Chapter Six

Anika

“Ready to be home?” Rowan asks as we pull out of the airport parking lot towards the house.

“Uh… I’m ready for tamales,” I grin at him.

“Mia and Emma are meeting us at your house,” Max says.

“Why don’t you just move in with us, Max? We all know you’ll be at the house every night anyway,” Rowan says.

“Oh hey, then I can get double cuddles every night,” I say as I turn back to Max and grin at him.

“Well, when you put it that way, I’m sold,” Max returns my smile.

“Cool, because your house is creepy,” I tell him.

“You only say that because it’s in the woods,” he laughs.

“Yeah, It’s weird,” I laugh.

When we get to the house we get everything inside and I go to the room to change clothes. I feel like wearing something that looks happy and bright today, so I chose a pastel floral print sundress. Lucky for me, I can wear this one without a bra and not show an excessive amount of cleavage. I strip down to just my underwear and slip the dress on. Once I have everything adjusted, I turn back to the door to find Rowan and Max behind me. I scream, not knowing they were there.

“Oh, my God. You can’t be sneaking up on me like that,” I pant. Both men laugh heartily at their unintentional jump scare as they stalk closer to me.

“My sweet Nika. Don’t you know I like when you wear dresses?” Max says as he pulls my dress up to my waist. “I get to fuck you anywhere I want.”

“Fuck, I love wearing dresses around you,” I sigh as he pushes my underwear down my thighs before they drop to my feet. I don’t get a chance to step out of them before Max spins me around and bends me over the bed. With a groan, he pushes his cock into me. My breath hitches as he suddenly pulls out and slams into me with such force that he pushes my body into the bed. Max squeezes my hips and pounds into me. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck” I chant as he fucks me. My moans and curses consume me, I keep forgetting to take in enough oxygen.

“My dirty little girl loves to get fucked rough?,” Max grunts.

“Oh fuck, Max. I’m going to come,” I yell.

“Be a good little slut and come on my cock, Nika,” he growls. My orgasm explodes around him and he shutters when he drains himself inside of me with a groan. Max promptly stands me up, spins me around, and pushes me back on the bed with my dress around my waist.

I kick off my underwear finally as Rowan pulls me to the end of the bed. When he rests my legs on his shoulders, my ass is hardly on the bed.

Rowan hisses as he too slams his full length into me. “Fuck, I love the way your pussy grips me, Anika.”

I gasp and groan as he savagely fucks me. He is pounding into a spot that makes my toes curl and my legs shake. He rubs my clit while he makes me scream from his touch. I hear the front door open, and I cover my mouth. Max leaves the room and shuts the door behind him as Rowan is still fucking me into oblivion. I continue to moan against my hand but when Rowan pinches my clit, I slap my other hand over my mouth and scream as another orgasm rips through me. I involuntarily lift my hips off the bed and tilt my head back as much as I can manage as the orgasm continues to take over me. With one final eye-watering thrust, Rowan explodes inside of me, draining himself.

He sits me up on the bed and kisses me. I am dizzy and delirious from the brutality that they just inflicted on my now extremely satisfied pussy.

“Get cleaned up so we can go,” Rowan says with a smirk.

“Rowan, I don’t know If I can walk right now,” I say, dazed. He chuckles and pulls me up to stand.

“Go on,” he says as he swats my ass. I yelp at the sting it leaves behind. “No panties. I want access to my sweet cunt.”

“You would not,” I gasp.

“Try me,” he challenges me.

“I… I’m going to go get cleaned up,” I laugh.

“Good girl,” he says, kissing me.

I go to the bathroom and clean up before going to the living room to meet up with everyone. When I step into the room, everyone turns and looks at me.

“Awe. Guys. She looks all worn out now,” Mia whines as she hugs me.

“I feel like that was a planned attack,” I say and Rowan winks at me.

“You smell like sex,” she says in a hushed tone and giggles.

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” I ask.

“It’s not a bad thing it’s like…” she pauses to think of a word.

“Hormones running wild. That’s what it smells like,” Emma says.

“ Oh shit! ” I gasp loudly, promptly turn on my heels, and race to the bedroom. I go to my bag and pull out my birth control to confirm what I already know.

“What’s wrong?” Rowan asks as they all follow me.

“How the fuck did I forget? I never forget. That was so stupid. What the fuck is wrong with me?” I say to myself as I start to pace.

“Anika, what’s wrong?” Rowan stops me.

“I haven’t taken my birth control in four fucking days,” I say, panicked.

“Hey. Hey. Hey. Relax. It’s okay,” he says cupping my face. Max is beside me now rubbing my back.

“That means I could be… oh dear God. I can’t be…”

“Nika, baby. Relax. Don’t stress yourself out about it. Just go take it like normal and take a test in two weeks. If you are, we will handle it. Okay?” Max says softly.

“That’s one way to not have to donate a kidney,” Emma laughs.

“Aunt Mia sounds nice,” Mia grins.

“I’m going to punch both of you in the face,” I frown. “Screw a gender reveal. I’d need a baby daddy reveal,”

“Is that what bothers you? Genetics?” Rowan asks.

“Yeah,” I sigh.

“Listen. If you are pregnant, we will both take care of you and our child. We will both take on that responsibility. The opinion of your family doesn’t matter. My mom would be elated even if we brought her an alien grandbaby. Max’s parents will be thrilled as well. Mia and Emma will be aunts regardless of whose kid it is genetically. It’s not a big deal and we don’t even know if you are or not. So, take a deep breath and let’s go see my mom,” Rowan says before kissing me. I let myself relax.

“Alright,” I sigh.

Max kisses me next before we get ready and leave the house. I stay lost in thought on the way to Maria’s house.

They both would make wonderful fathers. I don’t know if I would be a good mother though. I don’t know what a good mother should be. I don’t want to be like mine was to me or even Harper. I want my child to grow up to be kind and compassionate. I don’t want them to be traumatized. I want them to want to spend time with me. I don’t care who the biological father is, as long as they are healthy. I’m sitting here thinking as though I am. If I’m not, will I be disappointed?

We get to Maria’s house and she pushes past everyone to hug me first.

“Oh, sweet girl! It’s so good to see you,” she says before kissing my cheek.

“It’s good to see you too, Maria,” I smile sweetly.

“You look different. I like it,” she says as she takes my hand and pulls me inside.

“She’s just tired. They’ve had a rough morning,” Mia says and Emma giggles.

“Have you really or is she being dirty?” Maria asks me.

“She’s being dirty,” I laugh.

“Hmm,” Maria says as she looks me over.

“Mom, don’t be weird, please,” Rowan says, kissing her cheek.

“I don’t care about your sex life, son. I’m just trying to figure out why she looks different,” she says with a smile. Rowan sighs and shakes his head.

“You’d be shocked if you did care,” Mia comments as she steals a tortilla chip from the bowl on the counter.

“What does she mean?” Maria asks as she turns to the stove.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rowan says. “Everything smells great.”

“Don’t distract me with compliments, Rowan,” Maria scolds him and Mia giggles quietly. I glare at her and Maria catches me. “I know you won’t lie to me. What is he hiding?”

“Oh, don’t do that to me, Maria,” I sigh.

“Mom, don’t worry about it,” Rowan says. Max nudges me and winks, making me smile.

“Y’all are a bunch of prudes,” Emma says, shaking her head. “She’s in a relationship with both of them.”

“Oh! Well, that makes sense on why she looks tired,” Maria shrugs.

“Jesus, Mom,” Rowan laughs.

“Really?” I ask Emma.

“What? She’s going to find out in two weeks anyway,” Emma says defensively.

“What’s in two weeks?” Maria asks.

“Emma, could you not? You’re going to make her panic,” Max sighs.

“I’m fine,” I tell him.

“Anika, what’s in two weeks?” Maria asks me and I sigh.

“I forgot to take my birth control for four days,” I say simply.

“That’s it!” She says happily and cups my face. “You might be pregnant,” she says happily.

“Mom, stop. You’re going to make her pass out,” Rowan says as he pulls me from his Mom and wraps his arm around my waist.

“What? She’ll make a wonderful mother,” Maria says as she turns to stack tamales on a plate. I am off in another world until she mentions me being a good mother. Everyone is talking, but I can’t hear them.

“No, I won’t,” I say quietly. Everyone turns and looks at me. “I wouldn’t be a good mother.”

“Nika,” Max says. “You would make an amazing mother.”

“How? Not like I was ever given a good example of one.”

“Neither was I, but I think I did decently well,” Maria says as she continues to stack tamales onto a plate. “The ones who worry the most make the greatest parents. It shows that you’d do anything for your kid. Bad parents call themselves good parents, but good parents often think they’re bad parents.”

“That’s comforting,” I say.

“I hope it’s a girl,” Mia chimes in.

“For Anika’s sake, I hope it is too,” Maria laughs.

“How come?” I ask.

“You don’t want a mini version of either of them. I promise,” Maria says and Emma laughs.

“She’s right. They were little shits together as kids,” Emma says.

“Mhmm. Enough pregnancy talk. I could be wrong. Let’s eat!” Maria says as she hands Rowan two plates that are overflowing with Tamales. “Take this outside to the back deck, please. Max, grab some plates. Me and Anika will bring out everything else.”

“Mom,” Rowan sighs at her .

“Hush and let me talk to my daughter-in-law without you two lurking.”

“Alright,” he says before kissing me and walking off with the food. Max grabs plates and kisses me before going outside with Mia and Emma in tow.

“How are you doing, sweetie?” Maria asks me.

“Uh, honestly? I don’t know. I apparently have PTSD from my childhood. I don’t know how to process that,” I say.

“Rowan told me about how your dad assaulted you,” she says.

“Attempted, but yes.”

“What did he do?” she asks me.

“Uh… There was lots of touching. He mostly just touched me but he did force me to… basically just everything but actual sex,” I say.

“It may be attempted rape, but it's still sexual assault, Anika,” she says softly. “Did Rowan ever tell you about who his father is?”

“No. All he’s said is that you raised him and his dad is white,” I say. She turns to face me, and I hear everyone at the sliding glass door behind me.

“I was taken away from my parents at twelve because they beat me into a four-day-long coma. I was sent here to be in foster care. When I was sixteen, an older boy I went to school with raped me and I got pregnant with Rowan. The foster family I was living with was this sweet, older Mexican couple. They let me stay with them when I had him and helped me survive. They didn’t have much, but they still cared. I was so concerned that somehow Rowan would end up like his father. They told me that the only thing I could do was love him as much as I could and be kind to myself.

“Rowan met Max when he started school and I watched them grow into the kindest people I’ve ever known. Together they were a nightmare on my fridge but they never hurt anyone. Rowan never turned into his father. I was so worried about being a bad mother when all I needed to do was just love him the way I wish someone had loved me. Anika, when you have children, all you need to do is love them and do your best. You have so many people around you that will help you love them.”

I have tears gently rolling down my face that she wipes away before hugging me tightly. “I’m sorry you went through that,” I say.

“I’m not. If it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have Rowan. Just like without your parents being pieces of shit, you might not have started that internship. You may have gone a completely different route in life. We can be mad for our younger self but we can’t go back and save her the pain. Just keep pushing forward and do whatever you have to do to be happy.”

“You did a good job raising Rowan,” I smile.

“He’s okay,” she laughs. “But he’s yours to raise now.” I laugh with her and Rowan comes over and hugs both of us.

“Let’s go before Max eats all the food,” he says. Maria laughs and we take the rest of the food outside. Before I step out, Rowan catches me and cups my face. “Don’t overthink it until you get a positive test, but no matter what, you are not your parents, and you never will be. The three of us will raise amazing and kind children and you will heal.” I lean in and kiss Rowan as if no one is watching. He wraps me in a tight hug. He lifts me from the ground and makes me giggle.

“Let’s eat,” I smile.

Rowan sets me down and we go out and sit with the others. I take my first bite and groan.

“Good?” Maria asks with a smile.

“So good,” I laugh.

We all talk and laugh as we eat. What looked like a ton of food ended up being the perfect amount for everyone. By the time we are finished eating, I am stuffed.

We are laughing and joking about how much Max ate when my phone rings. My hair stands on end when I see it is Isaac. “Fuck,” I whisper.

“Who is it?” Rowan asks.

“It’s Isaac,” I mumble and show him my screen.

“Answer it on speaker,” Emma says as she jumps into lawyer mode.

“Hello?” I answer with a sigh.

“Hello, Anika,” Isaac says curtly.

“What do you want?”

“Just making sure you are coming to the hearing,” he says simply.

“What I do is none of y’all’s business,” I say.

“It is if it risks my fiancé getting her kidney,” Isaac says.

“I’m not doing this with you. I am with my family and I don’t have time to entertain you,” I say.

“Your family? Rowan’s mom is not your family,” Isaac says.

“How the fuck do you know where I am?” I ask as I sit up in my chair and look at Rowan.

“You never were aware of your surroundings, Nika ,” he says mockingly.

“Don’t fucking call me that,” I snap.

“You know, someone could kidnap you and you wouldn’t know any difference until it was too late,” he says with an air of violence in his tone.

“Are you threatening me?” I ask as I stand up from the table and go inside. I leave everyone behind as I race through to the front door.

When I step out I see Isaac leaning against Rowan’s truck. I drop my phone and race down to confront him. “ What the fuck is wrong with you ?” I yell at him.

“Nice to see you too, sweetie,” Isaac chuckles.

“Go away and stop fucking following me,” I seethe.

“We will get our way, Anika,” Isaac says calmly. Something inside of me snaps and all of the anger I’ve been fighting off floods out.

“ I hope you both die, ” I scream at him and shove him backward. Isaac swiftly catches my wrist with one hand and wraps his hand around my throat before pulling me to be nose to nose with him.

“She will get her kidney no matter if you survive or not. Don’t make us have to do this the hard way,” Isaac growls then shoves me to the ground before turning and getting into Harper’s BMW. I am completely stunned. I knew he’d put his hands on me but threaten to kill me?

Max and Rowan get to me as soon as he drives off and I am completely disconnected from reality.I can hear them talking to me but I’m not processing it. Max scoops me up off the driveway and sits me on the tailgate of the truck.

“Nika, I need you to say something,” Max says as he cups my face. I can’t pull myself out of this mess inside my head. I can’t even make myself look at him or move.

“Baby, please say something,” Rowan pleads. I scream inside of my head but nothing is coming out. It’s as if I am frozen.

“Mom, I don’t know what to do,” Rowan says to Maria.

“Take her home and call the psychiatrist,” she says softly. “She’s disassociated and needs to be somewhere familiar. She needs time.”

“Go,” Emma says. “I’ll have him meet you at your house. We will be right behind you.

“Fuck. Don’t call Theo. He will think I’m crazy. I’m not crazy,” I yell inside my head.

Rowan scoops me up and puts me in the back seat where Max pulls me into his lap. Everything is a blur as we drive to the house. Max keeps me snuggled against his chest and I stay disassociated.

We pull into the driveway and Rowan scoops me up again to take me inside. I hear other voices when Rowan sits me on the couch next to Max. Rowan takes a seat and I sense someone is sitting on the coffee table in front of me.

“Anika, I’m not going to make you talk but I need you to nod if you can hear me,” Theo says, and I nod. “Okay, good. Did he say something to scare you?” he asks, and I nod again.

“Did he put his hands on you?” Rowan asks. I nod and sniff back tears.

“I need to know what happened, Anika,” Theo says softly.

“I got mad and said I hope they both die then pushed him,” I say quietly. I tell him word for word what Isaac said before throwing me to the ground. My voice is so quiet but I can’t force it any louder or even look up at anyone.

“We need to call the police,” Mia says.

“It won’t matter,” I whisper.

“What do you think caused you to disassociate like that?” he asks.

“I was scared. I could hear everyone, I just felt frozen. I couldn’t make myself talk or move,” I say, still looking at my hands.

“Why did that change once you knew I was here?” he asks. I don’t say anything because it’s going to come out rude. “Can I guess?” he asks and I nod. “You are afraid that if you don’t talk to me then I’ll do what your parents threatened to do and that fear overrode that trigger.”

“Yeah,” I whisper.

“I’d rather that you do talk to me but I’m not going to lock you up because you are scared or triggered. It happens and it will happen again one day. The point of you seeing me is so that you learn how to cope as all of this gets dragged up,” he says.

“I’m sorry,” I say, sniffling.

“Why?”

“I… don’t know. I shouldn’t have gone down there,” I say.

“Anika, your ex followed you to your husband’s mother’s house. You were being protective of them,” Theo points out.

“It was dumb,” I admit.

“Maybe, but everyone here would do the same thing if faced with that situation,” he says. “Anika, look at me please.” I huff and look up at him.

“Why can’t they just leave me alone?” I ask.

“Because some people hate not being in control. When you married Rowan, you took control of your life and they are not used to you doing that,” Theo says.

“I just got lost in my head. I need my brain to be quiet,” I say.

“Why don’t you go to…” Mia starts to say but I shake my head and cut her off.

“We’re not talking about that,” I snip. Max, Rowan, and Theo chuckle as they know why I shut her down.

“What am I missing?” Mia asks.

“Nothing,” I say quickly. She narrows her eyes at me. “Mia, I’ll tell you later.”

“Why? He will find out sooner or later that you…” she starts to say.

“Jesus. He was there Saturday with his wife, Mia,” I huff.

“Ohhhh. Gotcha. What’s so bad about him hearing you get railed? That’s literally the most normal place to hear something like that,” Mia says.

“Please stop,” I sigh. Theo, Rowan, and Max exchange a look for a moment before looking back to me.

“Where is Annie?” Theo asks Emma.

“She’s on the porch on the phone with the pharmacy,” Emma says.

“Can you tell her to come here when she’s done?” he asks and Emma nods, then goes outside. Theo turns back to me and looks me over for a moment.

“What?” I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

“First, I’d like to put you on anxiety medication. I’ll start you off at a low dose and go from there,” he says.

“Okay. That’s fine,” I say.

“Also… We are all going to have a conversation about Saturday,” Theo says.

“No,” I say firmly and go to stand.

“Nika. Sit,” Max says in a familiarly dominant tone.

“No,” I huff and go to step past him. He stands and blocks me and I take a step back from him only to run into Rowan.

“He will not step in and save you from what I will do if you do not sit down and stop being a brat about this,” Max says at a low rumble.

“Whatever.” I roll my eyes and go to walk away when Max grabs the back of my neck, pushes my chin up with his thumb so that I look at him, then pulls me against his chest. I whimper at the sudden rush of arousal that this brings.

“Do you really want to challenge me right now, Anika?” Max growls.

“Ooo. He used her government name,” Mia giggles.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say, holding my ground.

“You either obey or everyone in this room is going to find out exactly what we did to you Saturday,” he threatens.

“You wouldn’t do that,” I challenge him with a smile.

“Little girl, I will put you in my car and drive you there myself,” Max says as he squeezes the back of my neck and makes me whimper again. “You have three seconds before I pick your sexy little ass up and take you to that club. 3… 2…”

“Fine,” I huff. Yeah, I am not sitting down.

“Good girl. Sit down,” he says as he lets go of me and sits back down on the couch. I know I’m going to regret this, but I do it anyway. Max sees it on my face right before I jump past him before he or Rowan can grab me and move to the other side of the couch. “Anika Noelle,” Max scolds me. I let a giggle slip past me and back away.

“How did I know she’d do that?” Theo laughs.

“I definitely saw that coming,” Mia says as she joins his laughter.

“Is this funny to you Anika?” Rowan asks.

I have not seen Rowan’s dominant side yet but I have a feeling it’s about to come out and play. I don’t push Max often either so it always catches me off guard when he looks at me like he wants to devour me. Rowan has a similar look on his face right now.

“Is it too late to go sit down?” I ask.

“It’s way too late for that, Anika,” Rowan says as he and Max slowly walk towards me. I continue to back myself up. From where I am, I can go upstairs or out of the front door. I could keep going down the hallway but then we’d end up in the bedroom where there would be a one hundred percent chance they would relentlessly fuck me. Truth be told, I want them to. I don’t even care that Theo is here. I need an escape, but I also feel like Theo is definitely going to press me to talk about why I am reacting this way.

“Annie, stay in front of the door please,” Theo says. He is looking at me in a way that tells me that I need to diffuse this situation.

“Emma, you’ve been Theo’s sub before. Right?” Rowan asks, watching me.

“No. Rowan,” I say with anxiety in my voice.

“You see… We had a conversation with Theo, Emma, and Mia. We have all come to realize that you are the most responsive when you are being dominated. The only time you easily see past the trauma and process it without hesitance is when you are at that club. Work may be your sanctuary, but that club is your therapy and has been since the day you met Max. We tried to do this by just talking but you willingly put yourself in a position where you knew we’d come after you because that is where you are most comfortable,” Rowan says.

“What do you mean?” I ask in a small voice as I continue to back away.

“It means that every time you act like a brat with Theo, you will be punished by one or all of us,” Max says.

“And what about this punishment?” I ask. I glance at Theo and when I see him stand up, I have my answer. “Oh shit,” I say as I turn on my heels and run up the stairs.

I don’t get more than four steps up before Max grabs a fistful of my hair by the root and pulls me backward. When I’m close enough to him, he spins me around. Theo then wraps his hand around my throat and gently pushes me back against the wall.

“Why are you acting like this Anika?” Theo asks softly. His voice is gentle, but his body language is anything but. For some reason, this makes me weak in the knees and I don’t know how to process that.

“You have a wife,” I say in a quiet voice.

“Yeah, and she has a boyfriend,” he says with a smirk. They are poly. That’s my luck; I find a psychiatrist who can help me but he’s a poly dom and is looking at me like he’s going to bend me over these stairs and fuck me until I tell him all of my deep dark secrets.

“Oh,” I whisper.

“I don’t like repeating myself, Anika,” he says still in that same gentle voice. I grit my teeth and sigh. Every single part of me wants to fight against him and see how far I can push him until he breaks. Why, though? When I still don’t answer he tightens his hold on my throat and I unintentionally whimper .

Fuck, this is hot. Why does this turn me on? I wonder if Dr. Dom knows why my body begs to be fucked when Rowan and Max dominate me. I guess he falls into this also because my body is trying to trick me into continuing my fight so that he will fuck me. I can see it in the way he is looking at me, but he is showing an incredible level of self-control right now.

“Do you want to find out why I told you not to wear any panties with that dress?” Rowan asks.

“Fine. Jesus Christ, It’s just because I am self-conscious. Okay? Happy?” I say to Theo with an attitude. Theo moves his hands to either side of me, boxing me in.

“Why do you think you are self-conscious?’ he asks.

“I don’t think this is how a psychiatrist should act,” I say in an apprehensive tone.

“And I don’t think this is how a submissive should act,” he says, challenging me. “You have a safe word, Anika. You are free to use it at any moment.”

Shit, he got me there. I don’t want to call it. I want these three beautiful men to fuck me senseless until all my thoughts are sorted. That can’t be a very mentally stable way of thinking.

“I spent my whole life being called fat and ugly by my family and eventually Isaac joined in on the name calling, so now when it comes to anything intimate it makes me nervous for people to know because I feel like I’m being judged,” I explain quietly.

“Why do you care if I judge you?” he asks.

“Well considering you are six inches away and you are looking at me like you are going to bend me over something, I feel like that one should be obvious, Doctor ,” I say. Everyone laughs but Theo smiles in a way that makes my breath catch in my throat.

“The only opinions that matter are those of your husband, your boyfriend, and your friends. Outside of that, no one else matters,” Theo says simply.

“Are you my friend, Theo?” I ask with obvious sass in my voice and a sweet smile on my face.

“Emma, Isaac was banned, yes?” Theo asks, keeping his eyes locked with mine.

“Yes sir,” she says happily.

“We’ll be out there in a second,” he says vaguely. Everyone walks outside except for Theo, Rowan, and Max.

Rowan moves to my other side, making me surrounded by them. “I am uncomfortable,” I laugh nervously.

“Why?” Theo asks.

“Because I’m surrounded.”

“Do you understand why we think this is the most effective way for you to open up without further traumatizing you?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Theo questions.

“Because being in a role where I am being dominated by people I trust, I am willing to open up whereas outside of that role, I resort to trauma responses too quickly.”

“For example?” he asks.

“Running away instead of just telling you I was self-conscious.”

“You are still being punished for repeatedly disobeying Max,” he states.

“I know.”

“And we are going to fuck that little attitude of yours out. Self-degrading comments are punishable,” Theo leans in close and whispers in my ear before gently nipping at my earlobe. I moan softly at the feeling of his mouth on my body. He takes my reaction as encouragement and bites my neck with more force, making me groan in need.

“We need verbal consent, Anika,” Max says.

“Yes,” I say without hesitation.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes to whatever it is that you three want to do. I trust Rowan and Max to not put me in an unsafe situation so I trust you,” I explain.

“Your trust is not very easily earned,” Theo states.

“It’s not, but they earned it a long time ago.”

“What are her limits?” Theo asks, still looking at me.

“Nothing involving the face, excluding oral. No intentional permanent marks or bruising. Nothing involving bodily fluids. Nothing extreme, like fisting. No extreme degradation. She is pretty open otherwise,” Max explains.

“Birth control?” he asks.

“She missed the last four days but she’s back on it,” Rowan says.

“So, you might be pregnant?” he asks me seriously.

“Yeah. Rowan’s Mom, as well as Mia and Emma, think I am,” I say.

“Should we get going then?” Theo asks, breaking eye contact to look at Rowan.

“We should,” Rowan nods. Theo nods and steps away from me. I go to walk with everyone but Max grabs me first.

“If you ever run from me like that again I will bend you over and fuck you to tears. Do you understand me?” he says as Rowan and Theo watch.

“I understand,” I say softly.

“Are you going to do it again?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say with a smile.

Max growls in response. “God, you are such a brat.”

“But you love me,” I say with a smile before kissing his cheek and stepping past him.