25. Lila
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Lila
I sat on Jaxon’s worn leather couch, my knees pulled up to my chest and a blanket draped over my shoulders.
The room was dimly lit, a single lamp on the side table casting a warm, golden glow over the space.
The faint scent of cedar and leather that always clung to Jaxon’s things surrounded me, usually comforting, but tonight it wasn’t enough to soothe the storm brewing inside me.
Jaxon sat in the chair across from me, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped tightly together like he was trying to keep himself from fidgeting.
Ryan leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over his broad chest, his green eyes focused on the floor.
Colt was perched on the armrest of the couch, his leg bouncing up and down as he clicked his lighter open and shut in a rhythm that was anything but calming.
None of us spoke.
The silence in the room felt heavy, like we were all trapped under the same oppressive weight, but none of us knew how to lift it.
I adjusted the blanket around my shoulders, my fingers gripping the edges tightly.
“Thanks for letting me stay here,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
Jaxon’s head snapped up, his blue eyes locking on mine. “You don’t have to thank me, Lila. You can stay as long as you need.”
Ryan made a sound low in his throat, something between agreement and frustration.
“We just want to make sure you’re okay,” he said, his voice gruff.
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure what “okay” even meant anymore. “I’m fine,” I lied.
The words felt like ash on my tongue, and I could see from the looks on their faces that they didn’t believe me.
Colt let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head.
“Yeah, you’re real fine, sweetheart,” he muttered, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. “Your brother just tore into you in front of half the damn town, and now you’re holed up here like some kind of fugitive. Totally fine.”
“Colt,” Jaxon warned, his tone sharp.
“What?” Colt snapped, flipping his lighter shut with a loud click. “We’re all thinking it. Someone has to say it.”
Ryan sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t helping.”
“Nothing’s helping,” Colt shot back, standing up and pacing the room. “We’re all just sitting here pretending like we know what to say, but none of us have a damn clue, do we?”
I pressed my lips together, trying to hold back the surge of emotion threatening to bubble over. He wasn’t wrong.
“No one asked you to fix it, Colt,” I said, my voice trembling. “I don’t need you—or anyone else—to fix this. I just… I don’t even know what I need.”
Colt stopped pacing, turning to face me, his gray eyes softening just a fraction. “That’s not what I meant, Lila.”
“Then what did you mean?” I asked, sharper now. I couldn’t help it.
The tension in the room, the pressure building in my chest, it was all too much. “Because from where I’m sitting, it feels like everyone thinks I need saving. Like I’m some kind of charity case who can’t handle her own life.”
Jaxon leaned forward, his hands gripping his knees.
“That’s not what we think,” he said firmly. “We just… we care about you. That’s all this is, Lila.”
I shook my head, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. “I don’t even know what this is. Any of it. Nate hates me, half the town probably thinks I’m a joke, and now I’m here, hiding out like some kind of coward.”
“You’re not hiding,” Ryan said, his deep voice cutting through the chaos.
He finally looked up, his green eyes steady and unflinching. “You’re giving yourself space to figure things out. There’s no shame in that.”
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat making it almost impossible to speak.
“It doesn’t feel that way,” I admitted.
For a moment, no one said anything. Then Jaxon stood, crossing the room to sit on the coffee table in front of me. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward so he could look me in the eye.
“You’re not a coward, Lila,” he said softly. “What happened tonight with Nate wasn’t your fault. He’s angry, yeah, but that’s his problem, not yours. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Didn’t I?” I whispered, my voice cracking. “He’s furious because of… because of this .” I gestured vaguely toward the three of them. “Because I’ve been spending so much time with you. All of you. He thinks I’m making a fool of myself.”
Colt snorted, shaking his head. “If anyone’s a fool, it’s Nate for treating you like that. Drunk or not, he was way out of line.”
“Agreed,” Ryan said resolutely.
Jaxon nodded, his gaze unwavering. “We’ll talk to him. When he’s sober and calmed down, we’ll make him see reason.”
I looked at him, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “You think he’s going to listen to me? Or to any of you? He already thinks you’re the problem.”
“Then we’ll prove him wrong,” Jaxon said simply. “We’ll show him that all we want is what’s best for you.”
I stared into Jaxon’s piercing blue eyes, and for a moment, the world shrank down to just him and me. His words, firm and steady, broke through the chaos in my head like sunlight through a storm cloud.
He wasn’t just saying what I wanted to hear. He meant every word.
My fingers trembled as I tightened the blanket around me, but Jaxon noticed. His warm, callused hand covered mine, grounding me.
The sparks that always seemed to ignite when he touched me were there, just below the surface, ready to consume me.
“I mean it, Lila,” he said, his voice low but filled with certainty. “We’re here for you. No matter what.”
The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver down my spine. My walls, the ones I’d been desperately trying to rebuild since Nate’s outburst, began to crack.
I couldn’t hold it all in anymore… not with him looking at me like that. Not with Ryan and Colt nearby, their silent support radiating through the room.
“I don’t know how to let this go,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I don’t know how to stop feeling like everything’s falling apart.”
Jaxon didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he shifted closer, his hand cupping my cheek.
His thumb brushed against my skin, soft and deliberate, and the tension in my chest started to ease. Then he leaned in, his lips capturing mine in a kiss that stole the breath from my lungs.
It wasn’t hurried or frantic. It was deliberate, a reminder of the connection we’d shared from the moment we met.
His mouth moved against mine with just enough pressure to make my pulse race, and I melted into him, my hands gripping his arms as if he were the only thing keeping me tethered to the earth.
When we broke apart, I blinked up at him, my heart hammering in my chest. I didn’t have to say anything… he could see the gratitude in my eyes.
Before I could catch my breath, I felt movement behind me. A familiar warmth pressed against my back, and I didn’t need to turn to know it was Colt. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me into the curve of his body.
“Let us help you,” he murmured, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “Just let go, Lila. You don’t have to carry all of this alone.”
A deep rumble of agreement came from Ryan, who had moved to sit on the couch beside me. He reached out, his large hand resting gently on my thigh. His touch was firm but careful, like he was afraid I might break if he wasn’t careful enough.
“We’ve got you,” he said, his voice low and steady, the kind of voice that made me feel safe even when I didn’t believe I could be.
The three of them surrounded me, their presence overwhelming but in the best possible way.
I wasn’t alone. They were here, offering more than just comfort. They were offering themselves—their strength, their care, their desire—to pull me out of the dark place I’d been stuck in.
Jaxon’s lips found mine again, more insistent this time, and I let myself fall into him.
Colt’s hands slid under the blanket, his fingers brushing along my bare arms, igniting a fire in my skin. Ryan’s hand moved from my thigh to the small of my back, his fingers splayed wide as if he could shield me from everything bad in the world.
For the first time in what felt like forever, my mind quieted.
There were no thoughts of Nate, no worries about what people would think, no self-doubt. There was only the heat of their touch, the way their voices murmured soft reassurances against my skin, the way they made me feel like I wasn’t just a mess to be fixed but someone worth cherishing.
I let go.
The sensations sent a chill racing through my body, all the way to my core.
Butterflies flapped in my panties, and my stomach did wild flip-flops. I reached up and touched his cheek gently before I pulled him back to me.
His lips tingled against mine. I could feel it, and the tingles shot through me as well. Flames licked up and down my skin as the desire gripped me hard.
I held on to his shoulders and squeezed, trying to let him know just how much I wanted him. The need inside of me was growing in intensity by the moment. I couldn’t breathe with it.
“Ooh!” All of a sudden, another body crashed up behind me, nearly shaking me from my skin. “Who’s that?”
“Ryan,” the lips murmured as they connected with my throat, causing that hyper-sensitive erogenous zone to flare up.
My eyes fell closed as I moaned and leaned back against Ryan, putting all of my weight against him.
“Oh, you feel so good, Lila. Honestly, you are absolutely beautiful. I can’t believe that I get to be here with you.”
His fingers slipped into my underwear, my head spun immediately. He grazed my wet slit, brushing over my clit enough to make me pant like crazy.
Colt’s eager fingers tucked into my top and rubbed his fingers over my rock-hard nipples. Yep, we were going to need to get to bed right now before I fell apart right here.
“Come on,” I demanded of all of them. “Let’s go to the bedroom together.”
“Why?” Jaxon grabbed my cheeks and pulled my face to the side so that I could kiss him. “What’s wrong with my living room?”
He kissed me hard, his warm, hot tongue exploring the inside of my mouth. He murmured something as his lips traveled down my body, but I didn’t pick up the words.
Even through my clothing, I could feel his hunger, his eagerness to taste me, and it was incredible. I wanted that so badly it hurt.
“I want you.” I couldn’t turn to see Ryan, especially as he had moved his hands and he was cupping my ass while massaging my insides from a different angle. “And you, Colt.”
I reached out desperately for him. I had no idea where he was, but I needed him.
As soon as my fingers managed to find Colt, I unbuckled his pants and held him between my fingers. His cock twitched and throbbed as I stroked him.
I was trying not to let my eagerness get the better of me. Not that it was easy since the moment Jaxon stripped my pants away, my panties vanished too.
He had his tongue swirling around my most sensitive area in seconds, tracing patterns over my clit.
His mouth combined with Ryan’s fingers was all too much. If they weren’t careful, they were going to drive me over the edge before I could even catch my breath.
Soon, everything changed all over again. It was like a blur. I was on my hands and knees with Ryan in my mouth and Jaxon teasing my entrance from behind.
I almost screamed with need as I waited to be taken.
But things kept changing, over and over, making me lose my mind. I sat on Colt, riding him. I tasted Ryan. I felt Jaxon in my hands as Ryan used his tongue to tip me over the edge.
It was amazing.
I didn’t think that it was possible for it to be better than it was at the cabin, but the chemistry between us seemed only to grow with time.
The first orgasm swept through me and exploded hard. I was like an erupting volcano. The waves of lava-like pleasure washed over me with serious intensity.
I bucked and writhed violently, glad to have three men ready to hold me up so I didn’t completely lose it.
Their hands were all over me, grazing over me, touching me, feeling me.
“Oh, wow,” I gasped out, my hand sliding through my sweaty hair. “That was amazing. You boys are just… phenomenal.”
But it quickly became clear that they weren’t done with me as they drove me rapidly toward my second orgasm, and then a third.
Having all of these men to enjoy meant I always had someone touching me and helping me along.
As one of them tired, someone else would take over. I didn’t even feel greedy, because as I bucked and writhed through the pleasure a fourth time, I knew I needed them all in my life.