32. Daisy
***Daisy***
“Hank! Do not eat that!” I chased behind Hank as he had a great time trying to eat Wes’ rain boot. “Drop it!”
Wes stepped into our path and Hank immediately dropped the boot and sat still for him. Then he just bent down, grabbed his boot, and patted Hank on the head.
I would’ve spent more time being amazed about Wes having so much control over my dog but I heard the overwhelming sound of booming thunder and jumped about a foot in the air. Before the kids could even start screaming I was running to the living room.
Hazel was sitting on the couch, holding both Poppy and Charlie as they cried.
As soon as she saw me, though, her own eyes filled with tears and she crumbled.
I curled up with all three of them and tried to soothe them as a rare summer storm raged outside.
Hank climbed onto the pile of children after a few minutes and his presence helped calmed them more than I ever could.
The only way I got them to go to bed that night was to let them all sleep in my bed with Hank. The storm was still going strong but I shut the black-out curtains and read to them until they passed out.
It’d been a painfully long day, all of it spent trapped inside because of the weather. I was tapped out and needed time with adults. Even if it was awkward and stiff because of our own mistakes.
The guys were all sitting at the kitchen island when I found them.
It was even storming too bad for Max to hide out in his workshop so he had to deal with seeing me.
He’d been doing a great job of avoiding me since our bike ride back to the house.
It would’ve been impressive if it wasn’t so infuriating.
“They’re asleep finally.” I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. “I moved the monitor into my room with them so we’ll hear if the storm wakes them up.”
Flynn moved around the island and stood behind me to rub my shoulders. I let myself enjoy his hands for a few seconds before I recognized the rising tension in the room. Stepping away from Flynn, I did the only thing I could think of to distract all of us from the larger issue at play.
“How about a movie?” I forced excitement into my voice. “Y’all never use the theater room. It’s not like there’s anything else to do with it storming like this. I’ll make popcorn and even let y’all pick the movie.”
Flynn leaned down and kissed my forehead. “This is why they pay you the big bucks. That sounds amazing.”
Wes hesitantly agreed while watching me closely. “I’m in.”
Max stared longingly at the door. “I guess there’s nothing else I can do.”
“You could read. You could take care of your side of the paperwork for the trust. You could-”
“I’m going to watch the movie, Flynn.” Max growled and stomped past us, towards the theater room at the other side of the house. He left grumbling about how fucking annoying Flynn was.
“We’ll go pick the movie.” Wes grabbed Flynn and pushed him away from me. “Come on, asshole.”
I realized my hands were shaking as I poured a bag of popcorn into a large bowl. I yanked them back to my side and pressed them into my thighs hard. I couldn’t fall apart after initiating the movie night. I chanted to myself that it was a movie night and therefore, no reason to be nervous.
I filled two bowls with buttered popcorn and balanced them and four bottled waters as I made my way to the theater room.
I’d laughed at the room the first time I’d seen it years earlier.
Who owned their own personal theater? There was even a candy bar until the kids found it.
After Candygate, the door to the theater got a lock and the candy stash was hidden just in case.
Instead of individual recliners for their theater, they’d installed large, deep couches so the kids could all sit together.
I walked down the two levels to reach the first row of couches and chose my seat while the guys were all still standing around, debating movies.
I dropped the drinks at the edge of the couch and crawled into the middle spot of the middle couch.
I settled with both bowls of popcorn in my lap and felt pleased with myself and my idea until I felt the guys look back at me.
There was a ridiculous display of brotherhood as they shoved each other to get their first choice seat.
Flynn and Wes were focused on each other and it allowed Max to calmly sit on my right, his large body making the couch dip so I leaned into him.
I offered him the popcorn and he reached in to grab a handful.
Wes managed to win the stealth shoving battle with Flynn and he flopped down next to me hard enough to send the waters flying. Flynn grabbed them and passed one to me and then to Max. Wes’, he put on the floor in front of the couch. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.
“Grow up.” Wes growled and then turned his phone to me. “Pick one. We narrowed it down to these three.”
I’d never heard of any of them so I just pointed to the one in the middle and shrugged. “It’s not my fault if it’s not good.”
Everyone settled and then the movie started.
My heart was already beating a little fast, just from sitting between Max and Wes, but when the opening scene was of a woman being chased by a masked murderer, I figured I’d get my cardio in just from how fast my pulse was.
After the woman died and we got a close up of the killer’s eyes through the mask, the very next scene was of a party in the woods.
Two of the partygoers snuck away and started going at.
I froze. The only sounds in the room were the moans of the couple.
It wasn’t graphic but a very clear picture was painted; they were having sex.
My hand was just in the air over the popcorn bowl and when Max’s hand bumped into mine I flinched and let out a strange sound and then immediately apologized in a strangled voice.
Thankfully, the sex scene didn’t last much longer before the killing started again.
I watched parts of it through my fingers and jumped when the killer jumped out.
Then there was another sex scene. It showed a guy going down on his girlfriend while the killer watched from the shadows.
My heart pounded. I wanted to say something to break the tension in the room but I didn’t trust myself.
I was horrifyingly turned on and sandwiched between the three men that I couldn’t stop craving in a dark room while we watched a sex scene.
So, no big deal. Totally fine.
I heard myself breathing and panicked at how loud it sounded, like I was panting. I tried to hold my breath but when I did, I could hear other breathing. It felt as if the whole room was on edge, breathing hard, and ready for anything.
On screen the killer finally stepped out and the couple fled through the woods, completely naked. Just as the killer stepped out from behind a tree, somehow getting in front of them even though he’d been chasing from behind, the power suddenly shut off. The room was instantly suffocatingly silent.
I was so on edge that when the empty popcorn bowl fell off the edge of the couch and hit the ground with a loud crack I screamed and clung to Max, since he was still the closest. I was in his lap, my breathing erratic as my heart slowed with the knowledge that we weren’t about to be murdered.
Max slowly wrapped his hands around my waist and squeezed.
His breath hitched as he moved his giant hands higher.
Flynn and Wes were talking to each other about a generator while I waited for Max’s hands to touch my breasts.
The darkness felt naughty and full of dark potential.
Something about the awful movie and the storm had fueled my desires.
“What do you think, Max?” Flynn’s voice acted as ice water to Max. He stiffened and then stood up so fast that I went tumbling backwards into Wes.
“I’ll handle it.” He was gone fast enough that no one could respond before the door was shutting behind him.