Chapter 63
The Double Cross
Harper
I draw in a breath and sink into the heat of the bath and against Eli. His legs fall on either side of me. We’re all alone in the bathroom now. Luke closed the door on his way out.
“How are your arms and legs?” He strokes his hands up and down my arms.
I rest my head against his chest and sigh. “A little achy, but not bad. Being bound let me pay attention more, since I didn’t worry about where my hands or legs were.”
“Did you like that, kitten?” His voice is soothing.
“I enjoyed it. Is that weird?” I turn my head to look up at him. “Am I supposed to enjoy being used?”
He drags his wet finger along my jaw as he searches my eyes. “Did you feel used?”
I let myself consider the question. “I don’t think any of you were doing it only for your pleasure. You all made sure I got off too.”
“We should talk about this more, kitten. Especially when you’ve had time to process it. What we’re doing isn’t for everyone. If you ever feel unsafe or like you have to do something just to please us, you should talk to us about it.”
A smile crosses my lips, and I turn to look at him more fully. “That’s not something you would have said when we first started.”
He smirks and his dark eyes sparkle. “We were being very vanilla at first.”
“I don’t know how vanilla group sex is.” I arch an eyebrow. “Especially for a virgin.”
He smooths the stray hairs away from my face and his look turns thoughtful. “I won’t apologize for how we came after you. How we pushed your limits. All of our shared history leads us to here. To you in my arms, knowing you are loved by five men and loving us in return.”
“Eli—”
“Harper, you couldn’t know what you wanted then because you didn’t have any experience. But now you do.”
I don’t say anything, but watch him, wondering what he’s going to tell me. His brow furrows, and he holds my chin so our eyes are locked.
“You didn’t say your safe word when we all felt you had enough. Maybe your limits are much higher than we’ll ever take you, but it also scares me you won’t use it. That you’ll let us blow past those limits and really hurt you physically, emotionally, or mentally. I don’t want that to happen.”
He rests his forehead against mine. “So, later, you and I will have a discussion after you’ve had time to process what you went through tonight.
You and I will decide whether to keep this in play or come back to it at a later time or adjust it.
Whatever you need to make you feel safe is what we’ll do. ”
I turn and straddle his lap, sloshing the water around us, but I need to face him when I say this.
I cup his jaw and search his eyes. “I love you. I love that you’re willing to check in with me.
I promise to say my safe word when I need it.
I promise to always talk to you about what I’m experiencing.
I love that you care about me that way.”
“If I wanted a sex doll, they aren’t that expensive and a lot less hassle.
” Eli grabs my ponytail gently. “I want you, Harper. This living, breathing, thinking, stunning woman. I want to nurture your enthusiasm for sex and creativity without putting you in a dangerous situation. If you think something might push your limits, we need to discuss it first.” Eli brings his lips against mine. “I love you, kitten.”
He tastes my lips softly before deepening the kiss. I surrender to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and giving in to this crazy lightness in my chest that says everything’s going to be okay because they love me.
We kiss and soak and talk a little more about nothing important before Eli finally says we need to get out of the bath. When we dry each other off, I feel whole. I wrap a towel around my body while he drapes his around his waist.
“I need to brush my teeth.” I gesture and move toward the sink.
He kisses my temple and releases me with a sigh. “I need to get back to work.”
Ah, yes, the reason we’re here. I brush my teeth while cataloguing in the mirror all the small little marks on my neck, shoulders, and upper chest. That hum of contentment starts in my chest again.
Each mark makes me feel desired and loved. Claimed.
When I walk into the bedroom, the guys are all on the bed with their laptops open and headphones in. Jack has just his laptop, not the one from my father. He holds up the tablet and gestures for me to join him in the space beside him.
Caden is on the edge of the bed. When I move to crawl onto the bed, he stands.
“Nope, little nympho. If you don’t want to cause an orgy, we need to put you in something more slip resistant.”
His grin takes in my towel that barely covers the tops of my thighs. I arch an eyebrow, but he turns me and leads me over to my bag.
“Pajamas?” He kneels beside it and tugs out my clothes for tomorrow. He holds out panties and I drop my towel.
As I pull on the panties, I glance and see interested gazes from the four guys on the bed, but no one makes a beeline for me. It’s a little disappointing, but yeah, we’ve already had a lot of sex.
Caden makes a tsking noise. “Don’t make us put you in another room.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “You wouldn’t.”
“Probably not.” He grins. “Unless I wanted to keep you all to myself.”
And... my panties are damp. He stands and I tip my head back to look at him.
“Arms up.”
I lift my arms for him and he puts my pajama tank on and then holds my shorts and lowers so I can step into them. I place my hand on his shoulder for balance. When my shorts are up, he straightens and looks me over.
His fingers graze the neckline of the tank, brushing over the swells of my breasts. Sparks light under my skin for the millionth time. I never want this feeling to go away.
“It’s useless, little nympho.” He shakes his head as his gaze takes me in from head to toe and back.
“What’s useless, War?”
He smirks and lifts me into his arms. I wrap around him as he carries me back to the bed. “Anything you wear on this bed will probably cause an orgy.”
“You could try self-control,” I suggest with a knowing look.
He chuckles. “We have work to do. Go snuggle with Jack, but don’t let him get any ideas.”
He lowers me to the bed and I kiss him before I disentangle myself and crawl across the bed to sit between Jack and Nico. Without looking away from his laptop, Jack hands me the tablet.
“Thank you.” I kiss him on the cheek and he smirks at his screen.
Nico sits up against the headboard too and I rest my head on his shoulder.
“How are you?” I ask.
His leg is back in the brace and propped up on pillows, but he seems more awake now.
“Refreshed.” He kisses my hair. “No pain, so that’s good. Ready to work.”
Taking that as a hint, I sigh and pop in my AirPods and pull up the footage from our house.
We work like that for an hour. Caden brings us sodas, but otherwise we’re all looking through footage or files. I like that we’re all together. The guys in their boxers and me in my pajamas. Is this what college will be like?
Us living together and studying together? Fuck, I hope so.
Nico pulls his headphones out. “Guys.”
I glance over at his laptop and see Sidney’s room, but Sidney and Penny are in it. Jack also looks and then turns to Eli. “Turn the TV on.”
“Did you know about Penny going to Sidney’s?” I ask Eli.
He shakes his head and sits back down. “They’re supposed to get in good with the cheerleaders. This should be part of it.”
Everyone else straightens to pay attention while Nico takes a moment to set up the casting before hitting play.
Sidney walks into her room, followed by Penny. Penny looks a little nervous as she scans the room.
“Shut the door.” Sidney sits on the couch and pats it to indicate Penny should join her.
“When was this?” I ask.
“Last night.” Nico doesn’t pause the clip as Penny walks over and sits on the couch. Her smile looks a little forced.
Sidney leans back in the corner and crosses her legs, but her arms go to the back and the arm of the couch. She appears casual, open.
“So, you’re Luke’s sister. That must have been a shock.” Sidney smiles.
Penny returns her smile. “There’s a reason I avoided the horsemen for so long. Do you know how awkward that would have been if he’d claimed me?”
She shudders in the video. Sidney’s smile tightens. Sidney doesn’t like that thought.
“Yes, very awkward.” Sidney picks some lint off her short skirt. “Has Luke said anything about me?”
“We don’t actually talk.” Penny shrugs. “Our father asks us questions, but that’s it.”
“Is he sleeping there?” Her eyes are cool and calculating when she looks at Penny. What is she planning?
“He has been,” Penny hedges.
I glance at Luke and his lips tighten.
“You know we—Luke and I—used to be hot and heavy. I’m surprised he’s lasted this long with the virgin.” Sidney smiles almost sadly. “I bet if I paid him a visit, he’d remember why I’m his equal and she’s nothing more than a passing phase. Something new.”
Penny’s smile doesn’t falter. “I don’t know. He seems really into her.”
“That will all change soon.” Sidney brushes it off, but her words send chills down my spine. What does she know? Does she really think humiliating me at Homecoming will make the guys not want me? “I really think we could be good friends.”
“I’d like that.” Penny’s smile grows.
“Do you know whose house they’re going to this weekend?” Sidney checks her fingernails like the answer doesn’t matter. “I doubt your father will let them stay there.”
“Luke said he was going to check on Nico after the game.” Penny shakes her head. “But he doesn’t tell me much. So I’m not sure where they’re staying.”
“I was hoping he’d come to the party tonight.” Sidney lifts her cup off the table and takes a sip. “He and I really need some time alone.”
Fuck, could she hint any harder? Even I can tell she’s trying to get Penny to offer to help her get time alone with Luke. Luke curls his hand around my ankle and I turn to look at him, but he’s still watching the screen with discerning eyes.
I draw in a breath. She can’t get to him. He was never hers. He’s mine.
Penny hesitates a little before offering, “What do you need me to do?”
Sidney smiles like the cat that caught the mouse. “Maybe this week I could come over to hang out with you.”
There it is.
“I’ll have to ask my dad.” Penny twists a lock of her hair around her finger. “He hasn’t said I couldn’t have company, but he’s usually busy.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem.” Sidney smiles brightly. “Mr. Foster adores me. He and my mother are close friends.”
“I’ll ask.” Penny seems a little resigned, but if this happened last night, why hasn’t she told any of us about it? Maybe she has. It’s hard to remember we turned off our phones. We’re cut off from almost everything out here.
Eli didn’t even tell his parents we would be using the house.
“Good.” Sidney stands and holds her hand out to Penny. She wiggles her fingers when Penny doesn’t immediately take them.
Penny takes Sidney’s hand and they talk about random stuff on the way out of the bedroom. Nico stops the clip.
“Penny’s doing what we told her to do.” Eli’s gaze goes to Luke like he’s waiting for an explosion.
“What do you think Sidney’s plan is?” Nico takes my hand and squeezes it.
“She’s going to try to seduce Luke.” It’s obvious to anyone. I clear my throat as Luke’s eyes meet mine. He doesn’t show any emotion. “Whether it’s just to get close to him or sneak into his room while he’s sleeping.”
Luke shakes his head, but I know I’m right.
“It’s not happening.” Luke releases my leg and runs his hand through his hair.
“You should be there when she shows up.” Eli leans forward and clasps his hands together. His look is cold and calculating. “You can leave before she can find you alone. Or you could confront her.”
“What if she tries to drug him or asks Penny to?”
The guys all turn to me with puzzled looks.
I shrug. “Sidney wants to break us up. If she took pics of her and Luke, even sleeping, it would cause a riff between us. I wouldn’t put it past her to use a date rape drug on you.”
Luke’s eyes narrow as he considers it. “Fuck.”
“So just don’t drink anything they give you.” Eli shakes his head. “We’ll find out if Penny reports this to us. She knows we’re watching Sidney’s room, so she must know that we know.”
“Or she assumes we’re so overwhelmed we aren’t actually watching it.” Jack leans back against the headboard. “Either way, if she doesn’t tell us, we’ll know we can’t trust her.”
I look down at my hands. It was nice to think maybe I had another friend in all this, but it’s possible she’s just another user, like Kenz thought at first. Blowing out a breath, I realize how much I miss Kenz.
This year has been so crazy with everything going on we haven’t spent as much time together as we usually do. I don’t even know how she and Brandon are doing right now. Maybe that’s why he approached me at the game.
My chest tightens. What if my friend is going through something and I’m not there for her?
“Hey.” Luke grabs my ankle and I lift my gaze to his. “You have nothing to worry about. It’s never been about Sidney for me. Before you, it kept the other girls away. It was easy to fall back into that pattern. She didn’t expect more than I was willing to give.”
“I know.” I chuckle. “She might have said she didn’t expect more to your face, but clearly she has other thoughts and feelings where you’re concerned.”
“Why does Sidney think you being into Harper will end soon?” Caden captures all of our attention.
“I assumed she meant whatever she plans to do with Luke.” I gesture to him.
“What if it doesn’t?” Caden rubs the back of his neck. “What if she’s talking about whatever Zach has planned?”
My mouth opens and closes. He’s not wrong. Whatever they have planned could humiliate me or crush my soul. We don’t know which. But maybe if we keep digging, we’ll find out.