Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
LILY
The aroma of fresh coffee drifts through the kitchen as I sit at the island, wrapped in Hudson’s oversized flannel I stole from the dryer this morning.
The sun streams through the windows, bathing the room in gold, and for the first time in weeks, I’m excited.
With all the stress of Mom, the breakup, and my busy schedule, I haven’t had much time to be happy.
Dating three guys is certainly a recipe for fun.
My lips still tingle from Hudson’s kisses under the stars, and every time I think about agreeing to date all three of them, butterflies explode in my stomach. Is this how Callie felt with the Williams brothers?
Noises come from the second floor and I sip my coffee, smiling to myself as the guys slowly make their way to the kitchen in various stages of dress. Hudson is wearing low slung joggers and no shirt. Gage is in basketball shorts and a tight shirt, and Cole is in his boxer briefs.
My eyebrows lift.
He smirks at me. “You’re lucky I put these on.” His voice is scratchy from sleep. He reaches for a mug which Hudson promptly snatches and fills with coffee for himself. “Asshole,” Cole mutters.
Gage nudges in front of him to fill his cup.
“You see what I have to deal with?” Cole asks me, shaking his head.
I grin into my morning brew, taking a sip, savoring the bitter and slightly sweet flavor of my favorite roast. I pause and stare at the coffee. When did they buy this? More importantly, how did they know? These three have been paying attention to me more than I realized. My heart warms.
“Sleep well?” Hudson asks, rubbing his hand down his abs.
I try—and fail—not to stare. “Eventually. You?”
He holds my gaze a moment longer than necessary. “No.”
I have a sneaking suspicion what kept him up.
When we finally came inside last night, he had a raging hard on.
Heat creeps up my neck. I might’ve taken care of it, but I’m still not entirely sure how to handle the dynamics of dating three men.
Would the others be upset if I slept with Hudson without us discussing it?
Cole saunters over. His black hair is sticking up at odd angles from sleep. There’s something ridiculously attractive about how rumpled he looks. “Morning, gorgeous.” He plants a quick kiss on my cheek before sitting on top of the counter beside me.
Gage turns on the faucet and grabs the sprayer, squirting Cole. “Bad kitty. Off the counter.”
“Fuck, man!” Cole springs off the granite and glares at his friend who is cackling.
Hudson grins at me. “They’re animals.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter with an eyeroll.
“What was that?” Cole asks, setting his coffee on the counter and caging me with his arms. His chest presses against my back and his lips find my ear. “I’ll fuck you like one if you want.”
Holy. Shit. My core clenches and flames lick up my neck. “Cole,” I admonish as I spin on the barstool.
He claims my mouth, kissing me hard and fast before pulling back and studying my face. “That pretty blush makes me want to do naughty things.”
Jesus. What am I supposed to say to that?
“Easy, tiger. You’re going too fast,” Gage says, pushing Cole away. I expect him to put up a fight, but he chuckles and steps aside.
I glance at Gage. “Hi.”
He smirks. “Hey.” He kisses me too, this one more chaste than Cole’s, but even still my head spins and my heart flips over.
Am I dreaming?
“What was that?” I finally manage to say.
“Evening the score. Hudson kissed you twice now. We felt left out.”
My focus flits to Hudson. “You told them?”
He shrugs. “No secrets. That’s the best way to make sure no one gets mad.”
Nodding, I curse myself for not realizing that, then again, this is my first time. As for the guys. . . “Have you all done this before?” I ask, finding my mug fascinating all of a sudden.
“No. Well, not like this,” Hudson says.
“What was it like then?” How far out of my depths am I? Is this simply another fling to them?
“Lily, look at me.”
Steeling myself, I do, trying to act nonchalant.
Hudson sees right through it. “You’re the only woman we’ve ever wanted to collectively date. This is new territory for all of us.”
I exhale in relief. I don’t know why it would have bothered me to think they’ve done this before, but I love the idea of being special. It’s reassuring in a way. “Okay. So how does this work? Do we do everything together? Solo dates? Do we keep track so no one feels left out?”
“What I suggest,” Cole begins, “Is that we let it happen naturally. We’ll let you know if we want time with you and you can let us know when you want time with us.”
He makes it sound so easy.
“But to start, we planned a day date for today. With all of us.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Oh?” Did they have some secret meeting to make these plans? A smile tugs at my lips at the thought of them trying to have a hurried conversation in private to plan something special.
“We thought we’d head to Big Falls,” Hudson explains, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter near the fridge. “It’s perfect hiking weather.”
“Don’t you all have to work?”
“We have it covered,” he explains.
“Won’t that mess up your schedule?”
“We’re waiting on some permits so we wouldn’t have done much today anyway.” He pins me with a knowing look. “Stop feeling guilty.”
“Yes, sir.”
His gaze darkens.
I bite my lip at his reaction, excitement bubbling in my chest. A real date. With all three of them. Away from the house, away from work stress, away from everything except the four of us figuring out whatever this is becoming. Work—mine and theirs—can wait.
“When do we leave?”
“An hour?” Gage suggests. “Does that give you time to get ready?”
I’m already sliding off the stool, coffee in hand. “Perfect. I just need to grab some hiking clothes.”
“Bring layers,” Cole calls as I head toward the stairs. “It’s getting cold.”
“And good boots!” Hudson adds.
I take the stairs two at a time and push into my room. The space feels different now. Less temporary. The bed I made this morning looks inviting rather than borrowed, and my clothes hanging in the closet seem more at home. Like maybe I belong here after all.
I’m digging through my dresser for socks when my phone buzzes on the nightstand. Probably Callie, Aspen, or work. Ugh, I have so much explaining to do with my friends. I grab the phone and frown at the unknown number. I tap into the messages, blood freezing in my veins as I stare at the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
You belong with me.
Below the text there’s a series of photos that make my stomach drop.
Pictures of me and Hudson from last night, sitting on the deck.
The first image shows us talking, innocent enough.
The second captures the moment he draped the blanket around my shoulders.
But they keep coming, each perspective is closer than the last, as if whoever took them was walking closer and closer.
Each one is more invasive than the last.
The final photo is zoomed in so much that all you can see are our mouths, Hudson’s lips pressed against mine.
My hands tremble as I stare at the screen.
Someone was watching us. Someone stood in the darkness outside their house with a camera, capturing our most intimate moment without us knowing.
That moment was special. Now it’s tainted with the stain of this violation.
Bile rises in my throat. What the fuck?
There’s no other message. Just those words and the photos. You belong with me. Like some twisted claim of ownership. But who would feel this way? The only person I can think of is Matt.
With how pissed he was yesterday, it has to be him. This is exactly the kind of manipulative bullshit he’d pull. Getting jealous and possessive after the breakup. He was so pissed when he showed up here. Maybe angry enough to do something fucked up like this.
Well, you know what? I won’t let him scare me out of this relationship.
I block the number without hesitation. I won’t let him ruin this.
I won’t let his games poison the first good thing that’s happened to me in a long time.
Setting the phone aside, I turn toward the windows.
Paranoia prickles down my spine. The trees outside with changing leaves are no longer pretty but full of shadows and hiding places.
If it were later in the autumn season, it would be easier to know if someone was out there. They could be hiding. Watching.
Waiting.
I quickly close the curtains, heart pounding and anger rattling in my bones. Goddammit. I hate this feeling. Hate that Matt can still make me feel small and scared even when he’s not here. This should be a safe space but now I’ll constantly be looking over my shoulder.
Don’t let him win.
Nodding to myself, I focus on getting dressed, pulling on my favorite hiking pants and a moisture-wicking long sleeve.
The familiar routine helps settle my nerves.
Matt’s always dramatic, attention-seeking, and trying to make everything about him.
Once he realizes he won’t get a reaction out of me, he’ll get bored and move on to tormenting someone else.
I lace up my hiking boots, channeling my anger into the task, tugging extra hard on the strings as I knot them.
Standing up, I catch my reflection in the mirror. My face is pale, eyes still wide with the shock of those photos. I take a deep breath, pinching my cheeks to bring the color back and smooth down my hair. There. See? Everything is fine.
The lie tastes bitter but I shove all my worried thoughts aside and grab my light jacket as I head for the door. Today is about hiking and waterfalls and figuring out how to date three incredible men who actually want to spend time with me.