VAIL
Fallon swoopedin fast enough that my instincts to defend myself, feeble as they sometimes were, kicked in. I tried to back away. The thrill of fight or flight sent a sharp throb to my dick. I gasped as excitement swirled low in my groin while my shaft plumped and pushed at my underwear. He slid a hand behind my head to tickle up through the short hair there and cradled my cheek with his other one. As he sealed his lips to mine, his long, soft hair caressed my cheeks and he held me firmly in place.
Clearly I was along for this ride, not the one in control. I didn’t know where to put my hands and ended up fisting the fabric of his shirt while I leaned into him and tried—and failed—to do more than be kissed. He had the brash energy of someone who was used to wielding power in all parts of his life, more than finesse, and he kissed as if he was worried he wouldn’t get another opportunity. With gusto, he stepped back to smirk at me, amusement shining in his blue eyes.
“What happened to the sweet Fallon who brings me coffee and walks me to classes?” I gasped out between chuckles. “The man who followed me around to glare at students when all they were trying to do was ask me about homework essays?” I let go of his shirt and smoothed the fabric out, but then got lost tracing my fingers over his solid pecs. I trailed my tongue over my bottom lip and thought about all the fun it would be to lick the ridges and valleys of his body. Fallon and Cillian were similar in that they both spent a lot of time working on their muscles, and part of me felt like it would be a shame not to praise them somehow for their effort.
Maybe with a full-body tongue bath.
“Oh, he’s still here.” Fallon ran his hands along my shoulders. “And he definitely wants some sugar.” He gave me an exaggerated waggle of his blond eyebrows.
Three groans sounded off around the room, and Fallon glared at everyone, except me, but I wasn’t happy they were being rude to him. He was young and tried harder than they were willing to give him credit for, and part of me, as silly as it probably was to imagine, wanted to protect him. Not every battle was fought with fists. I’d learned a long time ago how to shut out negative people.
Or men who acted like I needed a shepherd to teach my own damned classes—but that was another issue.
“You’re cute,” I murmured and stripped my hoodie and T-shirt up and off. “Don’t worry about what they think. You want to be with me, right? Not them.”
“Cute?” Fallon grumped and nearly pouted. His curved bottom lip jutted slightly.
“Like kittens and puppies, only they aren’t my thing. You are, though.”
“Damn it, cute?” He crossed his arms. “I can’t get manly or thirst trap or something?”
Laughing, I shook my head. He had been sending me smoldering looks for months, probably since I’d first met him. It had taken me a while to catch on that he honestly did want to have sex with me. I’d watched him drive away about the tenth male student with curt words before it occurred to me maybe he was jealous. After my revelation, it had taken me some time to decide perhaps he liked me beyond wanting to get off. The day I finally went over to the building that housed my office to see the damage before a crew began restorations, he’d held my hand and let me lean on him, and that had meant a lot to me.
My nerves had been frayed the evening I’d had a talk with the police—which I suspected was short due to some influence from Mr. Killough. I’d danced around the phone calls from the precinct as long as I could, but we’d decided I had to at least let them speak with me. Fallon had been there as well, along with Rowen. Neither one of them had let go of my hand while I sat sandwiched between them on a bench outside of Briar Hall at Manhattan Central University. They hadn’t so much as flinched when the detective taking down notes gave them nasty looks. They’d both been rocks. Rowen had squeezed my fingers now and then to keep me on track.
Fallon had hugged me when I broke down about my father later that night.
After adding everything about Fallon together in my head, I wanted him, too, but it made me feel greedy.
Once I’d decided the attraction was mutual, I’d begun ignoring it, and I was glad someone who wasn’t me had taken the first step. Most of the guilt I’d built up over this moment blew away in a puff of smoke as I reached out and squeezed Rowen’s hand. I wasn’t sure when he’d snuck up close to us, but I liked that he was here. He pressed a kiss to my cheek and his beard tickled my skin in a pleasant, familiar way.
I never would have been able to go through with something this wild without the solid relationship foundation Cillian, Rowen, and I had been building. We didn’t exactly bring each other flowers, though Rowen was more than happy to buy me sweets when we wandered around the nearby neighborhoods. Cillian would probably never be the type of man to drag me out on romantic dates. But I loved what we were becoming together.
And I loved them.
I wasn’t lonely anymore.
I’d spent too many years hungry for the touch they were only too willing to give me, the pleasure they were happy to pound into my body.
And my heart wouldn’t calm down as Fallon devoured me with his gaze.
My pulse thudded faster and I held my breath. I wanted every man in this room—not that plenty of people didn’t have fantasies of more than one person in their bed. Each man here with me had something different to offer, some new experience I wanted to grab with both hands. I still hadn’t learned as much as I wanted to know about Cillian and Rowen, either.
Nerves struck me and I ran a hand through my hair. Fallon had seen me close to naked in the past—they all had—so I wasn’t sure why I was anxious. I was even more fit now than I used to be. Once things had started settling down with Cillian and Rowen, they’d also let me tag along on their workouts—both of them. Between all the sex and lifting and running I was probably in the best shape of my life.
Still, fear of rejection smacked me as Fallon swept his gaze down my body; although, usually partners didn’t drop me prior to the sex. I noticed Aspen doing the same thing out of the corner of my eye, scoping me out to see if I met his expectations. This moment wasn’t as bad as it might have been, mostly because I knew no matter what I wouldn’t be sleeping alone tonight. Aspen was quiet in his perusal—the norm for him—with Fallon a noisy counterpoint as tiny, pleased grunts slipped from his mouth. I palmed my dick and got a groan.
Aspen tipped his head back, and I bit the corner of my lip and rubbed my trapped dick while he watched and nodded as if he’d told me to do it. He was always a mystery—and I enjoyed a good riddle. Where all the other men talked a lot, distracting me and ensnarling my thoughts sometimes, he was like a gentle pool to stare into and see something more interesting reflected back. He didn’t tug at my mind in a bad way, and I appreciated that difference in him, too.
Fallon stripped off his shirt, tossing it on the floor as he crowded close again. I did something I’d always wanted to do and dug my fingers through his long wavy hair. His locks were somehow both thicker and silkier than I’d thought they would be, and I loved the play of gold in the lamplight as my fingers slipped through his strands.
“I’ve never had anyone with long hair like this, you know? It’s stunning. I could spend hours doing this.” I wriggled my fingers in against his scalp for a moment, and he melted toward me, going boneless like a cat to give me better access. The change in him from aggressive to ready to show me his belly sent a rush of tingles racing along my skin and skittered excitement down my spine. The rest of the room faded for a while, far away, almost like it was happening in someone else’s dream.
Nearby, Rowen and Cillian bickered quietly about something. The heat kicked on with a click and the whoosh of air sent Fallon’s cologne swirling around me in a thick puff of fragrance. The scent filled my mind and made me think of European forests in the middle of the night—scary stories and happy endings.
Damn, I want to give him a happy ending.I was startled. I wasn’t normally a leader in relationship situations. Something about the way Fallon leaned against me seemed like an invitation to guide him, if only he would relax enough to allow me to do it. I glanced around as whatever Cillian and Rowen were whisper-fighting about seemed to get resolved. My attention landed on the red blankets covering Rowen’s massive bed.
