24. Maya
Maya
He hadn’t even said anything mean.
He really hadn’t. Friend was a good term, but the thing inside me had hated that.
Hated that he hadn’t said ‘mate’ because it felt like it would’ve forced the women back and made it clear that they weren’t allowed to touch them.
God were they beautiful though. It was so frustrating.
I was so different compared to them. They were dressed in these snakeskin dresses that I didn’t even like, but I couldn’t deny the effect.
Was that what the twins liked? I wasn’t positive I would feel comfortable wearing that.
Croy appeared in my bedroom doorway, looking concerned to find me sitting on the edge of the bed, my eyes blinking with tears.
He crouched down in front of me, and I didn’t bother trying to hide the tears on my face.
I didn’t understand an article I’d read about hiding your emotions.
How did you hide them? They existed, so you had to show them—right?
I may have felt silly being upset, but I was still very much that. Upset.
“Sugar.” Croy’s thick accent made me all warm and nervous. “I know you’re upset. I don’t think they meant it…”
“I know,” I whispered, trying to look down, but he caught my jaw so I had to keep his gaze. “I know they didn’t. I heard Marco talking to all of you about keeping it a secret from the Council because they could act weird about what I am. I just really didn’t like those girls.”
“That’s because they’re bitches,” Croy muttered.
“Croy.” I laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Of course you wouldn’t, sugar, because you’re sweet.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Is it?” I asked curiously, loving the way his eyes lit up.
“No, I think it’s perfect.” Croy flashed a smile.
Despite Croy only being here for a few seconds, he was already making me feel so much better.
I didn’t know how to describe it—I understood I didn’t know him well—but there was a connection between us.
Not even supernatural, completely. I just felt good around Croy.
He settled something in me. He was mine.
My wolf. It was like, now that I had the seven of them, I felt complete.
A knock on the door had both of us looking up, a violent sound leaving Croy’s chest when he saw the twins. You know, I was starting to think the men I was around were a tad dangerous.
“Just call me if you need anything,” Croy said, kissing my forehead and leaving me with the twins.
“Firefly,” Ledger whispered.
“Hey,” I mumbled.
I wish I’d felt as confident as I had with Becky Ash, but there was a difference. Henry had told me he didn’t feel anything towards her. The twins hadn’t.
“Peanut.” Anani crouched down so he was eye-level with me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t have run away like that.”
“No, Maya.” Anani moved to the bed, repositioning us so I was between the twins in the center of the cushioned pillow. “That was on us. We could’ve found a different way to handle it.”
“Or just told them the truth,” Ledger grunted, “Marco be damned.”
My lip twitched at that because Marco would totally hate it.
I sighed, then spoke the honest truth. “I didn’t want to assume how you felt about all this.
Croy, Marco, Atlas, and Sai have made it”—I struggled for the right words but then forced myself to not overthink it—“pretty freakin’ clear they like me.
I think Henry did as well, but I never really talked to you two about it, so I didn’t know if maybe you did like them. ”
Anani got a pained look on his face. “First of all, Maya, of course we fucking like you.”
“Probably more than that,” Ledger muttered, looking stressed. “And we aren’t going to lie to you, firefly, we did go on dates with them—we went to one event together and had dinner a second time.”
“When?” I nibbled my lip, his detailed explanation making me feel better.
“About six months ago,” Anani finished. “But they only wanted to be with us because of our connection to Marco. It was one of the final straws on why we took a step back.”
I swallowed and nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Why do you think we don’t like you like that?” Ledger frowned.
I hesitated. “Well…you haven’t kissed me.”
A low vibrating sound came from Ledger’s throat as an odd shift took over the air, my eyes flitting between the two of them. Anani grasped my jaw as a small, dark smile took over his face. “So all we need to do is kiss you to convince you?”
I nodded slowly because I felt like that was a good measure. Right?
“I mean, brother,” Ledger drawled, “we can’t have her doubting us.”
Then Anani’s lips pressed to mine, and everything inside of my chest lit up.
I moaned into it as he let out a low growl and slipped his tongue into my mouth.
My body arched forward as another pair of hands ran up my waist and spine in a rhythmic pattern that had my heart beating fast. I pulled away, practically out of breath as Anani’s crystal eyes darkened.
A small needy sound came out of me as Ledger wrapped a hand around my throat and tipped it back so he was kissing me almost upside down.
My center tightened, and when Anani’s hands traveled up my waist, I realized what I needed.
The boiling under my skin jumped as both men groaned, and I grasped Anani’s hands to bring them to my tight breasts.
It was nearly painful, the feeling under my skin, like I was boiling from the inside out.
He muttered a curse but began to do exactly what I needed. When my dress slipped down to my waist, Ledger having untied it, I pulled back from the kiss only momentarily.
“You sure you’re okay with this, peanut?” Anani asked.
I nodded, my eyes fluttering as I let out a soft moan, his mouth closing over my nipple as Ledger’s lips began to trail down my neck.
His hard length was pressed right against my butt, and I rocked back as his large hands crawled around the front of me and slipped beneath the pooled material of my dress around my waist. When his fingers met my center, I whimpered as Anani’s teeth bit lightly on my other nipple.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” Ledger groaned, his fingers slipping right into me, causing me to cry out and drop my head back onto his shoulder.
His pace was a bit faster than Marco’s, and it had me practically shaking with need.
I barely noticed as Anani ripped my silky panties on either side and pulled the dress over my head.
All I could feel was the two sets of hands on me.
Two sets of lips, one at my neck and the other trailing down the center of my body.
My eyes flung open as Anani’s tongue met my clit.
And yes, I knew what that was. I wasn’t that naive.
Well, I had been, but after what Marco had made me feel? I’d needed to know more.
“Oh shit,” I breathed out. Ledger chuckled but continued to pump his fingers in and out of me, now from behind, as Anani’s tongue circled my clit again and again.
My eyes began to flutter, and it was only moments before I let out a gasp, my hands sinking into Anani’s hair as the feeling I was looking for reached a near peak.
When his teeth grazed that center bundle of nerves, I let out a small cry as my center tightened around Ledger’s fingers, everything exploding out. I shattered, and a shiver rolled over me, making me feel dizzy with relief. Oh, thank god.
“Oh wow,” I sighed as Anani’s lips met mine and a different taste, my taste, pressed between us. A feeling of ownership over him, possessiveness, filled me—I wanted everyone to know that he was mine.
Ledger turned me so we could kiss, and I ran my hands through his orange-tipped hair.
“Convinced we like you?” Anani asked as he nibbled my ear. I let out an authentic laugh.
“Even I’m convinced,” Henry said. All three of us snapped our heads over, and a smile took over my face. Henry.
“Yes,” I whispered. Henry approached me, and I couldn’t even feel shy about my bare body.
Henry, despite sometimes coming off as shy, had this power to him I couldn’t quite describe.
He tilted my head back and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips that had me shivering.
Then he tugged on my bottom lip, his tongue rolling over the injury to soothe it before pulling back. I felt nearly combustible at his touch.
“You two need to get downstairs—you have a show to do,” Henry said, addressing the twins. “Also, if you haven’t heard, plans have changed. Maya is our mate, and we don’t care who knows.”
I grinned as he walked out, and Anani chuckled, shaking his head. Ledger pulled my dress over my head, none of us mentioning my lack of panties as I hopped up and brushed my fingers through my hair.
“Henry is such a control freak,” Ledger said. “I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when he breaks one day.”
“Breaks?” I raised a brow.
Anani winked. “Yeah, I think that’s exactly what you’re gonna do to him, peanut. Break him.”
Now that sounded exciting, the way they were talking about it.
Once downstairs, Marco met me by the back door and he inhaled, his eyes darkening before looking at the twins. “Really?”
“Does she look unhappy to you?” Ledger raised a brow, and then they were out the door. I may have smiled as I watched them walk away. Did I mention they had sort of cute butts? Was that a thing?
“Are you okay, baby girl?” Marco asked as I tilted my chin up, grinning.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Good. Come on then. I want you to meet the Council.”