19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Molly
“Ledger! Back in line. We’re running this until you get it.”
Preston skated to the back of the line and hit his helmeted head against his fist. I couldn’t see his face from the stands, but his body language told me everything I needed to know.
Apparently, his possessed pizza-making hadn’t cured all his work frustrations.
“I wonder what’s making Uncle Preston so sad,” I said in a sing-song voice to Henry so he wouldn’t know I was worried.
He whipped his head back, narrowly missing my chin before grabbing my hair.
I wrestled it out of his iron grasp and handed him a toy. “We squeeze the life out of toys, not hair.”
He just grinned, babbling as he shook his toy at the team.
“Is that going to be you one day? Skating on the ice and stealing hearts?”
As if one of the thieves of my heart could hear me, Emmett waved in our direction. I used Henry’s hand to wave back, much to Henry’s delight.
He spent the next five minutes waving and yelling orders, babbling louder whenever the coach called out Preston for being clumsy.
They had a game in two days, and Lucas had mentioned Preston wasn’t playing at his normal caliber.
My brother wasn’t usually one to gossip, but he came to me hoping Preston had told me what was up.
There went my theory Preston at least opened up to his best friend.
No one seemed to have a clue about what was bothering him.
When I told Lucas I didn’t know what happened, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was lying by omitting the kiss.
But there was no way that was affecting Preston on the ice.
He’d kissed probably hundreds of women—and no, I refused to let myself be jealous of that fact.
A kiss wasn’t going to throw him off his game, and he’d been performing under par for a while before I even moved in.
Talk about delusional. I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of even entertaining the idea I could be affecting his game.
I wasn’t even sure if our kiss was memorable enough to be on his mind.
Practice had started early this morning and Lucas needed me to watch Henry, so I left the house before they were awake.
Okay, maybe I was using Lucas as an excuse.
I wanted to be out of there before I had to face either of them and engage in any awkward post-kiss small talk.
Watching them from the stands was a lot less scary than finding out they hated kissing me and regretted doing it.
The thought made me sick to my stomach, but at least I finished writing the kissing scene for my book.
It turned out decent. It was at least good enough that I wouldn’t be horrified to turn it in to Lynn.
That deadline was rapidly approaching, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. I wouldn’t be able to avoid Preston and Emmett much longer, either. After practice, we were helping Juliet move out of our apartment and turning in our keys.
Instead of living with Preston and Emmett because it was the best option, it was about to become my only option.
There was nothing to do about it right then, so I turned my attention to Henry, playing peek-a-boo like my life depended on it.
“I can’t find my water bottle,” I said, rummaging through the fridge. “I filled it up last night and put it in here—”
“I’ve got it in my bag,” Emmett called from the front room. “And Preston, I’ve got your coffee.”
“He’s the best,” I said, grinning at Preston.
I wasn’t sure why I had worried myself into an ulcer on the drive home. The second we came through the front door, we were closer than ever, working together to get to Juliet’s with everything we needed.
Preston grinned back and slung his arm over my shoulder. “He really is.”
He bent down and kissed my lips. His mouth only grazed mine, but it was so familiar and so shockingly comfortable. Like now that we’d kissed, my body knew exactly what to do and was cool with it.
I softened in his arms, letting myself enjoy the moment. It was easy to imagine what being with Preston would be like. He was easy to love and someone I had adored for nearly my whole life.
Our relationship had changed and grown into something new.
Part of me hoped we could go back to how things were to begin with, but another, more demanding, part of me hoped it would never go back to how it was.
But if my options were a fake breakup for our fake relationship or a reset to how it used to be, I would go back in time in an instant.
Preston wrapped his arm more securely around my shoulders. Did he also feel the impending rug being pulled from beneath our feet?
That was silly. Preston probably couldn’t wait for things to return to how they were. He hadn’t brought any women home since I’d moved in. He had to be dying to slip back into his old life.
Jealousy burned white hot in my chest, leaving me breathless as I slipped my shoes on and got in the car to head to Juliet’s.
“What happened?” Juliet asked the second Preston and Emmett followed Romeo into the bedroom to take apart her bed.
“Who said anything happened?”
She folded her arms and raised her brow. “You know I’m good at sensing these things.”
“A regular bloodhound,” I muttered.
“So, something did happen.” Her eyes widened, and she danced in place. “Did you hook up with them?”
“They can hear us,” I hissed. “And no. But—” I bit the corner of my mouth, my lips throbbing with the memory of what actually happened. “We kissed.”
“All three of you?”
“Emmett kissed me and then Preston kissed me.”
“And…?” She nearly hit the ceiling, bouncing on the balls of her feet as I nervously checked the bedroom door.
“I kind of see what all the fuss is about,” I whispered.
“Oh. I can’t even tell you how happy I am for you.” She clapped and squealed.
I grabbed her hands and shook my head. “Be cool about it.”
“This day has been in the works for so long, Molly. Let me enjoy it.”
I smiled despite the fear Preston and Emmett could hear us. She was right. The build up to that kiss had been unbearable at best. Now that it was out of the way, I did feel like I could breathe at least a little easier around them.
“Alright, fine,” I whispered, my voice pitching up as I let her excitement infect me.
“Your book better have a killer kiss scene after being kissed by two men in a row.”
“It does,” I said, leaning in close. “You’ll love it.”
She squealed and hugged the breath out of me. “Good.”
Preston cranked the radio on our way home, singing his heart out, and the lack of conversation had me swimming in my thoughts. I was drowning in uncertainty. I wasn’t sure where we stood or if there was anything to discuss or define.
“Juliet’s new place is cute,” I said, more to fill the silence than anything else as we walked into our house.
“It’s super cute,” Preston agreed. “Not as cute as you, though.” He cupped my face and kissed me before giving me the brightest smile. So nonchalant, like he couldn’t feel my hummingbird pulse under his thumb.
Both guys had been so comfortable with me at Juliet’s, and I freaked out with every casual kiss and flirty quip. Juliet had pulled me aside twice to tell me to go with the flow—if I could have, I would have. But playing it cool wasn’t one of my skill sets.
“So, we just kiss any time now?” I asked, taking my shoes off next to Preston, who was doing the same thing with considerably less shaky hands. I was nervous as heck, but desperate to know the answer.
In response, Emmett bent down and pressed his lips to mine, teasing my mouth open with his tongue. His hand cradled the back of my head and Preston closed in on the other side, kissing my neck as Emmett worked my jaw open, giving me a kiss so deep my whole body erupted in white hot sparks.
“How’s that, Molls?” Preston asked, the amber rim of his eyes blotted out by his pupils. “You want us to kiss you whenever we want?”
“Yes,” I whispered, my everything heavy and lethargic.
“You want more, don’t you?” he asked.
I wanted to scream yes. Every millimeter of my skin wanted their hands on me.
I hesitated.
Years of being alone had felt fine. For most of that time, I had preferred to keep to myself.
Not now. Now I knew what the heat of their mouths felt like.
I knew what their hands felt like cupping my face or cradling my neck, or even wrapped around my waist. I knew what they tasted like.
I needed more. My body craved their touch.
I was crawling out of my skin with need, but I was still too scared of them overhearing my vibrator.
Weeks of friction had reached a sparking firestorm, and my body was hungry for more.
My thoughts were consumed with it. Convincing myself that the ache in my body would only be quenched by their touch was easy.
Convincing myself to say those words out loud was petrifying. Harder than anything I’d ever done.
“Molly?” Preston asked, tilting my face to meet his eyes. “Tell me you want more.”
“Do you guys want more?” I glanced from him to Emmett.
Emmett’s expression killed me. He looked exactly how I felt. Tragically untouched and begging for relief.
“I do,” Preston admitted first.
I looked back at Emmett, and he nodded, his nostrils flaring. “More than anything, Rookie.”
They waited, an edgy impatience hung heavy over our heads, but they didn’t push.
I imagined Preston’s mouth traveling down my neck, taking up residence across my chest, and heat flared between my legs.
I pressed my thighs together and their eyes dropped, following the motion.
As Emmett’s gaze roamed slowly back to my face, I imagined his tongue traveling the same path.
“Yes,” I breathed, as the fire deep in my belly folded itself into an agonizing ache. “I want more.”