Chapter 20

20

W e don't waste any time hauling our asses back to the airport for the first flight home. Now that I've finally let go of the pub and embraced opening a brewery, I'm chomping at the bit to get started. It's the wee hours of the morning by the time we pull into the driveway of the Manor House, and after the trauma of the last few days, all I want to do is go down to the cottage and sleep.

"You said you were going to move back into the house," Henry says, snagging my arm as I turn toward the path.

"It's late. I'm exhausted. All my stuff is in the cottage."

He tips my chin up to him, studying my face. "Are you saying you need alone time or that you're too tired to move your things?"

"The latter." I cover my mouth to hide a yawn.

"Go in the house and get comfortable. We'll take care of it." I'm too tired to argue, so I just kiss his cheek and head inside, collapsing on the couch. I wake hours later, sunlight streaming through the window, the smell of bacon making my stomach grumble. I yawn and stretch, untwisting the blanket from my legs as I sit up.

"Morning, Freckles. "

Dylan is sitting in a chair opposite me, bathed in a golden glow, wearing sweats and a worn T-shirt. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"How could I not?" he asks, like there’s nowhere in the world he’d rather be.

I cover my face with my hands, hiding my smile under the guise of rubbing my eyes. Is this real? A real full-blown committed relationship? Times three? The girl inside me wants to squeal and kick her feet.

"Don't hide." Dylan peels my hands away from my face, framing my face, those expressive brown eyes drawing me in. He traces the edge of my lower lip with his thumb. "Jack came over this morning and talked with us."

I pull back, studying his face. "He what?"

Dylan grimaces. "First, he told us to 'never fucking do that to you again.' Then he told us we better run the pub to the same standards you did, that he wasn’t going to watch all of your hard work go down the drain. And third, since we're not bartering labor anymore, he said he’ll pay us if we agree to continue working on the castle."

"And what did the three of you say?"

"We agreed. Jack said that with the baby coming soon, he'll be stepping back and letting us finish. Which gives us a little more flexibility in scheduling."

"Well, that works out perfectly, doesn't it?" It feels so good to have all the pieces falling into place.

"It does, and it also gives us time to help you build out your brewery."

My heart jumps in my chest, something in me stirring, ready to create something new. "You guys would do that?"

"Of course we would, Isla."

"Breakfast is ready," Theo calls from the kitchen. "Someone go wake Henry up."

"I'll get him." I jump up, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders, and head to his room. I stop in the doorway, completely enamored with the dark curls falling over his forehead, the dark crescent of lashes against his cheek, the cleft in his chin. He reaches out the second my knee sinks into the bed, pulling me down against his body and burying his face in my hair.

"We should have moved your things into my room," he murmurs, sleep making his voice deliciously raspy. "We could wake up like this every morning."

A steady throb takes up residence between my legs as his hand sweeps over my stomach. There's just something about him. Raw need bound in flesh and bone. A real-life incubus that's impossible to resist. I bite back a gasp as he slides his hand over my breast, his groan like the burn of pure-grain alcohol, licking at my nerve endings.

"Breakfast is ready," I stammer.

"Give me thirty seconds to get you there, and then we can go down to eat."

"What?" I squeak, trying to turn in his arms. He holds me in place, tracing along my waistband with his fingers.

"Please, Isla." The growl of his voice has my legs opening. "That's my girl," he breathes, slipping his hand into my shorts and dragging his middle finger along my slit. I push my hips into his hand, need rising like a tsunami. He centers his fingers over my clit, rolling it under his fingertips.

"Oh god," I moan, arching my back, as he slides his other hand up to my tits.

"If it's my hands on you, you better be calling my name, Isla," he growls. He slides two fingers into me, pushing deep. "This has nothing to do with any god. It's me your pussy’s weeping for."

I choke back a sob as he works his fingers in me, the heel of his palm rocking back and forth over my clit. "Fuck, Henry," I moan, writhing against him, needing more. Needing all of him. I press my ass against his cock, desperate for him to be in me. I reach back, sliding my hand over him and squeezing.

"You're playing with fire, Red."

I twist in his arms and push him onto his back, scrambling up, sitting on his thighs, and pinning him to the bed. "What makes you think I don't like dancing in the flames?" I ask, flipping my hair to one side, holding his gaze as I plant my hands on either side of his hips and slowly lower my upper body. He pushes up on his elbows, watching me through hooded eyes. His muscles tense when there's only several inches between my mouth and his cock.

"You okay?" I ask.

"The second you take my cock in your mouth, there's no going back, Isla," he warns. "You'll be mine. Forever."

"I'm already yours," I murmur, sweeping my tongue over him, salt and musk and him bursting in my mouth. I feather my tongue over his frenulum, greedy for those small twitches, the way his hand clenches in the bedsheets. I open wide, taking him in as far as I can, my hand still wrapped around the base of his shaft, the head of his cock hitting the back of my throat. He's so fucking big. God. I hum my appreciation as I hollow my cheeks, sliding my lips up and down his shaft.

"Isla," he groans, his abs trembling. He wraps his hand in my hair, pulling me off his cock. "It's too much," he pants. "Seeing those green eyes sparkle while they bob over my cock–fuck, Isla."

"Breakfast. Now!" Theo yells from downstairs.

"Henry, please." I lick my lips, and he jerks me up his body, crushing his mouth to mine. I melt into him, rolling my hips over his cock, my body buzzing like a live wire. He drags his teeth over my bottom lips, sucking it into his mouth, sending pure unadultered lust coursing through my system.

The sound of someone clearing their throat at the doorway has both of us freezing.

"If you two don't come down and get your breakfast while it's hot, I'm never going to cook for you again," Theo says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Henry throws me to the end of the bed, hopping on one leg, then the other as he pulls on sweatpants. "I’m not taking a chance that he’s being serious," he says, kissing my cheek before jogging past Theo and pounding down the stairs.

"I take it your cooking is important to him," I laugh, climbing off the bed and straightening myself. Theo walks toward me, smoothing my hair and tucking it behind my ear.

"I really just wanted a second alone with you," he says, smiling. "Good morning, Sunflower."

"Good morning," I whisper, the intensity of his gaze causing shyness to creep in. He tugs me closer, angling my head, but I press my hand to his chest to stop him. "I was just–"

He backs me against the doorframe, pushing my chin up, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "I don't care what the fuck you were just doing, Isla." He gently circles my throat with his hand, holding me still while pressing his lips to mine. I scrape my nails over his scalp, pulling him closer, pushing my tongue into his mouth, meeting him stroke for stroke. He releases me a moment later, breathing hard, his gaze dark. "I can't wait for the day when I can wake up beside you and eat you for breakfast. But for now, we need to go eat before the food gets cold.”

Breakfast is stuffed French toast, sausage links, and fresh fruit. The guys gobble it down without even thinking about it, but I eat slowly, savoring every bite, slightly in awe of the fact that I have a man who wants to cook for me. I look around at all of them, realizing this may be the first day of the rest of our lives. If this goes well, if they stay, will they live here? Will we be sitting here sharing breakfast fifty years from now? Old and gray, a lifetime of memories between us?

"I'm claiming the first date," Henry says, gulping down the last of his orange juice. "If that's okay with you, sweetheart," he drawls, his wink doing unspeakable things to my body.

"But–" Dylan begins, blinking those big brown eyes.

"No buts. Isla and I haven't had any real time alone in a while."

Theo nods. "Henry’s right. Dylan, you can go next. I'll go last. Then our group dates can be over the weekends." He turns to me. "How does that sound to you?"

"Ah–" The sun cuts across his face, highlighting the slash of his cheekbones, the sharpness of his jaw. He arches an eyebrow, his gaze dropping to my lips. I sit up straight, clearing my throat. "Yes, that's fine." Logically, I know why I told them I wanted to wait a month until all four of us sleep together, but fuck is it going to be absolute torture. "So, what are we doing?" I ask Henry.

"I'd like to take you camping. Tomorrow night, if that works for you. It'll give us one more night to catch up on sleep."

"Speaking of sleep," Dylan says, leaning back in his chair, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Do you really want to sleep by yourself the nights you don't have dates?"

"I mean–maybe? I don't know yet. This is a first for me. Before you guys moved into the house, I had been living by myself for almost a year, and before that, Lach lived here, but he was only here in the evenings. What if I don't like sharing my space? What if it's too much?"

"Fair enough. We'll revisit the conversation after the masquerade party."

"About this party," Theo butts in. "Do we have to dress up?"

"You can, or if you'd rather, a tux and mask would be fine."

"A tux?" Henry asks, doubt flashing in his eyes.

I reach across the table and squeeze his hand. "It'll be fun, I promise. It's usually the highlight of my year." I push back from the table, gathering empty dishes. "Thank you for breakfast, Theo. I need to go shopping for the baby shower. Anyone want to come with me?" Dylan and Henry both look at Theo. I follow their gazes, my eyes connecting with Theo's, my toes curling against the flagstones of the patio. "How about it, Theo? I know how much you absolutely love shopping," I tease.

"I'll be happy if I'm with you, Sunflower." The simple sweetness of his words has a lump forming in my throat. I could get used to this.