Chapter 35

JULY 17 – MONDAY 10:41 PM

R en

My second round of training today hadn't gone much better than the first, but to add more fun to the mix, Liam sat at the picnic table, eating peanuts and glaring at me. No matter what Theo said, Liam was not happy about me being involved in their relationship. From the death stare, I would say he was planning to kill me off, and that put me in the strangest position of being happy that Nash was here.

I decided to take an extra long shower after we ate dinner, but now it was time to head out and face the awkwardness. Opening the door, I found Liam sitting on the couch, but there was no sign of Nash. Great.

It felt like the beginning of a horror movie as his head slowly turned in my direction. If it spun all the way around, I was going to end up looking like a cartoon character running through a wall. I would rather deal with the men chasing me.

"Where's Nash?" I sat down at the table, keeping distance between us.

"On the phone," Liam said, and I decided to address the elephant in the room.

"This is weird, isn't it," I asked.

"It wasn't until you made it that way."

"So you're blaming me? Theo doesn't have a mind of his own anymore? You aren't in control of your reactions or emotions? Is that what you're insinuating?"

Liam scooted forward on the couch, his elbows on his knees as he stared at me. "I think you're far smarter, manipulative, and more dangerous than any of the guys realize."

"Well, I'm smarter than you if you genuinely think I'm somehow capturing all the guys like they are prey for some devious plan of destruction," I said, pulling my damp hair over my shoulder as Liam smirked.

"I haven't figured out why you're doing it yet. But I know you have something up your sleeve."

I laughed and shook my head at him. "Paranoid much? Let's be honest, shall we? You're just pissed off that you have competition when it comes to Theo. But I'm going to let you in on my secret and the error of your ways. The only reason I'm competition is because you've been an ass to Theo, and I haven't. It's that simple. He hasn't said anything to me, so don't go getting all angry with him, but it's not hard to tell that you hurt him. I didn't do that. You did."

Liam stood from the couch. "I'm allowed to be pissed off that he decided to inject a third person into our relationship. A person who happens to be dragging along two other people."

"First of all, let's not pretend that the two other people aren't like your family. Myles and Blake aren't some outside threat that you don't know and don't already trust with your life. Also, from what I understand, you stepped out with girls all the time. So what makes Theo spending time with me so different, Liam?" I already knew the answer, but was very curious if he would admit that it was because Theo didn't see me as a one-night-stand.

"I already told you…you're dangerous. Axel, the cops following us, and the shoot-out in Canada all prove that. I don't trust what your motives are with any of us," he said.

I pushed myself to my feet so he wasn't towering over me. Bringing up Axel and the shooting were low blows, and they hurt, which they were meant to, but there was no way in hell I was going to let him push my buttons. Nash and his assholish behavior was enough.

"You didn't strike me as the type of person who would join Vicky in the sludge of victim shaming, but I guess I pegged you wrong." The glare softened.

"That wasn't what I meant. Axel deserved what he got for what he did, but you are a walking target."

"And all of you aren't? What dream world are you living in, and can I join you? From where I sit, in this insane world I've been dumped into, someone is always lurking around the corner. Isn't the crap that Lawrence and Owen do what Nash has been fighting to end? You guys were in this mess long before I showed up?" Myles had been scolding me for taking on all the guilt. It was in my nature to blame myself, to take it all on and try to fix it on my own, but he said something profound to me that helped me think about all of this differently.

"Snowflake, am I to blame for the evil my father does in the world? Is Nash to blame for the women Lawrence has killed, raped, or trafficked?"

I shook my head. "Of course not."

"Then why do you continue to shoulder the sins that your parents created? What your mother and father set in motion is no more your fault than Devin's, Owen's, or anyone else's actions are mine."

"How do I not feel like a threat to you every time we go out," I asked.

"How do you know I'm not a threat to you? I'll piss someone off if I haven't already, and they'll come for me one day. That is the world we live in. That is reality."

Liam ran his hands through his hair, and it was the first actual thread of unraveling emotion I'd seen out of him. He made Nash and Theo seem easy to read, so this was huge.

"It's not the same."

"From where I'm sitting, it is, and you didn't seem to care until Theo and I slept together. It's not that I'm a threat to the group. It's that I'm a threat to you. I thought we'd already discussed this, and I agreed that I'd never come between you two."

Liam stepped in closer, and I could feel the anger coming off him. Instead of backing down, I got into his personal space and locked eyes with him.

"And yet you seem content to play house with what is mine. Whether you mean to or not, you're creating a divide, and I'm not going to let you continue to drive the wedge wider between me and Theo. I've done the calculations. The odds of you stealing him from me are not in your favor, Little Rabbit. So, you can shake your adorable ass in his face all you want. I know whose bed he'll run to when the novelty of his shiny new toy wears off.

My lip twitched with the use of the nickname he'd given me at the end of school last year. I was positive it was meant to make me feel weak, but rabbits were fast and eluded large predators all the time.

"I have no interest in driving the two of you apart. But if I did…I wouldn't have to lift a finger because you're doing a bang-up job all on your own. Each day that passes and you let this distance fester between you two is another day that Theo is more comfortable with me and more hurt by you." Liam's caramel eyes burned with frustration, even if nothing more showed on his face. Splitting Liam and Theo up was not on my bingo card, but messing with him a little might just be what the doctor ordered. "Wouldn't you call that evening the odds?"

Liam opened his mouth, but just then, the door swung in, and we looked over at Theo and Blake. They froze, and the four of us were caught in the strange four-way staring contest.

Blake closed the door, breaking the silence.

"Are we interrupting something," Theo finally asked. Liam and I each took a step back, the tension settling but far from defusing. Theo walked over and took me by surprise when he wrapped his arm around my waist. Liam's jaw tightened, and his muscles twitched as he glared at Theo's hand.

"We were just having a friendly conversation," I said.

"It didn't look friendly." There was a cool aloofness to the way Theo spoke, as if he was dismissing thoughts or ideas he deemed ridiculous, but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were locked with Liam, and a new tension formed. This one felt supercharged with sexual sparks, and I almost expected Liam to grab Theo and rip his clothes off. The heated stares had me wishing for a fan. Images of the two of them together chose that moment to frolic in my brain, and I quickly pushed them aside.

"Ren is speaking the truth. We were having a titillating conversation about odds," Liam said. I rolled my eyes.

"Is that so?" Theo drawled.

Theo turned to look at me, and I sucked in a shocked breath as he cupped my face and kissed me. I knew it was more for Liam's benefit than mine. If I hadn't been annoyed with Liam and wanted to poke at him, I would've been pissed that Theo was using me as a piece on his personal chessboard. No matter the cause, my body welcomed the kiss and warmed all over. Theo broke away, and my head spun.

Liam's face had turned red, and his lip was pulled up in a snarl, but his eyes were full of desire. I had to admit that look was hot.

"I see," Liam growled and marched for the door.

Theo looked down at me. "Go after him. You two need to sort this out," I said. Nodding, he followed Liam outside, and then I heard two cars pull out.

"Well, this has been a fun night of conversation," Blake said from where he was sitting on the couch.

Wandering over, I curled up beside him and snuggled into his warmth as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"I'll take it your conversation didn't go so well." I didn't know who they were meeting. It could've been anyone. The guys were still protecting me from the darker elements of this world, but I'd already seen my fair share and knew I could handle what they were hiding if they'd just open up. Finding a way to make them see that was the tricky part.

"It didn't go the way I expected, but I don't want to talk about that right now. Do you want to watch a movie?"

What I wanted was to poke and find out what he meant, but it was late, and curling up and watching a movie did sound amazing.

"Sure." I glanced around. "Where's Nash?"

"He left when we pulled up. He was on the phone yelling at one of our runners, so I'm just as happy he didn't stick around. I'd rather be in a room full of murder hornets than a pissed-off Nash."

"Runners?" I turned my head up to look at Blake.

"Drugs or guns. I don't know who he was talking to, so it could be either."

My eyebrows shot up. It was still shocking to hear things like this. Picturing Nash as a drug dealer didn't fit the rest of him.

"Isn't that in direct competition with all of your parents?"

Blake smirked. "It sure is. That's why Lawrence doesn't know about it. But according to Nash, what we have left to move is the last of the drugs he's going to sell. Whatever else we move will be The Council's product. He says it doesn't have anything to do with me, but I think he's lying."

He sounded so dejected that I sat up straighter, drawing his attention. "Whether it is or not shouldn't matter. Look how easily you got into trouble. You never planned to get addicted. Do you really want to be on the other end of that now that you've seen both sides?"

"It's not that. I'm just as happy to be out, but…the guys still treat me like I'll break or that they can't trust me fully. You know?"

I laughed. "Oh, trust me, I know. You all do it to me." Blake glanced away and rubbed at his eyes. I didn't want tonight to be ruined, so I grabbed the remote and flipped to the movie channels. "Let's not talk about this right now. We have a rare moment to ourselves. What do you want to watch?"

"True. How about we check out that new horror movie Myles was telling us about?" I hated horror movies, but I was sure I could suck it up for one night. It was supposed to be equal parts sexy and terrifying. I figured I could handle that and hit play for Bloody Quarter. Thirty seconds in after the opening credits, I was hiding behind my pillow as the killer on the screen snuck into a house and watched a guy having sex in another room as he waited for him to pass out. My heart was jumping all over the place, and I kept staring out the dark windows.

By the time we were halfway through, I was a ball of nerves and still hiding behind my pillow. I screamed and jumped as my shield went flying when Blake suddenly tickled my side. He burst out in a fit of laughter. "Ugh, you ass." Grabbing another pillow, I started beating him with it, but it only made Blake laugh harder.

Reaching out, he snatched my wrists, and with a quick tug, I ended up straddling his lap. I was breathing hard, my hand still tightly gripping my weapon. Smiling, Blake smoothed back my untameable hair. I loved his green eyes. Especially when they glittered like they were right now. Part of it was the happiness of the moment, but the rest was the shadows of the room and the flashing television screen behind me. Together, it gave him a sexy and alluring look.

He ran his tongue over his lips as he moved closer. "I want you."

"You have me," I said, and he smirked.

"No. I mean…." Gripping my hips, he pulled me closer, and all the air left my lungs. My pulse tripled as my stomach tightened, and my brain caught on to what he meant. "I want you."

"What if Theo comes back?"

"Then he can watch…or get in line. Whatever you want," he said, trailing his lips along my jaw. My eyes closed, and my hands gripped his shoulders. Each inch had my pulse leaping with nervous excitement, and I moaned when his teeth gently nipped at my neck.

A thought occurred to me, and I pulled back. Grabbing Blake's face, I looked into his eyes. "This isn't because you feel like you have to, right? Cause you don't have to."

His knuckles ran down my cheek. "I promise this is not because I feel pressured into the decision. I want you. I've wanted you for months. I'm ready." With a smile, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Blake groaned, pulling me as close as he could. "That is if you want to?"

To answer, I dropped my lips to his and resumed our kiss, putting everything I felt for him into it. His hands snaked up my back under my shirt, and I shivered as he undid my bra and then moaned when he deepened the kiss. Blake pulled back, and in a wild fury, his t-shirt, as well as my top and bra, were tossed away.

"God, you're so beautiful." He ran my hair through his fingers and laid it over my shoulders before tracing the underside of my breasts with his thumbs. Goosebumps rose on my skin with the gentle touch. "Wrap your arms around my neck."

Doing as he asked, I locked my arms, and he pushed himself up and then over so we were lying on the couch. He braced his arms and stared down at me. My mouth began to water as I traced the cut lines in his biceps and shoulders. A torrent of emotions was whipping through my body, making this moment feel more like a fantasy than reality. Blake was scorchingly and undeniably sexy. Not only could he be plastered on any magazine and sell millions of copies, but he was incredibly talented. The more time I spent with him, the more I could see the kindness that Blake hid under the playboy smile. That was one thing he and Theo had in common. They both pushed aside the softer side of who they were, but in a moment like this, all the walls melted away. The warmth of his heart had drawn me in and had me falling completely in love with him. The rest…it was all icing on an already decadent cake.

"I could lay like this staring at you all night," he said as his eyes caressed my body. The chain he wore with a pick similar to the one he gave me was dangling between us. I lifted my head and bit it teasingly. My stomach clenched as excitement shot between my legs when his eyes darkened with lust. "You're so fucking naughty." Blake ran his tongue over his lip before tugging the necklace from my mouth and kissing me again.

I gasped as he moved and sucked on the racing pulse in the side of my neck. He knew every spot that I loved. It was like he was strumming each note of his favorite song on his guitar. He wiggled between my legs, rubbing me and pushing my thumping heart faster.

"Feels so good," I moaned as he pushed himself lower and flicked his tongue over my hard nipple. His green eyes remained locked on my face, and it made everything he did so much more intense. I watched his tongue swirl around, and unable to stop my hands, they gripped his soft hair. He shifted to the side but kept me in place with his leg locked over mine.

"Yeah? What if I do this?" My eyes closed, and I pressed into him as he switched nipples and slid his hand down the front of my body and into the waistband of my shorts. I sucked in a ragged breath as he teased me, his fingers rubbing my legs and lower stomach.

"More," I said as words became difficult.

"More? More of what?"

"Are you really going to make me say?"

Blake smiled. "I just want to be sure, you know?" The tips of his fingers trailed close to my core, and I whimpered. "Your skin is so incredibly soft," he said, circling a little closer.

"Blake, please."

"Tell me. Do you want me to rip your shorts off?"

"Yes."

"You want me to drive you crazy?"

I wiggled, panting, wanting. "Yes."

"Do you want me to use my finger…." He circled my aching clit, his finger skimming past but never touching it. "Or do you want me to use my tongue to make you come?" Blake's voice took on a smooth, seductive tone that tingled all the way down my spine. I moaned as he continued to torture me, and I was ready to yell in frustration. "Tell me, Ren. I want to hear you say how much you want this."

"I want you, Blake. You know I do." I licked my lips. "I choose your fingers." He smirked, and I gasped as he finally gave me what I was craving and slowly pushed a finger into me while this thumb rubbed small, erotic circles over my clit. "Oh my God." My back arched, and Blake captured the next whimper that was set to pass through my lips.

His tongue was dominant as he kissed me. I could feel the need coursing through him in the way he touched me. My skin was so hot that it felt like I was on fire. My hands roamed over every square inch of skin that I could touch. His chest, shoulders, abs…nothing was safe from my exploring hands. The climax was building quickly, and then he added a second finger, and my moans grew louder. I bucked my hips, driving him deeper.

"Come for me, Ren. Do it. Come all over my fingers. Be my good girl for the night."

My body tightened, muscles gripping his fingers harder, and then I was pushed over the edge into oblivion. "Blake, oh my God. Yes!" Blake kissed me hard, swallowing my scream as the remaining wave of my orgasm scorched through me like wildfire.

"Fuck that was incredible," Blake said, peppering my face with soft kisses. I watched him as he sucked one and then the other finger into his mouth and groaned. Fuck, there was just no way to get used to watching that, but it was unbelievably hot. "I'll be right back."

Before I could protest, Blake jumped up and disappeared down the hallway. Arms shaking, I pushed my shorts off and grabbed the large blanket off the back of the couch, laying it out for us to use. My skin was quickly chilling without his warmth, and I ran my hands up and down my arms as I sat down.

When he came back, he was only wearing his boxers, showing off a large tent in the front while his hand held a strip of silver packages. He stopped beside the couch, and I couldn't take my eyes off of his barely hidden cock. Licking my lips as he pushed his boxers down, I reached for him, but he stepped back.

"If you touch me right now…." He shook his head. "I don't want to ruin this."

"Don't get all up in your head. You're overthinking. I want this. I want you." I held out my hand to him.

"What if I screw this up?"

I smiled. "You won't, but let's say hypothetically for just a moment that you did…." If someone had told me even six months ago that I would be having sex with not one but three guys, I would've said the person was insane. "It just means we get to do it over and over again until you're happy with your…performance. You won't get a complaint from me."

Blake's cheeks pinked ever so slightly with a blush, but the hunger in his eyes made me shiver. Tearing a condom open with his teeth, he rolled it on. The anticipation was killing me.

Standing and placing my hands on his chest, I smirked as I slowly turned him so his back was to the couch before giving him a little shove. Laughing, Blake landed on the soft cushion, but he snatched my wrist, and much like how this all started, I ended up straddling him once more.

Cupping his face, I kissed him hard until there was no longer any nervousness or doubt in him. I could feel the shift like a gust of wind that promised a storm. Our lips remained locked as I lifted my hips, and as soon as he lined himself up, I slowly sat down.

"Sweet Jesus," Blake groaned into my mouth, his fingers pressing into my ass. He was longer than I was used to, and by the time he was fully inside, I was shaking as he pressed up against all new spots. His cock flexed inside of me, and I gasped as every little movement was accentuated.

"You okay," we asked at the same time, and I smiled and nodded, touching my forehead to his.

"I'm great," I said.

"Same, you feel incredible," Blake said.

When I pushed myself up, his hands tightened on my hips as his head fell back against the couch. The guttural sound he made as I sat back down was music to my ears. Picking up the pace, I watched his face, how he ran his lip through his teeth, and the change in his breathing. Blake's pulse was pounding hard in the side of his neck, and I loved that I was his first and that I got to experience this moment with him. It was tender and sexy, and it was everything it should be, or at least what I thought it should be.

His eyes opened, and they were glazed over like he'd taken something even though I knew he hadn't. Pride filled me that I could make him feel that good. I'd never considered myself a jealous person, but if anyone tried to take this from me, take my guys from me…they would find out how exceptionally un-Canadian I could be. A possessiveness was quickly taking root in my system.

"Fuck, you're driving me crazy."

"Good," I said, nibbling at his bottom lip. "I feel the same way. I'm already so close."

Closing my eyes, I let my body guide me as I bounced faster. The only sound besides our heavy breathing was the movie behind me. The characters were also currently enjoying themselves. Blake sank a little lower into the couch. I didn't know what he was doing until he pulled me up just enough so he could take control of the speed. I screamed and arched in his hold as he thrust up hard and fast. Blake was unrelenting, hitting the spots deep inside that sent a jolt of extreme pleasure and a jab of pain at the same time.

"Fuck yes," Blake growled, pounding into me so fast that all else was wiped from my mind other than the feel of us coming together. Every muscle tightened as my second climax rose quickly. "Fuck. Hang on to my shoulders."

I did what he said and hung on as he stood up, my legs linking around his waist. I sucked in a gasp when he pushed us up against the wall, and my eyes rolled back in my head from the new position. He braced himself on the wall and grabbed the door frame.

"Blake," I yelled as he pushed in hard, my back pressing into the wall with every thrust. "Oh God, I'm coming." My nails dug into his skin. I screamed as the climax ripped through my body.

"Ah! Yes," Blake said as his movement went erratic before holding still. He groaned, and his body flexed as he came. Each thrust created a miniature aftershock of pleasure through my system until we finally fell still.

"Can you stand?"

I nodded.

Blake eased my legs down to the floor, and I shuddered as he pulled from my body. It amazed me how it felt like such an intrusion when we first started to just as big of a loss without him.

"That was amazing," I said, cupping his cheek and running my thumb over his sexy lips.

"Yes, it was." Grabbing my wrist, he kissed my palm and then linked our fingers. "Let's go get cleaned up. I want to do that again before anyone interrupts us," he smirked. "Those dicks are not cutting in on my time. Pun intended."

Laughing, we headed to the bathroom.

A couple of hours later, we shut off the lights, bodies sore in the best way possible, and curled up on the couch with the thick blanket covering us.

"I wish I could freeze this moment. Lock the door, board the windows, and frame us in like one of your paintings," Blake said, kissing the top of my head.

"I know what you mean." He held me tighter, and I closed my eyes, my lids heavy. "Do you think Theo and Liam sorted their issues out?"

"Don't know, but my guess is that they either killed one another or are doing the same thing we are."

How could two truths be accurate at the same time? That was what it felt like as my heart was happy, thinking they were repairing their relationship, and yet…I wanted Theo to be mine. From our conversation earlier, I knew that Liam would do whatever he could to push me out. I wasn't going to let that happen.

Maybe Liam was right…I really was the threat.