CHAPTER 11
Eve
I woke up feeling like a cat napping in the sun. I stretched and curled into the heat source, smiling at how amazing I felt. My twin bed was not normally so comfortable. Yawning, I slowly opened my eyes and nearly screamed. I was curling into Nash’s bare chest. Oh, holy tattoo. Wow. I was like one of those cartoons where their eyes burst out of their head on a slinky and bounced back and forth a few times. Nash’s bare chest up close was…everything. I didn’t even think that was an exaggeration. His chest made my mouth water and my core ti—
Oh. My vagina didn’t just tingle. It sang. There was a painful note to its song, though, and my brain finally caught up with my body enough for me to replay the scene of Nash fucking me the night before. I slapped a hand over my mouth and rolled onto my back. I hadn’t just ended my dry spell, I’d drowned it with a tsunami and then left the sprinklers running. First, I dry humped Tate. Then, I made out with Aiden. Begging Nash to not talk but to fuck me over the side of his motorcycle was not what I was expecting and it didn’t seem like a natural progression, but there it was.
I sat up and stared down at Nash. He was sleeping hard and there was a furrow in his brows as he rolled over and reached for what had to be me, I was guessing. I pushed my pillow into his arms and he held it tight and nuzzled his face into it before going still again. I wanted to stay and watch him, maybe take a few mental pictures to last me the rest of my life, but I was painfully aware I was inside Nash’s cabin. Tate and Aiden were also probably inside the cabin. I wanted to escape before I had to face what I’d done.
I eased out of bed and grabbed my clothes, cringing when I felt the dampness. Squirting wasn’t anything I’d ever done before and I planned on thinking about that in my free time. I clutched the clothes to my chest, slowly tiptoed to the door and pulled it open enough to let myself out. I slipped through and eased it shut before silently backing up. Turning around, I kept up my stealthy retreat until I reached the open plan living room and kitchen. Sitting at the kitchen island, coffee mugs in hand, were Tate and Aiden. Both watching me.
I held up my hands and started to apologize, not sure what else to do. I was perplexed when Tate winked at me, though, his smile warm.
“Want some coffee?” He held his mug out to me and raised his eyebrows. “I swear it’s good.”
“It’s fine,” Aiden agreed and turned his body to fully face me, his lips tipped up in a slow smile. “Good morning, Eve.”
I swallowed and slowly licked my lips, trying to figure out what to do. Run? Probably. That was definitely what I wanted to do. Tate was still holding his mug out, though, and my desire for caffeine proved to be stronger than my sense of self-preservation.
Tate laughed as I crept towards him. “Long night?”
I took his coffee, still several feet from him, and took a big gulp of it, burning my throat and not even caring. I put the mug down and moved to push it back towards him but he caught my wrist and gently pulled me closer until I was standing between his thighs.
“You look beautiful in Nash’s shirt.” He pulled me closer and pressed a kiss to my lips that made my stomach flutter.
Aiden had moved to put his mug in the sink and he eased me away from Tate. “I’m not complaining.”
I was still in shock from Tate kissing me when Aiden lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me. When he let me go to walk back around the island I stayed where I was, confused. I looked back and forth between the two of them, almost expecting one of them to laugh and tell me they were joking. Instead, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and realized Nash was standing in the hallway, watching.
My brain tied itself in a knot as I tried to think of what to say or what to do. I’d kissed two of them and had sex with Nash. None of them seemed annoyed or angry. They just seemed…happy to see me?
Nash walked over, kissed the top of my head, and patted me on the ass. “Morning. I need coffee.”
“Already made.” Aiden smiled at me. “I’m heading to the fire station. Want me to walk you home?”
“You’re welcome to stay.” Nash’s eyes roamed down my body. “More than welcome. Encouraged, even.”
“I have to go!” I winced. I hadn’t meant to scream but I definitely did. “Bye!”
I sprinted out of there. I slammed the door behind me and ran across the gravel lot between the cabins, let myself into Grandpa’s cabin and then froze in the doorway when I nearly ran Grandpa over.
“Whoa! What are you—” He looked me over and his eyebrows climbed his forehead. “Well, then.”
“I stayed at Billie’s!” I was still shouting. “I’m going to take a shower! See you later!”
I rushed to the bathroom and locked myself in with my back pressed against the door. Breathing much too hard for the small amount of activity I’d done running from next door to the bathroom, I knocked my head against the door. What the hell had just happened?
I glanced to my right and saw a woman who looked like she’d just done a walk of shame staring back at me. Smudged eye makeup, messy hair, and skin the color of a tomato. I couldn’t begin to understand why the guys had kissed me, or why I’d let them, but it definitely made no sense after looking at my reflection.
Wanting to scrub my shame away, I stripped and stood in the shower, just outside of the water stream, until it got scalding hot. I scrubbed and washed, conditioned and shaved, and only when my skin was bright red from the heat of the water and not from embarrassment, did I turn the water off.
I dried myself off slowly, lost in thought as I did. I was having a hard time processing how I’d gone from sneaking looks at my neighbors to sleeping with and kissing them. It was a lot. How were Tate and Aiden okay with me sleeping with Nash? I’d edited novels about women being with multiple men and I knew plenty of people in Harmony Valley lived life in groups instead of couples. Most of my friends in town were dating and/or trying to date multiple men at the same time. That was Harmony Valley, though. My neighbors weren’t from Harmony Valley. I barely felt like I was anymore.
I wrapped the towel around my body and stuffed my clothes in the hamper before opening the door and peeking out. It looked like Grandpa was still outside. I stepped out of the bathroom and moved in the direction of my room but then I heard it. A sharp shout and metal on metal.