by E. M. Moore
“I’m well aware, thank you. Is the notion that I want to suck you off until you come inside my mouth new to you?”
He groans as I close my lips around just the bulbous tip, my tongue teasing his silky skin.
“Fuck me,” Oscar says. “Are you even real?”
My nails curl into his chest as I take him all inside, hollowing out my cheeks. He guides the rhythm that he likes, thighs quaking the entire time. I lap him up, taking pleasure in this. The more sounds that slip through his always contained exterior, the hotter I get. Oscar is vocal, and I love every fucking second of it. I start playing with my clit, rubbing it when he increases the pressure and pace.
“That’s right, baby. God, you’re a fucking sight. Are you turned on?”
I nod. I’m almost ready to come apart again. I swirl my fingers faster until the pressure builds and builds. Oscar keeps rocking into me, taking more control of the pressure until I come undone. I start to scream, but Oscar holds me there, his hips jerking into my hot mouth until liquid spurts from his slit.
I swallow and keep swallowing until he’s given me every last drop. I pull my lips away, and he drops to his knees in front of me too. “Fuck,” he says, gaze sliding all over me. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay? I loved every fucking second of it,” I say, the after-sex hazy feeling encompassing my body. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
He helps me stand, hands roaming all over my sensitive skin. He palms my breasts, a flirtatious glint in his eye. “These are fucking amazing, by the way. You should be proud.”
I peek down at his dick. “Likewise.”
He cocks a grin. “Fucking hell, Princess. What am I going to do with you?”
This feels nice. Special. Like in the midst of all the crazy, we can find times like this to let the stress roll off our backs and explore our feelings for one another.
“I really didn’t think that was going to happen when I came in this morning. I mean, I’ve jacked off to it. About every night, but—”
I put my hand over his mouth. “Don’t ruin it,” I tease, even though there’s nothing he could do to ruin this moment. It’s because of who he is that I’m even standing right here naked in front of him. He appeals to my dark, sarcastic side. The gray area, if you will. Brawler’s mostly light. Johnny? It’d be so easy to classify him as dark, but I’m not sure that’s the truth yet.
Magnum’s face filters through my brain, but I push it back. He’s made enough insinuations about my age that I don’t think that’s where our relationship is headed. Don’t get me wrong, I like him. The more I talk to him, the more his barrier walls come down, revealing the real him underneath. I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t easy on the eyes. Damn, I’m a greedy bitch.
Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about being attracted to another, especially since one doesn’t know about the others, and when he finds out, it could mean the end of all of us.
23
Oscar and I are still staring at one another when a knock comes on the front door. A flash of fear rises inside me, but it dampens when I remember what time it is and what I should be doing on a Monday morning. “Shit. It’s probably Magnum.”
Oscar stands, pulling his pants up. He looks down at me as another knock comes. “You better get dressed.”
I grab panties and a bra and start to put them on as Oscar leaves the room, fastening his pants. I yank my panties on and just hook my bra when there’s a sound at the door. I freeze, but I don’t have time to do anything because Oscar comes stumbling back into the bedroom, almost falling on his ass.
“Where is she?”
My heart beats rapidly in my chest. Magnum peeks his head inside the room just as I pull the straps up on my bra, concealing my breasts. Not that he hasn’t seen me buck-naked before, but still. As soon as Magnum sees me, he sighs in relief. His gaze skirts lower, lower than it ever has, but then pops back up.
“Get the fuck out of her room,” Oscar growls. “She’s not dressed.”
A fierce look crosses Magnum’s face. He pushes Oscar up against the wall. “What the fuck were you thinking opening the door? And with her inside like this?” He holds his arm over Oscar’s trachea, the veins popping out on his forearm.
Oscar fumes. His nostrils flare while Magnum continues to pin him. I move forward, still in my panties and bra and grasp Magnum’s arm to pull him away. I don’t agree with his reaction, but he’s right. “We’re sorry.”
Magnum lets go just enough so that Oscar pushes him the rest of the way off. “We’re not fucking sorry. How dare you come into her room?” Oscar’s trying to posture. He puffs his chest out, and his gaze narrows. I’m sure he’s forming an excuse in his head that he can give Magnum so the bodyguard doesn’t run to Johnny. Little does he know he doesn’t have to. At least, I’ve pretty much bet our lives that we don’t have to worry about Magnum turning us in. If I’m wrong, we’re all dead, eventually. But for now, Magnum has kept my relationships with Oscar and Brawler a secret.
“Don’t be a fucking idiot,” Magnum growls. “I could have been anyone. You don’t think they’d be suspicious of you in Kyla’s apartment? You need to play this smart.”
Oscar looks at me, brows pulling together. I stand in the middle, looking between them both. I understand why Magnum is so upset. It was stupid of Oscar to get the door. What was he going to say he was doing? Especially since I was in here practically naked. It wouldn’t look good for us at all. But Oscar deserves an explanation. “So, Magnum knows about you, Brawler, and me.”
Oscar’s dark eyes round in surprise, but then he shuts off, his face becoming dark. “First, it’s you and me, and you and Brawler. It’s not all three of us. Second, what the fuck?” He eyes Magnum warily.
“He won’t say anything.”
“And why’s that?” Oscar asks, not even attempting to look at me anymore. He’s glaring straight at Magnum as if he’s trying to intimidate him. “Why would you keep this a secret?”
“You don’t need to know why. All you need to know is that I’ve done so, and I’ll continue to do so.”
Oscar shakes his head. His badass Oscar “Bat” Drego attitude is about to come out in full force. He doesn’t trust Magnum. “I don’t think so. That answer isn’t good enough. What is it?” He gets up in Magnum’s face. Magnum has an inch or so on him, but they’re about the same build. “You’re going to use this against her at some point, huh? You won’t live to do it. I can promise you that.”
“Whoa. Whoa,” I sputter out. When the threats start coming out, I need to act.
The look they’re sharing makes me think the sentiment goes both ways.
“I could say the same for you, Drego,” Magnum lilts, confirming my suspicions. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, taking on his bodyguard stance that’s ripe with testosterone. “You could be playing Kyla too.”
I glance between the two. I don’t think either of them are playing me. At least, I fucking hope not. Actually, no, I know they’re not. The way Oscar and I just came together doesn’t just happen with two people who don’t care about one another. Also, who would risk it? Johnny would likely cut his dick off just for touching me even if he was doing it to play me. Oscar’s a lot of things, but he’s smart and has a healthy dose of self-preservation. That’s just something you acquire when you grow up in the Heights.
“Alright, alright,” I say, trying to calm the two of them. “I trust both of you. Oscar, you probably shouldn’t be opening my door.”
Oscar’s jaw hardens. “And he shouldn’t just waltz into your room.” His pallor softens. “Unless…” He swallows. “Great. You fucking want her, too.” He pales. “Or you’ve already had her.”
“Oscar, come on,” I say, my face heating.
“I’m making sure she’s safe,” Magnum states. “That’s all.”
“Because Johnny told you to, or because you have a vested interest?” Oscar challenges.
“Both.”
I take a step back
, getting sick of this. “Listen if you’re going to fight, fight. Let me know. I’ll grab some popcorn. If you’re not, I should really get dressed in case anyone else wants to come into my apartment unexpectedly.”
Oscar and Magnum glance over at me. Their heated stares collide with my flush body. The bra and panty set I grabbed isn’t sporty. In fact, it’s the sexiest set I own. It’s damn near lingerie. It was in one of the bags Glo brought over right before she tried to kill me.
Magnum’s throat works. I can tell he’s trying not to peek. He’s trying to be the gentleman in the room and not take an eye full, but he’s losing the war with himself. “Yes, you should get dressed,” he finally says.
I pad back into the bathroom, picking an outfit as I move past the closet, then disappear behind the bathroom door and lock it behind me. I turn off the shower since I left it pretty rapidly when Oscar barged in to carry me out. Then, I start to get ready. I pull on the pair of jeans and shirt I grabbed, then work on my hair and makeup.
A half an hour has passed by the time I exit the room. Oscar and Magnum are no longer in my bedroom, which is fine. Better, probably. Though, being in a quarterback-bodyguard sandwich sounds like good times. Yum.
I walk into the main living area to find Magnum in the kitchen and Oscar sitting on the couch. Magnum brings a mug over to me, and I can tell by looking at it that he must have gone back over to his own apartment to get me the good hot chocolate. I confessed the other day that his was better than the stuff I had at my place. Oscar has his legs propped up on the coffee table, feet crossed at the ankles. Magnum eyes him, distaste evident on his face. It looks like everything about Oscar pisses Magnum off, which is kind of funny.
Magnum slices Oscar a look, but then turns toward me. “I was coming over to see what you wanted to do today. I heard Johnny and his dad left this morning.”
“Where did they go exactly?”
“Chicago. They have some business dealings there.”
“I knew that,” Oscar pipes up like a petulant child.
“Yeah, and you wasted no time trying to put Kyla in jeopardy once you heard they were gone.”
A look of absolute rage transforms Oscar’s face. His hands ball to fists. “I would never put Kyla in jeopardy.”
I’m struck he didn’t call me Princess, but more than that, his emotions are one hundred percent real and true.
I place my hand on Magnum’s arm and squeeze, telling him silently to lay off him. Oscar turns his attention to where I’m touching Magnum though, so I pull my hand from his shortly after. “Wait until Brawler hears this,” Oscar says, laughing to himself.
I swallow. “Hears what?”
“How Mag wants you too. If you thought he was pissed when—”
“Okay,” I say, silencing Oscar. I shoot him a look, trying to tell him Mag doesn’t want me and the only thing he’s doing is making it awkward as fuck for all of us to be around each other. I run my hands through my hair. “I was hoping to get some freedom out of Johnny being gone,” I hedge, staring at Mag.
He nods. “I thought you’d want that.”
“By the way,” Oscar says, pulling out my cell phone. “Brawler texted you. He says he’s wondering if you’re going to school today, which is probably code for, ‘I can’t stop thinking about you. Come suck my dick.’”
He lifts a brow at me in challenge, and I stalk forward, yanking my phone from his grip. I don’t get very far because he grabs my hand and pulls me into his lap. He settles me there until we’re staring into one another’s eyes again just like we had after I sucked his dick. I’d planned on telling him not to fucking read my texts, but instead, it comes out, “Don’t read my texts.” For good measure, I throw in, “Asshole.”
He grins.
Magnum clears his throat behind us. I scramble out of Oscar’s lap and try to figure out what I want to do.
“I know you probably want some freedom, but I just ask that I drive you places and that I’m around wherever you want to go, so I can make sure you stay safe. Things tend to get a little less formal when Big Daddy K and Johnny leave, but I need to make sure you’re secure.”
“No,” Oscar answers, his tone haughty. “I can keep her safe.”
“Oscar,” I say, rolling my eyes at him.
Oscar lowers his voice. “I was thinking we could hang out today.”
“I won’t intrude on any private moments,” Mag says tersely. “But I’m going with Kyla wherever she goes. She’s my responsibility.”
I fix him with a look. “As long as I get some freedom, I’m fine with that.” Magnum is more like a friend than security personnel right now, anyway. “You know what I’m dying for?”
Oscar waggles his brows at me, staring down at his crotch suggestively.
I shake my head. “Bacon. Real bacon.”
“We could go out to eat,” Oscar offers.
“We’ll have to go someplace beyond the Crew’s reach,” Mag says, voice taking on his bodyguard persona. “I can think of a few places.”
“Great,” I beam. “I’ll text Brawler and tell him to skip school. Actually, Oscar, you text him.” That way it doesn’t look suspicious that I’m telling Brawler to skip school.
Within the hour, we pull to a stop a couple of blocks away from the school and Brawler gets in the back with Oscar and me. I’m wedged in the middle, but I don’t mind one bit. “Hey,” I say, greeting him. He has on a Golden Gloves boxing shirt that clings to his muscled torso.
“So, what’s going on?” he asks, gaze shifting to Magnum who’s left the divider down.
“We’re going out to breakfast,” I tell him, squeezing his knee. “Johnny and his dad are away on a business trip. They’ll be back Wednesday.”
Brawler’s face softens, but then he freezes when I squeeze his knee. He darts a look at Magnum.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Oscar says, speaking up. “Apparently Magnum knows that we’re both into Princess. He’s being a pal and not sharing this info with the Crew.” Brawler’s face pales. His gaze moves to mine, but before I can say anything, Oscar interrupts again. “I’m pretty sure he wants to fuck her, but—”
“Jesus, Oscar. Shut the hell up.”
“Notice how he hasn’t denied it though.”
Mag meets my gaze in the mirror. “Brawler, I can understand. That one,” he says, gaze drifting toward Oscar. He shakes his head in response, which tells me exactly what he thinks about Oscar and me.
“That’s what I said,” Brawler grumbles.
Oscar peers around me to stare Brawler down. “Just when I thought we were becoming close.”
“I told you,” Brawler states. “I’ll do whatever Kyla wants because I’m here for her. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
I blink, gazing between the two of them. “You had a discussion about this? Without me?” Damn. We haven’t even gotten to the breakfast place yet, and I’m feeling completely outnumbered.
“More like we fought over you until both of us decided we weren’t giving you up.” Oscar’s voice loses all its edge as he looks at me, his words seeping into my skin.
He might feel differently if he knew what I was planning on doing. Oscar’s in the thick of everything. It’ll be hard for him to leave the Crew, even if he’s not associated with what I plan on doing. I know why he joined, but still the overwhelming sense of being stuck swallows me. It’s an awful way to live.
Brawler pulls me closer to whisper in my ear, “You sure Magnum’s cool?”
I nod, locking gazes with Magnum in the rearview mirror. “He’s good,” I whisper back as Oscar threads his fingers through mine. I place my head on Brawler’s shoulder, loving being next to all of them at the same time. If Johnny were here, it would be even better. Honestly, I want him here. The good Johnny would fit in so well with these guys. I want to show him that life can be better than the Crew. You don’t need hundreds of people under you—fearing you—to make your life worthwhile. You just need a few on the same level, supporting you, because I
haven’t felt buoyed like this since my parents were alive. I haven’t felt this safe, this loved, since my parents left this Earth, and it’s all because of Brawler and Oscar and the friend I’ve found in Magnum. Sure, it’s not easy. We’ve had to make sacrifices, but I know they’re with me.
Oscar squeezes my fingers as if he knows what thoughts roam through my head. Brawler told me I should tell him my plans sooner rather than later, and I need to. I just don’t know how to bring it up. It’s not that I don’t trust him with the information, it’s that I hate to put any more pressure on him. It’s easy for Brawler to know. He’s barely involved with the Crew, but Oscar is. However, it hasn’t escaped my notice that getting to Big Daddy K might be easier with his help, seeing as he’s already in the Crew, anyway.
I close my eyes, promising myself I’ll tell Oscar while Johnny and Big Daddy K are away. That will give him time to get his shit together before he sees them again.
I can’t think about the consequences if he defies my trust. It would break me.
24
The next day, there’s no pretense of going to school either. Since Brawler can’t come into the tower without raising suspicion and we can’t go to Brawler’s apartment because his mom is unwell, Oscar grudgingly invites us all to his place. When he lets Magnum and I in, he’s shier than I’ve ever seen him. “Hey,” I say.
It’s a little awkward to be invited into these guys’ homes. It’s like unraveling another layer of who they are. I had a pretend life when I was living in the apartment down the hall from Brawler. Nothing in there was anything I ever would have chosen for myself. It was fake. But here—and at Brawler’s—I get another sense of who they are and how they were brought up.
Oscar and his mom live above a corner grocery store. The apartment isn’t as nice as Brawler’s, but it’s clean.
He smiles at me as I enter but gives Magnum a begrudging look that he doesn’t even notice. “Your mom’s not here?”