21. Kat

Chapter 21

A lex is insatiable.

Last night, I’d been sure I was going to get fired, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead of firing me, they had offered me the chance to be theirs…

I’m not sure what it was—live-in employee with benefits?

No, that sounds awful.

I’m not sure what the name for what I am is, but I know Alex had fucked me on Nathan’s desk…while Nathan watched. Then he brought me back to my room and fucked me again until my legs were shaking, and I was so tired I passed out before he even pulled out of me.

Shit, that wasn’t another dream, right?

I blink my eyes open slowly, but it’s not necessary. Even before I can see, I can feel the warm body pressed against my back. Strong arms wrap around me, holding me tight to a very bare chest, and I can’t miss the erection pressed firmly against my ass.

“Good morning, Cherry.” Alex’s voice is husky with sleep. Jesus, how does he sound even sexier?

“Good morning,” I manage to say through my daze. I’d almost half convinced myself this was all a dream, but nope, we're both here, in my bed…naked.

It’s too much. My mind replays last night, the meeting in Nathan’s office, the way Alex fucked me on his desk, how Nathan watched, and their offer. I feel myself getting flustered at the memory. There's still so much I don’t understand. Like why they would want me, what this even is, and the one question that’s really bugging me.

If they all share, why hadn’t Nathan joined us last night instead of just watching?

I don’t have any answers, and honestly, I don’t want to ask Alex and risk sounding like an idiot.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I mumble, trying to untangle myself from his hold to slip away. For a second, he doesn’t move, and I wonder if he’s fallen asleep again, but when I move away from him, he pulls me back against his chest, nuzzling into my neck with a sigh.

“Do you have to?” he asks with a chuckle, and I can’t help but chuckle as well. “Fine.” He relents when I pull away again, and I quickly climb from the bed, worried I’ll lose my nerve. Walking toward my bathroom, I glance back at him. He’s lying on his back with an arm slung over his eyes and an adorable little pout on his lips.

Shaking my head at his antics, I go into the bathroom, closing the door behind me with a sigh. I’d thought some distance might help clear my mind, but even after I go to the bathroom and splash some cold water on my face, all I can think about is last night.

Crap.

I doubt a shower will help, but it can’t hurt. Honestly, I could use some freshening up. Not to mention, I’m not sure I can face Alex right now. What do I do when I walk back out there? Do I get back in bed or go down for coffee? Shit, I didn’t grab clothes either.

How will I face Nathan or Desmond after last night?

Fuck, how did this get so complicated?

Actually, that’s one question I do have the answer to. Everything got complicated when I started letting my need to get fucked outweigh my brain. Damn these men and the magnetic pull they seem to have on me.

I never stood a chance.

I turn on the shower without letting it warm up before I hop in. The cold water shocks my system. For a few glorious moments, my brain is blissfully silent—that is, until strong arms once again band around my waist.

I’m not proud of the sound that leaves my mouth, but to be fair, he scared the shit out of me. He’s not sorry about it either, based on his chuckle.

“In your own little world in here, huh?” I feel his warm breath on my neck as he presses soft kisses down it, working his way to my shoulders. “What are you thinking about, Cherry?”

My brain already isn’t working properly this morning with everything going on. Add that to the feel of his lips on my skin as the water runs over both of us and the hard press of his cock to my lower back, and I might as well be mute for all the words I can make leave my mouth.

“Use your words,” he coaxes, his lips never leaving my skin, and I groan in both pleasure and frustration.

Damn him. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me, and he’s loving it.

“I…”

I what?

Taking a moment, I gather my thoughts the best I can and try again.

“I—I was just…cleaning up.” I stutter and stumble my way through the sentence, but I get there.

“Oh, good idea.” His arms that had been wrapped around me slowly pull back until his hands rest flat against my stomach, slowly moving up toward my breasts. “Get clean, so I can get you dirty again,” he groans in my ear, and I clench my thighs as the sound goes right to my aching core.

I’m sore from last night, tender after the way he fucked me not once, but twice. I haven’t had sex since I was with him and Desmond all those months ago. Not only had I not had time, I wasn’t really interested, but I can’t say that anymore. Even sore, I’m so interested you’d think I was still in a dry spell.

I’d told myself I wasn’t interested in anyone because they’d burned me, making me the other woman. The only way to avoid that kind of thing was to simply avoid men, and it wasn’t hard to do, considering my track record seemed to be shit between them and Carter.

But maybe, just maybe, now I can admit I was lying to myself.

Not about Carter.

No, he can go straight to hell for all I care. But Desmond and Alex…

They’d left a mark, and it had a lot less to do with the bad than the good. They had been invading my dreams. I’d spent many nights reliving our time together with various toys I’d bought to keep me occupied.

Too bad none of them were anywhere near the real thing.

“You're thinking too hard again,” Alex says with a tsk as his hands cup my breasts and begin kneading them.

He tweaks my nipples, and just like that, I’m not thinking at all as a soft moan leaves my lips.

“That’s better,” he praises, and I swear I could melt into a puddle at his words. “Now tell me what’s going on inside the beautiful head.” I open my mouth to deny his words, but he pinches my nipples harder, and the words die as I let out a hiss. “No lying, Cherry,” he says, tsking me again, and I let out a huff of annoyance.

He doesn’t even know what I was going to say.

Alex’s hands move up my shoulders before trailing them down my arms, and I hum at the feeling of his hands on me even like this. We’re naked and in the shower, but even if we weren’t, something about his hands just feels good, feels right. He links his fingers with mine before moving my hands up to rest on the wall in front of me before he releases me, and somehow, without him even telling me, I know he wants me to stay where he’s placed me.

I could move. The idea of him punishing me for it is almost enough to make me, but I love it when he praises me for how well I listen.

It’s such a strange feeling knowing I crave being yelled at and praised, as if I’m a child craving attention.

Alex grabs my body wash from the built-in shelf and flips it open, taking a deep breath of the cherry scent.

“Can you think of a more perfect scent for you?” Alex asks with a smirk as he pours some of the soap on my loofah and lathers it up until big bubbles form.

I’d not bought any of my soaps or other necessities. The day after I started here, they showed up, and I assumed Nathan had someone handle them. My own had come with the movers, but it was very clear that the quality of the products that were supplied for me were much better. Clearly, it had been Alex who handled supplying them. I should have known, given his nickname for me.

Not that it mattered; I would happily use them. My hair hasn’t ever been this soft.

Alex moves the loofah over my skin, scrubbing me clean, and I can’t help but feel silly.

“I can do that, Alex.” I turn to take the loofah and do just that, but Alex has other plans. His hand comes down on my ass, not super hard, but enough to jolt me, and I yelp in shock.

“Hands on the wall.” I turn back to face the wall and do as he says. The second my hands are back on the wall, he goes back to washing me, and while it makes me minorly uncomfortable to be doted on like this, I’d rather not have him redden my ass, at least for now.

“You need to learn to let us take care of you,” Alex says as he reaches around me, ensuring he’s cleaning everywhere before he lets the loofah fall and reaches for my shampoo. “I know it makes you uncomfortable, but we enjoy it, Cherry. We want to take care of you, remember that. Someday, you’ll get used to it.”

I bite back the urge to argue. He’s right, after all. It makes me uncomfortable, but I highly doubt I’ll ever get used to it.

Using one of the two shower heads, he rinses the soap from my body before moving onto my hair. His fingers begin to massage the shampoo into my scalp, and the breathy moan that leaves my mouth sounds sexual, even to me. But I can’t help it, and if we weren’t in the shower, I could totally fall asleep to the feel of his hands on me.

Hell, depending on how this massage keeps up, I might be able to do a lot more than sleep.

Clearly, he has the same idea because he steps into me, and I can feel just how hard he is against my lower back. I bite my lip to keep from moving my hands and earning another spanking, but damn if I don’t want to touch him. Instead, I do the next best thing and press up on my tiptoes to wiggle my ass back into him.

He lets out a low groan, and his hands abandon my hair, dropping to my hips, stopping my movement. I can’t help the smile that curves my lips at getting a reaction from him.

“You think you're funny, don’t you?” he asks, pressing an open mouth kiss to my shoulder that gives me goosebumps. “Well, joke's on you, love, because there will be none of this,” he presses his hard length into my asscheek in lieu of an explanation. “Until you tell me what’s bothering you.”

He moves back, and I miss the warmth of his body even as he once again rinses me with the warm water, washing away the shampoo. He takes more time with the conditioner before his hands move to my shoulders, and he firmly kneads the muscles that I hadn’t realized were sore before now.

“Nothing’s wrong ,” I say, and my words come out breathy and deep as he continues to rub me down. It’s like he can feel that I have more to say, or maybe he’s just waiting, hoping I say more. Either way, I do.

“I’m just a little confused, and I don’t know overwhelmed, I guess.” The words tumble out before I can really think about them, and I let my head fall forward with a groan. “You cheated.”

The sound of his laughter bounces around the stone walls, and I get the feeling he knows exactly what he did.

“What’s confusing?” he asks, ignoring my comment, his hands moving down my back and continuing his massage. Other than the fact that we’re naked in the shower together, it’s pretty standard as far as a massage goes, nothing sexual, but fuck if I don’t want it to be.

With that, I decide to give him the information he wants and put myself out of my misery. I have a feeling he isn’t going to let this go either way. These Lawson men seem to be stubborn to a fault.

“Why me? Of all the women out there, I can’t imagine what would make you want me.”

His hands freeze before his arms wrap around my stomach, and he pulls me back into his chest, leaning his chin on my shoulder.

“There's nothing not to want, Katherine. You had me and Des captivated from the moment we saw you at the bar. It might have taken Nathan a few more months to meet you, but he was taken just as quickly. Hell, even Oliver is interested, no matter what he might say. You’ll see, just give him a chance to figure it out. I’m not sure how else to make you understand it, but give us some time. I promise you’ll see that we only want you.”

His words leave me breathless, and when I try to say something in response, nothing comes out, and I end up simply closing my mouth before folding my arms over his in a kind of backward hug.

I want to believe everything he said, that I’m just so amazing they can’t resist me, but honestly, the idea is almost laughable to me. What I can do though is give him the chance he asked for, I’m not going anywhere. I made a promise to Addison, and it might very well break my heart eventually, but I don’t want to leave them.

Spinning me around in his arms, he walks us back underneath one of the showerheads until we’re both getting soaked in the rain-like downfall.

“Alex!” I yell with a laugh as I try and fail to wiggle free from his arms, but he only holds me tighter.

“What? Don’t act like you weren’t already wet,” he says with a chuckle. Leaning in, he presses his lips to mine, and just like that, the water is forgotten. I melt into him as his hands roam over my body, pulling sounds from me that would be embarrassing if I gave a shit, but right now, the only thing that matters is that he keeps touching me.

His hands move to my thighs, and he wraps his fingers around them before hoisting me up into his arms. I’m not super heavy, but I’m not really thin enough that I’d picture myself being tossed around. Yet, somehow, he makes it look easy.

Stepping back out of the direct spray of the water, Alex moves to the stone bench opposite the shower head before sinking down onto it with me still in his arms. His stiff cock rests between my asscheeks, and this time when I wiggle, it leaves us both groaning. With expert movements, he lifts me just enough to maneuver us so that he’s lined up with my entrance and easily slips in.

The stretch stings a bit after last night, but he gives me a minute to adjust, and that’s all I need to get over it, craving the release I know he’s going to give me.

“What else is bothering you, Cherry?” Alex’s voice is huskier than it was a minute ago, and I can’t say I blame him, considering he’s balls deep inside of me right now.

With the chance to adjust, the stretch is no longer an issue, and I decide to take matters into my own hands. I’ve never loved being on top. I don’t know many girls who do, but if it means sex instead of these questions, I’m down to try it.

All I really need to do is distract him enough. How hard could that be?

Turns out it’s harder than I would have thought. Being on top is a totally different feeling but also a lot of fucking work, and without me answering his question, Alex isn’t stopping me, but he also isn’t helping.

With a huff, I sink down further on his lap and blow out a puff of air in annoyance.

Like I said, stubborn Lawson men.

“Don’t stop on my account, Cherry. You were doing a great job.” The smile on his face tells me he’s teasing me, but the heat in his eyes says he really didn’t want me to stop.

With a sigh, I finally give in.

“How does sharing work?” I ask before I realize that's not exactly what I should have asked. I get how it works; I remember how well Desmond and Alex were able to share me, like a well-oiled machine that was made to suck all the pleasure from me.

“Is there a time schedule? Am I with you sometimes and Desmond others? What about Addison? What would she think if she saw Desmond kiss me and then her father? And speaking of Nathan, if everyone shares, why did he only watch last night?”

Alex smiles, and it’s not just his usual shit-eating, sexy smirk; no, this is a full-blown smile that makes a dimple appear on his left cheek that I didn’t even realize he had.

He’s so fucking adorable.

“You really are overthinking this whole thing, Kat. I promise it’s not that serious.” His hands grip my hips as he talks. Lifting me just enough that it forces a sudden cry from my lips when he shoves me back down on his cock to punctuate his last word. “Sharing works however it works out. If I want to fuck you and Desmond wants to join, he can. If you decide you want it to be just you and Desmond or you and me, you tell one of us to get lost.” He continues to bounce me up and down on his lap as he explains, and I have to really focus to comprehend what he’s saying while he continues to fuck me.

“If you want to make a schedule, you can try that, but I doubt it will work. Des is going to lose his fucking mind when he learns you agreed to this. Boy’s been going out of his mind trying to keep his hands to himself the last few days, not that I can blame him.” He grunts as I begin to match his rhythm, letting his head fall back, but he doesn’t stop his movement, and it gives me the courage to keep doing it.

The idea of a schedule sounds a little silly when he says it out loud, and I decide that won’t be something I ever suggest again.

“There won’t be any jealousy?” I ask, my words choppy and voice rough as he continues to fuck into me, each thrust a little harder than the one before.

One of his hands slides up my back, the other still firmly holding my hip. He twists my long, wet hair around his hand and gently pulls my head back.

“If we have any problems with jealousy, that’s on us to deal with Cherry. We’re grown men. You just need to worry about your happiness and make sure you let us know if anything changes or if we have any problems. It’s new to all of us, and it’s going to take some time to get used to it, but I know we can,” he groans, leaning in and nibbling at my neck. I dig my nails into his shoulders as the slight pain from the tug of my hair mixes with the light nip of his teeth and the pleasure of his cock slamming into me.

It’s all too much, and I can’t stop my orgasm from slamming through me or the sudden cry that’s ripped from me. Alex grunts, sucking hard on the sensitive skin of my neck, and I know it’s going to leave a mark, but I can’t bring myself to stop him as it only intensifies the pleasure.

Both of our breathing is labored, and when he finally releases the skin of my neck, I know he’s left a mark just by the way his lips twitch.

Asshole.

“You were made for us, Cherry.” He gently kisses the spot he just marked before moving to my lips. Despite him just fucking me and the wonderful orgasm he gave me, I can’t help but get lost in him, in the feel of his lips and our tongues as they tangle together.

Slowly, we untangle ourselves from each other, and I stand on wobbly legs for a moment before Alex has me sit on the bench and again washes me. I feel bad letting him, but I also don’t have enough energy to stop him right now.

“And what about Nathan?” I ask as we get out of the shower, and he towels me off with the plushest towels I’ve ever felt in my life.

Alex shrugs before pulling a towel around himself.

“My brother has always had a strange way of doing things. If you want to know something, I’m afraid you're going to have to ask him about it, love.”

He quickly presses a kiss to my cheek, telling me he’ll meet me downstairs before strolling out of my room with nothing but that towel slung low on his waist, water still dripping from his hair. Clearly, he has no issues with anyone knowing what we might have been doing. Not that I’d thought he would after last night, but still, I find myself feeling embarrassed at the idea of someone seeing him. It’s not as if I regret what we did. No, it was amazing…all three times, but despite the agreement, I worry I might make someone upset.

The memory of how Oliver accused me of sleeping with them plays in my mind. He’d been mostly wrong before, but I can’t help but remember how upset he’d seemed.

Ugh!

Pushing the memory aside, I get dressed, opting for shorts and a tank top. Today isn’t supposed to be as hot as yesterday, but it’s still hot, and I promised Addy we could play in her jungle gym, something I don’t think I should do in a dress.

I half expect to run into someone in the kitchen, but not only is the kitchen empty, but the sink is as well, which tells me we’re not the only ones who slept in. Not that I’m surprised. The sun has a tendency to drain you, and we spent a lot of time outside yesterday.

Taking advantage of the fact that I’m alone, I once again try my hand at the very excessive coffee machine and, after a few failed attempts, manage to brew my own cup.

I’d been so sure that I would never get the hang of it that I can’t help the little jump of joy as I watch the coffee drip into my cup, not noticing the eyes on me. A chuckle from behind me has me whirling around so fast that I almost lose my balance. It’s just a stroke of luck that I grab the counter to steady myself before I end up face-down on the floor.

Desmond stands in the doorway watching me, and I roll my eyes because, of course, he does. I need to learn to pay better attention to them so they can stop sneaking up on me like this.

Before either of us has a chance to say anything, Alex strolls into the kitchen, completely ignoring Desmond. He moves around me, swapping out my cup with his own and setting it to brew much easier than I did, earning a glare.

Show off.

Once his coffee starts brewing, he turns to face me with a smile that screams trouble. He reaches out, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into his chest before pressing his lips to mine.

I freeze for a moment, very aware of the fact that Desmond is still standing a few feet away watching us. But even with my embarrassment, I can’t stop myself from melting into him with the feel of his lips on mine.

He kisses me like I’m the best thing he’s ever tasted, as if he needs me to survive, and I’ll be damned if I don’t kiss him the same way. By the time he pulls away, my lips feel puffy, and my breathing is ragged. When I finally peel my eyes open, he has a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

It’s well deserved, but I reach out and smack his chest all the same. He deserves that too, for doing that in front of Desmond.

I have a feeling he did it mostly because he was there.

“What the fuck!?” Desmond says from behind me, much closer than he was a moment ago. A second later, his hand drops onto my hip and pulls me back into his chest, and I feel his hard length pressed against my lower back.

“Kitten,” he growls, grasping my chin in his other hand and tilting my head back so that I’m looking up at him through my lashes. His eyes roam across my face, from my eyes that are no doubt blown wide with lust, to my swollen lips. It’s impossible for me to miss the hunger that shines down at me.

“We had a meeting last night.” Alex’s words seem to be exactly what Desmond wanted to hear. A smile curves his lips a moment before he presses them to mine in a strange upside-down kiss that shouldn’t be as hot as it is, but pulls a soft moan from my lips all the same.

“Kat!” Addison’s tiny shout has me pulling away as I stumble forward in an attempt to put space between me and Desmond. Unfortunately for me, I end up running right into Alex, and I feel his chest rumble.

Despite his amusement, he steadies me before turning back to his coffee, and by the time Addison comes barreling into the kitchen, I’m an acceptable distance from both of them. If she were older, I have no doubt she would pick up on the tension and other cues, but I thank my lucky stars she’s not.

She’s still in her pajamas, her long hair in the braid I put it in before bed last night, though nowhere near as neat. Since I’d moved in, she has a tendency to run to me in the mornings, and while I love it, I don’t think that’s what this is about today.

Instead of her usual smile, her lower lip is puffed out in a pout, and her eyebrows are pulled together as she stops in the same doorway Desmond had just been in moments ago.

“What’s wrong, Addy?” I ask, moving toward her on instinct before dropping down on the floor to scoop her into my arms.

“Marie said you can’t be my mommy!” she wails, burying her face into my shoulder, and I can feel her warm tears as they begin to soak through my shirt.

To say her words catch me off guard would be an understatement. Who’s Marie, and why is she talking to her about me being her mom? But I know she doesn’t really understand. So I do the only thing I can and try to soothe her, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back as I assure her I’m not going anywhere.

It doesn’t seem to do anything as she continues to cry, even as she hugs me back.

Unsure of what else to do, I turn to look at Desmond and Alex in hopes they can help. Both stand where I left them, watching us but unmoving.

A little help.

I mouth the words to them so Addison doesn’t hear me, and that seems to be all they need to get moving.

Thank god.

“Addison, Princess,” Alex moves toward us, dropping to his knees beside me and laying a hand on the back of her head. “Don’t cry. Kat’s here with you every day. She plays with you and swims with you. She loves you very much, and that’s all you really need.”

His voice is calm and soothing, but still, it doesn’t seem to help. If anything, I think she might be crying harder now.

“But I want a mommy! Everyone else ha-has a mommy, and Kat is the most perfect mommy ev-ever!” Her words are choppy as she fights to breathe through her crying, and I feel my own eyes well up with tears.

“Addison.”

Nathan’s voice has my head snapping up as I find him walking toward us from the dining room. While the rest of us slept in, he appears as if he’s been up for hours, already dressed and perfectly put together. Even though he’s not in his suit, he somehow finds a way to make his simple button-up and khaki shorts look as though they're meant for a runway versus a Sunday morning coffee.

“Da-daddy!” she hiccups as she wiggles her way out of my arms before running full speed into her father's waiting arms.

“Princess, we’ve been over this. You don’t have to have a mommy. I know it feels like everyone else does, but you know that’s not true.” His words are gentle but firm, offering her no way to deny them.

“But I want one, Daddy. I want Kat to be my mommy.” Her words are hardly more than a muffled whisper, but they're impossible for me to miss.

“You don’t need Kat to be your mommy,” Desmond says, and for a moment, Addison doesn’t respond, simply continuing her crying. But it’s clear he’s gotten her attention, and when he doesn’t say more, she can’t seem to help but look up at him in confusion.

He offers her a small smile before going over to take her from Nathan. “What do mommies do?” he asks her, walking into the dining room, and the rest of us follow. The food smells great, but I don’t feel as hungry as I should after my time with Alex.

Desmond is able to soothe her, and we eat. All the while, Addison lists things a mother would do. It’s not until we’ve finished eating that Desmond’s question seems to have an actual purpose, though.

“And are any of those things not done?”

His question seems to catch her off guard, and it takes her a second to think about it.

She’d named pretty basic things like playing with her, brushing her hair, reading her stories, shopping. I don’t need her answer to know it. These guys would never let her go without.

“No,” she finally says, shaking her head.

“See, so mommy or no mommy, you’re good, Princess.” Desmond smiles at her, and I can tell he’s proud of himself. Honestly, it’s not a bad point and probably the only way to appease a five-year-old who wants one of the few things they can’t give her.

“So even if Kat isn’t my mommy for real, she’s still my mommy because she does all the things a mommy does!”

The problem with good points is that oftentimes, kids miss them.

“Can I call you Mommy?” Addison asks, turning to me with the biggest puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen.

Oh shit.

“I—I, um…” I look at Nathan, unsure what to say. On the one hand, it doesn’t bother me any, but also, I’m not her mother, and I’m not trying to step on any toes.

“Being a mom is a lot of work, Princess. Not everyone wants to be a mom, and while Kat does all those things for you, that doesn’t make her your mother.” Nathan tells her with a stern look that has her hanging her head.

I think it’s the first time I’ve seen anyone hold out against her pouting, but I’m grateful all the same. I catch his eye and hope he sees it, but the second our eyes meet, I see something shine in his eyes.

“That being said, it’s Kat’s choice whether she would like to be called that or not, and you need to respect that.”

What. The. Fuck!

He did not just say that… right?

There’s no way he just threw me to the tiny puppy dog-eyed wolf. But as I hold his gaze, unable to look away, I see the truth. He hadn’t intended to save me from the start.

“Why don’t we give her some time to think about it?” Alex stands and scoops Addison up into his arms with a smile. “Let’s head outside and enjoy the sun.”

Without another word, he leaves, taking her with him, and I’m left to sit there in a daze, trying to figure out what just happened.

The rest of the day is spent outside. We play with Addison, blowing bubbles, pushing her on the swing, and building castles in the sandbox.

Oliver and Desmond disappear and eventually come back out with sandwiches, fruits, drinks, and some chips. We enjoy it on the deck in the shade, and conversation is easy. Nobody brings up this morning, but I know they're thinking about it. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I can see it in their eyes when they look at me.

I have no idea what to say about it, but I swear it almost seems like Nathan wants her to call me Mom…

But that’s crazy, right?

After lunch, I head up to my room. Technically, I’m off today, and right now, I just need a little bit of time to try to clear my head.

The house is quiet. Even Ruby is still outside, happily chasing the ball with Addison.

“Shit!”

I damn near jump out of my skin when I walk into my room and find Desmond sitting on the edge of my bed.

A smile curves his lips as he stands up and stalks toward me.

“Didn’t mean to frighten you, Kitten, but I’ve been dying to get you alone since I kissed you this morning.”

He’s hardly finished speaking before he’s wrapping me up in his arms, pulling me against him, and pressing his lips to mine. Despite my initial fright at finding him here, I can’t help but melt into him. Just like with Alex last night, I’d missed him. It sounds crazy even to me. We’d only spent one night together months ago, but it had been a wonderful night.

This kiss is nothing like the one we shared earlier in the kitchen. Whereas that kiss was sweet and testing, this one is hungry and almost demanding, and I have no intention of stopping him.

With a groan, he pulls away but doesn’t let me go, instead resting his head against mine.

“Why didn’t you call?” His voice is low, and his words sound almost pained.

I’d been in a sense of bliss from his kiss, but it quickly melts away as I peel open my eyes and see the pain in his as he looks down at me.

I reach up, cupping his cheek, and he leans into my touch. Last night, when Alex asked me the same question, I was afraid to answer. I’d felt silly, stupid even, and worried about what he might say. I knew I was wrong after I saw them here the first night, but I’d convinced myself to let them go, thinking what we did was wrong.

Just like Alex had, he listens, and I don’t see any judgment.

“God, I could beat his ass,” he says with a chuckle, shaking his head.

I open my mouth to tell him it was my fault and to leave Alex alone, but before I can get a word out, his lips are once again on mine. He takes full advantage of my open mouth, pressing his tongue into mine as his hand moves down from my waist to grip my ass.

“Whose ass are you going to beat, boy? Because only one seems important right now.”

A low growl sounds in Desmond’s throat, vibrating my lips.

“Yours, old man. You had your turn with her earlier. Now it’s mine. Get lost.”

Alex laughs. There's no real bite in Desmond’s words, but it catches me off guard all the same.

“If you wanted alone time, you should have closed the door.”

I hear the door click and realize that in my shock at finding him, I hadn’t shut it. Anyone could have walked by and seen us, and clearly, Alex did.

Shit, what if Addison had seen us? How would we explain this to her?

“Stop thinking so much, Cherry,” Alex whispers, his lips grazing the shell of my ear, and I shiver.

When had he gotten so close?

Desmond has yet to let me go, but I’m not sure I could face Alex right now. Just standing between them like this has me on edge. All I can think about is how amazing it was to be between them the last time. His hand is still firmly gripping my ass when Alex bends down to rest his chin on my shoulder, and his hands drop to my hips.

“The most beautiful color,” Alex all but purrs, and I can feel his eyes on me, no doubt seeing my flaming face, though I don’t meet his gaze.

“There’s no way you guys had a meeting, and you didn’t have her all night. Share.” Desmond says, trying to pull me closer against him. It’s not possible though; we're already only separated by the clothes between us.

“I have no problem sharing,” Alex teases, making Desmond groan in annoyance. “You should be thanking me. I’m the one who made your father call the meeting last night, and I think I was very persuasive.” Alex drops light, open-mouth kisses up my neck as he talks, and I can’t stop the shiver that racks through my body.

Desmond is quiet, and for a moment, I worry this will be the first glimpse of jealousy between them before he huffs, and I know he’s going to cave even before he says anything.

“Fine, but on one condition.” I can’t help but look up at him now, hearing the humor in his words. The second our eyes meet, I regret it. There’s so much heat there, so much hunger.

I’m already so turned on that I feel like I could explode, and we’re all fully clothed. I clench my thighs together, trying to fight against the intense need to be filled and feel his fingers as they dig even further into my skin.

“You have to tell me all about your meeting last night.”

My breath hitches at his words, as I vividly remember what happened. The way Alex fucked me on the desk and Nathan–Desmond’s father!–watched us.

Alex presses up against my ass, and it’s impossible to miss the feeling of his hard cock, even through our clothes.

“Deal.”