So I gave her one.
I just wanted to see her smile. Hear her laugh.
The image shifts, and I’m standing in the doorway, watching as she spins around, a water gun in her hand, her short shorts riding up as she tries to escape the ambush I’ve set for her. Her laughter fills the room, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
“Gotcha!” she yells, and I can’t help but laugh with her, the pure joy in her voice infectious.
But the memory fades too quickly, replaced by the cold reality of my cell. The laughter echoes, hollow now, as I open my eyes to the darkness. The pain pulls me back, anchoring me in the present. My side burns like it’s on fire, the bullet wound raw and ugly. I can feel the fever creeping in, making my skin hot and sticky, my thoughts sluggish.
I press down on the wound, gritting my teeth against the pain. I need to stay focused, need to keep my mind sharp, but it’s so hard. Every time I close my eyes, she’s there, pulling me back into the past.
I see her again, this time standing at the stove, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, a smudge of flour on her cheek as she tries to bake cookies. She’s concentrating so hard, biting her lip the way she does when she’s trying to get something just right. I sneak up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and she jumps, laughing as she playfully swats at me.
“Maddox! You scared me,” she says, turning to face me, her eyes sparkling.
“Couldn’t resist,” I murmur, leaning in to kiss her, the taste of sugar sweet on her lips.
The memory is so vivid, so real, I can almost feel her in my arms. But then the pain crashes back in, ripping me out of the past and slamming me back into the present. My breath hitches, and I force myself to focus, to keep my hands steady as I tighten the tourniquet again.
“Ella,” I whisper, her name a prayer on my lips. I have to hold on, have to survive this. For her. For my brothers.
Just the thought of them sends me into another memory. This one is different. This one is a moment between Gage and I, our girl between us.
“Baby, stop, it’s okay, you don’t have to,” I pant, my heart hammering in my chest.
Her eyes fly open, and she shakes her head.
“You are not a monster, Maddox. You’re incredible. I trust you with my life.”
With every rise and fall of her body, my baby gives me her truth. She’s not afraid of me. She’s not scared that I’ll lose control.
She sees me.
“Show me the darkest parts of you Maddox Luna, I promise I can handle your demons,” she begs. “Give me everything you have and don’t hold back with me. I want all of you.” She turns to lock eyes with my brother. “Both of you. I may be cracked but I’m not broken. I can take it.”
I groan, my head falling back. It thuds against the concrete wall and sends sharp pains down my spine. The fever is getting worse. I can feel it clawing at the edges of my consciousness, making everything hazy, unreal.
The walls of the cell waver, shifting in and out of focus. My vision blurs, and I see her again, this time in the living room, curled up on the couch with a book. Her hair is down, falling in soft waves around her shoulders, and she looks so peaceful, so content. At her feet, sits Hunter, a smile on his face as he gazes up at me.
“Come here,” she says, patting the space between them, and I don’t hesitate, sliding in next to her, pulling her into my arms.
My breath hitches as he curls in on my other side and reaches over my body, dragging her toward his mouth. I lean back,watching Hunter devour my girl, my baby. He’s sweet, loving, but God, it’s so fucking hot, I can feel my cock throbbing between us. Her tiny hand threads through his messy hair, pulling him closer, keeping him right in front of me.
I jolt as a hand cups my cock, squeezing hard.
My eyes widen but before I can panic, someone’s pulling my sweats down, and then…
And then his mouth is on me.
“What the fuck?”
This isn’t a memory. This never happened. I’ve never even seen this happen with anyone but Stone and Gage. We’ve shared Ella between us. We have memories I could be fantasizing about. But this…
This isn’t real.
“Don’t you want this?” she murmurs, panting heavily. Her pretty eyes are blown out, her lips swollen. She tightens her grip on Hunter’s hair and guides him up and down my cock. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. The way you watch us when we're together. Don’t you want Hunter, Madd?”
Without my permission, my head nods. I swallow hard and look down just as his hazel eyes flick up. He meets my gaze, and in it, I see everything I’ve been missing.
