by C. L. Stone
A little over three weeks before, Nora’d been substitute teaching at a high school when a man carrying a gun entered the cafeteria and killed five people.
Pop, pop, pop. The sound of gunfire, a rapid succession of blasts, echoed in her mind. Shutting her eyes tight, she turned her head away from Ryan so he wouldn’t see her expression.
Her fingers curled into the sheets as she forced herself not to touch her wounds. She was hit as well, and had later learned her almost- killer, the one shot dead by police, was her foster brother, Reid.
Lesson number one: the police didn’t believe in coincidences.
They went after her, leaning on her like she’d pulled the trigger. She hadn’t. Her crime was to live, and to know Reid. For a while, her guilt overwhelmed her, and she’d been lost in it.
She’d tried to help the students escape after she realized the cafeteria where they were couldn’t be secured. Her decision may have helped most of the students make it out alive.
Lesson number two: it didn’t matter who she saved, because escape wasn’t school protocol.
The police were more suspicious of her than before. Detective Vance, the lead detective investigating the shooting, believed Reid was motivated to kill by something she’d said, or done. He even released her name to the press in an attempt to make her confess.
Lesson number three: murder suspects were newsworthy, but unemployable.
She lost it all: her job, her apartment, most of her belongings.
But she found Ryan. He was the law student intern who accompanied her Legal Aid lawyer to the hospital, and since the moment they met, her life had changed.
She couldn’t help nuzzling his shoulder as he lifted the bandages and checked each healing wound on her side.
“I think we can probably leave these off.” His face was relieved at the evidence of her recovery.
A quick, muted knock at the door startled them and he sighed, kissing her head. “I think they heard us.”
She grabbed her t-shirt and wrestled it over her head before calling out, “Come in!”
The door opened and Apollo Morris, six foot two, and 225 pounds of love and muscle appeared. He closed the door behind him, walking swiftly to the bed, eyes on her side. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“Zinged it,” she whispered.
He let out a long sigh, and glanced at Ryan. She could see how torn he was; he didn’t want to leave her, but he wanted to give her time with his friend.
Mentally, she cleared her throat, a little embarrassed.
Lesson number four: she was capable of falling for more than one guy.
Ryan stole her heart first, but then so did his friend, Apollo.
Followed by Matisse, Seok, and Cai.
She had fallen in love with five guys, who for some reason, all wanted her, too.
Her appearance in their lives came with all the quiet of a nuclear explosion. She intruded into everything. Her presence messed with their firmly established friendship and the life they set up in Seok’s house. Without meaning to, she’d divided them.
Ryan, protector and caretaker, was her advocate from the moment he met her. Apollo was a giant love, a marshmallow in a fighter’s body, who took one look at her, and went about healing her wounded spirit. He was the first to kiss her, the first to push her to recognize she was capable of feeling more than survivor’s guilt.
She fell for Matisse next. He was there when a reporter cornered her, and flung the details of her past, her life in foster care and with her biological mother, at her like knives. He hid his heart behind his joking and devil-may-care attitude, but he’d shown it to her, and she loved it.
Cai and Seok were on the other side of the divide, and the memory of their first exchange made her shudder. They’d never shown anything but disdain for her. Not knowing how, she’d won them over. When they told her how they’d grown to care for her, she was shocked.
This relationship was new to them. Only tonight had the guys put their feelings on the table, presenting her with what they wanted.
They stunned her. All five guys (two of whom she’d thought hated her) refused to ignore their feelings for her.
Trust them, they’d begged. Trust them to be honest. Trust them to know what they wanted: they wanted her.
Until these guys, she didn’t believe she’d fall in love, and she certainly never let herself believe she deserved their love, or growing love, or potential love.
But here they were.
Apollo brought her back to the present. His fingers gently pulled the bandages away from her skin. “I think they need some air,” he said in a confident tone.
Ryan huffed.
“He told me the same thing.” She wanted to give him credit.
“Let me get some ointment.” Apollo grinned. A dimple appeared in his cheek, but before she could respond, he snuck out of the room and down the hall.
“Everything okay?”
Everyone was awake. The other guys waited by the door. Cai, looking disheveled, crossed his arms, and leaned against the door jam. Seok Jheon, who’d recently dyed his hair a bright, royal blue, held onto the doorknob, stepping inside. His eyes traveled along her exposed skin, noting the sheet pushed to the end of the bed.
“Move,” Apollo interrupted, playfully nudging them out of the way.
It was the excuse they needed to come into the bedroom, perching on Ryan’s desk, on the end of the bed, any place there was a spot close to her.
Matisse lingered in the hallway.
“I’m okay,” she reassured him. “Pulled at the stitches.”
Narrowing his eyes, he walked inside, his lanky frame graceful. He tipped her head toward him, dropping a kiss on her lips. “Need anything?’
Her eyes closed, and when she opened them, she met his full-out smug and self-satisfied grin.
Her face heated and he chuckled. “You’re welcome,” he husked.
She laughed, and then winced. “Ouch.”
“Move it,” Apollo told him. “Your armpit is over my head. Gross.” Sweeping the last of the ointment over the graze, he nudged Matisse out of the way with his elbow. “Get some rest, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I don’t trust myself to stop after one,” he whispered.
She sighed, and then Cai was there, holding her face in his hands and pressing a firm kiss against her mouth. “Goodnight, Nora.” His eyes flicked toward Ryan before he followed Apollo into the darkened hallway.
Leaning from his perch at the end of the bed, Seok swept her hair back from her face. He kissed to the side of her lips, first the left, then the right, and the tip of her nose. “No more nightmares.” His voice was low and commanding, and she nodded, like she had control over her dreams.
“Bon soir, chère,” Matisse whispered when Seok left. He lingered near her lips.
“Okay, Matisse,” Ryan reminded. “It’s my night.”
“Sorry, friend.” There was no apology in his voice, but he left them.
Easing his arm around her shoulder, Ryan urged her to lie back in the cradle of his chest. “Shirt,” he directed and she gave up tugging it over the ointment. Lifting it over her head, he tossed it to the end of the bed and dragged the sheet over their bodies. “No more nightmares, Nore.” He kissed her temple. “Not while I’m here.”
She sighed, snuggling into him. Exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep, safe, happy, and nightmare-free.
2
First Morning
Nora woke up before Ryan. He was perfectly still. The boy didn’t snore, he didn’t toss and turn, and when he slept, he looked beautiful. One touch of her hand to her head proved her hair was wild.
Rubbing her face, she winced when her fingers touched a sore spot on her chin. She pressed against it, realizing what it was. No. She could not have a zit when she was faced with perfect/sleeping/angel/prince/model man.
Getting out of bed as quickly and as silently as she could, she crept out of the room. She opened and c
losed the door to the bedroom, careful to latch it closed quietly.
“Morning.”
She yelped, holding her hand over her mouth as she turned.
“I’ve been up ages, waiting for you.” Apollo smiled at her, moving to kiss her, but drawing back when she left her hand over her mouth.
“What’s the matter?”
Slowly, she withdrew her hand from her face. Would he zoom in on what was probably the largest zit ever known?
He didn’t even glance down. Holding her gaze, he pressed his mouth against hers. He made a little sound of happiness, and she giggled. With Apollo, she forgot about everything except being happy.
“I need to run to the bathroom,” she said when he pulled away.
He made a grand sweeping gesture. “I’ll be in the kitchen. Want a smoothie?”
“Without the green stuff, please.”
“The green stuff is good for you. You won’t even notice it.” Ignoring her narrowed eyes, he smiled. “Trust me.”
She sighed, not bothering to hide the grin tugging at her lips. “Okay.”
“Hurry up.” Bouncing on his toes, he made a motion toward the bathroom.
“Okay, okay.”
As she closed the bathroom door, his footsteps pounded downstairs. She flicked on the light and lifted herself up onto the bathroom counter so she could examine her face. The mass she was sure was her zit was only a tiny red spot near the bottom of her chin. Relieved, she ran her fingers over it. It still hurt, but it wasn’t as humungous she expected. The day could go on now; she didn’t have to hide in the shadows, hissing at anyone who tried to bring her into the sunlight.
She snickered at the image, but then bit her lip as the previous day’s events and last night’s nightmare flooded her.
How could she care about a zit when she’d seen a girl die the day before?
She’d thrown herself out of the fifth story window at Brownington College’s psychology building. A stranger, someone Nora'd just met in the stairwell after leaving Dr. Daniel Murray’s office, she’d begged for help.
One look at the frantic, helpless girl and Nora’d agreed. Her goal was to hustle her out of the building and find a police officer, but the guys found them before she could.
They’d been searching for her. Hurrying toward them, they frightened the already-skittish girl, and though Nora tried to get her to stay, she’d run off. Moments later, she’d forced herself out a window and let go, tumbling to the ground.
Dabbing at her face with the hand towel, Nora sighed.
How hopeless did someone have to feel to end their life so dramatically?
Placing the towel back on the sink, she paused. Apollo would be waiting for her in the kitchen. There was nothing for her to do, no way she could fix what happened. All she could do was move on.
For a moment she stood quietly, and then she flicked off the light.
No one else seemed to be awake. She walked past each bedroom door, listening for movement inside, but it was quiet.
When she came into the kitchen, Apollo beamed so widely it pushed everything else out of her mind. He handed her a blender bottle with a pink shake. After examining it for tell-tale green bits, she took a tentative sip, looking over the rim at him. His eyes crinkled the way they did when he was smiling as he watched for her reaction.
Of course it was delicious.
“Thank you,” she said after swallowing.
His gaze moved to her lips, and stayed there. Moving fast, he reached out, grabbing her shake and dropping it on the counter.
Then he fixed his lips to hers.
He kissed her like he was starved for contact, groaning against her mouth. In the past, he’d always been so gentle with her, so careful. This kiss was not careful. This was the kiss of a man who hadn’t been sure he’d ever touch her again.
She reached for his head, wanting to keep him tucked into her. His hair was shorn short at the nape of his neck, his close-cropped, tightly spiraled curls a little bit longer at the top. Reaching up as far as she could, she ran her fingers over the top of his head and then back down to his neck.
“Don’t leave me again.” He pulled away from her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Talk to me first. Please don’t leave again.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, holding him in place and rubbing along his back. “I won’t.”
“Ack! Gah!” a surprised voice cried out. Tyler, one of Cai’s clients from the youth center where he worked, shielded his eyes. “I thought you were Cai’s girlfriend! What the fuck?”
Whatever he may have thought, he continued his trek to the coffee maker, albeit peeking through his fingers.
“She is.” Cai followed him into the kitchen, walking right over to her and bending down to kiss her cheek while she stood in the circle of Apollo’s embrace.
“Oh really?” He sipped his coffee. “Interesting. Do tell.” He examined the kitchen. “Why the hell don’t you have a table? Where am I supposed to sit?”
When she would have shifted away from him, Apollo held her in place, dropping a kiss on her head before allowing her to leave. She reached for her shake with nervous hands.
“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Tyler chuckled. “But Dr. Murray is going to love it. I wish I could see his face when you explain how you have two boyfriends.”
“She doesn’t have to tell him anything.” Apollo stood straighter, his shoulders pulling and stretching his t-shirt.
Putting his mug on the counter, Tyler held up his hands. “No need to Hulk out, Dr. Banner.” He smirked at Nora. “It is part of your first interview. He’s going to ask a lot of intrusive questions, and I believe you’ve agreed to answer them.”
She had.
He’d introduced her to Dr. Daniel Murray, a psychologist at Brownington College, who ran a long-term experimental study. She agreed to participate in exchange for room and board, and free tuition at the college. At the time, she had nowhere to go.
Last night Matisse, Apollo, Seok, Cai, and Ryan had realized they all had feelings for her and struggled with what to do next. She heard them arguing, and then fighting, and took off, not wanting to come between them. A chance run-in with Tyler led her to the doctor.
Dr. Murray seemed kind, but demanding. In his eyes, his study took precedence over everything else. She got an amazing deal out of their agreement, since she’d never be able to afford college herself.
It was only now, she realized she would need to pay. The cost wasn’t monetary, but she had to spill all of her secrets, tell him about her past, and answer any question he might ask.
She’d be emotionally laid bare, and it terrified her.
Apollo watched Tyler with an expression she’d never seen on him before, and she moved without thinking. “It’s okay,” she soothed. “I’m okay.” She focused her attention on Tyler. “I remember… It’s confidential, but I never thought.” She cleared her throat, turning to Cai, who waited patiently for her to speak. “It’s your life, too.”
Nodding, he seemed to understand what she meant. It was one thing for her to share her secrets and personal life, but she’d be sharing a piece of the guys, and they hadn’t agreed to anything. He stepped closer, one hand flitting down her arm to entwine his fingers with hers. “I won’t hide. I’m not ashamed.”
“No way,” Tyler interrupted. Did this kid never shut up? “That’s all kinds of cool. Two guys and one girl?”
He tapped two fingers on each hand together. “Hashtag why choose?”
Cai rolled his eyes, and made the same gesture. “Hashtag, shut up. Hashtag, none of your business. Hashtag, don’t make me regret this.”
Suddenly, Tyler became serious. “No. Thank you, Cai. I mean it. I couldn’t have handled anything after yesterday. Watching Tilly…” He trailed off.
“That was her name?” she asked. Knowing her name transformed the girl from a sad experience, to a real person, one people cared about.
“Yes.” He nodded. “I didn
’t know her well. Participants don’t interact with each other much, but I saw her around. Crossed paths when we’d shown up for our interviews, or whatever. She’d had a hard time, since…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Bonjour!” Matisse bounded into the kitchen, ignoring the tension and swooping toward her. He gave her a little tug and then dipped her, enough to be romantic, and not gasp in pain. “Good morning, ma belle.”
Giggling, she returned his kiss. “You’ve become a lot more French lately.”
Righting her, he stepped away. “I’ve always been French,” he scoffed. “But perhaps love has made it come out more.”
There was no time to process what he’d said because Seok and Ryan entered behind him, and each of them kissed her heatedly.
Seok wrapped his arms around her, turning her toward the other guys and nuzzling into her neck. “Good morning,” he whispered.
Her eyes opened and she met Tyler’s slack-mouthed gaze. Having just taken a sip of his coffee, he choked. Cai grabbed the mug out of his hand and pounded him on the back.
When he got himself together, he held his hand out. “I’m good. I’m good.” Peeking at her, he made a motion to do the stupid hashtag thing again, but Cai knocked his hands apart.
“Enough, Tyler.”
He laughed, but continued to stare at her. “I don’t know the meaning of the word, ‘enough.’” Narrowing his eyes, he moved a little bit closer. “Is that a zit?”
3
Scents
They finished breakfast in the living room and then laid out plans for the day. Tyler needed to meet with Dr. Murray, and Nora had to outfit her dorm room and move in for real. The guys exchanged unhappy glances, making her think they were formulating a plan, and she’d hear their arguments later.
Leaving them to shower, she faced a reminder of having nothing of her own. The array of manly-scented body washes were a sign she needed a job. If she wanted her own soap, she’d have to buy it, and she had zero funds at present.