Chapter 4
Blinking past the bright light, I wake slowly to find Alex still here, the sun already up. I feel so refreshed. I don’t know how long I slept, but I know it’s the most sleep I’ve gotten in days.
A smile pulls at my lips as I look up at him. He looks so peaceful in sleep. He’s always handsome; they all are, but he’s got the male variant of resting bitch face for sure. Nathan does too, but he’s actually mean most of the time, so I guess it fits.
I need to get up; I know I do. Addy is probably up already with Nathan or will be soon. But even knowing that, I can’t make myself move.
Reaching up, I ghost a finger over his cheek and down his jaw, tracing the scar there. I’ve never asked and probably never will, but I’ve always wondered what happened.
“He’s never told us what happened either, so don’t feel bad.” Desmond’s sleep-husky voice makes me squeal in surprise and whip around to face him.
“Oh my God, Des.” I press a hand to my chest as I struggle to keep my heart from bursting free.
“Sorry, Kitten.” He tosses me one of his pretty-boy smiles before reaching for me, but I smack his hand away because he doesn’t look sorry at all.
My confusion must be clear on my face because he explains.
“I snuck in last night when I saw you didn’t turn Alex away the way you have been doing to me.
When I saw you both cuddled up all cute, I couldn’t resist joining you.
I’d only planned to chill for a minute but…
” He trails off with a shrug, and I feel my annoyance melt away.
With a huff, I move to cuddle him, only to be stopped.
Apparently, we woke up Alex.
Des doesn’t seem the least bit deterred, though. Instead, he leans over and presses a kiss to my cheek.
“You look like you slept well.” The smile on his face is warm and feels like it’s just for me. It has me smiling back so wide that my cheeks ache.
“Yes, we were sleeping wonderfully. Now piss off,” Alex grumbles, pulling me back down to lie on his chest again, making me giggle at how grumpy he sounds.
“Alex,” I scold, swatting at his hand that rests on my head until he moves it.
“Don’t Alex me. He’s come to steal you away.” I can’t see his face, but I swear it sounds like he’s pouting, and that only makes me fight his hold harder.
“No, he’s not.”
“Damn right I am,” Des and I say at the same time. I yelp before dissolving into a fit of giggles when Alex rolls me over him so that he’s between Desmond and me.
“Oh, come on, at least share her old man,” Des whines, sitting up so that he can see me over Alex. “I swear I won’t take her this time. We can all just cuddle for a little while.”
That sounds great to me, and when I look up at Alex, he seems to be considering it.
“But what about Addy? She’ll be up soon if she’s not already.” I look toward the door, half expecting her to come barging in at any moment.
“She’s making pancakes with Dad.” I turn back to look at Des, who waves his phone in the air, seeming all too proud of himself. “I texted him last night and let him know you were finally tucked in for a good night's sleep so he would be on Princess duty today.”
Wow.
That was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of him.
Which only makes me feel worse for avoiding them and, more specifically, him sleeping here.
He must see it on my face because he reaches out and boops my nose.
“None of that, Kitten.”
“None of what?” I sass, going cross-eyed to look at his finger.
He pulls back, gesturing at my face while making one of his own. “Whatever that look is, none of that.”
“Agreed.” Alex doesn’t even crack an eye open, and I roll my eyes at the pair of them.
“You can’t even see my face.”
“Don’t need to love. I can imagine it. That adorable little pout and the way your brows pinch together with those sad little puppy dog eyes that could make even the strongest of men break,” he rattles off, still without opening his eyes, and I’m pretty sure he’s delusional.
“Exactly!” Des exclaims, slapping a hand to the bed. “Wow, that was spot on.”
“No, it wasn’t,” I argue because I’m not pouting and puppy dog eyes that could break a man… They must be mistaken.
Alex cracks an eye open and peers up at me. “Yes, it was.”
“Okay.” It takes all of my willpower, but I manage to untangle myself from Alex’s arms. “I need to get up and ready for the day, which means you two need to go and do the same.”
“Orrrr, we could get ready in here.” Desmond wiggles his brows at me.
“Yeah, I happen to know from experience that your shower is plenty big enough for all of us.”
My face heats, but I stand strong.
“Of course, you know that. This is your house.” I move to my dresser, pull out underwear and a bra, then go to my closet to find an outfit.
I settle on jeans and a T-shirt with a cardigan over it.
The weather has been getting cooler, and while it’s not quite fall yet, I feel more comfortable with a layer I can take off and put back on as needed.
I nearly walk right into Alex as I head back out.
“Yes, let’s pretend I know about your shower because I own the house.
I promise you that before you moved in, I’d never spent more than a few minutes in any of the guests' rooms, let alone the bathrooms. So how, I wonder, do I know something like that about your shower?” The cocky grin on his face makes me purse my lips, but before I can think of something worth saying, Des butts in.
“I’d like to make it known you're not the only one who knows about her shower, old man.”
Alex rolls his eyes but doesn't turn away from me, and I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips.
I love their relationship. I know Alex is his uncle, but they get along so well that it’s almost more like they're brothers. It’s silly, fun, and perfect for them.
It’s also incredibly attractive, though I’m not sure that’s a normal thing to be attracted to.
“So what do you say? How about we all get ready together?”
What do I say to that? Of course, I love being between them; that’s how I got myself into this position to begin with. It started with one night between them and changed everything.
I hear Des moving from the bed, but I can’t see him past Alex, who towers over me.
“We could always help her get dirty before the shower instead. Getting dirty is always more fun.”
My breath hitches, and suddenly my mouth feels too dry. I’m not sure I could form a sentence even if my life depended on it right now.
Thankfully, I don’t have to.
I roll my lips, wetting them with my tongue, and Alex’s eyes track the movement, his pupils dilating before my eyes, and I’m not sure why, but it’s hot as hell seeing him react to me like that.
A shrill ring sounds, and Alex groans, letting his head fall against the doorframe with a thud.
Des lets out a whoop behind him, but before I can ask what's going on, Alex is pulling me up into his arms. My legs go around his waist on instinct, as my arms wind around his neck. The clothes I’d just gathered lie forgotten wherever they fell, the very last thing I’m worried about right now.
He turns us, pressing my back to the closet wall, and I’m not surprised to feel his hard length pressed against me as he devours me.
I am surprised when he pulls away a moment later, turning and walking me over to Des, who stands near the end of my bed, a smile on his face like he just won the lotto.
“Don’t look so torn up about it, asshole,” Alex grumbles, and Des barks a laugh.
“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. I like to share as much as the next guy, but to have her all to myself.” He whistles low and winks at me, making my cheeks heat.
This can’t be happening right now.
Why would Alex be leaving?
“Next time your ass is mine, Cherry.” He presses one more bruising kiss to my lips before he hands me to Des, albeit reluctantly, and turns to leave.
I’m confused and turned on as I watch him go.
Des lets my feet hit the ground, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder, not at all upset that Alex still holds my full attention.
Alex pauses at my door, his hand on the knob.
He turns to look back at me with that shit-eating grin that I know means I’m in for trouble.
“Literally.” He winks at me and is out the door before I can even comprehend what he meant.
Once I do, it’s too late; he’s gone.
“He can’t possibly mean…” I turn to look at him over my shoulder and find the biggest smile on his face.
“Oh yes, he does, and the old bastard better let me watch.” Des wiggles his brows at me with a chuckle. I whirl around to smack his chest, but that only makes him laugh harder as he pulls me to his chest and presses his lips to mine, stealing away the insult that I’d been about to throw at him.
“Until then, you’re all mine right now, Kitten, and I don’t intend to waste a single minute with you.
I don’t give a shit who calls. I’m not answering.
Vince will just have to make do with Alex and Dad,” he says, his lips still pressed to mine as he scoops me up into his arms without breaking away.
I throw my arms around his shoulders with a squeak, trying to keep my balance as he walks us toward the bed and then drops me.
The sound that leaves me should be embarrassing, but I can’t bring myself to care as I bounce, and Des all but pounces on me, leaving me breathless and with a smile on my face that makes my cheeks ache.
“Now let’s get you all dirty so I can clean you up.” His hands move like a well-oiled machine, stripping me down faster than should be possible.
One second, I’m laughing and clothed; the next, I’m naked and wanting as his eyes rake over my body as if trying to memorize it.
I do my best not to squirm, but I can’t help it. I’m not the most confident person, but even more than that, the way his eyes are eating me up leaves me aching.
“Des,” I whine as he bites down on his lower lip, and I swear I’m going to cry if he doesn’t touch me, now.
“Sorry, I just needed to take a minute to say my thanks to the gods for the gift of perfection in front of me.” The smirk on his face is smug, and I roll my eyes.
“You’re—” My words morph into a moan as he leans in, licking my clit and making my eyes roll back for a totally different reason.
“Sorry, babe, I couldn’t quite hear ya. What was that?”
I peel my eyes open and glare down at him where he sits snug between my legs, his smirk a full-blown smile because he knows damn well what he’s doing.
“No. Nothing to say?” he teases, pursing his lips when I don’t take the bait.
“Oh well.” He shrugs, and for a moment I think he’s going to come back up here and kiss me; after all, he’s won now, but of course he doesn’t.
Des never does anything I think he’s going to do.
He buries his face in my pussy, licking and sucking on my clit, driving me crazy as he winds me high before shoving two fingers inside of me and playing me like an instrument.
I thrash, my back bowing off the bed, unable to keep my eyes on him as he holds me down with an arm barred over my waist and devours me like a man starved, leaving me struggling to breathe before my orgasm hits me like a truck.
“Fuck, the way your pussy grips me,” he growls, finally pulling off my clit with a little pop.
“The only thing sweeter is the way you taste.” I hear him lick his lips and crack an eye open to see him kneeling over me, his lips shining with my release, making my pussy pulse, which he of course doesn’t miss with his fingers still buried inside of me.
With a grunt, he pulls his fingers free, and I want to protest, but I’m too far gone to form a single word right now.
As quickly as he moved away, he’s back, an arm dropping to each side of my head, caging me in as his cock presses against me, making me squirm and needy despite just coming.
Des doesn’t make me wait, though; just as impatient as I am, he presses forward with a choked curse, his head resting on mine as we both breathe for a moment.
His piercings always feel so intense, and my orgasm builds even before he’s moved his hips.
With a deep breath and a kiss to my cheek, he pulls back before snapping his hips forward and pulling back again, setting a punishing pace that steals the air from my lungs and makes my toes curl. I reach for him, digging my fingers into his hair as I lose myself in the feel of him.
It doesn’t take long, not after having come already, and with those damn barbells hitting every spot just right, before I’m falling over the cliff again, this time shouting his name.
His hips pause for a moment, losing his rhythm, before he pushes up, gripping both of my hips, and fucks me until I see stars before following me over the edge.
I blink up at him through heavy lids, watching sweat drip down his heaving chest, unsure how we got here.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he heaves, dropping back down onto his hands so that we’re only inches apart.
“Like what?” I ask, cocking my head to the side in confusion.
“Like I’m some great prize you’re not worthy of.”
My mouth falls open, and my eyes go wide at his words. I wasn’t aware there was a face for that, but I can’t even argue with him because that’s exactly what I was feeling.
“If you want to make it out of this room today, you’d better knock that shit off right now, or I’ll gladly lock us in here all day. I’ll fuck you on every surface until you understand just how lucky I am to have you and make you come over and over until you’re begging me to stop.”
I’m not sure that’s exactly a threat.
I’m also not sure how that would prove I’m worthy of him, but I know better than to press my luck. In the same way, I know if I were gone all day without warning, Addy might be upset or worse, might come looking for me.
So I give in. “Okay, you win,” I tell him, raising my hands in surrender.
“Damn, I think this might be the first time I didn’t want to win.” He purses his lips before a smile pulls at them a moment before they’re once again pressed to mine.
I lose myself in his kiss, the same way I’d lost myself to his body.
It’s so easy to lose myself to him, to all of them.
I never thought the day would come that I’d be so comfortable with someone.
Lord knows it never happened with Carter, even after years together, but now I have this feeling with not only Des but the rest of them as well.
“Up we go,” Des says, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me to his chest as he climbs off the bed and heads into the bathroom.
“Des.” I give him a pointed look, but he only chuckles as he moves into the shower and flips the water on.
“Don’t you use that mommy voice on me. I’m simply helping you clean up. I helped make the mess after all.” He doesn’t give me a second to protest, not that I would have anyway, before moving under the water, and I thank my lucky stars it heats quickly.
I guess we’ll just have to see if he can stick to that; something tells me it won’t last.