by J Bree
The first guy to step up to the challenge is unconscious in under a minute. Fucking pathetic. I lose interest pretty fucking fast and search around the room until I find the other idiot down here looking for blood. He has his back to us, he probably hasn’t even seen we’re here yet, and he’s straddling some guy as he lays into him. It’s a fucking sight to see.
Ash finally stops smashing his fist into the guys face, sweat dripping down his chest, and sweet baby Jesus, I kinda wanna lick him. He glances up and notices we’ve arrived, smirking like the cocky dick he is.
“Give me a freaking break.” Avery mumbles under her breath at me, her eyes rolling but the tiniest of smiles on her face. I give her a sheepish smile and she giggles. It’s a fucking magical sound.
Ash gets up and saunters over to us, wiping his face on his shirt. His knuckles are bloody and raw but the energy around him is buzzing with the kind of exhilaration you can only get from the high of winning a fight. The flutters start in my stomach and I’m kind of tempted to challenge someone to a fight myself.
Blaise cracks a joke and strips out of his jacket to give to Ash, who takes it and pulls it on, a wide grin on his face. I decide right here and now that when all of the bullshit with the Jackal is over, we’re going to make nights down at the cage fights in the Bay a regular thing. If this is what it takes to get the tension and bloodlust to a manageable level in Ash then we’ll buy fucking stocks in the Dive.
Avery catches my eye and grins with me, totally unconcerned about the fighting happening around us. She’s that happy that her brother has mellowed out. Good. Life is returning to normal, thank fuck.
Harley finishes off the second guy, barely even panting, and motions for the next one. At this rate we’ll be out of here in under an hour. Not such a bad thing.
I’m definitely sleeping in the guys’ room tonight.
Chapter Seventeen
I’m proud to say we make it back to the guys room before I rip Ash’s pants off and swallow him whole. It’s fucking hard, damn near impossible, but I manage to contain myself.
Blaise complains the entire way back, outvoted and sleeping in my bed alone tonight, but for once Avery is giggling and snarking at him with us.
“Isn’t there a camera in that room? Just this once, I’ll let you jerk off in the shower, Morrison.” She laughs, unlocking the door and winking at me. I blush just a little from where I’m sandwiched between Ash and Harley, but I give her a little wave too, barely managing to contain a squeak when Harley palms my ass and squeezes.
I fumble with the keys on the way in but no one notices, Ash is too busy snarking at Harley about sharing while my golden god kisses his way down my neck in the most distracting way.
I stumble into the room and out of Harley’s arms, catching my breath for a second and he rips his shirt over his head, pausing when he sees all of the blood covering him in sweaty streaks.
“I’m going to wash this off first.” He grimaces, stomping off. Well, fuck.
Ash chuckles at me, my eyes snapping back over to find him standing in his boxers by his bed. Fuck, that was quick. “Come on, Mounty. I’ll keep you entertained while he’s off being a gentleman.”
Lord knows what gets into me, but I stare him straight in the eye as I strip off slowly, not making a show of it but just slowly revealing myself to him. It doesn’t matter that he’s seen it all before, that he’s fucked me three times this week, he stares at every inch of my skin as it’s revealed like he’s never seen it before, like he can’t get enough of me.
Like he’s as desperate as I am, always, never-ending, fucking out of his mind for me.
“Get that ass on this bed now, Mounty, before I come down there and get you.”
I shiver at his tone and hesitate just a little. I might like the punishment he gives me, I fucking bet I will, but I’m too fucking desperate for him tonight to wait. Maybe next time.
The second my knee hits the mattress Ash yanks me down and into his arms until we’re tangled together, limbs everywhere in the fucking best way. I love this relaxed side of him, the smug grins and dark chuckles, it’s fucking perfect. His hands are possessive as he strokes over my body, squeezing and pinching, even throwing the odd slap in, and, fuck me, I’m owned by this man. Owned. I could lay here and make out with him all fucking night, but he has different plans for our evening.
I’m completely distracted by the feel of him on top of me because the next thing I know, there’s lubed up fingers in my ass and he’s caught me the fuck off guard.
Ash laughs as I gasp into our kiss, the whole thing turning into a moan. I sound fucking obscene, my cheeks are on fire and I kind of hope Harley doesn’t come out and add to my shame by seeing me writhing on the bed.
I give the smug dick a half-hearted glare. “Why, exactly, are you so obsessed with my ass? Your dick is never going in my ass. Never. Get rid of that idea now, Beaumont.”
The slow smirk he gives me has me dripping for him in the worst way. “I thought you were brave, Mounty? Sounds like you’re back to being jumpy to me.”
Fuck him.
He’s trying to goad me into saying yes and the worst part is the asshole is succeeding. Ugh. He grins at me like I’ve already agreed to it so I kiss him again, biting his lip and pull his hair just a bit to get even.
It only makes him more frantic.
I swear, I’ve been fucking brainwashed by his dick or something because I’m all in. Fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen? I’m dumb enough to say this to him, and he rolls his freaking eyes at my dramatics.
“You need to spend less time with Morrison, he’s rubbing off on you.”
Well, yeah, that’s kind of the point. I look over my shoulder to quirk an eyebrow at him and he slaps my ass. “Have I ever fucked you without you coming over and over again?”
I gulp. “No.”
“Well, ass up then, Mounty.”
He manhandles me around until I’m face down on the bed. When I grunt in protest at him, he bites my shoulder, licking and sucking at the spot until I’m sure the mark will be visible a freaking mile away. He shoves a pillow under my hips and pours even more lube on my ass, stroking a firm hand down my spine as if he’s settling me but also reminding me that I’m his.
As if he’s worried I’ll tap out, he doesn’t waste any time lining up, pushing in slowly but not stopping until he bottoms out. There’s a burn but it’s not so bad. Then he moves and, fuck yes, that’s what I need.
The sound I make isn’t quite human.
He chuckles at me, though he’s breathless and gasping a little. His hips start to move, I’m gushing fucking everywhere, and he drops down to hold himself over me, fisting his hand in my hair to jerk my head back and kiss me like he’s trying to crawl up inside me.
I could die a happy fucking Mounty right now.
Ash grabs my arm and rolls us both until I find myself staring at Harley, naked and dripping wet from the shower. His eyes are like a searing brand on my skin as he takes in my flushed cheeks, trembling thighs, and my dripping pussy.
“How did I know you were going to be the one to talk her into this?” he mumbles, and Ash laughs as he hooks his arm around my leg and spreads me wide open.
“Don’t make me say it,” he grunts back, biting down on my shoulder and I don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about, words are too fucking hard to process right now. All I know is I want more.
I don’t even realize I’ve said it out loud until Harley joins us on the bed and catches my face in his hands. “Whatever you want, babe.”
Then he kisses me, his tongue a slow but demanding stroke against mine, and two of his fingers push inside me until I gasp. His palm grinds down on my clit and I fucking break.
A strangled sound comes out of me as I see stars, my body clenching down around Ash and Harley’s fingers, and Ash groans as he comes with me, his hips jerking and grinding into my ass.
Harley gives me just long enough to catch my breath, and for Ash t
o pull out and head to the bathroom to clean up, before he has me on my back, thighs spread, his forehead pressed against mine as he lines up and pushes in.
“You have no idea how fucking hot you are when you come, do you?” He grunts, kissing me with more teeth than tongue.
He doesn’t ease into it, just fucks me hard and desperate until my back is arching off of the bed and I’m screaming again, so loud I’m sure the entire boys’ dorm is getting a show, but I come so hard I don’t give a fuck.
Ash cleans me up and Harley carries me to his bed, ever the gentleman, because the wet spot is more of a puddle and none of us can be fucked changing the sheets. Once I’m firmly pinned between the two of them Ash hits the lights and I try to focus on sleep, not the delicious soreness that’s taken over my body.
I’m still shaking, just a little, when Harley’s and Ash’s phones both buzz. Harley snickers like a dick as he shows me the text from Blaise.
I fucking hate you both.
Avery declares she needs me to herself on Sunday and the guys all disappear to beat each other up or drink themselves to death or something. I didn’t pay enough attention to the details, clearly.
We spread out college brochures and scholarship applications out on the table in our room and then spend a couple of hours going over our options. I feel kind of bleak about the whole thing, like it could all slip through our fingers at any fucking second because of the war and Senior’s psychosis, but Avery refuses to leave anything up to chance.
We can’t decide on a school.
“I just think we need to stick to an Ivy League school, Lips. They got to be where they are through their exemplary standards for education.”
I groan at her. “Or, they enjoy pretending they offer something more than state schools do so they can triple their prices. I just don’t see it. If I don’t get a scholarship, I’m not going there.”
Avery huffs out a breath at me. “Mounty, you’re rich enough to pay for it. I will pay for it. God, Ash and Harley will probably duel it out over which one of them is allowed to pay for it for you. Money isn’t something we’re concerned about, you need to adjust your thinking.”
I take a deep, deep breath. “I’ve been too poor in the past to ever stop worrying about money. I could have a billion in the bank, I’m still not going to want to spend it. I’ve gone hungry too many times to forget that feeling.”
She rolls her eyes at me again and starts to sort through the papers, making little piles which I’m sure are cataloged perfectly in her head. She seems happier today, less bogged down, and I decide to bite the fucking bullet and just ask. “So, have you heard from Atticus lately? Is he the reason you’re smiling like a freaking siren today?
She cringes and shoots me a worried look. Fuck.
I groan and slap a head over my face. “Seriously? What now?”
Avery fidgets with her pencil and I do my best not to cringe at her. She has such tight control of her body language the majority of the time, I know when she’s fussing it must be fucking hell inside her head. “The attempt on the Jackal’s life was unsuccessful.”
I blink at her. “Uhm, yeah. I knew it would be. Why is that freaking you out so much? We always knew it would come down to us.”
She bites her lip. “I might have… called Atticus and gloated a little. In a more… official way. The Coyote and the Tiger both heard it and have assumed there’s tension between you two.”
I roll my eyes. “And you’re worried because you think I’ll be angry? Aves, the whole fucking world is going to shit. I’m sure the Boar called and said the same damn thing to him. I don’t give a fuck what you say to him, he already knows where I stand.”
Her shoulders roll back. “What? Where do you stand?”
My eyes flick to the door as if Ash will have some sort of psychic premonition that I’m about to talk in Atticus’s favor and storm in here to climb up my ass… in a not fun and sexy way. “I told him he has my vote. If you two sort out your issues, then I vote him into the family. Harley did the same.”
The coffee cup in her hands slips to splash coffee on the college brochures in front of her but she barely notices. What the fuck is going on in her head today? “Harley did the same? Harley Arbour gave Atticus his vote? My cousin, Harley?”
I stand to grab a towel and mop up. She just stares at me blankly until I sigh and answer her. “Uh yeah, the only Harley we both know. Atticus explained himself and we both… like him. Kind of. I mean, I don’t want to kill him anymore so that counts as liking him, right?”
Avery grabs a handful of ruined brochures and shoves them into the bin, grabbing her cleaning supplies and getting to work on the mess she’s made. I watch her for a minute, moving my books out of her way and saving what I can from her destructive cleaning wrath.
“I just feel like there’s this… gap between us now. Like, the guy I’ve been waiting around for, hoping he’d notice me, he’s gone. He never even existed. I don’t know what to do with that,” she mumbles, and I nod.
“I kind of think this one is better though, Aves. The guy you were thinking of, the clean-cut gentleman, our world would have eaten him alive. He spoke to me about you and, honestly, the guy is crazy for you. I’m not saying you forgive him, fuck that, I’m just saying maybe you should stop being so angry at yourself for still wanting him. Or even wanting him more now. Just think about it.”
She scrubs at the table a little harder but I let it drop. Maybe I’ve gotten through to her, maybe not. I’m sure she’ll work this all out at some point.
Maybe.
Chapter Eighteen
We arrive at the ranch on Christmas Eve and I head straight to bed, ready to hate every fucking second of the day but fully aware that I’m not going to be left alone for a single second of it.
Sometime after midnight, I come awake to the feel of Harley’s fingers brushing my hair away from the nape of my neck, dropping gentle kisses there as he goes. When I wriggle in place he whispers, “Shh,” into my ear and slips a necklace around my neck.
My eyes pop open but the room is too dark to see anything.
Blaise’s arms tighten around me, pulling me in and pressing me close, and I let myself fall back asleep.
I’m woken again hours later to the smell of coffee being wafted under my nose and I smile before my eyes even open. Avery grins down at me, barely batting an eyelid at the jumble of naked limbs I’m cocooned in.
I smile at her like she’s my freaking soulmate, because coffee, and she continues to grin down at me, happier than I’ve seen her in weeks. I scramble out of the bed, carefully so I don’t wake Harley because he’s the only one who couldn’t sleep through an earthquake, and I slip a shirt on, whichever one is closest. When I step out of the room, trailing behind Avery I feel the weight of the necklace Harley had slipped on me and pull it out from my shirt to look at.
I try not to get choked up but, seriously, is he trying to break my heart here?!
Sitting in my palm is a tiny heart locket, identical to his mother’s, so similar it’s only when I turn the locket over to read the inscription that I know he’s gotten me one of my own.
Mine.
To the end.
I almost turn on my heel to go and jump on him but Avery snorts at my lovestruck face and I remember that we have plans.
French-toast-with-sprinkles plans.
We share the kitchen while I cook. I’m not great at French toast but this morning is for the two of us so I can’t drag Harley over to do it for me. Avery grins and chatters away, totally content in her new Christmas morning routine.
I love it.
When we have food and, most importantly, more coffee, we sit and solve all our problems, theoretically.
“I still think if we go after the Jackal ourselves it should be in small teams. I know you say you could slip in and out easier without us but… you can’t go alone. Take Illi at least,” Avery argues. It’s an old argument, one we have every single planning session, so it almos
t feels like it’s a part of the routine.
“I’ll get distracted if I have to watch Illi as well. It’s better if I go alone.”
She shakes her head. “If we really are a democracy like you say, you will be outvoted seven-to-one every time. Or, well, maybe Diarmuid will side with you, he seems like the ass-kissing type. He’d probably do it just to try to drive a wedge between you and Illi.”
I snort. “There is no driving a wedge between us, we’re as close as two people in a non-sexual relationship are. I’d kill and die for that man… I mean, I have. repeatedly.”
Avery hums as she takes a sip. “You never have told me the full story of Odie’s… sale.”
I shudder. “And I won’t. It’s too fucking… bad. Let’s just say the fact she can smile and laugh is a fucking miracle to me every damn time I see it. She’s… she’s a good person. One of the best.”
Avery nods. “I agree. We’ve kept in touch, she worries about you a lot. I thought she might be jealous of how close you and Illi are, especially with how much we’ve needed him lately, but she always asks about you first.”
I see the pleased look on her face. “That gets her in your good books, doesn’t it?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Well, obviously! You need more people looking out for you, lord knows you don’t care about yourself enough.”
I scoff at her and wipe my mouth, sure I’ve dripped my syrupy goodness everywhere. “I care about myself! Everything I’ve done has been to get myself out, that kind of means I look out for myself a lot.”
She smooths a hand down the front of her robe. “And yet the second you inducted Harley, you threw yourself in front of him at every chance. You risk yourself without thought the second one of us is in danger, so yes, I’m very happy there’s someone else out there who would attempt to rein you in a bit.”
I roll my eyes but the sound of doors closing, feet stomping, and, well, bitching lets me know our planning session is over.