Chapter 13
Thirteen
Ronan
Setting up for poker night felt almost absurd given what I knew was really going to happen tonight.
The kids were all away on their school trip to Six Flags—wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon.
Which meant Aria didn't have to work tonight. Which meant we'd invited her to join us for poker.
Which meant none of us were going to be able to focus on cards.
I set out the chips and beer anyway, going through the motions. The guys started arriving around seven, the usual easy banter filling my house. But there was an undercurrent of anticipation humming beneath everything.
When Aria arrived thirty minutes later, the energy in the room shifted immediately.
She looked beautiful—jeans and a soft sweater, her hair down around her shoulders. But it was the slight flush in her cheeks, the way her eyes moved from one of us to the next, that told me she felt it too. This tension. This possibility.
"So," she said, settling onto the couch between Julian and Ethan, "are you guys actually going to teach me poker, or is this all just an elaborate ruse?”
"We actually do play," Noah said, dealing out cards. "Though I'll admit the stakes are usually more interesting than money."
"Oh?" Aria's eyebrow arched. "Like what?"
"Cars," Julian offered. "Ethan once bet his black card."
"Did you win it?" Aria asked him.
"No," Gabriel said with a grin. "Everyone folded. He's still bitter about it."
"You're all cowards," Ethan grumbled, but he was smiling.
Aria laughed, and the sound eased some of the tension. "What else do you bet?"
There was a pause. Noah and I exchanged glances.
"Sometimes," I said carefully, "we bet time. Like if there's a scheduling conflict with the kids, who gets your help that day."
"That's actually kind of sweet," Aria said. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. "What else?"
"Sometimes," Liam said, his voice low, "we talk about you. About things we'd like to do with you. And we might bet on who gets to try them first.”
I watched her face carefully, ready to backtrack if she seemed uncomfortable. But instead, her cheeks flushed deeper and her lips parted slightly.
"What kind of things?" she asked softly.
Gabriel moved closer to her on the couch. "I told them I wanted to taste you. Really take my time with you. We bet on it, and I won."
"I remember," Aria breathed.
"What else have you talked about?" Her voice was barely above a whisper now.
I set down my cards and moved to stand in front of her. "Being with you together. More than one of us at a time."
"All of us," Noah added quietly.
Aria's eyes widened slightly, but I didn't see fear there. I saw curiosity. Interest. Heat.
"Is that something you'd want?" I asked, crouching down so I was at eye level with her. "Because if it's not, we never have to talk about it again. This is just poker night."
She looked around at all of us, and I could see her thinking. Processing.
"The kids are gone until tomorrow," she said finally.
"They are," Julian confirmed.
"And you've all thought about this? Together?"
"We have," Liam said. "But only if you want it, Aria. Only if you're sure."
She bit her lip, and I watched her chest rise and fall with a deep breath.
"I want it," she said. "I want all of you."
"Are you sure?" I asked again, needing to hear it clearly. "Because once we start—"
"I'm sure, Ronan." She reached out and cupped my face. "I trust you. All of you. And I want this."
Gabriel stood and offered her his hand.
"Then come upstairs with us."
We moved to my bedroom, the largest in the house. Someone had already turned on the soft lighting, and the space felt intimate rather than clinical.
Aria stood in the centre of the room, and we formed a loose circle around her. Not crowding her. Giving her space.
"How do you want to do this?" Noah asked gently.
"I don't know," she admitted with a nervous laugh. "I've never... I mean, obviously I've never..."
"We'll take care of you," I promised, stepping closer. "We'll go slow. And if at any point you want to stop, you just say the word. Okay?"
“Okay."
I reached for the hem of her sweater. "Can I?"
She nodded, lifting her arms so I could pull it over her head. Underneath she wore a simple bra, and I traced the edge of it with my fingers.
"You're so beautiful," I murmured.
Gabriel moved behind her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "So perfect."
His hands came around to unhook her bra, and she let it fall away. I cupped her breasts gently, reverently, and she let out a soft sigh.
"Feel good?" I asked.
“Yes."
I lowered my head and took one nipple into my mouth, circling it with my tongue. She gasped, her hands coming up to thread through my hair.
Gabriel's hands moved to the button of her jeans. "These too?"
"Please."
He slid them down her legs along with her underwear, and she stepped out of them. Now she stood before us completely bare, and the trust in that gesture made my chest tight.
"Lie down, baby," I said, guiding her to the bed.
She settled against the pillows, and I could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Nervous excitement.
"Who do you want first?" Julian asked.
She looked at me, then at Gabriel. "Both of you?"
"We can do that," Gabriel said, already pulling off his shirt.
I undressed quickly, and when I joined her on the bed, I took my time kissing her. Deep, slow kisses that were about connection as much as desire.
"You okay?" I murmured against her lips.
"More than okay."
I kissed down her neck, her collarbone, between her breasts. Taking my time. Savouring her.
Gabriel positioned himself behind her, his hands stroking her sides, her hips. "You're incredible," he said softly.
I moved lower, settling between her thighs.
"I've been wanting to do this since the last time we were together."
"Then don't make me wait," she said with a smile.
I didn't. I lowered my mouth to hers and tasted her slowly, thoroughly. She was already wet, and the sounds she made as I worked her with my tongue were intoxicating.
Gabriel continued touching her upper body, kissing her neck, whispering things that made her moan.
"Ronan," she gasped. "Oh god, that's—"
I crooked two fingers inside her, finding that spot that made her back arch. Her thighs trembled around my head.
"You close, baby?" I asked.
"Yes. Don't stop. Please don't stop."
I didn't. I kept the steady rhythm until she came with a cry, her body shuddering with pleasure.
I kissed my way back up her body, giving her a moment to recover.
"How are you feeling?" Gabriel asked, brushing hair back from her face.
"Amazing," she breathed. "But I want more."
"What do you want?" I asked.
"You. Inside me."
I reached for a condom from the nightstand—we'd all made sure to have them ready—and rolled it on. Then I positioned myself at her entrance.
"Tell me if it's too much," I said.
"I will."
I pushed inside slowly, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. But all I saw was pleasure as she adjusted to me.
"Okay?" I asked when I was fully seated.
"Perfect," she whispered.
I started moving, slow and deep. Gabriel's hands continued roaming her body, and she turned her head to kiss him.
The sight of them together while I was inside her was almost overwhelming.
"You feel so good," I told her. "So perfect."
"Harder," she said. "I can take it."
I increased my pace, and her moans grew louder. Gabriel swallowed some of them with his kisses, and the intimacy of it all—the three of us connected like this—was more intense than I'd imagined.
"I'm close," she gasped.
"Come for me, baby. Let me feel it."
She did, her body clenching around me, and the sensation pushed me over the edge too. I came with a groan, my hips stuttering as pleasure washed through me.
I pulled out carefully and disposed of the condom, then returned to the bed to hold her.
"You okay?" I asked, kissing her forehead.
"So okay," she said with a satisfied smile.
"Good. Because I think someone else wants a turn."
Noah and Liam approached the bed, and I moved aside to give them space.
"How are you feeling?" Noah asked, his hand gentle on her cheek. "Do you need a break?”
"I'm good," she assured him. "I want to keep going."
"Then we'll take care of you," Liam promised.
They were more adventurous, with Liam on his back and Aria straddling his face while Noah prepared her for something new.
"We've talked about this," Noah said softly, his lubed fingers working gently. "But only if you want to try."
"I want to," she said breathlessly as Liam's tongue worked magic between her legs.
Noah was patient, careful, making sure she was ready before he slowly pressed inside her from behind. The dual sensation made her cry out.
"Breathe, baby," Noah coached. "Just relax."
"Oh god," she moaned.
"It's so much."
"Too much?" Liam asked, pausing.
"No. It's perfect. Keep going.”
They found a rhythm together, and the sounds she made were pure ecstasy. When she came this time, it was with a scream that probably echoed through the whole house.
They held her through the aftershocks, murmuring praise and affection.
"You're doing so well," Noah said, kissing her shoulder.
"So beautiful," Liam added.
By the time Ethan and Julian took their turn, Aria was flushed and trembling but still eager.
"You sure you're not too tired?" Ethan asked, genuine concern in his voice.
"I'm sure," she said. "I want all of you. I want this."
They were reverent with her, treating her like something precious. Julian took his time, making sure she was comfortable with every new position. Ethan kept checking in, asking if she was okay, if she needed anything.
When they finally finished, all of us were exhausted but satisfied. More importantly, Aria looked happy. Sated. Loved.
I gathered her into my arms, and the others arranged themselves around us on the bed.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, stroking her hair.
"Like I just had the most incredible experience of my life," she said with a tired smile.
"No regrets?" Gabriel asked.
"None. That was... you all were amazing."
"You were amazing," Noah corrected.
"Thank you for trusting us with this.”
"Thank you for making me feel so safe," she replied.
We lay there together, a tangle of limbs and contentment. Someone pulled a blanket over us. Aria's breathing gradually evened out as she drifted toward sleep.
"We're lucky," Julian said quietly. "To have found her."
"We are," I agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
One by one, we all succumbed to sleep, wrapped around the woman who had somehow become the centre of our world.
When I woke briefly in the middle of the night, it was to find Aria still nestled against me, with Gabriel's arm draped over both of us and Noah's hand resting on her hip.
This strange, beautiful family we'd built.
I'd never been more grateful for anything in my life.