Exposed Affections

by Rene Folsom

  “Just relax, my love,” Aiden cajoled, while he rubbed his fingers lazily against my hip. Looking up at his face, I managed to naturally loosen my muscles with ease, allowing him to enter me completely.

  The sensation of these two men exuding their power and force over me was a wonderful combination of apprehension and excitement. I felt full—not just physically, but emotionally as well.

  Aiden moved at an excruciatingly slow pace, thrusting in and out of my ass while Coda picked up a harmonizing rhythm beneath me.

  “Oh, yeah,” I sighed, closing my eyes and completely enjoying the tight feeling they bestowed upon me. Flipping my ponytail, I arched my body so the strands of hair cascaded down the center of my back. As if I instructed him to, Aiden grabbed my hair and wrapped the long locks around his hand like he had hold of the reins to a horse.

  Using my hair to control my every move, Aiden pulled my head back and turned it to the side so he could talk into my ear.

  “Is this what you want, Juliana? You want me to hold on as I fuck your ass?”

  “Yes, Aiden,” I said, the angle of my neck causing my voice to be a high-pitched squeal. God, it felt good as he pulled my hair and picked up the pace, Coda matching him thrust for thrust.

  Several loud, incoherent moans escaped my throat involuntarily as they both thrashed in and out of me. The feeling was so overpowering—such an exquisite agony shouldn’t be legal.

  “Coda?” Aiden growled with a breathless sound as he pummeled me from behind.

  “Yes, now,” Coda confirmed, successfully confusing me as to what they were referring to.

  Before I could even think of asking, they simultaneously pulled out and flipped me on my back. Within moments, they were both on either side of me, fisting their cocks with vigorous motions. Knowing exactly what was coming next, I quickly scooted down and opened my mouth just in time for them to shoot their loads all over my face and chest.

  Spurts of salty-sweet liquid landed on my tongue, while the rest decorated my chin, neck, and chest. The grunts and groans of two men filled the room, and I had to marvel over how they managed to coordinate their orgasms.

  An innocent smile crept up on my lips as I scooped some of their come up with the same finger I used on myself and licked it off.

  “Perfect midnight snack,” I said with a seductive quality to my tone.

  Chapter 35

  “So damn demanding.”

  The next morning, I woke up with sweat dripping between my boobs and noticed two sizzling men wrapped tightly around every part of my body. Muscular limbs intertwined with mine, making it difficult for me to tell where they stopped and I began.

  The heat was comfortable because it meant I had my two men near me. The nausea, however, came out of nowhere and had me scrambling to free myself from my muscular confines.

  Finally breaking free from the twin prison that was Aiden and Coda, I tiptoed to the bathroom as quickly as I could. The next few minutes made me wish I hadn’t eaten so much junk food with Bri the night before.

  After putting on a robe that hung in the bathroom and brushing my teeth for the umpteenth time, I made my way back into the bedroom. Two Stone gods were sitting up in bed, obviously waiting for me to return.

  “You okay?” Coda asked, his voice laced with worry.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, trying my best to pretend nothing was wrong. “I just had to go to the bathroom suddenly.”

  At this point, I had suspicions this wasn’t a minor stomach bug. But, until I was certain, why bother them with the details? It would just bring up my past again and the last thing I wanted to do was talk about Rob.

  Plopping back down on the bed and laying on my back, both Aiden and Coda hovered over me and said in unison, “Happy birthday!”

  Covering my face with my hands, I muttered, “Ugh. I was hoping you two didn’t know.” Then I paused and uncovered my eyes as I wondered… “Wait. How did you know?”

  “I do have access to your school records, Julia,” Aiden chimed.

  “And I have access to all your court documents, darlin’,” Coda added.

  “Well, jeez. Talk about a disadvantage. Y’all know everything about me but I still haven’t learned when your birthdays are,” I whined, obviously trying to get the attention off myself.

  “July fourth,” they both said in unison.

  “I had my suspicions you two were firecracker babies because of Aiden’s email address.”

  “What do you want to do for your birthday?” Aiden asked with excitement.

  “Um, forget that it’s my birthday?” I said with a light lilt to my voice, knowing they definitely wouldn’t go for it.

  “Not. Gonna. Happen,” Coda emphasized as he grabbed my arm. With a smooth flick of his fingers, he wrapped and clasped a bracelet around my wrist.

  The silver bracelet was absolutely perfect, with a rhinestone-encrusted angel’s wing and a dangling heart adorning the center. I was in awe with how intricate the details were and how it glimmered against my skin in the morning sun.

  “Oh, Coda,” I whispered as I touched the wing with my fingertips. “It’s absolutely perfect!”

  Springing into an upright position, I side-tackled Coda with a huge hug, raining kisses down on his handsome face in any attempt to thank him for his thoughtful, and amazingly flawless, gift.

  As I was thanking my dear Coda, Aiden glided his fingers beneath the collar of my robe and pulled down so my shoulders and upper back were showing. While still clutching Coda’s biceps with both my hands, I turned my head and looked over my shoulder to watch Aiden place a soft kiss on the wing of my tattoo—the same wing that covered some of my scars.

  Lulling my head back gave Aiden just enough exposure to snake a chain around my neck, clasping it with another kiss, this time right between my shoulder blades. My first reaction was to place my fingers over the charm that weighed down the chain. The feel of its texture and shape told me the necklace matched my beautiful new bracelet.

  “Aiden!” I gasped. I didn’t know what else to say. No one had ever given me jewelry before. The jewelry was not only popping the proverbial cherry, but was also perfect for me in every way imaginable. Silver was definitely what I preferred and the wings—well, nothing needed to be said about how impeccable they were for me.

  “Do you like them?” Aiden asked while propping his chin on my shoulder.

  I tried to talk, but all that came out was a squeak as I failed to hold back my emotions. I might have been a twenty-three year old woman, but their thoughtfulness was something I hadn’t experienced from anyone throughout my life.

  “Hey,” Coda said as he grabbed my face and forced me to look at him. “It’s just jewelry, love. Why are you crying?”

  “Because I’m a silly girl,” I babbled, attempting to wipe my tears away quickly with the back of my hand. Both men laughed, but never said a word, waiting for me to explain. “They’re beautiful, and I love them. And silver is my favorite.”

  “Actually, the diamonds are set into white gold, and the chain is white gold as well,” Aiden explained as he touched the pendant hanging between my collarbones.

  “Diamonds? You mean…”

  “Yes,” Coda interrupted. “They’re real.”

  “Oh, my! You guys shouldn’t be spending that much on me,” I squealed as I stared at the frost adorning my wrist.

  “Well, Julia. I hate to point out the obvious, but we are able to afford it. Plus, when you have jewelry custom made, you go with the best of the best.” Before I could argue, Aiden tugged at my chin, placed a small peck to the side of my mouth, and said, “You, my Angel, deserve the absolute best.”

  “That’s putting it mildly,” Coda added, placing a light kiss on the other side of my mouth.

  The sensation of both men being so close, so affectionate, had me reeling with bliss. They kept simultaneously brushing light kisses across my lips, making my stomach flutter with nervous apprehension. I was completely undone by the feel of th
eir hot breath hitting my face, their strong hands stroking my skin, and their enigmatic eyes boring into my soul.

  Finally, they slowly pulled away, giving me a little bit of room to breathe from their tantalizing assaults.

  “You guys have no idea how much this means to me,” I said honestly, feeling a little more in control over my emotions.

  “I’m glad you like the set, but what was with the waterworks?” Coda questioned.

  “I just—” I stuttered, having trouble thinking of exactly what I wanted to say. “I’ve never been given jewelry before. And the fact you’ve put so much effort into having something custom made for me is more than a girl could ever ask for.”

  “No one has ever given you jewelry before?” Aiden asked in disbelief.

  I just shook my head, since he was clearly repeating what I had just said. I knew what he was thinking. He was wondering if Rob had ever given me jewelry. The fact was, Rob was only sweet through our first year of dating, at which time he bought me things like flowers and candy. I’d never received a gift from the man the whole time we were together—not even for my birthday.

  Of course, I didn’t want to bring that whole subject up, so I just let it slip to the back of my mind. Now was a time to be happy—a time for me to celebrate my birthday with two gorgeous…

  “Beavis and Butthead!” Bri yelled while knocking on the door. “You up yet?”

  …two gorgeous men and their firecracker for a sister.

  “Go away!” Coda hollered with a smile.

  “Hells to the no!” she shouted through the door, her loud voice sounding slightly muffled. “Let’s go to breakfast.”

  Aiden grumbled and rolled his eyes. “C’mon. She’s never gonna go away. Let’s get dressed.”

  Ann met us for brunch and the five of us spent the next several hours enjoying each other’s company. My new jewelry made me feel proud. Just the fact I was sporting such beautiful diamonds had me smiling more than usual. Thankfully, no one made a big deal of my birthday while we were out.

  Despite the worry that swam in my gut and made me ill, I felt happier than I had in quite some time. At least I did until another nosy Nancy came up to Aiden and asked about Tanya.

  I didn’t necessarily have any issues with Tanya, but my silly female emotions were getting the best of me. I wished more than anything I could be the one people asked about—not her. I wanted to be the one that made Aiden’s smile sparkle as he spoke to acquaintances of his.

  With all the voices swimming around me as we walked along the crowded streets of downtown, I tried to count the days in my head. Only four days late. Clearly, that was no reason to go into a panic, right? Adding the nausea into the mix, I felt it only necessary to enter into freak-out mode. But, what good would it have done to scare Aiden and Coda until I knew exactly what was going on in my body?

  I could feel my heart rate increasing with each panicked thought that entered my mind.

  “What are you thinking so hard about?” Coda prodded as he slung his arm over my shoulder. Aiden, Bri, and Ann headed into a little jewelry store while we waited outside.

  “Nothing really.” I didn’t want to tell him what was really going through my mind.

  “You’re a horrible liar,” he chuckled. “Your injuries are looking a lot better. I’m amazed at how quickly your face is healing.” He was probably just trying to cheer me up. It worked… a little.

  My despondent attitude had him urging for more. “Is it Aiden’s lie that’s bothering you?”

  Looking into his eyes, I silently pleaded for him to drop it. Considering the Tanya subject was my nearest out, I shrugged. After all, every time someone came up to us blathering to Aiden about her had me reaching deep down for my self-control. Since I was obviously bothered by it, why not feed Coda a little honesty so he’d drop the rest?

  “I think it’s bothering him just as much as it is you. Several times now, he’s twisted that wedding band of his as if he’s contemplating taking it off. I feel his turmoil, but he just has to keep up appearances around here because of how well-known we are around this town.”

  “I know I’m just being silly. I just see how his face lights up when he talks about her and…” I trailed off, unsure of exactly what I was getting at.

  “And you want to see him smile while he talks about you?” he asked, hooking his finger beneath my chin to look up at him. I didn’t need to respond. Coda could read me like a book. “Tell you what—I’ll wear the ring for the rest of the afternoon and pretend to be Aiden so that he can spend a little time with you. Okay?”

  “Coda, you don’t have to do that. Then you’ll have to pretend to be married. I’ll learn to deal with it,” I cajoled.

  Cupping my face in his large hands, Coda placed a soft, genuine kiss on my lips. This wasn’t an all-out, porn kiss with tongue. It was just a simple, sweet kiss—and was still enough to take my breath away.

  “Codasaurus. You seriously need to stop devouring that poor girl,” Bri scolded as she bounded out of the store with a small bag in her hand. “C’mon, Julia. Let’s go eat some cake.” Grabbing my arm, she dragged me away from Coda in the direction of the car. Looking back at Coda, I shrugged and smiled. His amusement was infectious.

  Later that evening, while enjoying some delicious, homemade carrot cake, my phone began to buzz in my back pocket. My stomach leapt with the possibility of it being Pat from the hospital—I knew I would be hearing from them any day now.

  Glancing at the screen, I saw Sid’s beautiful face smiling back at me and couldn’t help my responsive grin.

  With the Stone family sharing a bottle of wine and chatting away in the living room of the cabin, I took the opportunity to duck away for some privacy. After all, I wasn’t drinking any of the wine and pretty soon, the guys would likely wonder why.

  “Sid,” I answered excitedly as I made my way out to the front deck that faced the valley. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking as all the colors bounced off the mountainous terrain.

  “Happy birthday! Do you realize how much I fucking miss your face?” Sid hollered through the receiver.

  “God, I miss you too, Sid. Really,” I said honestly.

  “Not to mention work totally blows without you here. When are you coming back?”

  “We’re flying back on Saturday.”

  “And how are those sexy twins? They fighting over you yet?” she joked.

  “Things are good. And, no, they’re not fighting over me in the slightest. I’d be pissed if they did,” I said honestly.

  “Things are just good? They’re not great? If I had two hot bods at my disposal, I’d be fan-fucking-tastic!”

  “Of course things are great with them. I’m just…” I hesitated. Did I want to reveal my worries to her or keep them hidden until I knew more? If I were home, she would be able to tell in a heartbeat anyway.

  “Spill, Julia.”

  “Okay. I haven’t told anyone this yet and it’s starting to eat away at me.” I stood on the deck in silence, deciding which words should fall from my mouth first. I stalled, staring at the diamond bracelet adorning my wrist and turning it so I could watch the last rays of the sun glitter off the shiny little stones.

  “Jules, you know I’m always here for you,” Sid said in an attempt to persuade the secrets to start pouring out of me.

  “I know, Sid. And I love you for it. I just feel like my problems are a constant burden on you. Life keeps throwing me in this shithole, and you keep digging me back out. It’s not fair—”

  “Stop right there,” she interrupted. “You’re always there for me whenever I need you. Think about where I would be today if it weren’t for our friendship. So, stop delaying and start talking—now.”

  “God, all right! So damn demanding.”

  “You bet your ass I am.” I heard Sid huff through the phone as if to warn me she was waiting impatiently.

  “I think I might be pregnant,” I blurted out.

  Chapter 36

 
“This war was far from over.”

  “Oh, fuck. You don’t think… can it happen that fast?” Sid asked, completely stunned with my admission.

  “I don’t know. I’m totally in the dark on how quickly things show on blood tests and what not. But I do know what I’m feeling, and if my suspicions are correct, I’m screwed.” A tear trickled down my cheek with reality weighing heavy on my shoulders. “I’m supposed to hear back from the hospital any day now.”

  “There’s no way it could be his, could it? I don’t think shit could happen that fast, Jules.”

  “I need to face the harsh reality that it could possibly be his, Sid. The fact that it could be Rob’s fault is eating away at me. He haunts me every time I close my eyes. To have a daily reminder of what he’s done to me would be like his vengeance—his torturous knife tearing away at my control until there’s nothing left of me.” The words spilled out of my mouth—unwelcome and lethal words I wish I never had to utter.

  “Damn it, Julia. Don’t let him get in your head,” Sid warned.

  “Oh, he’s definitely in my head. He is spreading his filth through my mind and making himself right at home.” I paused as I thought of something else. “What will Aiden and Coda think? It’s bad enough they’ve had to deal with my shit so far, especially when they haven’t known me for more than a minute.”

  “You haven’t told them yet?”

  “Hell no. What would I tell them? ‘Thanks for saving me from a rapist, but now I’m having his baby?’ I don’t think so,” I huffed.

  “You know that’s not what I mean, Jules. Stop being a child. You’re a fucking adult and so are they. Right now, you’re in another state with them. If you’re not feeling well, you need to tell them.”

  “It’s just a little nausea and vomiting that comes on suddenly. It’s not like I feel sick,” I pacified. “Plus, why have them worry until I know for sure?”