11. Mina
Chapter eleven
T he next day, which I later find out is Sunday, I’m woken by the twins, who have decided it’s their job to help me get ready. I was sad to wake up to an empty bed, but due to the warm mattress beside me, I have a feeling Dom hadn’t left long ago and spent the whole night with me, which is a thought that has me giddy.
“Come on, Sweetheart, time for your sponge bath!” Max says as he scoops me up from my bed and carries me to the bathroom. An embarrassing squeak escapes me at the thought of them giving me a sponge bath. They can’t see me naked!
Jasper takes pity on me when he gets a look at my face. “Don’t worry, you’re going to put on a swimsuit.” He holds up two small pieces of green fabric that I hadn’t noticed him carrying until now.
“We got you this one because the top closes in the front, so it shouldn’t hurt your arms to get on, and you can put it on yourself,” he tells me as Max sets me on my feet and helps me lean against the counter where Jasper places the swimsuit.
“Will you be okay getting undressed and putting that on by yourself?” I eye the fabric, then nod. What I was wearing was baggy enough that I should be able to get it off easily. “Turn the tap on in the sink when you’re done, and we’ll come back in to help clean you.” They leave no room for debate as they exit the bathroom and close the door.
I struggle a little at first, my arms still feeling weak, but I manage to get myself dressed in the swimsuit. I avoid looking at myself in the mirror. I know I must look terrible, too thin and covered in scars.
I turn the tap on, wondering if they will hear it, but they instantly open the door and come in. Their eyes flash with a mixture of emotion as they take in my body. It’s there and gone so quickly, I can’t tell if it’s pity or disappointment or something else.
“Alright, let’s get you standing in the tub to clean you,” Jasper says.
“She might slip standing in there,” Max says with a frown.
Jasper picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist as he holds me to him. “Hmm, you’re right. You go in and help steady her.”
I watch with wide eyes as Max wastes no time stripping down to his boxers. A laugh slips out of me when I see his red boxers covered in little burgers. He smiles at me when he sees where I’m looking. “You like something you see, Sweetheart? Hungry?” My laughter cuts off and I start coughing.
Jasper laughs at his brother’s antics as Max steps into the tub and holds his arms out for me. I release my legs from Jasper as I’m set on my feet in the tub. Max turns me and pulls me against him, my back to his chest, and wraps his arms around my shoulders as we watch Jasper get a small jug, soap and some other bottles, and brings them over to the edge of the tub.
The sound of the water turning on makes my body tense, remembering the last time I was standing in a tub was when Simon almost drowned me in the shower. It’s not something I’m prepared to talk about right now. But when I realize Jasper isn’t turning on the shower, and only the faucet, my body starts to relax against Max.
Jasper plays with the water until he gets it to the temperature he likes, then he starts pouring it over my body slowly. His eyes follow the path of the water as it trails down my skin. I feel exposed, him looking at me so intently, but when his eyes flick up to meet mine, I realize it’s heat that I see there, not disgust or pity. I take a deep breath as I fidget against Max, Jasper’s gaze making me feel an unrecognizable desire, deep inside.
Once I’m wet, everywhere but my head, he grabs a big fluffy looking thing and squirts some soap on it, holds it under the faucet for a moment, then starts scrubbing my body gently. His eyes keep darting between where he’s washing me and my face. He’s careful to avoid my wounds and uses a soft cloth to clean those areas with the utmost care.
When my front is done, Max spins me around and holds me against him as Jasper starts washing my back. With my hands trapped between us, my fingers can’t help but press into his chest. I look up at Max, who’s smiling down at me. He gives me a wink, which makes me blush and duck my head. He laughs, kissing the top of my head and rubbing my back as Jasper finishes up.
The entire process feels very intimate, and by the time my body has been washed, I’m tingling with anticipation, wishing Jasper would wash me in other places, too.
“Alright, time to wash your hair, tilt your head back,” Jasper instructs. “Close your eyes and keep them closed so you don’t get any shampoo in your eyes.”
From the moment he pours the water over my hair, I’m in absolute bliss. This definitely beats washing my hair in the sink. And as his fingers start massaging my scalp, working the shampoo into my hair, I can’t stop the moan from escaping my lips.
I’ve never felt anything so all-consuming and relaxing before. His fingers continue massaging as Max whispers, “I’m going to kiss you now, Sweetheart.”
My eyes fly open. His face is tilted down towards mine, his green eyes filled with heat as his lips move closer. I lick mine in anticipation and he seems to take that as permission as he gently inches forward, giving me every chance to turn my head or pull away.
But I don’t. I let him press his lips to mine and a moan of relief and happiness escapes me. My hands move around his back as I try to get closer to him. He places one hand to my hair and the other on my ass, making me moan even louder.
Kissing Max makes every part of my body light up at once. He kissed me at the hospital, and I wasn’t sure if it was just to get me to move my fingers, but he has no reason to do it now, other than he wants to, which makes this so much more special. There’s something about the way our wet, almost naked bodies slide together that has me lifting a leg to wrap around him, making him groan as he pulls back and rests his forehead against mine.
“I’m sorry, Sweetheart, we need to calm down or I’m going to do something I regret.” He would regret going further with me?
Other hands turn me and my eyes meet Jasper’s heated gaze. Of course Max wanted us to stop, we were making out in front of his brother. I open my mouth to apologize, but Jasper suddenly steps forward, pressing his lips to mine. I freeze for a second before melting into him.
His kiss is slower than Max’s, but just as amazing. His tongue directs mine as they dance together, and when Max’s arms wraps around me from behind, I whimper as that warm feeling inside me intensifies. My hands reach up to Jasper’s chest and I realize that at some point he got partially naked, too.
I want to explore his body, but as my hands start to roam his chest, he grabs my wrists gently and pulls back. “We need to stop, Angel,” he says, breathing as heavily as I am. “Trust me, I don’t want to, but we can’t do this right now.”
I wanted to ask questions. Why not? Does that mean we could do it later? Did he not care that I had just kissed Max? Would he care that Dom spent the night in my bed? But I felt breathless and unable to speak as I stare up into his handsome face.
So instead, I let them finish washing my hair, then help me wash my face. They towel dry me and leave me to change into a new set of clothes, a shorts and t-shirt pink pajama set with cute little bunnies on them. I‘m not sure who picked them out for me, but they are adorable.
Once I’m dressed, they sit me on the bed and together they dry and brush my hair. I love the way they are taking care of me, even if they did put their clothes back on to do it.
“Alright, how about a movie marathon? We thought you might like to watch the Harry Potter movies?” Max asks.
“What’s that?” I rasp out, taking a drink to soothe my throat.
“You’ve never heard of it? It’s a famous book series that was made into a bunch of movies. It’s about a boy who thinks he’s a normal human and turns out to have magic, so he goes to a school for magical people. You’ll love it!”
As they get me situated back in bed, the other five guys enter my room, making me smile. Something about each of them helps to lift my spirit. And being around all seven of them soothes me in a way I’ve never felt before.
Everyone takes up seats around me as Ben and Tucker hand out bowls of popcorn to everyone.
Max was right, these movies are amazing. But watching these characters attend their classes reminds me of mine. I’m not sure what’s going on with it now. I’m twenty-one, and I really don’t want to go back there. I wasn’t learning anything in the actual classes, anyway. Is there another way to get my diploma?
Would the guys be disappointed in me for not wanting to go back to school? I glance around as everyone watches the movie, trying to gather the nerve to speak up.
When I finally manage to speak, it’s barely a whisper over the sound of the tv. “I don’t want to go back there.” Max pauses the movie as all eyes turn to me.
“What did you say?” Jasper asks, as I bite my lip nervously.
“I—” I start coughing and a straw is placed against my lips. I drink greedily until my throat is soothed, then try again. “I don’t want to go back.”
“Back where?” Ben asks.
“To school.”
“Then you don’t have to go back,” Dom says, tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth like it’s the easiest answer in the world.
My eyebrows rise and my mouth opens, but nothing comes out. That wasn’t what I was expecting. I close my mouth, wet my lips, then try again. “Really? You wouldn’t be… disappointed in me?”
He moves from where he’s perched against the headboard between Max and Atlas to sit in front of me, taking my hand. “Kitten, I could never be disappointed in you, especially not for something like that. You’re twenty-one; you don’t belong there, anyway. And if you want your GED, we can help you do that from home if that’s what you want.”
“Really?” I ask excitedly.
“Of course,” Ben responds. “I already have the info for you, and with your photographic memory, I can just give you the books to read. Then you take a test at the end and voilà—high school graduate!”
Wow, they make it all sound so easy. I glance at the guys, and when my eyes connect with Max’s, I frown.
“But you—” I cough again and take another drink, then reach for my phone, deciding my voice can’t take much more right now. So instead I use the text to speech app to read aloud my question. “But you guys still have to finish the year there.” I look at Max as it speaks for me. His eyes dart to his brothers over my shoulder, then he grins at me.
“Don’t worry about us, Sweetheart. We have some things going on there, but maybe when that’s done, we can finish early too.”
I look at him in confusion, then type. “What things?”
“Don’t worry about it. Now, c’mon, let’s get back to the movie,” he says with a smile, pressing play on the remote. He’s keeping something from me, but if he doesn’t want to tell me about it, I’m not going to force him. It’s not like I had been honest with them until forced into it, I can’t expect anything different from them.
Later that night, not long after I’m left alone, my door slowly creaks open. I turn, expecting to see Dom, but it’s Atlas who walks in.
“Atlas?” I ask in surprise.
“Yeah,” he whispers, closing the door and moving to stand at the side of my bed. He’s wearing tight boxers, which show off a very impressive package, and a black tank top similar to the one Dom was wearing last night. I forgot how big he is. With his bare arms and shoulders on display it’s hard to focus on anything else.
He frowns down at me. “Having trouble sleeping?” I lick my lips and nod, suddenly afraid to speak and spook him.
He lifts the edge of the blanket and I scoot backwards as he climbs in beside me, lying down on his back. He takes a deep breath before he turns his head to look at me. “You tell me if I hurt you or do anything you don’t like, okay?”
I nod.
“Promise me, Malishka.”
“I promise,” I whisper, staring into his beautiful blue eyes. My gaze wanders to his dark blonde hair, which is down tonight, reaching past his shoulders. I reach up tentatively to feel a piece between my fingers.
“Soft,” I murmur, entranced by it.
He grunts, then gently pulls me into him, my head resting on his shoulder with his arm wrapped around me. His other hand reaches down and grabs my leg, pulling it up over both of his. His hand grips my thigh, the heat from him searing into me. The sensation has my whole body on edge and I squirm uncomfortably.
His hand slowly moves up my thigh, over my hip, up my side until he reaches my face. He tilts my chin up so I’m looking at him and I see the heat there, it’s unmistakable.
“Atlas?” I whisper, unsure what I’m asking.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispers.
“No,” I whisper back, surprising both of us with my boldness. He leans towards me and takes my mouth with his. He doesn’t move at first, like he’s cherishing the moment. Then, slowly, he starts to move. He kisses my lips over and over, making me moan with need. Then he takes my bottom lip between his teeth and sucks on it. I press my entire body as close to him as I can, rubbing myself against him as my fingers dig into his chest. He licks the seam of my mouth and I open eagerly for him. His tongue is thick and demanding and has me groaning in seconds.
All too soon, he pulls back and rests his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry, I… I can’t control myself around you.”
“I don’t mind,” I whisper, making him chuckle.
He kisses my forehead before moving his hand down to my hip. “Go to sleep, Malishka. I’ll keep your demons away.”
How was I supposed to go to sleep after that ? But as his hand on my back starts rubbing in soft circles, I find myself relaxing into him, and soon enough, I drift off to sleep.