102. Chapter 100
Emery
The floaty place is…floaty.
I giggle to myself as I press my face into one of the cotton candy clouds, the firmness surprising me a little. Was it so hard a few minutes ago? Everything feels so light and easy, and there is a rhythmic rolling moving up and down my legs, over my ass, and up my spine.
It’s amazing.
And warm.
And I think I’m smiling.
But also, I’m missing something.
Or someone.
More than someone?
I don’t know.
Except, my mouth is starting to feel really dry. And my bladder is sending out initial warning signals.
This time when I try to move my arm, it cooperates, so that’s a nice change. But it feels crazy heavy and like it’s not fully connected to my brain, which makes my heart beat a little harder.
“Shhh, kitten, you’re okay. You’re safe.
We moved you to our bed, you’re lying face down on a towel while Darcy massages your body.
All you need to do right now is lie there and slowly come back to us.
There is no rush, we have all the time in the world.
You are okay. You’re safe. We are with you.
” Hudson’s voice is barely above a whisper and so close to my face that I can feel his exhales across my temple.
But his words have their intended effect and the tension that had filled me leaves as quickly as it came.
The floaty place is calling my name again, but I don’t want to go back. I want to wake up. I want to be here with my daddies. I want cuddles. I want to talk. I want to plan our next steps together. I want it all, with them. Now.
But then Darcy’s hands tighten around my ankles before firmly smoothing their way up the back of both my legs, and it occurs to me that the only way he would be able to do that without putting all of his body weight on me is if my legs are spread wide enough for him to sit between.
Heat burns my face as his hands get farther up my thighs, and I know that he is staring straight up into my well-used pussy. I shift, hoping to close a little, but his grip tightens.
“No, princess. Keep them open. I’m enjoying my view. Your pussy is all pink and puffy, well used. We cleaned you out, so no leaking to worry about. I took some photos of that for you, so you’ll be able to see it. I have a feeling we’ll be doing that again.”
Cleaned me out? What the fuck does that mean?
I try to talk, but all that comes out is a cross between a moan and a groan.
There is a chuckle from beside me. “Don’t be a brat, you’ll see the photos and it will make sense.”
Internally, I roll my eyes. I’ll be a brat if I want to be a brat. It worked out well for me last time.
“Is she awake?”
My heart does a ca-thud in my chest.
Derek.
“Starting to be. She can hear us, knows where she is. Nonverbal still,” Darcy explains, his hands roving up over my ass, and oh damn, the way he rubs his thumbs into my lower back, making little circles, feels fucking amazing.
“Her bath is ready.” The bed dips to my side, and I reach out for Derek, trying to turn my head over to face him.
I manage to do it, but my hair is all over the place, and I can barely see him.
Fingers gather the strands, and suddenly I can see, thankful that no one has turned the overhead lights on.
Derek smiles down at me and takes my hand. “Hey, baby. Are you ready for your bath?”
His question travels through the goo of my mind, and once I have it figured out, I nod. Then I shake it. At least I try to; my head doesn’t feel quite connected to my body just yet. Hopefully, the massage will help fix that.
He smiles at me. “How about this—I’ll go and wait for you in the bathroom, and Darcy can finish his massage. When he’s done, he can help you join me?”
This time, I definitely nod and let my eyes flutter shut as Derek gets off the bed. Is he naked? I think so. His half-back tattoo flashes through my mind, but I can’t tell if it’s a memory or if it’s what I just saw.
Darcy’s hands continue up my spine, not applying any real pressure. Mostly a firm touch, which is making all the nerves just under my skin come back alive. It’s like he is giving me a walk-through of my own body, allowing my mind to catalog everything he touches.
Soon his fingers are splayed on either side of my neck, pushing up into the base of my skull in a way that feels ridiculously amazing. He changes to a single-handed grip, fingers moving up the column of my neck until they sink into my hair, where he grips just enough to pull everything tight.
My moan…fuck.
“Okay, princess, time for your bath. I’m sure Derek is desperate to have you to himself for a few minutes.”
I heave a sigh and try to roll over onto my back, but come into contact with Hudson’s warm body. His hand snakes around my middle and tugs me even closer to him until his stubble tickles the side of my neck as he presses a kiss there. “Thank you for coming back to us. Choosing us.”
I glance over my shoulder at him, words not filling my mouth the way they normally do. So, instead, I answer with a kiss to his lips. There is zero passion in it; instead, there is tenderness and comfort. Love.
Because of course I chose them.
It’s always been them. Even when I was furious with them. Even when I was pushing them away. I didn’t want them to leave me. To abandon me like every other family I’ve ever had.
I wanted them to fight for me as badly as I fought for them.
And they had.
They’d shown up. They’d waited. They’d stayed.
They never left me, even when I told them to.
So, of course I chose them.
I pull back from the kiss and wait for his icy-blue eyes to open, the lashes slowly lifting to stare into mine. He gives me a small smile before dropping a kiss on my nose and releasing me.
It takes more effort than I’m willing to admit to leave them on the bed, but as I ease up onto my knees, I reach out for Darcy, and when he gets close, I press our lips together and give him the same kiss I gave Hudson.
Darcy helps me get off the bed and supports my waist as we make our way toward the bathroom.
Walking feels weird, like my feet weigh a million pounds, but my legs are light like feathers.
My knees, though, definitely belong to a baby giraffe.
By the time I’ve got cool tiles under my feet, I’m ready to go back to sleep.
Another set of hands cup my other elbow, and it’s only then that I realize that my eyes are closed. Prying them open is an effort, but I manage it. Barely.
What is with me? Waking up from the sex comas these men put me into isn’t normally this hard.
There is a gentle glow of yellow light coming from somewhere, and is that…
“Rain?” My mouth still too dry, the word comes out husky and barely audible.
“It’s just some background noise to help you stay relaxed, would you like it to be something else?”
Darcy’s presence leaves me as Derek talks, and I turn and bury my face into his chest as the bathroom door closes behind us with a quiet click. Yep, definitely naked. I shake my head in response to his question and hum a happy noise when his hand cups the back of my head.
“Ready?”
I nod and almost fall over when his body dips away from mine, but then I’m scooped up and being carried bridal style—a favorite of Derek’s, I’m starting to notice—before I’m lowered butt first into very warm water. He then settles in behind me and encourages me to relax back against him.
A full-body shiver rolls from the crown of my head, down my neck and shoulders, and along my spine, making the floral-smelling water shimmer with my motion.
“How is the temperature? Too warm? Too cold?” A hand swirls in the water by my side, gently brushing against my forearm.
“Goldilocks,” I murmur, cracking my eyes open again.
Why do they keep shutting?
Derek chuckles, jostling me against his chest, but I can’t think what could be funny. “Okay, as long as it feels good.”
“Mmmm,” I hum and try really hard to focus and wake the fuck up. We have talking to do.
“Still feeling floaty?” A warm, wet cloth ghosts over my arm, slowly moving up to my shoulder.
“Yeah, thirsty too.”
“Xavier is coming with some water and a snack. We’ll eat something more nutritious after we talk. I’ve ordered Mexican for us. Do you like it?” He continues to move the cloth around my body, gently cleaning my neck and shoulders before moving on to my breasts.
When the wet fabric drags over my nipples, I gasp and try to curl my body away from the painful sting. “Noooo…”
Another chuckle. “No to Mexican food, or are you objecting to something else?”
“Daddy,” I whimper as he gives the other breast the same treatment.
“I have to make sure you are clean, baby,” he murmurs against my temple, doing figure eights around my breasts, making sure to swipe over my nipples until he has me squirming in his arms.
The door to the bathroom opens, and a cool breeze fills swirls around us as I try to crane my neck and look over Derek’s shoulder to see who it is, but there is a sharp sting in my nipple that makes me flinch, keeping my attention locked to the bath.
Xavier comes into view with a bottle of water and a bowl with a spoon in it.
My gaze travels up his legs, which now have his pants back on, and up his shirtless torso, taking in every detail from the grooves of his abs, to the definition of his pecs, the dove tattoo over his heart, his Adam’s apple, the—
My gaze drops back down to the dove tattoo, and suddenly I am very, very awake. I sit up so quickly, water slooshes over the edge of the tub onto the floor, but I barely notice it as I scramble to stand.
Xavier doesn’t move, simply stands there holding the bowl and the bottle, and lets me stare at the tattoo.
A small dove, mid-flight with its wings up, clutching a single red rose, a droplet of blood forming under one claw.
There are pinks, whites, and reds. Green and brown, a little bit of yellow. It’s almost watercolor in style.
I raise my hand to touch it but pause an inch away and look up into his hazel eyes. He nods, and I place my hand over it, fingers tracing over each the healing lines of the petals and then the bird.
Little dove.
He tattooed his name for me on his body. I’m marked on his skin permanently. Forever.
My already-dry throat tightens and the backs of my eyes burn as I force my gaze back up to his. “Me.”
He nods. “You.”
A hand trails up my thigh and captures my free hand. “Sit back down, baby girl. Let Xavier feed you your snack.”
I do as I’m told, and he offers the water to us, which Derek accepts, then goes to grab the chair by the vanity. My attention is caught by all the feminine things that litter the counter, and my heart beats a nervous rhythm in my chest, but I have to ask.
“Whose things are those?” I’m going to happily blame my sore throat on why the words come out wispy and unsure.
Derek uncaps the bottle for me before handing it to me. I take a sip immediately, needing the distraction because neither of them responds right away, which makes the nerves in my stomach tighten.
“What do you mean, baby? The perfumes and creams on your vanity?” Derek’s voice sounds more than a little puzzled, and I’m starting to wonder if I seriously fucked up.
I take another sip of water to buy myself another second to think of an answer, but nothing comes to me. “Yeah.”
Xavier examines the table like he wants to murder it before turning back to me. “They are yours.”
I shake my head. “I would remember buying all that. My gifts are all at my dorm.”
Derek shifts behind me. “Yes, your gifts. But these things, we bought for you so you didn’t have to pack an overnight bag every weekend.”
His voice goes up at the end like he has suddenly realized something. He forces me to turn in his arms, and the intensity in his eyes has me pulling back from him. As much as he will allow, anyway.
“That night, when you were here looking for your art supplies, did you think the clothes in the wardrobe and the bathroom products were for someone else?”
His jaw does that thing where it visibly hardens as he waits for my answer, and that feeling that I fucked up turns into a certainty.
“Um, maybe?” But also, how does he know I was here?
The literal last thing I’m expecting him to do is throw his head back and bark out a laugh before crushing me and the bottle of water to his chest. Ice-cold water splashes onto my chest, and I gasp while he continues to laugh.
My cheeks burn as he takes several deep breaths before looking me in the eye, the laughter fading from his expression.
“Emery, there will never be another woman in our space, ever again. It will only ever be you for us. If you see a gift or a new dress or a red lipstick in this apartment, at one of our houses, offices, cars, anywhere that we own, you are automatically allowed to assume it is yours. Understood?”
My throat aches more than it did when I first woke up, so all I can manage is a nod.
Derek raises an eyebrow. “Understood?”
It takes another sip of water, and dropping my gaze away from that penetrating stare, before I can respond. “Understood, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Now turn back around and let Xavier feed you your snack.”
I carefully turn back around, Derek’s hands circling my waist the entire time, until I’m facing Xavier, who is now sitting on the chair by the side of the bath.
He grabs a scoop of whatever is in the bowl and offers it to me.
Obediently, I open, and he places the freezing cold spoon into my mouth. Creamy, smooth ice cream immediately starts to melt in my mouth, and I suck on the spoon as he pulls it free.
Joy fills my body. “Cookies and cream!”
He smiles at me, that boyish one I rarely get to see. “Anything for my dove.”