Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Abby
I lean into the washer, pulling out the small pile of wet clothes and tossing them into the dryer.
I was only planning on being here for two nights, so I didn’t bring much with me. I’ve been here for double that many days now, so I’m running a little low in the clothes department.
I could have stopped at my house to grab some more clothes after work today, but I just didn’t want to. I wanted to get back here as quickly as I could.
I shake my head at how ludicrous it sounds even to me, and I’m the one who did it.
Being here shouldn’t feel as seamless as it has. Nothing about it has been awkward or weird, which in and of itself is weird. It feels like home.
The only thing I’m really missing is Mav. He knows I’ve been staying here to help take care of Kane after the accident.
Last night, I had a video call with him. He was more excited to see Oliver than he was to see me, but whatever.
It isn’t that I lied to him. I have been helping to some degree, but I’m not going to tell my son that I’m also here because of an undeniable need to be near all three of these men… even if nothing can ever come of it.
When the dryer tumbles to life, I walk out into the kitchen. It’s late, and the house is quiet.
Oliver went to bed a while ago, and Kane retreated to his room shortly after. He is getting better every day. He no longer needs bandages on any of his scrapes.
The bruises are starting to fade too, ever so slightly. The cast will still be in place for a while, but he isn’t wearing the sling all the time. He only wears it when his shoulder starts to hurt.
All of it is still draining, though, so he has been going to bed pretty early most nights. I think Linc and Wyatt want to give him shit about going to bed so early, but a bigger part of them is just grateful their friend is okay.
There really is no medical reason for me to be here. Honestly, there wasn’t a need for me to be here in the first place.
We’re all aware of this, but no one is going to bring light to it. We all seem to be happily existing in this little bubble we’ve created.
It won’t last forever. In fact, it can’t last beyond tomorrow.
I get Mav back after that, so there’s no way this can continue. It’s for the best because I can’t be around them this much and keep my hands and my heart to myself. It’s already hard enough as it is.
I expect to find Wyatt or Linc in the living room, but the space is empty. Deciding I want a cup of tea before I go to bed, I head into the kitchen.
I grab a mug from the cabinet along with the box of tea that magically appeared a few days ago. The first night I was here, I’d dug through the kitchen and pantry looking for some, but there hadn’t been any.
The next day, a variety box of tea just happened to be sitting on the counter. Linc was the only person around when I was searching through the kitchen the night prior, so I assumed he bought it. When I asked, he just shrugged and said he hoped there was something in there that would work.
They have one of those cool hot water dispensers attached to the kitchen sink, so filling my cup with boiling water only takes seconds. I dig through the box and settle on raspberry hibiscus.
“Hey,” someone whispers right in my ear.
I open my mouth to scream, but gentle fingers muffle the sound over my mouth. Another hand curls around my hip.
“Shhh…” The hand over my mouth slowly slides down until it’s lightly resting against my throat. “Sorry I scared you.”
Wyatt.
I wasn’t about to scream because I was scared. I feel safe here. It’s probably the safest place I’ve ever been in my whole life.
There are three men here who I know would never let anything happen to me. We might just be friends, but I know none of them would let any harm come my way.
I relax against Wyatt’s hard body that’s now pressed against my back. “Not scared… just startled.”
He hums, gliding his nose against the shell of my ear. I shiver, but it’s not from the chill in the air.
His very presence is enough to set all the nerves in my body on fire.
I spin around in his arms. His hands are now cradling the back of my neck and my opposite hip. “Hi,” I say, peering up at him.
I wrap my arms around his waist. His muscled back is firm beneath my open palms. Even through his T-shirt, I can still feel them bunching with even the slightest movements he makes.
He quirks a smile. “Hey, beautiful.”
I want to kiss him so badly, but that’s a line we haven’t crossed while I’ve been here. We haven’t broached the subject of what happened between us or tried for a repeat performance.
Standing with him right here and now, though, I want nothing more than to do it all again. Or maybe even more.
He drags his fingernails over my scalp, and I have to fight to keep my eyes from falling closed in pure bliss.
I have no idea how he knows that it’s my kryptonite… or one of them. Whenever I get a massage, my favorite part is the scalp massage that’s always over too quickly.
The tension in the kitchen builds until I feel like I’m going to combust. Neither of us has said anything in far too long, but I guess the weighted stare connecting us is saying plenty on its own.
I need to get out of here, or I’m bound to do something monumentally stupid that could ruin everything. “I should go to bed.”
He hums but doesn’t step away or release me from his hold. He stays firmly in place with his eyes still drilling into my deepest thoughts.
He leans in, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. My hands clench, grabbing handfuls of his shirt.
He stays right there, his lips less than a breath away from mine.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I want to kiss him. No. I need to kiss him. But… once I start kissing him, I’m afraid I’m never going to want to stop.
We’re here under the same roof as his brother, best friend, and the boy who’s practically his nephew. It can’t happen. It shouldn’t happen at all, but it really can’t happen right now.
I lean up on my toes and press a quick kiss to his cheek. “Good night,” I whisper, then I duck under his arm and bolt for the stairs.
I’m not strong enough to sneak a glance at him as I make my retreat, but I hear the echoes of his laughter linger until I close my bedroom door.
My bedroom? This isn’t my room. Despite what it felt like this week, this room isn’t mine. This isn’t my home.
There’s a growing part of me that’s screaming that it sure as shit feels like it, though.
I walk over and plop onto the bed. I grab one of the pillows, press it to my face, and use it to muffle my scream of frustration. I let it fall to the bed beside me, not feeling much better.
I’m so keyed up from that nearly silent interaction with Wyatt, and the entirety of the last four days if I’m honest. Being in such close proximity to all three of them has been the most drawn-out edging I’ve ever experienced in my life.
It’s been torture, but not in a way that I find myself hating. I need some relief, though, or I think I might actually go crazy.
My body starts squirming against the mattress. I’m going to crawl out of my skin. Of their own accord, my hands start to trail down my body and over Kane’s hoodie that I’m wearing.
He isn’t quite as tall as the twins, so his clothes seemed like a slightly better option when I ran out of my own shirts to wear.
My fingers meet the waistband of my leggings. I pause for a second. This isn’t the smartest idea I’ve ever had.
There are three men who I happen to be very attracted to under the same roof as me. If I give in to the desire to touch myself, I’m inevitably going to think of them the whole damn time.
That’s just going to fuck with my brain even more because I can’t have them… any of them… all of them.
Nothing can happen. Their life is finally settled after Oliver’s mom died. None of us wants to disrupt the sense of peace Oliver has found here.
I understand Kane’s reasoning, but it doesn’t mean I don’t hate it.
I bite my lip, fighting a growl that wants to rip free from my chest. It’s all so unfair, but at the end of the day, my mama heart gets it.
I need to do something, though. I’m not going to make it any longer in this house without… something.
With a heavy exhale, I give in. I can be quiet. I slide my leggings down and toss them onto the floor before I can stop myself.
My fingers slide over the lace barrier separating them from where I really want them to be. The faintest touch to my clit through the fabric makes my breath catch in my throat.
I can’t take it anymore. My hand dips underneath my underwear.
Two of my fingers slide through the wetness hidden there. This is what happens after being unintentionally edged for this long.
Everything they do seems to make me want them more. The wetness coating my fingers is all the evidence needed of what they are doing to me.
I think the forbidden nature of all of this has dialed up the attraction even more. Don’t get me wrong, I would still be into all of them even if this layer of separation didn’t exist, but it adds a little unexpected intrigue.
The pads of my fingers slide over my clit in slow circles. The tingling sensation starts to build almost immediately. This really isn’t going to take long.
My eyes fall closed, head burrowing deeper into the pillow as my fingers continue their slow ministrations.
I keep the pressure light and the movements slow. I’m so close already, and I don’t want this to be done just yet. I want to savor this anticipation and growing pleasure for a little longer.
My whole mind focuses on the feeling of my fingers on the sensitive bundle of nerves, pushing everything else to the back of my mind. A moan escapes, and I have to bite my cheek to keep from doing it again.
“Fuck.”
The male voice jerks me out of the sexy fog my mind had fallen into. My eyes fly open, seeing Linc standing in the doorway with my mug of tea in his hand.
My knee-jerk reaction is to be embarrassed, but he looks anything but horrified. He looks like he’s about to devour me.