45. Greedy

I'm pacing my dad's study when the text comes through.

This room offers the best view of the circle driveway. I need to be the first to know he's arrived.

This can't stand. Rage courses through me when I recall the way he casually dropped it on me at dinner.

Fucking bullshit.

My father knows I don't care for Magnolia.

Though he doesn't know the severity of my hatred, the depth of my ire.

Magnolia is the reason Hunter left. Hunter never confirmed it, but deep down, I've always known.

The night our parents "introduced" us and announced their engagement was the night everything changed. I stood in the middle of the foyer of a country club and witnessed her slipping out of my grasp.

We were young, and we were both scared, but I told her we'd figure it out. I promised her it would be okay, then she iced me out and left the damn country before I could prove I was a man of my word.

I'll be damned if I let the only woman I've ever loved be driven out of this house again because of my father's flighty, absentee wife.

With a long breath out, I unlock my phone and read the text.

Levi: Come up to my room. It's Hunter. I think she needs help.

His room?

But if Hunter needs me…

I stalk out of the study, slamming the door closed on my way out.

"Oh, Garrett!"

I ignore Magnolia. She's sitting in front of the television. Probably still struggling to figure out the remotes like she was when I retreated to the office. She's never stuck around long enough to figure out how to work the goddamn TV. This reappearance? It has the power to drive away the person who does belong here. The person I'm desperate to make stay.

I take the stairs two at a time, let myself into Levi's dark room, and close and lock the door.

Instinctively, I reach for the lights.

"Don't," he rasps from the bed.

I freeze, battling to keep calm as my eyes adjust to the dark. When I can make out the details of the room, I sweep my gaze over the two people in his bed.

Him and her. Her and him.

I fucking told him where things stood with Hunter. I fucking told him she was mine.

But I saw the way he touched her earlier. It was instinctive, like it was second nature to protect her. And I saw the way she looked at him.

I recognized that look. It's how she used to look at me, always.

It's how she still looks at me on the darkest nights.

Heart pounding in my chest, I approach the bed slowly, steeling myself for the possibility of what I'm about to bear witness to.

Moonlight shines in from the French doors that lead to our shared balcony. A sliver of light is visible under the bathroom door, too.

They're under the sheets. Together.

He's got both arms wrapped around her, holding her close to his bare chest.

She's draped over him the way she used to drape herself over me.

I fist my hands at my sides, choking back the hurt and betrayal.

Hunter's breathing is soft and steady, save for the occasional hiccup. It's hard to tell whether she's asleep or awake.

"Why the hell did you—"

"Greedy."

The quiver in her voice catches me off guard. It steals the words from my mouth and the air from my lungs.

Hunter peels herself off Levi and turns, reaching for me.

I react on instinct. Muscle memory. Heart recall.

Quickly, I shuck off my shirt and ditch my shoes. Then, silently, I climb into the bed on her other side.

"Greedy," she says again, shifting away from Levi, toward me.

I slot in place behind her and wrap my arms around her as best as I can. She squirms and burrows, like she can't get close enough.

When she finds a comfortable position, she lets out a shuddering breath. "My mom is here."

Her voice doesn't even sound like her own.

"I know, Tem. I'm so sorry." I tentatively pet her hair, bumping arms with Levi as we struggle to comfort her between us.

"I had dinner with my dad. He told me then," I explain. "I tried to call but couldn't get a hold of you. I rushed home as fast as I could."

"It's not your fault." She sniffs and shrinks back in on herself.

Except it is.

I can't ever get to her fast enough to warn her. To protect her. To be what she needs when she needs it. I've never been enough.

"What can I do for you?" I plead. It's agony to be this close, yet to not know how to help.

Does she need space? More time? If she asked me to physically remove her mother from the premises, I'd do it without a second thought. I'll do anything to take her pain away. Anything to make her stay.

"Just hold me," she breathes. "Hold me like the other nights."

The other nights.

The nights in my bed we don't speak of.

I look over to Levi, who's watching us silently, a frown tugging at his lips, then focus on Hunter again.

"Are you asking me to take you to my room?" I hedge.

She shakes her head a fraction. "I want to be with Levi."

The declaration slices through me like a knife. I fight back the urge to argue, to scream and rage. It was never supposed to be her and him.

It was always supposed to be her and me.

I exhale, focusing on keeping my breathing steady. Then, as calmly as I'm capable, I peel back the sheets and sit upright. "Okay. I'll go. If he's what you want—"

"Don't leave." She clutches my hand. "Greedy, please."

So she doesn't want to leave him and go to my room.

But she doesn't want me to leave either. I don't know what she thinks is going to happen—

"Stay."

"In here?"

"Yes. Greedy. Please stay with me. With us."

She's a shell of herself right now. I can't deny her. If she wants me to stay…

I glance back at Levi to gauge his reaction. This is his room, after all. His bed. His woman, if my suspicions are correct.

He nods hastily, shifting back and pulling Hunter to the middle of the mattress.

This time when I lie down, I situate myself as close as I can physically get. Not caring that we've already made a tangled mess out of the comforter and sheets, I hitch one leg over top of hers.

Chest aching, I seek out her soft skin, burrowing under the oversized button-down shirt she's wearing.

This isn't the first time she's let me hold her since she came back to me. Though it is the first time she's verbalized exactly what she wanted, and it's the first time she's told me she wants me.

"You're okay, Tem," I assure her, stroking one hand up and down her spine to soothe her. "I'll stay in here for as long as you need me."

She snuggles closer, like she's desperate to crawl into my skin and take up residence between the layers of tissue and muscle.

The same yearning that's always there when I'm in close proximity to her percolates deep in my gut. I ignore it and focus entirely on her comfort.

I smooth the hair away from her face. Then, without thinking, I bend low and kiss her forehead.

She leans into it, so I keep my lips pressed to her skin. When she exhales, her warm breath wraps around my neck and inspires goose bumps along my spine.

I freeze, willing my body to relax and begging my cock to stand the fuck down.

Her breath hitches in response to my subtle reaction.

It's just the proximity, I remind myself.

It's impossible for me to be near her—for me to fucking hold her this closely—and not physically react. She's nestled too deeply in my heart. My body remembers her too well.

The weight of Levi's arm is heavy on her hip. He keeps his face hidden in her hair, spooning her from behind.

When she inhales, it's with a shuddering breath. Then on the exhale, her hips hitch forward, and she presses into my crotch.

With a hiss, I pull back a fraction. Then I trace one hand down her spine and around her front, digging into the soft flesh stretched over her hip with a warning squeeze.

In response, she rolls her hips forward again. When she rolls them back, Levi groans.

"Distract me."

Distract her?

With pleasure.

There is no question that I'll obey her request. Every part of me is programmed to please her. She was my everything once. I'll do anything in my power to remind her of how good it can be when we're together.

"Say it again," I tell her, my lips brushing over her forehead.

She smacks my bare chest, the sound of the slap reverberating through the room.

"I'm serious, Hunter. Say it again. And tell me you're not going to regret it tomorrow."

"I want you," she says. "Both of you. Distract me." Then, softer, she adds, "I want to forget. I want to not think about what happened tonight. Or what happened back then."

Back then?

She doesn't offer any more context.

"Please, Greedy. Make me feel good."

My name on her lips is what does it. With a growl, I snap. Capturing her mouth with mine, I give her the first real fucking kiss she's allowed me to give in over three years.

She's sweet, just like I remembered. But the layer of sorrow beneath that taste is salty on my tongue.

I groan, desperate, wanting more, more, more. Our mouths battle for dominance, each one of us craving a different type of fulfillment from the contact.

She wants to forget. All I want to do is make her remember.

With her jaw cupped in my hand, I hold her mouth open and kiss her harshly. "You want me to make you feel good?" I ask, panting.

She nods frantically. Her eagerness fuels me.

I straddle her, one leg bumping Levi's. I'm too gone for this woman to care. I hover over her as I pepper her neck with kisses. Nipping at her ear, I tell her, "I'm about to remind you of exactly how good this can be."

She squirms beneath me, and I kiss her again. I have to. If she's finally willing to give, then I'm going to take and take and take without shame.

I need more of her. I want all of her.

We're a ravenous battle of teeth and tongues, repressed wants and desperate needs.

It takes all my strength to break the connection. I'd kiss her senseless all damn night if she wasn't demanding more. When I finally pull back, her eyes are hazy. A million memories take center stage in my mind as she holds my gaze and lets me in.

Every one plays out before me. Little moments I've almost forgotten. Big, life-changing moments I forced myself to not dwell on over the last three years.

I never gave up on us. I was giving her the fucking space she wanted.

Now she's here. She's here and she says she needs me.

Moving to my knees, I glance at Levi. "Get her undressed."

"Gladly," he replies without hesitation.

Hunter is sprawled out between us, propped up on her elbows and being supported by Levi from behind.

Levi starts at the top. He unbuttons her oversized shirt with slow, deliberate movements.

I follow the path he's making for me, kissing and suckling every inch of skin he exposes.

She's bucking off the bed by the time I've reached her tummy. God, I missed the taste of her. The feel of her. The responsiveness and the way my body instinctively remembers exactly where to touch her and how to make her see stars.

I'm going to distract her so well she won't be able to think about anything else for the rest of the night.

Once her shirt's completely undone, I situate myself between her thighs.

"You know how long I've waited for this?"

She bites her bottom lip, her breath shuddering as she takes me in.

I trail one finger from her sternum down through her cleavage. Over the curve of her waist. Dipping into her belly button. I stop at the top of her pubic bone.

"Three years," I tell her.

Three years, four months, and eight days, to be precise. I keep the exact count to myself, unwilling to distract her and concerned that admitting how deep my devotion runs will scare her off.

"That's how long I've waited for you."

I rest my hand on her pubic bone, cupping her through her panties, then I dig the heel of my hand up against her clit.

"Fuck," she hisses in response.

"Remember that long weekend at the cabin? When I got you off by sucking on your perfect nipples and grinding my knuckles against your clit?"

"Greedy," she whines, bucking her hips.

"I know, baby. I know." I push open the panels of the button-down shirt, revealing generous mounds of supple flesh.

Fuck. I missed these tits.

Her chest is splotchy and red, from crying or from arousal. Maybe both. Her nipples are dusty pink and peaked already. They're even more beautiful now than I remember.

Bending low, I suck one nipple into my mouth, then catch the tip between my teeth and flick my tongue back and forth.

I look over to Levi, locking eyes with him as I ravish Hunter's breast.

"Suck on her other tit," I murmur, my lips brushing against her flesh.

Hunter whimpers at the loss of my mouth, clawing at my head to get me back where she wants me.

"Just wait until you see how she fucking unravels."

Levi does as he's told, taking a generous portion of her breast into his mouth.

The second he suckles on her sensitive peak, Hunter gasps and practically flies off the bed. Her back arches, and her hips crash into my pelvis with fervor.

We ravish her like that, licking and sucking, until she's a whimpering, writhing mess.

She snakes a hand between our bodies, but before she can slip it into her panties, I snag it and place it back on the mattress by her head.

"Don't even think about it," I grit out. "You made me wait three years for a taste of your perfect pussy. I'll be damned if I'm not the first one to get to touch it now."

I shift back on my knees, peeling away her panties and tossing them off the bed.

"Kiss her," I tell Levi. I know damn well she'll love the feel of his tongue in her mouth and his teeth scraping along her neck while I fuck her with my tongue.

I inhale and close my eyes as her scent envelops me. It's so heady I swear I almost come in my pants.

The first stroke of my tongue is soft, reverent. I savor every centimeter of her as I reacquaint myself with the folds of her pussy.

Hunter's already writhing, gyrating her hips and finding a rhythm. Trying to take control.

But I'm not playing nice. I'm going to take her to the edge, then pull back until she's begging for my return. I fully intend to take my time with her. I'll distract her for hours if needed.

"She needs more," Levi grunts, panting from exertion.

"I fucking know what she needs." I suck hard on her clit for emphasis. How he knows is a question for another time. "Right now, she's going to take what I fucking give her."

Despite my declaration, I double down. I suck and flick her clit in rapid succession, then slip two fingers into her pussy.

Her inner walls grip me, and my cock weeps with want. I channel all my desire into building her up, driving her higher and higher.

Hunter's nails dig into my skull, the contact searing into a secret I've kept safe for nearly three years. That connection spurs me on like nothing else can. Her fingers in my hair. Her eyes wide and wanton when I peek up from between her thighs.

Fuck edging. I'm going to make her come so hard she blacks out.

"She's close," I tell Levi. He's not the only one in this bed who knows exactly what she fucking needs.

With a finger pressed to her G-spot, I splay my other hand low on her belly and press down. I suck her clit so hard she shrieks, and I don't relent until her needy cunt milks my hand.

She's a mess of groans and praise, reaching for me and Levi both as she rides out the spasms of her climax.

I've barely caught my breath when she clutches my arms and tugs on me desperately, guiding me up.

"What do you need?" I hover over her as she arches her back and whimpers.

Her eyes have that hazy lust-drunk glaze to them still. I'll make her come over and over again all night long if this is the distraction she craves.

"I want to feel you," she begs, slipping her hand down the front of my pants and giving my cock a tentative stroke.

Fuck. I almost lose it right then and there. I haven't felt her touch in three long years, and it's even better than I remember.

"I want to feel both of you. At the same time."

Chest heaving with exertion and need, I look at Levi. We've been best friends for years, but we've never done even close to what Hunter's asking for right now.

I'm not opposed. In fact, I'm deliriously turned on and dick-drunk with desire. But it's Levi's choice.

"I'm down if you are." He cocks one eyebrow in question.

With a nod, I hastily shove off my pants. Levi does the same. Then I roll to my side and selfishly pull Hunter to face me. "How do you want us?"

"Any way I can have you," she whimpers, her breath hot on my skin.

I slam my mouth into hers and roll my hips. She's slick with her own cum, which makes her thighs feel like satin when I notch between them.

When something rubs against the length of my shaft, I bite out a curse.

"Fuck," I groan as Levi's cock nudges mine. He's right there—right fucking there—and I'm not sure I've ever felt arousal lick up my balls like it's doing now.

"Wait," Hunter whispers.

Levi and I both freeze. My heart pounds so fiercely I can barely hear her over the blood roaring in my ears.

"I'm on the pill, but don't come inside me."

I grit my teeth and nod. "I don't think we'll both fit…"

Hunter bites down on her bottom lip. "Have you seen Duke's dick in action? You definitely won't both fit."

"Brat," I snarl. I can't help but smile. There's a spark to her now that didn't exist moments ago. If this is what she wants, if this is what she needs to bring her back to life…

"Use me. Fill me up. I want to feel you both."

She slips her hand between us and guides my cock to her entrance. I hold my breath, nostalgia and desire warring inside me at the prospect of this homecoming, and give her just the tip. I hold steady, savoring the sensation.

Her.

Me.

Home.

She shifts again, reaching between her legs, and guides Levi to one side of my cock.

His crown nudges my balls while the warmth of Hunter's cunt engulfs me.

I've never felt the tingles of an orgasm start up faster in my life.

After just a few shallow thrusts, I pull out with a curse.

"You feel like heaven, Tem. Pure fucking heaven."

I press my forehead into hers, willing her to feel the depth of emotion welling inside me.

Levi takes over, lifting Hunter's top leg and notching into her pussy from behind.

"Fuck, Daisy. You take me so well, pretty girl."

He doesn't last long either. The hot, wet tip of his cock brushes mine as he retreats.

When I'm not inside her, I rub her clit. When Levi's not buried deep, he sucks on her neck and toys with her nipples. We fuck like that, our bodies in charge, seeking a chaotic rhythm, for what feels like hours.

Hunter unravels for us once, twice, and then a third time.

When it happens a fourth time, I'm buried deep inside her. The way her pussy chokes my cock is too much. I keep my thumb pressed to her clit but quickly pull out like she wanted.

"I'm gonna come," I declare.

"Thank fuck," Levi snarls.

Hunter is so wrapped up in her release that she's in her own world.

We rut between her thighs in rhythm. Each brush of his cock against mine feels like a vise grip around my balls.

Levi and I are on the precipice, chasing our respective orgasms, and using Hunter—and each other—to get there.

Instinct takes over, and I reach beyond my girl to grip Levi's head. Surprised by my own actions, I hold on tight, my fingers tangled in his hair, and sweep my tongue into Hunter's mouth.

My core tightens, and Levi moans behind us.

I don't know who let's go first, but that first jet of cum covers us both, and an explosion of warmth coats my cock as my orgasm tears through my body.

We're a mess of pants and moans, slickness and warmth.

We slow our thrusts as we come down. Hunter whimpers every few seconds as she fights to keep her eyes open.

"Sleep, Tem," I tell her, kissing the tip of her nose. "I'll clean you up once I get feeling back in my legs."

"I'll be right here, Daisy," Levi promises from behind her. "I've got you."

"We've got you," I correct.

"And we're not going anywhere," Levi adds.