Chapter 11 #2
They’re pretty quiet about themselves, especially their childhood, glossing over what it was like before moving onto the estate and not really going into too much detail about living with the Jones’; the family that took them in from the age of ten.
They do have me in stitches, telling me all about the shenanigans they and Hunter got up to on the estate, though I still get the feeling that I’m not getting the full picture.
That there’s so much more darkness, their omission speaking volumes.
Roman is definitely the more outgoing one, his energy not unlike a golden retriever puppy, all bouncy and sunshine. He’s constantly touching me in some small way, teasing me, and he seems to take great delight in causing my cheeks to burn at every opportunity, the bastard.
Rowan is more like a cat, sitting there, watching, waiting.
Though he doesn’t isolate himself, sitting next to me the entire time, his hand reaching out and capturing mine in a cool grip.
I don’t pull away, instead interlacing my fingers with his, enjoying the way the simple touch brings me comfort.
I’d never really thought about it before, but my father and I were close, hugged all the time.
I missed the casual affection when I went to finishing school.
A couple of the girls were my friends, but nothing close to what I had with a girl called Ember back in grammar school.
We were inseparable, though grew apart when I was sent off to learn how to be a lady and she got to go to a normal college.
I really must get back in touch with her.
The smell of cooking draws us to the kitchen, finding Hunter dishing up a creamy pasta dish that has my mouth salivating.
“That smells amazing,” I say, walking over to the island and looking into the pasta bowls as fragrant steam wafts from them. Sitting down, I take a huge inhale, the delicious smell practically giving me an orgasm.
“It’s just carbonara,” he tells me, but a smile plays around his lush lips.
Scoffing, I pull a bowl towards me, grabbing a fork before twirling some of the spaghetti and bringing it to my lips. I blow on it, Hunt’s sharp exhale drawing my attention as I open my mouth and place the pasta inside, my eyes captivated by his green ones.
“Oh my god, Hunt,” I groan as the creamy garlic flavour bursts on my tongue, my eyelids fluttering. “This is better than the carbonara I had when I was in Naples last year.”
A blush creeps across his cheeks as he places the last of the spaghetti into a bowl, then rinses the pan before loading it into the dishwasher. The twins come up to me, sitting on either side of me, leaving the chair at the end for Hunter.
My brows furrow, and I glance at the table, seeing the four chairs around the circular wooden top. If we sat there, it would mean I could see all of them.
“Can we sit at the table?” I ask, and everyone pauses. “It just seems more…friendly?”
“If you wanted us to be more friendly, Princess, you just needed to ask.” Roman grins while waggling his eyebrows at me and I roll my eyes.
“Please?” I ask, not sure why it feels so important to sit at the round table, but it does.
Maybe I’m craving that closeness that I’ve lost with my father.
We used to eat meals together all the time, laughing and enjoying each other’s company as we ate.
My chest goes tight at the thought of another thing I won’t be doing with him anytime soon, if ever.
Would I even want to now? After what he did, how does one forgive their parent for selling them off like a piece of furniture?
Rowan grabs a bowl, picking up mine and taking it over to the table without a word, then coming back for our water glasses. I give him a small smile before getting out of my seat and walking over to the table, my grin growing when he pulls out my chair and ushers me into it.
“Thank you, Rowan,” I say softly, beaming when Roman and Hunter join us, Roman on my other side and Hunt across from me. “This is much better.”
Hunter huffs as he sits down, but my breath catches when moments later, a sock-covered foot starts playing with mine under the table.
It’s coming from right in front of me, and the only person it could belong to is Hunter, his face blank as his toes drag along my arch.
Taking a shaky inhale, I reach for my glass as I bring my foot up his calf, stroking up and down.
He coughs into his bowl, and I have to bite my lip to stop the giggle from escaping and revealing our secret game.
I keep mostly silent as they talk about the plan for tonight and what else needs to be done for the club night they’re organising next weekend.
It sounds awesome, and apparently Roman is a bit of a DJ so he will be doing the music.
I’m determined to go, but won’t push it yet.
If I learned nothing else at Wyndham’s, it was that sometimes a man needs time to come around to an idea.
Even better if you can make him think it was his idea all along.
Yep, they were big into how we can use our womanly wiles to manipulate, and as men seem to have been using their masculine dominance over me for the past few days, I’m not above some retaliation.
Soon, our bowls are empty and our bellies full, Hunter’s foot giving mine a final caress before he gets up and reaches over to take my bowl, then walks back to the dishwasher.
I’ve noticed that he’s super tidy and organised.
I can’t wait until he sees all my knitting projects spread across the house.
I’m what my father called a ‘wafting creative,’ not so organised chaos, and Hunter is not ready for the explosion that is going to happen tomorrow when all my parcels arrive and I can really get creative.
“I really should do something. I can’t just have you guys wait on me hand and foot all the time,” I tell them, earning the curious gazes of all three guys.
“I can get you a maid’s outfit and feather duster if you like?” Roman offers, face serious and tone deadpan. “My bedroom is in need of a clean.”
“But then the outfit would get all dirty. I’d probably be better to not wear anything at all, just to be safe,” I reply, holding back a laugh at his stunned expression. “After all, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
His nostrils flare and I hear two growls.
“What the fuck do you mean, it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before?” Hunter grits out, bracing his arms against the island, giving Roman a death glare that has me chuckling.
“Stand down, Hulk. He just helped me dry off after my shower this morning,” I say casually, feeling the heat warm my cheeks as all three pairs of eyes train on me.
I guess I kind of thought that they were a package deal, that it was okay to be intimate with them all, but Hunter looks pissed, although he is a caveman so that might account for it. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll help you tomorrow,” Rowan states, no room for any kind of argument, like it’s a done deal.
“I–Um–I can manage myself,” I stammer as my gaze snaps to him, my entire body flushing hot.
“Then I get the day after,” Hunter adds, all three of them looking away from me to each other, faces unreadable. I get whiplash from how fast I glance at them, my mouth agape.
“I can dry myself!” I squeak out, squirming as their attention falls to me once more. Evangeline calls me a dirty liar because we both know that I thoroughly enjoyed having Roman dry me. Either way, I don’t want them to argue over me. “I really don’t need help.”
“If we’re keeping things equal, then I get my fingers inside her next,” Rowan adds, and I gasp at the same time as all the hair on my arms and nape stands on end.
“I’m sitting right here, fuckers!” I yell, pushing up from my seat, my chest heaving. The worst part is I’m not sure if it’s from anger or the lust that’s leaving my breath panting. Perhaps it’s both? “If I say I don’t need help in the shower, o–or your fingers in my pussy, then, well, that’s it.”
Raising my chin, my chest tightens as Hunter stalks around the island, coming towards me with a maniacal grin on his face. He’s all feline grace, like a panther, one you found as a kitten, all cute and harmless, only to wake up one day to find a beast in its place.
“What were the terms of our protection?” he asks as he comes closer, his voice low and menacing.
Then he comes to a stop right in front of me, our bodies almost touching.
I have to crane my neck to look up at him, his height another way he tries to intimidate me, but he won’t get the satisfaction this time.
“I paid the price, on my knees,” I hiss in a snarled whisper, but his nearness is confusing my body, my nerve endings lighting up even as my mind tells me to run far away.
“And what else, Peaches?” he questions softly, his large hand coming out to brush along the side of my face, his thumb swiping over my bottom lip in a way that has my body giving a full shudder despite my mind telling him to fuck all the way off.
“And…” I swallow, knowing what I agreed to but hating that he’s tainting the thing that was brewing between us, between us all, as an obligation, a transaction. “And learn obedience.”
“Good girl,” the motherfucking ballsack coos, the words hitting my core with the force of a lightning bolt. “So if we decide that we are going to help you dry after your shower, or Rowan wants to sink his fingers inside that pretty pussy of yours, what will you say?”