by Jade Alters
Preston and I nodded. Stone did too, but his eyes were cast down at the ground, and his lips set in a worried line.
“Hey,” said Blake, voice strong but kind. “She’ll be okay. She’s tough, and we’re still going to be there for her. I just think it’s too much to put it all on her in the first couple of weeks she’s here. That’s all.”
“It’s not that I’m impatient,” Stone insisted. He opened his mouth to continue, but closed it again as Blake held up a hand.
“I understand,” said Blake. “I know you. I know you’re looking out for her. I just think this is best for now. We’ll see how things develop from here. We’re not going to leave her to wallow in guilt. Okay?”
Stone nodded again, a little firmer this time. “Okay.” But as we headed back to the cabin, he evidently wasn’t thrilled — and honestly, I wasn’t either. Blake’s decision was probably best. I could see the logic of it, and I knew he was right not to overwhelm her. Still, the image of Jess chewing on her lip and staring off into space, consumed with confusion and guilt, didn’t rest easy on any of our shoulders — human or lion.
Jessica
The North boys seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with me, and they were all being characteristically kind — but frankly, their sweetness only made me feel worse. Not only had I slept with Preston while harboring a crush on all four of them, but now I had also slept with Blake. It was probably only a matter of time before they found out, and it would hurt them.
And it would all be my fault.
This wasn’t something I had ever done before. Ordinarily I felt bad about dating several guys at once; I had certainly never slept with two close best friends like this. The fact that it was only a matter of days apart didn’t make me feel any better. Even at the time, however, I felt I couldn’t control myself. In the moment, it felt like the most right and natural thing in the world to fall into Blake — just like it had been with Preston. Now that I was in my own mind and away from the heat of the moment, it seemed insane, but at the time I recalled a feeling of purpose. A depth of emotion that I shouldn’t be experiencing so soon after I had met these men.
Physically, I could have pulled myself away, but I didn’t wanted to. Not in the least. Not in either case.
Even now, looking back as I finished up with my skincare routine, I couldn’t look my reflection in the eyes and honestly say I regretted it. It was bizarre, and I hated myself for it. I had always believed I was a better person than this, and now here I was risking pain for these guys that I adored so much. Now here I was, melting at the seams the second their handsome smiles landed on me.
Speaking of the devil — in the mirror reflection, I caught sight of Stone hovering at my open door. I met his eyes and smiled as he knocked on the frame.
“Hey,” I said, trying to iron out any sadness or frustration in my voice. Sure, they had already worked out that something was wrong with me, but I had no intention of making it any more obvious. “You’re lucky. You just missed seeing the green face mask.”
“Sounds pretty unlucky to me,” he reasoned, stepping in. “You got a couple of minutes?”
“For you?” I said. “Sure. You can have exactly 120 seconds.”
His grin twitched at the corner, lopsided, and he took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. “I guess that’ll be enough. I just… kind of wanted to check in on you. Make sure you were doing okay.”
Subtle, I thought. Still, it was a kind gesture. I wasn’t about to scare him off for daring to care about me. “I’m fine,” I said. “Just doing my skincare.”
“Yeah, I meant in a more general sense than… the present thirty seconds.”
I looked over my shoulder to meet him in the eyes head on, not just in the reflection. Those brown eyes were so warm and sincere that it was difficult not to spill out every welled-up feeling I had, but I knew that was a recipe for disaster. I forced myself to turn back to my own reflection, and hoped that my smile wasn’t as obviously fake to Stone as it was to me. “Well. I have a good relationship with my family. I have plenty of friends. I did just quit my job to come and work with you guys on a whim, so that might be a sign of some kind of mental break…”
“You seem like you’re having a hard time with something,” said Stone, tone blunt but fond. “I can see you’re dodging me, so I won’t push. But if you do want to talk about whatever it is, I hope you know I’m here.”
“You’re very sweet,” I said, and meant it. The next part, not so much. “If I seemed off today, it’s probably that I’ve had a headache.”
“You have?” he said. I hadn’t known Stone very long, but I already recognized the playful sarcasm. Clearly, he didn’t believe me in the slightest. “Well, that’s no good. Let me get you a Tylenol.”
“No, I-”
“You can’t just struggle through with a headache,” he said, standing up from the bath. He held up his hands. “You leave me with no choice but to get off my ass and walk all the way to my medicine cabinet, and then to the kitchen to get you something to wash it down with.”
“Stone.”
“Look at all this effort I’m going to do on your behalf.”
“Oh, stop.” I couldn’t fight the smile off my face any longer, and swatted at his arm with my hand. “Alright, alright. But you’re right. I am dodging you, and I don’t want to talk about it.”
His triumphant smile softened, and he nodded. “Not the kind of thing I like being right about. Look, whatever it is. If there’s anything I can do to help you, will you just promise to tell me? Doesn’t matter what it is.”
I don’t know, Stone. Can you reach into the past and slap my hands away from your teammates?
“If you’ve got a magic pill to wash away stress,” I said instead, “that would be nice.”
He held up a finger. There was something light in his eyes, and right away I wondered what I’d triggered. “Hold on,” he said. “Wait here.”
“Stone, I was joking.”
“Wait here!” he called back, already half-jogging out of the room. It dragged another weary smile back onto my face, and I turned back to the mirror to check that all my face cream was absorbed. Finding no issues, I headed back to my bedroom, and saw Stone returning with a small bottle in his hand.
“I really don’t need-”
“Doctor’s orders,” said Stone, voice cheery, and tossed the little glass bottle to me. “This is lavender oil. Two drops on your pillow. Perfect for some restful sleep.”
My heart swelled. I felt, instinctively, that Stone meant what he said. He’d do anything for me, just to make me feel even a single bit better. It made me want to tear up, but instead I felt a now-familiar tug in my stomach.
Oh. Not you, again.
“That’s kind, Stone. Thank you.”
“Now, doctor’s recommendation,” he said. “You can refuse this one, but… I give a mean back massage. Totally guaranteed to work out stress just as well as it works out knots.”
I hoped I wasn’t blushing too badly, but I could feel the heat gathering in my cheeks and on the back of my neck. “I mean. That’s…”
“Up to you,” Stone insisted. “I figure if I can’t talk about whatever-it-is with you, I can at least get you comfortable enough to deal with it yourself.”
I should decline. I knew that. I was already feeling guilty enough about having had both Preston and Blake’s hands on me, and the prickling feeling of attraction I felt for them was here for Stone too. If he touched me, especially in such a kind and intimate way, I didn’t know how it would escalate. Didn’t know if I could stop myself.
What I did know was that I wanted it anyway, more than I could bear.
“I mean. Are you sure…?”
“Are you kidding?” he said. His face lit up. “Of course. I want to help, and I’m good at it. Look, I’ll get some of this lavender oil on a pillow for you. You just… lie down and get comfortable.”
If my blush wasn’t fire-red before, it certainly was no
w. The backs of my ears were burning, but I tried to ignore that too-human mix of excitement and nerves as I laid down on the bed.
“Prop up on your arms,” Stone suggested, his voice soft and easy. “That’s it.”
As I got settled, he slipped a pillow underneath my head. Sure enough, the soothing scent of lavender filled me — strong, but not overwhelming. I sighed, sinking back down into the pillow, and closed my eyes. “You’re right. It is nice.”
“See,” said Stone. “I know some things.”
“A couple, I guess.”
I felt the weight of the bed shift as he climbed on. For a brief moment I felt my whole body flush with heat as I imagined him straddling my waist. It thrilled me so much that I was almost disappointed when he did the gentlemanly thing and sat on one side of me instead.
“Let me know if I go too hard,” he said, voice soft.
“Psh,” I said, muffled into the pillow. “You couldn’t go hard enough if you tried.”
I smiled at his laughter. As intensely attractive as Blake and Hale were, it was also nice to spend time in Stone’s friendly, unassuming company. He was just as handsome, but his appeal was markedly different to theirs. It felt less like the exciting mystery of being with a handsome stranger, and more like the firelight familiarity of an old childhood friend who had grown up very right.
When he actually laid his hands on me, though, there was no ‘too hard’ or ‘too soft’. Even over my pajama cami, every trail of contact felt perfect. Whether it felt wonderful because it was Stone or whether he really was as expert as he claimed, I wasn’t sure. Either way, I never wanted it to stop — not even when I heard myself make a quiet moan I hadn’t intended, feeling a knot of tension dissipate under the warm arch of his palm.
“You’re welcome,” Stone teased.
“You are good at this.”
“Uh-huh. I’m good at a lot of things.”
“I believe it,” I assured him, eyes squeezing tighter shut as he worked another knot out of me. I never wanted him to pull his hands away. In fact, I wanted them to explore further — wanted them smoothing just as firm and eagerly over every private plane of my body. It was only as I heard him chuckle quietly that I realized my back was arching under his hands.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, shuffling on the bed. If I could have made myself smaller, I would have, but Stone didn’t seem to mind the blatant body language.
“I’ll take it as a compliment,” he said. I could still hear the laughter coloring his tone, but not in an unpleasant way. I could imagine the smile playing across his handsome face and spent every inch of energy I had on continuing to lie face-down. On not springing up to touch him back. Unfortunately, it seemed my body told the story anyway; he spoke up again. “You okay? You seem tense all of a sudden.”
“I’m fine. I swear.”
Stone hummed, fingertips kneading the small of my back. It was heaven through the fabric. I could only imagine what it would feel like skin-to-skin.
“Well, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said. “So if you want me to stop…”
“You better not.”
He laughed again, soft and sweet. I couldn’t help but smile into my folded arms, as enchanted by his warm company as I was by his magic hands. As his thumbs worked a particularly potent bit of pressure into the small of my back, I couldn’t wait any longer. In fact, I was barely conscious of making a choice as I rolled onto my back and sat up, fixing his eyes with mine.
Stone didn’t speak. I could feel the rise and fall of my chest, and saw his rising and falling in unison. He seemed to be leaning closer, and I felt my shoulders moving towards him too — closing the gap between us in inching movements until my jaw was cradled in his hand, and his nose pressed up against mine.
“You sure about this?” he murmured. “I care about you, Jess. I don’t want to rush you. Don’t want to mess with your head.”
I closed my eyes, tipping my chin towards his for a soft, deliberate kiss. “I’m sure.”
He exhaled, lips hovering close to mine. His thumb brushed over the line of my jaw, careful and eager. “Because I want to, but if you don’t-”
I reached into his lap, smoothing my hand over the front of his sweatpants. Beneath the fabric, I felt the hardening swell of his cock — and moments later, the forceful rush of his kisses. Apparently, there was no more uncertainty left.
He wrapped his arms around my waist as I climbed into the exquisite heat of his lap, rolling my body down against his cock. Here it was happening all over again — this powerful, cosmic force that made me forget any complaints I might have had, and made me desperate for his embrace. As he peppered kisses over my collarbone, fingertips dipping under the thin strap of my cami, I only had the capacity to breathe.
“I wanted you all this time,” he admitted, lips close enough to tickle the skin of my neck as he spread his affection across my body. “Always hoped you’d want me too.” His thumb flicked over the sensitive peak of my nipple, and he kissed up the gasp it drew from my lips. Heat pooled there beneath his touch, and further down between my legs.
“I did want you,” I told him, albeit delayed; I felt the shape of his smile form against my skin, and soon his mouth lifted to mine again for another full, fond kiss. “I do want you.”
“Lucky us.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close as I absorbed the flush and fire of his kisses. With Stone, this sexual magnetism didn’t feel quite so wild or frantic; it was a different kind of passion, slower but just as white-hot. Though I wanted every inch of him, and couldn’t help but ride the shape of him in his lap, I didn’t mind that he held me up with kisses for such a long stretch of time. Didn’t mind that it took him what felt like hours to tip me back against the pillows of my bed, and begin to crawl down my body.
He helped me shift off my pants, and took my white cotton panties down with them. When he leaned back down, eyes fixed on my sex like I was some kind of extraordinary work of art, I realized I was holding my breath.
“Thought about this a lot,” he admitted, voice low and husky enough that I believed him. This was the realization of weeks of frustrated dreams for both of us — and now, writhing as I parted my legs a little wider, I gave a shuddering gasp as I felt him press those first few gentle kisses to my stomach — then lower, and less gentle.
He hummed his appreciation, his lips and tongue too occupied with the divine pressure and play on my body. Only after warming me up like this for a long time did he introduce his fingers to my slick entrance, teasing a series of escalating groans from me.
I took tight hold of his spare hand, enjoying the gentle tangle of our fingers as much as the much more intimate strokes of his tongue. “God, Stone…”
“It’s good?” he said, the closeness of his breath had its own incredible sensation — just not quite intense enough. My toes curled, desperate for more.
“It’s incredible. You’re incredible. But aren’t you…?”
“I want to let you come like this first,” he said as though it were a confession, looking up at me under an almost bashful wave of blond hair. My heart skipped a beat. “Then I’ll fill you up. If… that’s what you want.”
He had the luxury of sweet language; I did not. “God, yes. Fuck me.”
Stone grinned, and I felt the spine-melting trace of his tongue over those sensitive nerve endings once again. His movements were quicker now, and more insistent; I felt the regularity of his rhythm begin to lift me up, heart pounding like an animal on the hunt and somehow more and more desperate the more imminent my orgasm seemed. I needed it now, and now, and now — impatient right up until the moment my toes tensed and my legs tangled around him, crying out and arching up in bliss into the sweet pleasure of his mouth.
“Mmm,” he hummed, slowing his licks and kisses and diverting to less sensitive areas as I slid down from the precipice. “Exactly. Just like that.”
“Stone, fuck.”
“Wow. Impatie
nt,” he teased, deliberately misinterpreting.
I grinned, tugging his hand to summon him closer, and grateful when he understood. I didn’t want to have to expend any more breath on telling him where I wanted him — not when I could be kissing him instead, falling deep into the texture of his affection.
“That was good, huh?”
“Amazing,” I mumbled, winding my hands into his hair. My grip felt weak, and I realized I’d been crumpling the sheets beneath us into balls of fabric in my hands. It was enough just to wrap my arms around his shoulders, feeling a new wonderful pressure as he lay on top of me. “God, god. Yes.”
“Already?”
“Please.”
If he had been expecting me to recover before I had him, then he didn’t know how good he was — hadn’t even guessed it from the way my leg hooked around his, and how I tried to press my hips up into him. He was so hard now that there was no mistaking the shape of him in his sweatpants. When he sat up, I could see the full and clear outline of him straining through the fabric, even before he tugged them down and treated me to the sight of his thick, perfect cock.
“Mmm,” I hummed, words failing me in the moment. He gave himself a few strokes, maybe showing off a little — but with a flushed grin on his face that only made me want him more. “God, please. I want you so bad.”
Stone didn’t make me wait much longer. After a few eager kisses on my neck, he leaned back to guide himself inside me, so thick and tight and good that my toes curled around his heel, heat flickering and spreading up through me from the base of my spine.
I melted into the pleasure, moaning into his shoulder. His skin was already damp with heat, and I buried myself in him just for the scent. I wasn’t really sure how pheromones worked, or hormones, or whatever the hell they were — but whatever hold his biology had over me, it was a potent force.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, turning his head to press a long, lingering kiss on my temple. “I can’t believe how lucky I am.”