”
“Pretty sure your talking already killed half my brain cells,” Sly says without opening his eyes.
Pete glances over with a grin. “You say that like you had brain cells to spare.”
“Keep talking,” Sly says, “and I’ll duct-tape your mouth shut.”
Pete grins. “Kinky.”
I roll my eyes, but can’t help smiling at their banter.
“Oh, can you do that anyway?” Dex asks with amusement. “That way I don’t have to hear him scream again.”
“I don’t scream,” Pete argues immediately.
“Pretty sure you did when that bird hit the windshield two days ago,” Dex fires back.
“That was instinct.”
“Sounded like a twelve-year-old girl’s instinct.”
I can’t help the laugh that rolls out of me, and Pete glares at both of us through the mirror. “You’re menaces. Both of you.”
Dex grins. “You love us.”
Pete exhales through his nose. “You’re confusing love with endurance.”
I hide a smile, pretending to look out the window.
The bickering feels almost normal, familiar in a way I never had growing up.
It’s ridiculous and full of energy, but underneath it all, it’s safe.
It’s a safety I didn’t have with Robert.
I always had to watch what I said, keeping my thoughts to myself or risk disappointing him.
I scan the SUV as I contemplate how different things are now. I knew that I could talk to these guys about anything, even Elias. The only thing that ever held me back anymore was when I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer to a question or when I was embarrassed by the topic.
Elias clears his throat from the front seat. “We’ll grab food and drinks here. A quick stop only. No wandering off.”
“Define wandering,” Pete says.
Elias doesn’t even look at him when he answers. “If I have to look for you, it counts.”
Dex snorts quietly. “Guess you’re staying in the car then, Pete.”
“Ha ha,” Pete mutters.
When we finally roll to a stop in a secluded corner of the parking lot, Jagger helps me out, and I take a second to stretch, grateful for the fresh air.
I instantly notice the difference. Fall is coming fast, and since we’re so much further North now, the temperature has dropped.
A smile crosses my face as I wonder about the chance of getting to see snow. When would it start snowing here?
I have no idea how it works. We didn’t get much of a fall where I lived in Arizona, and certainly no snow. It was something I always dreamed of.
Pete hops out beside me, arms wide. “Ah, freedom. Air that doesn’t smell like old fries and Elias’s BO.”
“I don’t have BO!” Elias exclaims, looking horrified as he lifts his shirt and sniffs it.
“Could have fooled me,” Pete rumbles.
I step up to Elias’s side and lean forward, taking a small inhale of his chest. “I think he smells good.” Elias gives me an appreciative smile in return.
Pete turns to me, mock-wounded. “You’re supposed to be on my side, angel.”
I shrug. “I’m just telling the truth.”
He narrows his eyes like he’s considering throwing me over his shoulder just to make a point, but before he can, Elias speaks. “Anyone want a drink, or something to eat?” He’s always the one to offer to get snacks. I think he’s trying to be helpful so the others will warm up to him.
“A flavored water, please,” I reply with a smile. I hadn’t settled on a favorite drink yet. I was still trying new things every day.
Pete raises a brow. “That’s it? No caffeine, no sugar? What happened to you?”
“She’s evolving,” Sly says, deadpan. “Next, she’ll start ignoring your jokes.”
Pete gasps in mock horror. “Never!”
Jagger signs something quickly. “That would be a sign of maturity.”
Dex bursts out laughing, and even Elias’s mouth twitches. Pete throws his hands up dramatically. “You see this? Mutiny. Complete and total betrayal.”
Elias shakes his head. “If you’re done, I’ll get the drinks.”
Pete salutes. “Aye aye, Captain Buzzkill.”
Elias sighs but doesn’t rise to it. He just turns toward the convenience store, and Jagger steps up beside him, tilting his head toward the doors in silent question. Elias gives a short nod, and the two of them head off together.
“Now there’s a pair,” Pete mutters, watching them go.
“You’re lucky Jagger’s patient,” Sly says. “Anyone else would’ve knocked you out by now.”
Pete grins. “You haven’t.”
“You’re not worth my time. Ignoring you is easier,” Sly replies smoothly as he moves over to stand in front of me. His eyes roam up and down my body, like he hasn’t seen me in days, and with just that one look, I feel my body heating again.
Pete crosses his arms, looking amused as he watches us. “You know, you’re getting a little pink in the cheeks, angel. I think you like us starting to corrupt you.”
I lick my lips, my eyes still on Sly. “Starting?”
Dex laughs, and Sly hums in what sounds like approval.
“Fine,” Pete says, pretending to scowl. “But if we’re being honest, pretty sure it’s your fault.”
I arch a brow, finally turning my attention to him. “How do you figure that?”
I expect Pete to respond, but Sly’s the one to answer. “You were brave enough to write to four monsters. You can’t be surprised we’d tear the world apart to keep you.”
My chest tightens from his romantic words. Every time one of them mentions keeping me or belonging to one another, my heart does a happy little dance in my chest, feeling loved and appreciated for who I am for the first time in my life. It makes me feel… free.
My eyes catch on the large expanse of grass, and I step up to the edge of it. Pete and Dex move to stand on either side of me, staring out at the open area.
“Well, angel? Ready to spread your wings?” I grin up at Pete, and his smile widens as he taps his chin in thought. “Actually, on second thought…” He side-eyes Dex. “Maybe we should warm up first. Don’t want to embarrass ourselves trying to keep up with her.”
Dex raises an eyebrow. “Pretty sure the only thing you’re capable of warming up is your mouth.”
“Funny,” Pete says, taking a step into the grass, “because last time we wrestled, you tapped out in… What was it? Eight seconds?”
Dex gives a low, dangerous chuckle. “You’re remembering that backward, farm boy.”
“Am I?” Pete asks, mock-innocent. “Because I distinctly recall you squealing like a—”
That’s all Dex needs. One second Pete’s smirking, the next he’s flat on his back in the patchy grass with Dex’s knee pressed to his ribs.
Pete wheezes out a laugh. “I wasn’t ready! You cheated!”
“Excuses, excuses,” Dex says, shaking his head as he tries to pin him. Pete bucks his hips and twists beneath him. “All I see is that you lost. Again.”
Pete manages to wiggle free, then tries to tackle Dex. They end up a tangle of limbs and laughter, rolling dangerously close to the SUV. Pete manages to flip them, then straddles Dex and throws both arms into the air in victory. “Ha! Dominance re-established!”
Dex grabs his shirt, rolls again, and they end up sprawled side by side in the grass, both laughing too hard to keep fighting.
I notice Sly watching from where he leans against the SUV, shaking his head with a sigh. “You two are an embarrassment to men everywhere.”
Pete, still lying flat on his back, points at Sly without lifting his head. “You’re just jealous of my athleticism.”
Dex snorts. “Yeah, sure, kid.”
I can’t stop laughing. “You two are ridiculous.”
Pete, still sprawled in the grass, grins up at me. “Ridiculous and winning.”
“Winning what?” Dex asks, brushing off his jeans.
“Her attention.”
Dex’s eyes flick toward me. There’s a hint of heat there that makes me forget to breathe for a second. “Think we already have it.”
The air feels charged for half a heartbeat too long, and unsure what else to do, I quickly slip off my socks and shoes and take off running into the grass, doing my usual cartwheels and twirls.
The grass is cool and damp beneath my feet, the smell of earth and wildflowers sharp in the air.
For a moment, the weight of the world falls away.
No aliases, no running, no danger—just me, laughing under a sky that stretches on forever.
I can almost pretend we’re normal, that we’re just a group of friends on a road trip, not fugitives chasing safety.
But then I catch the sound of Pete’s boots pounding after me, and the illusion shatters in the best possible way. When I see him coming, I duck out of his grasp with a laugh, not wanting to make it too easy for him.
“I see how it is, playing hard to get, are we?”
A smirk pulls at my lips as we face each other, circling slowly as I wait for him to pounce.
“You’re the ones who have been playing hard to get.”
His head tilts as he asks, “How do you figure that?”
“You know exactly what your touches do to me. And it’s been almost a week since… you know…”
A huge grin splits his face as he laughs. “Oh, is our little Wren feeling horny and neglected?”
I narrow my eyes at his taunt. “It’s not like I can just go take care of myself in the shower like you do.”
His eyebrows raise as he chuckles. “You heard that, did you?”
“No, but you just confirmed my suspicions."
Suddenly, he lurches forward, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me against his chest. “And why haven’t you been touching yourself, Wren?” he whispers before his teeth graze over my earlobe, sending another bolt of lust to my center.
I gasp, not expecting that as my body stops trying to get away and instead melts in his embrace.
“Hmm? Why, Wren?” he asks again, right before his lips seal over a spot right below my ear that causes me to whimper with need.
“Because Sly told me not to.”
“You hear that?” I think he’s talking to me, but he turns us around, and I find Dex and Sly standing only two feet away, staring down at me with heated eyes.
My breath comes fast, and not just from the chase. Every time one of them touches me, the rest of the world blurs away. It still amazes me how different they all are—Pete’s wild energy, Dex’s careful hands, Jagger’s quiet steadiness, Sly’s control—and yet somehow they all fit together around me.
“I did,” Sly says, taking a step forward, his hand reaching out to cup my jaw as he tilts my chin up to him. His eyes roam my face, and he slowly nods. “You’ve been such a good girl, obeying me like that, even though I know you’ve been desperate for release.”
“Why are you making me wait?” I pout as I press my thighs together to try to relieve some of the pressure there. Of course, that never works.
“I wanted to see if you would remember what I told you.”
“I remember everything you tell me, Sly.”
“And why did you choose to listen?”
I frown as I consider his question. I know I could have tried to touch myself, but wanting to obey Sly was more important, even though I knew he wouldn’t hurt me or be that upset if I did it. “Because I wanted to make you proud of me.”
One of Pete’s hands slides down to cup my sex under my skirt, and a whimper escapes me.
“Such a good girl,” Sly whispers, stepping closer as his thumb trails along my lower lip. Suddenly, his eyes lift as he looks over our heads to the parking lot beyond.
“Can you two keep the others away for a few minutes? I want to reward our girl for being so patient.”
Pete reluctantly pulls away but nods, right before he spins around and kisses me fiercely. I gasp in surprise as his tongue darts in with a show of force and possession that heightens my arousal even more.
He releases me as quickly as he caught me, then gives me his mischievous grin. “Behave, angel.” He winks, then turns away as Dex steps up.
His kiss is gentle and soft, and when he pulls back, I can feel his love for me shining through his eyes. I still hadn’t admitted how I felt, and I wasn’t sure why. I knew I loved him, loved all of them, but something was holding me back. Maybe I was waiting for the right time?
“Be good and listen to Sly.” He lifts his gaze to Sly, whose hands are now on my shoulders as he tells him, “Don’t take it too far.”
Sly must nod because Dex gives me another quick kiss, then jogs after Pete toward the SUV.
Suddenly, Sly picks me up, so we’re chest to chest, and I wrap my legs and arms around him as he heads for one of the giant oak trees. He moves us behind it so we can’t be seen, then presses my back to the tree as he looks down at me.
“You know you didn’t have to wait this long. I wouldn’t have been upset if you had touched yourself.”
“But you didn’t want me to. You said you want to control my… releases.”
He nods. “That’s true. But you know I wouldn’t have actually been upset, right?”
I cup his face this time and nod. “I know. I did it because I wanted to make you happy. And I… I like when you take control.”