Chapter 32 Wren
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
WREN
It’s taken us five days, but we’ve finally arrived at the address from the phone in Ashford Springs.
Sly said we could have done the drive in two days, but decided to take a more indirect route to get here in case we’re caught on camera somewhere.
Apparently, going in a straight line was a bad idea.
“Are we going in?” I ask, leaning forward between where Sly and Dex sit in the front, to look at the completely normal-looking house in the middle of an average-looking subdivision. I wasn’t sure what we’d find at the address, but it definitely wasn’t something so… ordinary.
“Not yet, we need to watch.” Sly shakes his head, and his hands tighten on the steering wheel, the leather of his gloves creaking with the moment.
I glance at the others. Pete and Jagger are wearing fingerless gloves, unlike Sly’s full-fingered ones. And Dex doesn’t wear any.
“How come you guys wear those gloves?” Jagger lifts his hand, flips it back and forth, then makes a fist and taps his knuckles.
“To cover your knuckles?” I ask, frowning at his reasoning.
Pete leans his forearms on the back of our seat, wiggling his own fingers at me. “Protects them when we’re using our fists.”
“Ohhh, you mean when punching people? They help protect your hands.”
His hand slips around to the opposite side of my head, and he pulls me close, kissing my temple with a wicked grin on his face. “Brilliant and beautiful!”
My cheeks heat as I turn to look back at the house before I lift my own hand to assess it. With my new edgy black look, fingerless gloves would probably match perfectly. “Could I get a pair, too?” I turn to Pete, who looks at me in surprise.
“You want matching gloves, angel?” He grins before licking his lips, as if the idea really appeals to him.
“Is that weird?”
“Would it matter if it was?” He tilts his head as he asks, like he’s genuinely curious about my answer.
I think about it for a moment. It feels like something a couple would do, and the idea only makes me want to do it more. What if we all wore the same gloves?
Oh! We should have matching outfits!
Without Robert’s oppressive influence over me, I realize I’m free to make my own choices, and I no longer have to worry about what he thinks.
I certainly don’t care what other people think.
Other than these four, that is. And I have a feeling they don’t mind me being weird.
In fact, I think they might just be crazy enough to love it.
“No,” I finally answer as I place my hand on his and give it a squeeze. “It wouldn’t matter.”
“Then we’ll get you gloves the next chance we get.”
Jagger lifts his hands, and I read his signing out loud for Dex and Sly, who are facing the other way. “Jagger is asking how long we’re going to sit out here before he can go check it out.”
Five days in the car gave me plenty of time to study ASL.
Although it was different from learning a written and spoken language like Italian or Spanish, it was actually much easier, since you didn’t have to worry about using tenses or pronouns.
The other three were learning pretty quickly, too.
I was glad they had come around to it. I felt bad they'd spent all that time in a cell with Jagger, and it hadn’t even occurred to them to learn.
“It’s six o’clock now.” Sly points to the clock in the minivan. “It’s a weekday, so let’s wait until everyone is home from work and gone to bed. We’ll go in at around one a.m. if we haven’t seen any movement.”
“One a.m.?” I whine. “That’s seven hours away! What are we going to do in this van all day?”
Four sets of intense eyes slowly turn to look at me, and I push my back up against the window as my body suddenly starts to grow warm. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sly eyes me up and down, and I swallow nervously. Suddenly, the tension in the van has skyrocketed, and I’m not sure why. I’ve spent the past five days sleeping between two of them every night and cuddling with them during our drives, but none of them has made another move.
I had thought that after Sly finally kissed me, they might be more forward with their affection. There was plenty of cuddling and kisses on my cheek and head. But nobody had kissed me that passionately since.
They hadn’t even made me watch any more porn, although the lessons hadn’t exactly stopped, either.
Every time I opened my smartphone, the browser was open on a different sexual term.
I wasn’t sure who was doing it, probably Pete if I had to wager.
I had to admit that it was helping to enlighten me.
I had no idea there were so many different ways to have sex. So many positions and holes…
I rub my thighs together at the thought of doing those things with my men makes me grow damp.
That was the other thing I’d learned. I was actually super thankful to whoever had left the browser open to the page on that particular topic.
It explained what happens to our bodies when we become aroused.
Apparently, the wetness I left on Jagger’s leg was normal. It meant I was turned on. It made sense since we were watching porn at the time. Apparently, it was my body’s way of prepping itself for sex. If that was true, it meant I was constantly in a state of readiness around these four.
Fingers touch my cheek, and I jump, forgetting where I am.
“Sorry,” Pete laughs. “What were you just thinking about? Your cheeks turned bright red.”
“Oh.” I press my palms to my cheeks and feel the heat there. “I don’t remember.”
He shakes his head. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”
I swallow nervously, realizing I do feel ridiculously hot between my legs right now. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask, not wanting to talk about how my body is going crazy anymore.
He watches me with a small smirk, pulling at the corner of his mouth. “I’m just picturing a few things we could do to pass the time.”
“Pete,” Sly says in a warning tone. “Not here.”
Pete lets out an exaggerated sigh as he flops back in his seat. “Yes, dad.”
“You may as well get comfortable since we’re gonna be here for a while.”
Jagger turns his body so he’s leaning against the door, then beckons me closer. I start to move toward him, and he grips my waist and pulls me to sit between his legs, stretching his out along the bench seat as I lean back against his chest.
His arms loosely band around me as I snuggle in and get comfy, tilting my head to watch the house.
“Won’t they think it’s suspicious with a van parked out here all day?” I scan the street and see a couple of other vehicles parked on the road.
“Hopefully not. At least the windows are tinted. But Dex and I will be more noticeable in front,” Sly says as he glances back at us.
“You should move back here then. So they think the van is empty.”
“Good idea,” Dex says, flashing me his smile.
“Maybe we should go stock up on food and drinks before we settle in for the night?” Pete suggests.
“But we need to watch the house,” I argue.
“We can’t just stand out there, people would notice,” Sly says, shaking his head.
“What if one of you and I walked up and down the street? Like we were going for a stroll. People do that, right?”
“Not dressed like that, they don’t,” Sly says, eyeing my outfit. I’m wearing my short black pleated skirt, thigh-high black socks, and a black crop top. It’s become one of my favorite outfits.
“Women who stroll dress differently?” I frown at him in confusion.
“To blend in, in this neighborhood, you’d need to wear something less edgy.”
“She’d stand out in a paper bag,” Dex says, his eyes skimming up my legs, making me squirm from his heated perusal.
“I do have a light-colored dress I could put on. I bought it when I wasn’t sure how I’d feel in these clothes, as a backup.”
“Okay, so we’re going to do this? One of us will walk with her while the other three take the van and grab snacks?” Dex asks to clarify. “I don’t like leaving her with only one person.”
“Two of us walking with her would be very out of place here,” Sly says, his eyes drifting over all of us.
“So who stays with her?”
“It has to be Pete,” Sly says, looking none too pleased with the idea.
“Yes!” Pete raises his fists in victory.
“Why him?” Dex asks with a pout.
“He’s the most inconspicuous. You and Jag are covered in tattoos. Pete is smaller and less noticeable.”
“Hey! I take offence to that!” Pete says with a mock glare.
“Good.” Sly’s eyes move down to mine as he adds, “Can you get changed in the van?”
“Oh, sure. Pete, can you pass me my duffel bag?” He leans over the back seat and fumbles around for a minute until he finds it and lifts it over the seats to me. “Thank you.”
I move out of Jagger’s lap to sit back in my own seat and search for the dress at the bottom of the bag.
It’s a light cream color, with tiny blue flowers all over, and the hem sits a few inches above my knees.
It’s a simple A-line shape, fitted to my hips with a slight flare in the skirt.
The top has a square-cut neckline that shows little cleavage and short sleeves.
It’s the perfect dress for an Arizona summer.
I also grab my new white sneakers, knowing I can’t wear my black shoes with them that I’m currently sporting.
I pull one of my arms into my crop top, ready to pull it off when my eyes bounce up, suddenly remembering that I’m not alone in here.
Four sets of eyes are unabashedly staring at me.
“Were you all just going to watch me change?” I ask in nervous amusement.
“Is that a problem?” Pete asks, resting his chin on his hands where they lie on the back of my seat as his eyes trail down my body. His question feels like a dare, one I decide to take.