Chapter 44
Something had changed yesterday. As if I’d taken a step closer to all the guys, even Trace, despite the fact that he kept his physical distance.
No one had truly crossed any significant lines, but the casual touches had grown more and more affectionate.
And no one seemed to mind that they were all touching me.
But it all felt precarious. I couldn’t see how that would actually work. And I was too scared that if I asked, my closeness with all of them would disappear.
Colt guided the Range Rover down the two-lane highway as Ronan’s finger traced the hem of my over-the-knee socks. He tugged at the hem. “I like these.”
His voice was a growly caress, and I fought the urge to press my thighs together in an attempt to relieve the ache building there. The ache that had been building since yesterday afternoon.
Colt’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “Do you want me to drive this SUV off the road?”
Ronan chuckled. “Gotta work on your self-control, Colt.”
Dash’s hand dipped beneath my hair, squeezing my neck. “Don’t tease her, Ronan.”
Ronan’s chuckle morphed into a mischievous grin. “But I like teasing.”
His fingers trailed up the inside of my thigh, and I started panting.
“Pull over,” Trace growled.
Colt cursed but made a hard right onto a gravel side road.
“Eyes on me, Leighton,” Ronan whispered.
My gaze went to him as if he controlled it.
“Can I touch you?”
My mouth opened and closed, and then I licked my lips.
Trace let loose a stream of curses.
“I haven’t—no one’s…” I didn’t know how to finish that statement.
Ronan’s eyes went liquid gold. “No one’s touched you?”
I shook my head.
A smile curved his mouth. “You aching?”
I nodded again. “Since yesterday.”
Ronan’s hand skimmed higher. “I bet. All these hands on you, no one to take away the pain… Did you touch yourself last night, Leighton?”
I swallowed hard. “No.”
“Did you want to?”
“Yes.” It was a whispered confession brought on by need.
Ronan’s finger ghosted over my lace panties. “Firecracker, you’re soaked. You need me?”
“Yes.” It was more of a breath than a word, but it was all Ronan needed.
His fingers slipped around the fabric and to my core.
My head fell back, and it was then I realized that Dash’s hand was still around my neck, his fingers still kneading the muscles there. The fact that he hadn’t let go and there were two sets of hands on me… It only heightened every sensation.
Ronan’s finger dipped and circled, teasing and exploring. Everything in me wound tighter. Then a finger slid inside, and I gasped.
“Hell,” he muttered. “So damn tight.”
A little whimper escaped my lips.
“Need more, Leighton?”
I mumbled something that resembled a yes.
“Unbutton her shirt, Dash,” Ronan ordered.
Dash’s fingers slipped from my neck and moved to the buttons on my blouse. A second later, my chest was exposed.
“She’s gonna kill me,” Dash muttered.
“Help our girl,” Ronan said as his finger curled inside me, sending a new flood of wetness.
“I can smell her,” Colt growled.
Ronan grinned. “Can’t fucking wait to taste her.”
Dash pulled down the cup of my bra, and his thumb circled my nipple. It lengthened and peaked, as if seeking more of him. “Look at all the blood rushing to the surface. So many nerve endings just waiting for more.”
He dipped his head, and his mouth closed around my nipple. He sucked hard, and my hips bowed off the seat. As they did, Ronan slid a second finger inside me. There was a stretch and a hint of burn, but as Dash’s teeth skated along that tight bud, it melted into pleasure.
My hips started to move of their own volition, seeking more, of what, I wasn’t sure.
“So beautiful. Knows just what to do,” Ronan said in awe.
His thumb circled my clit, making everything spark to life inside me. It was as if there were a part of me that had been dead, and it was now coming to life for the very first time.
“She needs more,” Colt gritted out. “Give her more on her clit. Press down.”
Ronan did as ordered, and the world around me tilted.
A wave of some invisible energy pulsed through me. My mouth opened in a silent scream as my body rocked. My core clamped down on Ronan’s fingers like a vise, wanting to pull him impossibly deeper. The waves didn’t stop, one after the other, crashing through me like an avalanche of sensation.
Ronan’s fingers didn’t stop, wringing every last ounce of pleasure out of me as Dash’s mouth worked my nipple.
Finally, everything slowed. My core still pulsed as I collapsed back onto the seat.
Dash released my breast, slipping it back into my bra and buttoning my shirt. Ronan’s fingers slid from my body. His eyes locked with mine as he brought them to his mouth and licked them clean.
Trace let out a strangled sound and shoved open his door, taking off for the woods.
The happy buzz fled my system, and I suddenly felt exposed.
Colt leaned between the seats, his hands framing my face. “Don’t. Don’t let him ruin this. It was beautiful.”
Pressure built behind my eyes. “Isn’t it wrong? I…I feel something for all of you. I don’t know how that’s possible, but—”
Colt cut off my words with a kiss. It was sweet and tender, like coming home. He pulled back, his eyes boring into mine. “Trust us, trust yourself. Maybe we’re all meant to be.”
That traitorous hope flared to life inside me. “How?”
Ronan squeezed my thigh. “We’ll figure it out. Just take things one step at a time.”
Dash dropped a kiss to my shoulder. “He’s right. One step at a time. And right now, that step needs to be getting to school, or we’re all going to get detention.”
Colt cursed and threw the Range Rover in drive.
“What about Trace?” I asked, scanning the woods for any sign of him.
“He’s gonna need a bit,” Ronan muttered.
I bit my lip.
Dash wove his fingers through mine. “It’ll work out. I promise.”
But I wasn’t quite so confident.
Colt made it to school in record time, screeching into his parking spot.
Declan was waiting for us when we got there, and he arched a brow. “Looks like you’re missing the fourth musketeer.”
“Don’t ask,” Colt muttered.
“All right.” As Declan approached me, his nostrils flared, and he breathed deep. He swallowed hard. “Looks like I missed all the fun.”
Could he seriously smell that?
Then he bent and fastened a button on my shirt. “You missed one,” he said, voice going husky.
I flushed. At least it wasn’t my scent giving me away.
Declan slung an arm over my shoulder. “Let’s go, gorgeous.”
“I need to grab my bio notebook from my locker.”
Declan nodded, and we all made our way through the halls.
The whispers had thankfully lessened. But a chill skated down my spine as we passed Damien, Lucien, and Caspian.
Damien’s eyes narrowed on me. Ronan stepped into his line of vision, blocking me, but I didn’t breathe easier until we’d rounded a corner.
Declan dipped his head. “He won’t touch you again. I promise.”
But he couldn’t make that vow. Who knew what Damien would stoop to.
We came to a stop at my locker, and I keyed in the code. Opening it, I gasped. Nausea swept through me at the sight.
A rat had been sliced open, and its insides spilled over the contents of my locker. And someone had written in blood on the inside of the door.
YOU DON’T BELONG TO THEM.