26. One Last Word Vomit
Chapter 26
One Last Word Vomit
Tessa
I sank onto the pile of pillows, my legs suddenly feeling like they were made of the chocolate mousse I’d been plating all evening. The guys settled around me, and I was caught between wanting to stare at everything they’d created and wanting to stare at them.
The lights above us twinkled like stars, and the way they reflected in the guys’ eyes made my heart do complicated things I wasn’t prepared for. “I can’t believe you planned all this with everything going on today…”
Liam poured champagne into flutes. “We wanted to do something special.” He passed me a glass, his fingers brushing mine. “You’ve changed things around here. For all of us.”
I took a sip of champagne to hide how much these men affected me. These weren’t just three men I was sleeping with anymore. Somehow, they’d become essential and important in a way that scared me a little. Especially because it was happening so fast.
“You know, when I got stuck in the snow that first day, I thought it was the universe’s way of kicking me while I was down.” I looked around at the three of them—Archer with his quiet intensity, Evan with his infectious joy, and Liam with his steady warmth. “Turns out, it was more like the universe showing me exactly where I needed to be.”
“Even with the underwear-in-the-tree incident?” Archer’s lips twitched.
I groaned, hiding my face against his shoulder. “I was trying to have a moment here.”
“You can have all the moments you want.” Liam tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, the gentle gesture making my skin tingle. “We’ve got all night.”
“And a whole platter of desserts.” Evan held up chocolate-covered strawberries. “These are done the right way. We take complaints very seriously around here.”
I laughed, but my eyes welled with tears. “You guys are making it really hard not to fall for you, you know that?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, hanging in the air like the lights above us. For a terrifying moment, I thought I’d said too much and pushed too far.
Archer’s hand tightened on mine. Liam’s thumb brushed across my cheek, catching a tear I hadn’t even realized had fallen.
Evan set down the strawberries and moved closer, his usual grin softened into something more vulnerable. “Maybe that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.”
I looked at each of them, seeing my own emotions reflected back at me three times over. This wasn’t only about amazing sex anymore—although that was definitely a perk. This was about falling in love, and somehow not being scared about it at all.
“Well then.” I raised my champagne glass. “Mission accomplished.”
“Speaking of mission accomplished… while you were gone, we got a letter from Gavin.” Archer sounded uncertain for the first time, and it immediately brought my attention to him. “There hasn’t been a right time to talk to you about it.”
The champagne bubbles were suddenly too sharp on my tongue as I thought about their complicated history. After everything I’d learned, a letter from beyond was loaded with meaning, like one of those movie moments where everything could change. “Is... everything okay?”
“More than okay.” Archer’s thumb traced circles on my palm, the gentle motion at odds with the intensity in his expression. “The letter confirmed some things we were already working through with each other.”
“And it gave us permission to move.” Evan popped a chocolate into his mouth and made an exaggerated expression of bliss that pulled a reluctant smile from me despite my nerves.
“Move?” The word came out squeaky, like I’d been sucking helium instead of sipping champagne.
“Gavin said we could find a bigger place as long as we still lived together. We’ve already started looking at properties online,” Liam said with a bit of hesitation in his voice.
“There’s this beautiful cabin about ten minutes away with enough space for—” Archer’s voice softened, and the pause was weighted with possibility before he finished, “for when you’re ready.”
My brain completely stopped working. They were house hunting. And not just for themselves. They were thinking about me. About my eventual place in their lives. Not just as their chef or whatever we were, but as a permanent fixture.
Oh God. Was I hyperventilating? I was definitely hyperventilating. The lights above started to blur together into one sparkly mess.
“Oh wow, okay, this is wow. Not ‘wow’ in a bad way, more like ‘wow’ in a ‘holy crap, is this really happening?’ way, which I guess could still be bad, but it’s not, it’s... overwhelming? But good overwhelming! Like when you get exactly what you wanted for Christmas, but you’re still somehow surprised even though you literally wrote it on your list, except I didn’t write ‘three gorgeous men who want to live with me’ on any list because who even does that? Although maybe I should have, because apparently the universe was listening pretty hard when I got dumped on Christmas. Like a cosmic upgrade program where instead of one asshole ex-fiancé, I get three incredibly sweet men who apparently want to go house hunting with me, which is simultaneously the most romantic and terrifying thing I’ve ever heard, and now I’m talking too much, but I can’t seem to stop because if I stop talking, I might start crying, and not sad crying, but the ugly happy crying where your mascara runs and you look like a raccoon that watched The Notebook, and oh God, I’m still talking, aren’t I?”
“Breathe, Tess.” Evan’s hand found my back, rubbing gentle circles that gradually helped me calm down. “We’re not trying to pressure you. Your tiny apartment is adorable, and if you want to stay there forever, that’s fine too.” He said it like he meant it, which somehow made everything both better and more overwhelming.
“You guys are really serious about this? About finding a place with... with room for me?” I fiddled with my champagne glass, watching the bubbles rise like my rising hopes.
“We want you involved in the decision.” Archer’s usual confidence was tinged with vulnerability. “It would be your home too, eventually, if you wanted.”
My emotions felt too big for my body, like they might spill out and flood the whole terrace. It was fast—probably certifiably insane fast—but somehow it also felt perfectly right, like the last puzzle piece clicking into place. “I’d like that. Even if I’m not ready to move in right away.”
“Yeah?” Evan’s whole face lit up.
“Yeah.” I reached for another chocolate, trying to channel casual even though my insides were a mess. “But I have conditions.”
“Of course you do.” Archer was trying not to smile and failing miserably.
“The kitchen has to be amazing. Like, Food Network worthy.” I waved my chocolate for emphasis, accidentally flinging a few chocolate sprinkles across the table.
“That’s a given.” Liam plucked the chocolate from my fingers and brought it to my mouth. “What else?”
I took a bite, my lips brushing against his fingers. “A big enough bed for all of us.”
“Another given.” Liam took my champagne glass and set it to the side. “Anything else?”
I shook my head, and the playful mood shifted as Liam fed me the rest of the chocolate, his fingers lingering on my lips. I sucked the last bit of sweetness from his fingertips, watching as his eyes darkened with desire.
Archer picked up a chocolate-covered strawberry, the red fruit glistening. He held it to my mouth, and I bit into it, the juices mingling with the rich chocolate, the taste exploding on my tongue. His gaze was locked onto my lips as I licked away a stray drop of juice.
Evan leaned in, his mouth finding the corner of mine, licking away the remnants of chocolate and strawberry. He traced the seam of my lips with his tongue, coaxing them open. I melted into the kiss, the taste of him mixing with the sweetness in my mouth.
Liam’s hands slid down my sides before lifting my shirt over my head. Archer’s fingers deftly unhooked my bra, his palms replacing the fabric, his thumbs circling my nipples until they hardened into peaks.
Evan’s mouth moved from my lips to my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin, drawing out a keening sound from deep within me. I could feel his smile against my skin. “You taste so fucking good, Tessa.”
My head fell back, granting him better access. Liam unbuttoned my pants, and slid them down, taking my panties with them. Archer’s mouth replaced his hands, his tongue swirling around one nipple while his fingers rolled the other. I arched into him, my body craving more contact.
Evan’s mouth captured mine again, swallowing my moans as Liam pushed my thighs apart and slid a finger inside me. I rocked against his hand, needing everything they could give me. Archer’s teeth scraped against my nipple, the sharp sensation sending a jolt of pleasure straight to my core.
Liam added another finger, his thumb finding my clit and circling it with the perfect amount of pressure. I whimpered into Evan’s mouth, my body already starting to tense.
Archer pulled away from my breasts, his mouth trailing downward. He joined Liam between my thighs, his tongue replacing Liam’s thumb on my clit. The sensation of both of them working together was almost too much.
Evan broke away from our kiss. He watched Archer and Liam, his eyes filled with heat. “Fuck, that’s hot.”
I was a writhing mess as Liam’s fingers thrust into me with a steady rhythm. Archer’s mouth was relentless, licking and sucking and driving me wild. Evan’s lips met mine again, his kiss hungry and desperate.
Archer’s mouth moved lower, his tongue replacing Liam’s fingers. He fucked me with his tongue, and Liam took over circling my clit with firm, steady strokes.
Evan pulled back. “You’re so fucking beautiful. Watching you like this... getting you off… it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I was so close, so fucking close.
Liam moved up my body, his mouth finding mine as his fingers continued to stroke my clit. His kiss swallowed my cries as I came hard, my body shaking and trembling as they wrung every last drop of ecstasy out of me.
Archer’s tongue drew out the last of my orgasm, as Liam’s kiss turned soft and sweet. Evan’s mouth was on my neck, his fingers stroking my hair.
I felt cherished, worshipped. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
As the post-orgasmic bliss began to fade, I reached for Evan’s and Archer’s cocks, stroking them through their pants.
“Not tonight.” Archer stilled my hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing my fingertips. “Tonight is about you. Just you.”
Evan nodded in agreement, his hand covering mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. “We want you to know how much you mean to us. This isn’t just physical for us. It’s so much more.”
Liam’s fingers hooked under my chin, bringing my eyes to look into his. “We’re in this for the long haul and we want you to be ours.”
Their words sent a fresh wave of emotion crashing over me. I looked at each of them, seeing the sincerity and love in their eyes. That’s what this was, wasn’t it? Love. It was fast and crazy and intense, but it was love.
My heart pounded in my chest. “I want that too. I want to be yours.”
Archer pulled me into his arms, his mouth finding mine in a deep, passionate kiss. Liam’s arms wrapped around me from behind, his lips pressing soft kisses to my shoulder and then my neck. Evan kissed up my arm, ending on the other side of my neck.
How had I gotten so lucky? How had I ended up here, in this beautiful place, with these incredible men? It was like a dream I didn’t want to ever wake up from.
But it wasn’t a dream; it was real. And as I lay there, wrapped in their arms, I knew that I wouldn’t trade this for anything. They were mine, and I was theirs, and that was all that mattered.