Chapter 13
PHOEBE
All of my resilience disappears. Poof, like a cloud of ashes. All it took was one kiss to blow me away.
I moan against his lips, his tongue wrestling with mine until I completely surrender, falling apart in his arms as I wrap my own around his neck.
“This isn’t a fair fight,” I manage as he raises his head to look at me, a satisfied, Cheshire-cat grin slitting his handsome, sun-kissed face.
“Nothing is fair in this life, babe,” he replies. “I’m just done with this whole I-can-do-it-all-on-my-own shtick. It was cute, even exciting in the beginning, but what you’re dealing with now, you’re going to need a support system for.”
“Theo, it’s more complicated than that.”
“Yes, I know. Mommy Dearest is trying to get you in line by threatening you with taking away your inheritance,” he says. “Are you really going to let her snuff the joy out of your life, Phoebe? You were happy in Hawaii, there’s no denying that.”
“I was. But that was a vacation. Not real life.”
He takes my hand and guides me to the door. “Ok. We’re done with this bullshit. Come on. Drastic measures are needed.”
“Wait,” I manage as he leads me into the hallway. “Where are we going? I need to go see—”
“Whatever you were about to do, it’ll have to wait,” Theo replies.
He gives me a second to lock my door before whisking me into the elevator then into his car. Minutes pass in silence as Theo drives out of the city, the noon sky gleaming gloriously above us.
“Theo, where are we going?”
“Someplace special,” he replies, smiling as he keeps one hand on the steering wheel and one firmly on my knee. It’s as if he needs the reassurance that I’m there.
“Theo…”
He chuckles. To our right, I see the harbor, its glistening blue waters reflecting the bright sun above. Sail boats glide in the distance. Yachts are anchored, their passengers enjoying the beautiful day. Speed boats zoom past, racing frolicking jet skis.
Just ahead, the Hamptons open up with their exquisite houses and pristine lawns, luxury cafes and terraces, posh restaurants and sprawling villas.
I suddenly realize I lose all track of time when I’m with Theo or the twins. Even the silence feels natural. We don’t have to say anything. We just have to… be.
“Tell me something, Phoebe,” Theo finally says.
“Anything, provided you tell me where we’re going.”
“You’ll see in a bit, I promise. And you’ll love it.”
“Fine. What do you want me to tell you?”
“What’s your biggest dream?” he asks. “What is it you want most in this life? It can be anything. Not even the sky is your limit.”
“That’s a deep question.”
“But one you can surely answer.”
“Oh, I can answer it. I just don’t get the point.”
“Have patience, grasshopper. Please, tell me.”
We drive through the southern part of the Hamptons, each neighborhood more exquisite than the last. We have a summer house of our own up here, on the north side.
I haven’t been there in a couple of years, though.
Crystal always hogs it for the whole summer, just one endless party for her and her obnoxious friends.
I’d missed this place.
“What I want most is to take over Baldwin Enterprises and restore it to its former glory,” I blurt out. “No, wait, I want to make it even bigger than my dad ever dreamed.”
“Is that it?”
“No. That’s just career-wise.”
“Life, Phoebe. Life as a whole,” Theo prompts. “What do you want most?”
“To love and to be loved in equal measure for precisely the way I am,” I say after giving it some thought. “It comes with a certain freedom, I suppose.”
He gives me a curious sideways glance, then shifts his focus back on the road. “Freedom.”
“Yes, the freedom to be myself. The freedom to not have to shrink myself in order to fit into one box or another,” I reply.
“Alright. Good. That’s a good thing to want. Tell me something else.”
“Theo…” I sigh.
We pass through the double gates of a massive property.
The fence is tall and fitted with high-end security.
I spot the cameras and the motion sensors—we have a similar setup at our summer house.
Looking left and right, I see splendid gardens with trimmed hedges, blossoming trees, and gorgeous rose bushes, each flower bright and big.
“Almost there,” he says, following a road lined with giant wisteria trees. “Do you enjoy being shared?”
An unexpected question out of left field. My face burns hot as I try to find the sense in it. “Where are you going with this, Theo? And where are we going? Literally.”
“I’ll answer both if you bear with me for a little while longer.”
Ahead, a villa rises—a two-story splendor with white walls and French-style windows that remind me of the Hawaiian resort. It sits atop a green hill surrounded by thick gardens. At the front, marble steps lead to the main door, a massive wrapped around porch sprawling on either side.
Dominic and August stand as we approach.
“Okay, so we’re at your summer place,” I say as Theo pulls up in front of a beautiful artesian fountain that marks the end of the driveway. It presents its viewers with two angels dancing, their wings extended as water flows from their vessels, pouring into the circular basin below.
Though I’ve been here before with Matthew, I guess I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate the beauty of the journey to get here. I didn’t realize where we were going until we approached the house. That says a lot about being unable to appreciate the beautiful things while I was with Matthew.
We get out of the car just as Dominic and August reach the top of the marble steps, both of them smiling yet clearly surprised to see us.
“Theo?” Dominic questions.
August has his sights set on me. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Phoebe.”
“Hey, guys,” I shyly reply.
But Theo has other plans as he sweeps me off my feet and carries me up the stairs with barely a huff. “The bedroom, gentlemen. Now,” he tells the twins.
“What the hell are you doing?” I yelp a laugh, letting him carry me, curiosity and excitement filling me in equal measure.
“I told you, it’s time for some drastic measures, Phoebe. It’s the only way we’ll make you understand,” Theo declares as Dominic and August open the doors and we go inside, sweeping through the spacious foyer like a summer breeze.
“You’ve lost your mind,” I sigh, my heart racing.
The mere mention of a bedroom sent signals from my brain down to my core, anticipation eagerly building up inside me. My stomach tightens; my pulse quickens.
“I take it reasoning with her didn’t work,” Dominic chuckles as he heads up the stairs, the three of us not far behind.
“I tried,” Theo says. “I really did.”
“It’s fine,” August replies. “This works too.”
“What works?” I ask, trying to figure out what their plan B is.
The house is just as gorgeous as I remember, decorated in a simple but elegant nautical theme.
White wood dominates, a generous variety of navy-themed textiles placed throughout.
Everything about this place inspires the love for the sea; the freedom of cutting across the waves and feeling the wind in your hair.
The master bedroom is incredible. I hadn’t come in here when I visited before. I had no reason to.
My feet land on the hardwood floor as Theo gently sets me down. The windows are wide open, and a soft breeze blows through, causing the linen curtains to dance in the beams of sunlight.
“Here’s what you need to understand, Phoebe,” Theo says. “You’re not alone anymore. You can act like you’re alone, you can pretend as much as you’d like, but that’s just the old you struggling to stay in a comfort zone that isn’t all that comfortable. It’s habitual. But it’s not you anymore.”
“Okay, wow, thanks for the input, Dr. Phil,” I sarcastically reply.
The guys unbutton their shirts before turning their focus to me. I’m taken by surprise, undressed and dismantled with swift gestures and slick moves, though I’m not doing much to stop them.
Dominic comes up, his fingers working the clasp on my bra as he kisses my lips, my cheeks, my forehead.
“Whatever comes next, we’re going to face it together,” he says. “I know you’re scared. I know you’ve never had to go against your family before. Not like this.”
“We’ve got some experience in that field,” August chimes in, coming up behind me to cup my breasts as my bra lands on the floor. His firm squeeze reminds me of what I’ve been missing, and my body is eager to react as I tilt my hips back. I feel him, hard against my buttocks.
“You’ve got… experience…”
“We’ve gone against family too,” Dominic explains. His fingers trace my collarbone, sliding over my shoulder and down my bare arm.
In the meantime, Theo slips out of his jeans, and I am briefly mesmerized by the engorged excitement on display. I can’t help but lick my lips, eager to taste him.
“Is this what you do?” I ask, my voice but a whisper. “You mess with my head to make me pliable. You corrupt my body so you can take my heart?”
“No, this is how we love the woman we chose,” Dominic says, his palms framing my face as he beckons me to look into his eyes.
Simultaneously, August hooks his fingers into my panties and pulls them down.
The move is sudden and exhilarating. Liberating.
Much like the freedom I described to Theo just minutes earlier.
The freedom to be myself, to love my body as much as the men gathered around me do, hard and aching for me, and only me.
To think I wanted to push them away, to shield myself from another heartbreak.
“We want your body,” August says, kneeling behind me. He spreads my cheeks and slides his tongue between my slick folds, tasting me, probing me, sending me into a heated frenzy.
“We want your heart, too. We will wrap it up in ours so no one can ever hurt you again,” Theo adds, kissing the side of my neck.
Dominic clasps my chin between his thumb and index finger as he nibbles on my lower lip. “Do you understand, Phoebe?”
August’s tongue penetrates me, causing a tumultuous shiver to course through my whole body. I shudder as Dominic suckles my lower lip, my nipples perky and hard under Theo’s touch.
“I… oh, God, I think I understand,” I manage.
This is their love language. Raw and physical. Commanding and all-consuming. It’s how the three of them communicate with my body and my soul at the same time. They dispel every doubt that muddles my mind by unleashing the woman hidden within.
The woman others have tried so hard to keep down.
She’s always been there, waiting to come out. Little did I know that all I needed was them. Three groomsmen who decided they were no longer going to allow her to stay hidden.
“You’re not going to war against your mother alone, Phoebe,” Dominic assures me. “We’ll figure out the best way forward, but we’ll do it together. Okay?”
“Okay…”
August’s tongue is doing one hell of a number, and it isn’t long before I explode, begging them to fill me, to take me, to ravish me, bury themselves inside me. It’s not long before night comes, swallowing the sky as I become entangled with my men.
Inseparable.
Determined to stick together.
No matter what.