He situates me as if I weigh nothing until I’m straddling his lap and my face is buried in his neck. One arm bands around my back while the other cups the nape of my neck, his fingers lazily scraping at my hair.
Once both of our breathing calms, he turns his head and places a slow, soft kiss to my temple. He gently grips my chin and tilts my face up to meet his. Kissing my lips, he asks, “How do you feel?”
I know what he’s asking. He’s making sure I’m not going to freak the fuck out or go into panic mode. But the truth is, this moment between the two of us feels like it’s been a long time coming. A part of me always knew that our path would lead us here, but self-doubt had always scared off the idea.
I've learned that to give and receive affection, to form a relationship with somebody, I have to have a deeper emotional connection with them. I found that in both Creed and Collins so easily. The two of them are it for me.
I sigh contentedly and give Creed a light, reassuring squeeze. “I’ve never been better.”
I can feel him smiling, and rather than the joking rebuttal I expected, he surprises me. “Like I said,” he says as he shifts, his softening cock brushes against my ass, sending a shiver up my spine, “your body and your choices are important to me. Now that I’ve had this part of you, I want more.”
I pull back and look down at him. The water that cascades down on us has washed him clean, and his hair that hung down in his eyes is now brushed back away from his face. He’s got such clarity in his eyes that it leaves no room for doubt. He doesn’t release the back of my skull when his gaze bores into me. “You’ll tell me if I ever do anything you don’t like. If you become uncomfortable or if something feels triggering. I only ever want your happiness…and now your pleasure, too.”
I can only nod at him, because suddenly, my throat feels tight. The way he’s always been able to see past the surface facade and just seeme?
From the start, he made sure that I could find my way, find my home within him. I’m sure as hell never going to let him go, either. Not now.
He brushes my curls out of my face before pulling me in for a kiss to my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips.
“Let’s get you dried off and back to bed.” He smirks, tapping my outer thigh with his hand, “I don’t think I can sleep in the middle without wanting to fuck you, so I think it’s your turn to let the little bed hog in there take up your side of the mattress.”
“Fair enough.” I can’t help but laugh as a blush creeps up my chest, heating my ears and face. My heart skips a beat, because just like that, I’ve fallen a little more for my best friend.
Chapter 30
Collins
“CAN YOU FEEL THE BEAT YET?”
Isit at the island in a daze, daydreaming about the mind-blowing sex that transpired between the three of us days ago, while slamming back Blair’s chaotic yet perfect blueberry muffins like nobody’s business, when Asher emerges, looking a little rough around the edges. I don’t bother to hide my snicker, to which he rewards me with a middle finger as he fishes a mug from the coffee bar shelf. They just got back home early this morning from some weekend-long meeting he had with the McTavish brothers.
“Morning,” I try to say, but it’s muffled around the massive bite in my mouth.
Asher chuckles as he turns and leans against the counter while he waits for his coffee. “Mornin—” He pulls a look of mock disgust when he sees the obliterated attempt at breakfast on my plate. “Did Blair cook that?”
I gather another bite and pop it in my mouth. “Yup,” I answer, popping thep. “As soon as he walked in the door, he raided the kitchen.”
He looks at me and sighs, turning back to grab his mug. “You don’t have to eat it just because he cooks it, you know. You won’t hurt his feelings.”
I roll my eyes and throw a crumb at him. “Don’t be mean.” Another bite. “Besides, they’re freaking amazing, despite how ugly they are.”
“What even is it?”
“It’s a muffin,” I say, widening my eyes, giving him a look that saysduh.
“Right, well,” Asher hedges, but then his phone buzzes in his pocket, and his demeanor shifts when he checks the notification. He tries to hide it, but I know my brother and every face he makes.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, getting up to clean my plate. Asher takes it from me and starts to rinse it. After he’s scrubbed the same spot fifteen times, I put my hand on his forearm to stop him.
“Ash,” I say softly, and his eyes slam closed as he just stands there, breathing deeply through his nose, his thick arms gripping the edge of the sink. “What’s wrong?” I repeat.
“I need to go back up north today,” is all he says.
I back up a step, my heart sinking at his words.
Up north.In other words, back to those Scottish lords or whatever the hell they are.
“Again?” My brow furrows. “You literally just got back.”
