Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
EMMA
It’s my rumbling stomach that finally moves us off the couch and into the kitchen. I have no idea why these guys are so fond of me when we’ve only just met, but I can’t say I hate it. If I had to get stranded overnight, it’s definitely a stroke of good luck that it happened here.
The cabin is a cozy paradise, all three of the men are gorgeous and very polite, even if Troy has barely let go of me. To top it all, Sebastian is an amazing cook.
Once he consoled himself that I wasn’t, in fact, dying from hypothermia and that I wasn’t running for the door either, he relaxed enough to unleash his culinary genius in the kitchen.
It turns out he was in the middle of dinner prep when he ventured outside for firewood and was surprised by our arrival.
“I’ll take cooking over shoveling cow shit any day,” he confides. He quickly juliennes the carrots for the beef stir-fry he’s making from scratch. “So I volunteered to make dinner.”
“Mom said you can come by and just keep her company.” Troy lazily strokes his big hand up and down my back. “While Carter and I clean out the barn. I think she likes you best out of the three of us.”
Sebastian flushes with pleasure, and his grin is devastating. “I’ll do that next time. And Emma will join us. Sandra will love meeting her.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Carter groans as he takes four beers from the fridge and hands them out to each of us. “Will you put on the brakes?”
He’s the only one who’s more reserved, lingering at the sidelines of our conversation, though his gaze never leaves me for long. He seems to know that Sebastian’s and Troy’s behavior isn’t really acceptable in human society. Like meeting the parents before we even hooked up.
Which begs the question. Are we hooking up?
Everything points to these guys being completely up for that.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a man this interested in me without being sleazy.
Troy, Carter, and Sebastian are honest in their enthusiasm, but not one of them has pressured me to do anything I don’t want to do.
Every touch that lights up some forgotten part of me could be interpreted in a sexual way, but they never cross the line of uncomfortable.
I think I’ll have to sleep on the decision. Tonight, too much has happened for me to be able to think rationally.
There’s also the fact that there are three of them. As much as they claim that they’re together, surely this isn’t usual. They can’t expect to share me. Can they? I stomp down on the naughty thought, unwilling to create fantasies that will only lead to disappointment later.
Dinner is delicious. Sebastian serves the beef stir-fry over fluffy jasmine rice. I drink one beer and stop myself from having any more. There’s no use in getting drunk. I don’t want to blame any decision I make here on alcohol. It wouldn’t be fair to the guys either.
There’s a small scuffle as the guys fight for the privilege of sitting next to me—their words, not mine.
Troy wins by pushing Carter over and sliding onto the chair next to mine while blocking Sebastian from me with his big, bulky body.
He spends the entire dinner focused on what I’m eating.
His big paw never leaves my knee either.
It doesn’t come across as overly possessive, though, just attentive and sweet.
It’s like I’m getting the exact treatment that I’ve always wanted from my boyfriends who didn’t know that they should put me first in relationships.
Who didn’t know that I wanted them to listen to me when I talked.
That I only wanted someone who would touch me and hug me, and fuck me like I was their favorite person in the world.
Now, I’m getting all that times three. And I’m afraid to go to sleep in case this is all a dream and I’ll wake up in the morning in my own bed, alone again.
After dinner, Sebastian takes one look at me, grabs my hand, and hauls me toward the living quarters. He shows me the large bathroom, one of two, he explains, but they never finished the second one because it’s just the three of them living here.
“You never have any guests?” I ask.
I’m fishing for information. I need to know whether I’m intruding on someone else’s relationships here. There aren’t any traces that anyone else lives here, but that doesn’t mean it’s the truth.
But Sebastian only grins at me. “No, Emma. You’re the first one we’ve ever had stay over.”
I watch him with suspicion. “The first woman ever?”
He dips his chin in a nod. His cheeks flush, pink again, and I love how expressive his face is. “I’ve never been with a woman.”
I stare at him, disbelief coursing through me. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were gay. I just thought…”
His face flushes even more. “I’m not,” he says.
“I mean, I love Troy and Carter. I’m in love with them, too.
We, uh, fuck a lot? But I don’t think any one of us is gay.
Bisexual, probably? I’m attracted to them because they’re exactly right for me.
And now you showed up, and you’re exactly right for all of us. ”
I don’t get to ask what he means by that before he throws me another grin, points out where the towels are, and disappears out the door.
I take a shower, scrubbing away the remains of my long day, the smell of the diner, and any reservations I still had about staying here tonight.
I’m too full of good food and way too tired to keep debating this with myself.
If the guys wanted to hurt me, they would’ve already done so.
So I’m just going to have to trust. It’s a difficult process for me, because I haven’t had many people to rely on over the years. But for whatever reason, fate brought me here tonight. I might not believe that my future is predetermined in any way, but I was definitely lucky.
I get out of the shower, smelling like Carter’s bodywash, and wrap myself in fluffy clean towels.
Only then does it occur to me that I don’t have a change of clothes.
I glare at my discarded panties and t-shirt in distaste.
What was the point of showering if I have to put the dirty work clothes back on?
But a knock on the door announces Sebastian’s return.
He cracks the door open and peers inside.
“I brought you some clothes.” He hands me a long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of boxers. “They’re the smallest I’ve got. I didn’t even go check in Carter’s and Troy’s closets because they’re both bigger than me.”
I smile. “Thank you. Is there any way I could wash my clothes for tomorrow?”
“I’ll do it,” he says. “Just leave them out on the floor when you’re done.”
I borrow some face cream from the bathroom cabinet and brush my teeth with my finger and a dollop of toothpaste. I don’t even bother trying to tame my hair. It’ll be a rat’s nest in the morning anyway. I put the still-damp strands in a braid and hope for the best.
When I emerge from the bathroom, I find Troy leaning on the wall opposite the bathroom door.
“Come on, honey,” he says, holding out his hand. “Let me show you to our room.”
I put my hand in his before his words truly register. When they do, I dig my heels in, stopping in the hallway. “Our room?”
Troy gives my hand a little tug. It’s not enough to really pull me along, but with his serious expression, I understand he’s asking me to trust him.
He could pick me up, throw me over his shoulder, and carry me wherever he pleased.
Carter did as much when he manhandled me into the truck.
So the fact that Troy is asking me, instead of doing whatever he wants, gives me a sense of power I badly needed in this situation.
That’s why I follow him down the hall to where the spacious bedroom stands open, cozy, yellow light spilling out. He stops at the threshold and lets me look. I appreciate it because the arrangement of the room is anything but conventional.
I thought the other doors in the hallway led to their separate bedrooms. But a quick peek through the one on the right tells me it’s an art studio with tall windows open to the back of the property, dark now that night has fallen.
From the stains on Sebastian’s hands and sweatpants, I assume it’s his.
I don’t know what the other room holds. Hopefully, it’s not the remains of all their other victims, like Bluebeard and his brides.
The bedroom, however, seems to be where they all sleep.
There’s only one bed, and it stretches from one wall to the other, big enough to sleep four or five regular-sized people. Or three massive werewolves.
“Will this be okay?” Sebastian asks. He’s been changing the sheets on the bed, which I now see is constructed of three full-sized mattresses placed in a large frame.
Before I can answer, he takes me by the shoulders. His gaze warms me to my core.
“You look good in my clothes,” he says.
Next to me, Troy lets out a low growl.
Sebastian sends him a cheeky grin. “It’s not my fault you’re so big. She would drown in your clothes.”
As it is, his t-shirt is long enough to cover my ass, so only the bottom of his boxers peeks out.
I’m not wearing a bra, and I’m trying very hard not to cross my arms all over my chest, because that would draw attention to my breasts.
I don’t think I’m fooling anyone, though.
Sebastian stares at my nipples, which are poking against the soft fabric, and swallows thickly.
My body heats up despite the tiredness. I like smelling like Carter’s bodywash and Sebastian’s clothes. But it seems like Troy doesn’t. He wraps his big arms around me from behind and nuzzles his cheek over the top of my head. His exhale tickles the nape of my neck, and he relaxes.
“If you want, you can take this bed, and we’ll sleep in the living room,” Sebastian says. “We have some camping gear that we can use. It’s no problem.”
Carter walks into the room behind me. “We want you to be comfortable. Let us know if this is too much.”
I fold my hands in front of me and swallow. “No, don’t be silly. I’ll take the couch.”
A low growl emanates from Troy’s chest. “No, you won’t. We’re not letting you sleep on the couch.”
I glance up at him, surprised at his vehemence. He seems like such a laid-back guy, but apparently this is where he draws the line.
“Oh, I know,” Sebastian says suddenly. “We can make you a pillow wall.”
“A pillow wall?” Carter repeats dryly.
But I’m already moving forward, happy with Sebastian’s suggestion. “That would be perfect. That way you guys can sleep without me bothering you. I’ll just take the corner here. So I won’t be in the way.”
Troy looks like he might object, but Carter stops him with a glare. Sebastian helps me by bringing some of the pillows from the couch, and together we section off a corner of the massive bed.
It’s a flurry of activity for a while. I snuggle down in my nest of pillows and blankets and watch the guys get ready for bed.
Carter forbids Troy from sleeping naked tonight—which is apparently something he does—and stands there, scowling, until Troy relents and flops into bed on the other side of my pillow wall in his boxer briefs and t-shirt.
I have to stifle a twinge of disappointment that follows his decision to obey Carter’s rule.
Sebastian disappears into the bathroom and takes a very long shower that ends with a guttural groan that filters through the wooden walls and has me blushing furiously. Both guys still in the room curse softly, and Carter turns his back on me as he readjusts himself.
So Sebastian just made himself come in the bathroom. Cool. That’s totally normal—and not insanely hot or anything.
My body apparently isn’t tired enough, because I squirm under the covers.
Sebastian returns to the bedroom, his limbs loose and his smile wide.
He leans in over the pillow wall, crawling halfway on top of Troy, and kisses my cheek goodnight.
His lips are soft against my skin, and the caress sends shivers down my body despite how innocent it is.
Then Troy slaps Sebastian’s ass—he did place himself right across his lap—and Sebastian lets out an indecent moan and flushes pink again, and I drag my covers over my head, giggling, to hide my reaction to the whole thing.
God. These guys.
“Get your ass to the other side of the bed,” Carter barks, his tone vibrating with authority.
I peer from under the covers to find Sebastian sulkily crawling over to the far end, but Troy hooks his arm around Sebastian’s waist and pulls him back for a kiss.
This one isn’t innocent at all, and I gasp at how they devour each other, Sebastian’s hands clenching in Troy’s long hair.
When Sebastian finally tears himself away, they’re both breathing hard.
Carter mutters darkly to himself as he reaches over to switch off the lights.
Troy glances at me just before the room is plunged into darkness and throws me a wink that tells me he knows exactly how much I enjoyed all of this.
Because I did. The guys clearly care for each other, and I’m not fooled by Carter’s grumbling either.
My eyes adjust in the darkness. I raise myself on my elbows and see he has curled himself around Sebastian’s back, his arm thrown over the other man’s waist as they spoon.
Troy is lying on his back between us, his arms behind his head.
His massive biceps make my mouth water, which is a clear sign for me to go to sleep.
If I’m thinking about sinking my teeth into the arm of a guy I wanted to stab mere hours ago, I’m clearly delirious from exhaustion.
Only I know I’m lying to myself. My chest hurts with how much I crave this dynamic in a relationship. And as the guys fall asleep one by one, their soft snores punctuating the quiet of the house, I know that I could never do anything to endanger their easy companionship.
So tomorrow morning, I’ll ask them to take me back to my car.
I’ll dig it out from under all the snow and get away from them because the temptation here is too much for me.
I know already that I could never bring myself to choose, and the last thing I want is to wedge myself in their lives and ruin what they have going on.
That’s what I’ll do. I’ll promise them my silence—and find out how I can repay them for their amazing hospitality. Then I’ll get out of their lives for good.