Before I can process the feeling, arms circle my waist from behind. Axel. He presses close, resting his head on my shoulder.
“Quit hogging her,” he whines, hugging me tightly.
Tasha laughs from across the pool. “Are you all together?” she asks, gesturing toward the three of us.
“Together?” I blink, confused. Then, I get it. “Oh. Oh, no. We’re just friends. Axel and Nik are best friends and I’m… I’m the occasional third wheel. Not in a sexual way! There’s nothing sexual going on.”
Dear God, why can’t I stop talking?
Tasha just grins. “Why not? You clearly have chemistry.”
“No, no we don’t,” I say. But I’m still cradled between both of them like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Stop talking, Princess,” Axel growls in my ear, the sound low and wicked.
Goosebumps erupt across my skin.
“Yeah, okay,” I mutter.
Eventually, we end up on opposite sides of the pool. Johnny and Tasha keep to themselves at one end, whispering and laughing softly, barely keeping their hands to themselves. I have nothing to say about it. Not while I’m being passed between Axel and Nik like a ping pong ball.
They take turns carrying me through the water, tossing me between them, teasing and laughing with me. I join in their banter when I can, but mostly, I just enjoy feeling…held. Safe. Like I don’t have to be anything excepthere.
By the time Johnny and Tasha climb out of the pool, I’m fading. My head rests on Axel’s shoulder, my body limp and content in his arms. The water is warm. His touch even warmer. I don’t want to move.
The water shifts beside us. Nik swims up behind me and gently brushes my wet hair over one shoulder. His fingertips skim the back of my neck. I shiver.
“Tired?” he murmurs.
“Mmhmm,” I hum. “But so comfy.”
Axel’s lips press to the top of my head. A moment later, Nik’s ghost across my bare shoulder.
I shiver again. Not from cold, but from something much more dangerous.
“Feel good?” Nik breathes against my ear.
“Yes,” I whisper, closing my eyes. “So good.”
Nik trails his lips slowly along my shoulder and up the curve of my neck. When I tilt my head, offering him better access, Axel threads his fingers into my hair and gently tugs until my gaze meets his.
He doesn’t kiss me, not yet. He just watches me. Watches the way my chest rises and falls faster with each brush of Nik’s mouth. His eyes flick to the line of my throat, where Nik is kissing, licking, and softly sucking. My fingers tighten around Axel’s neck, and I hook my legs more securely around his hips.
“Oh,” I gasp when Nik’s teeth graze the tender spot between my neck and shoulder.
Axel’s grip in my hair loosens as I throw my head back with a shuddering sigh. Nik soothes the sting with slow, careful kisses, and I can't stop the low moan that escapes from deep inside me.
Axel’s voice drops to a husky whisper. “Oh, Princess. You need us to make you feel good, don’t you?”
I should be embarrassed, but I’m not. I haven’t touched myself since that morning in the shower—before Darren—and now, all that pent-up need is crashing through me at once. I ache everywhere. But I don’t feel afraid. I feel wanted. Cherished even.
“Please,” I whisper, breathless. “I need you. Both of you.”
That’s all it takes.
They don’t rush me. Instead, they begin to wind me up with nothing more than their mouths and their hands. Their touches are gentle, deliberate… worshipful. When one teases, the other soothes. When one bites, the other licks. Their rhythm is so perfectly in sync that I can’t help but wonder if they’ve done this before.
Nik’s fingers find my chin, tilting it up. His blue eyes are dark with something more than desire.
