I sit at the table and look at the food, then at him.
"You cooked," I say. "For everyone?"
"It's my house," he says.
I watch him. "And why didn't you ever tell me about this place?"
He observes me. "I'm not hiding anything from you anymore," he says, sitting down across from me. "I had my dumb reasons before."
I look at my plate and pick up my fork.
"This is good," I say after the first bite. "Really good."
He grins. "Thanks, babe."
We eat in comfortable silence for a moment.
"Are you going to be a good girl tonight?" Cody asks.
I almost look at Theo. Almost. But I catch myself and feel heat rise to my cheeks anyway.
"Maybe," I say.
After dinner, we settle in the living room.
All four of us. Midnight is approaching fast.
They talk about the game — analyzing plays, discussing what went wrong against Boston, what needs to change for next week. It’s a normal conversation between the three of them. The kind that teammates have, and I feel good about this. Right now, it’s a good and easy vibe.
I curl up on the couch, listening. Cody teases me about my commentary. Beckett defends my analysis. Theo stays quiet butI catch him smiling once when I make a particularly cutting remark about their defensive strategy.
This is the moment I needed. This feels real.
It wasn’t the charged moments, nor the intensity. I needed this.
I go to Theo first.
Not because I have to, but because I want to.
I stand and cross to where he's sitting, the book now closed in his lap. I don't say anything. Just look at him until he looks back.
Then I reach for his hand.
He stands, and I lead him toward the bed.
Cody watches from the kitchen with a knowing smirk. Beckett's eyes follow us, something dark and wanting in his expression.
It's different from the first lake house night. That night was charged and loaded and about proving things — proving I could choose this, proving they could handle it, proving to myself that I had power in this arrangement.
This night is easier.
I thought it would be the same sequence — Theo, then Beckett, then Cody. Making Cody wait because I know he hates waiting.
But this time they're all here, all touching me, and the sequence doesn't matter as much as the sensation.
Theo's hands find the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head. His mouth is on mine, hot and demanding and exactly what I need.
Beckett reaches for me, and I feel his presence immediately. His hands slide up my back, unhooking my bra, and then his mouth is on my neck.
