She skipped over to him when she saw him, looping her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. His hands settled on her waist and they rocked together slowly.
“All better, little one?” he asked softly, and she nodded, resting her cheek on his chest with a contented sigh. “Good. Those sounded like good ones.”
He delighted in the deep blush that tinged her cheeks as she peeked up at him through her blonde lashes. She was just so incredibly stunning; she took his breath away. Those blue eyes that he wanted to get lost in for the rest of his forever. Those full, pink lips that he could spend kissing for an eternity and never get enough of.
“I haven’t come like this since Chicago,” she whispered shyly.
“Well, I would fucking hope not,” Grant mumbled from the refrigerator, where he’d plucked a bottled water and was chugging it. He pointed a finger at his own chest, then at Van and growled, “Your orgasms belong to us, butterfly. No one else.”
“Yes, Grant,” she murmured, smiling over at him as she tightened her arms around Van’s waist. He grinned, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. Glancing up at him and then over to Grant, she asked softly, shyly, “I know this isn’t Chicago and, Grant, I know you want your own space… but…”
Grant turned, setting the bottle of water down when she faltered. “What is it, baby girl?”
Van felt her swallow and she trembled lightly with nerves. He squeezed her gently, and she sighed, tightening her arms around him. “Please don’t make me choose between you tonight. I don’t want to sleep without either of you. Please.”
Grant chuckled, picking the bottle of water back up and finishing it. “If you think either of us is going to let you sleepaway from the other for a good while, you obviously don’t know how this is going to work, baby girl.”
Looking up at him and then over at Grant, he felt her body relax with relief and realized just how much that had been bothering her. “So, I don’t have to choose?”
Van smiled, his heart trying its damndest to squeeze its way out of his chest. “That’s the beauty, love. You made your wish. You never have to choose again, little one.”
She smiled brilliantly, tucking herself back into him and reaching for Grant’s hand, which she took and squeezed. “Good.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Ithink I’m dehydrated,” Van groaned, making Hope laugh.
Grant chuckled from the other side of the bed, a book open in his lap. Hope lay between them in Van’s wide bed, her fingers entwined with his free hand where they lay on his chest. Hope’s back was pressed fully against Van’s front, Van’s arm draped around her. They were all naked, just the sheet pulled up to cover his lap and up to their naked torsos. This was quickly becoming his favorite; the lazy, quiet Sunday mornings together. They had settled into a routine with surprising ease.
Most nights they found their way into Van’s bed, all three of them. But Grant had stolen Hope away a few times over the last several weeks, barricading them in his room and doing all the filthy, wonderful things to her body that he had dreamed about after Chicago.
Van would then reciprocate, stealing her away for a night, which he surprisingly didn’t mind, because lord… the amount of sex they had was insane, and Grant fully understood Van’s declaration of dehydration. She hadn’t officially moved in, though she did stay with them every night. Maybe it was time to change that.
Her sister had slowly started to come around, though she still gave him that baleful glare from time to time. He was still working on winning her over. Grant had insisted on meeting her parents the week prior and the three of them had been honest about the nature of their relationship. Her parents had been surprisingly accepting of the relationship. Van had dazzled them with a delicious meal, but Grant hadn’t missed the way her parents watched the way he and Van interacted with their daughter. This Hope, the one with the sleepy smile and shining blue eyes… with her shy blushes whenever he or Van would get caught staring… the way she danced when she ate without realizing she was even doing it… she was happy, content, and he knew that her parents could see it, too. He liked to think that he and Van were large in part of that.
“I’ve been thinking,” Grant started slowly, closing his book and setting it aside. Hope’s face fell in worry and he smiled over at her reassuringly. “I’ve been thinking it’s kind of silly for you to keep bringing an overnight bag every day. All of your stuff is still at your sister’s house, but you’re here more often than not.” When she stared up at him with wide eyes, he continued, “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but what about this hasn’t been a little unconventional?”
“Grant…?” she asked quietly, cautiously. He grinned again, squeezing her hand.
“Ready to make this official? Move in with us?” he asked, raising her hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
“You do know this is crazy, right?” she asked on a whisper, then turned to look at Van. “Are you sure about this? Both of you? You might not even like me that much.”
Van laughed out loud, rolling his eyes and tucking her against his chest with his arm banded around her. “Right, we don’t like you at all.”
“Crazy or not, I haven’t been anything but honest about how I feel,” Grant said, and she turned her attention back to him. “And I want you here, butterfly. With us. So what do you say?”
The smile she sent his way was shy but radiant. “Okay. Yes.” She looked over to Van, who leaned down to kiss her. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Little one, if he didn’t ask you, I was going to,” he murmured softly, glancing up at Grant. He nodded. He had figured as much. Grant didn’t want to waste anymore time, and had trusted that Van didn’t either.
“It’s settled then,” Grant said and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “You’re stuck with us now, Hope.”
“Stuck stay.”
He laughed out loud. It made no sense, but the adoration in her tone and the love in those blue eyes sure made sense. “Stuck stay.”
“How about our first official date, then? To celebrate?” Van asked from behind her.
