by Bea Paige
“What is it?” I ask, trying to hide the tremor in my voice at his apparent unease.
He sits down on the bed and takes my hands in his. I sit down with him.
“I partied hard when you left. One night I even pursued a woman, but when it came down to it, I couldn’t go through with it. I didn’t want her. I only wanted you. I still do.”
A frown creases on my forehead. I can’t pretend his words don’t sting. The thought of Max even being near another woman has my heart squeezing painfully in my chest and an ugly jealousy rearing its head. I drop my eyes, not certain about how I feel. Why tell me now, like this? I feel hurt, but I have no right to. I had left them, after all. Max lifts my chin with his finger, making me look at him.
“I’m telling you this now because I want to be completely honest with you. I should have told you earlier… Louisa, I’ve fucked many women, but I’ve only ever loved two. One was my mum, and the other is… you,” he says softly.
“You love me?” I whisper, his words taking me by surprise. Hudson and Bryce appear to be as surprised as I am. I see them glancing at each other. Bryce looks happy, Hudson is unreadable. Max presses his forehead against mine and for a moment it is just us in the room as we regard each other. He brings his hands upwards, cupping my face, and kisses me with such tenderness it brings tears to my eyes.
“Yes, I love you,” he whispers against my mouth. “I don’t say these words lightly. From the moment you left I’ve thought of nothing else. Since you’ve been here I am the happiest I’ve ever been. I don’t want any one else. Fuck, you make me so happy.” Then he gets up, as if to leave.
“Where are you going?” I ask gently, grabbing hold of his arm. Apart from Nisha, he is the only person in the entire world to have said those three words to me. I am overwhelmed and dumbstruck. He looks down at me, hope in his chocolate brown eyes.
“You don’t tell me you love me then leave. Stay. I want you to stay, Max.” I stand, pulling him into a hug, burying my face into his neck. He wraps his arms around me and we hold onto one another. I am a mess of feelings that I can’t quite unravel.
Eventually he pulls back, a beautiful smile lighting his face.
“Get undressed,” I say playfully.
“You wish is my command, Icy,” he says as he unbuttons his shirt. Once he reaches the last button his hands fall away, and he waits. I know what he wants, so I slide my hands over the firm muscles of his chest and ease the shirt off his shoulders. His mouth parts at my touch. I press a gentle kiss against his broad chest, savouring the delicious vanilla smell of his skin and the smattering of golden hair beneath my fingertips. My hands slide to the band of his trousers, undoing them. They drop to the floor. He is wearing a pair of black Calvin Klein boxer shorts, his cock straining against the material. Reaching down, I rub my hand up and down its length, whilst capturing his bottom lip gently between my teeth. He groans. Pulling back, I rest my hands against his chest. “Get on the bed, Jester,” I order.
Max grabs my hand and presses a kiss against the knuckles then climbs onto the bed behind me. Bryce steps forward next. He has already removed his jacket and the top few buttons of his shirt are undone. His muscular arms pull the material taut across his biceps. His dark chest hair peeks out from the gap in his shirt. I find it just as attractive as Max’s fair hair. I adore him for all of the alpha maleness he oozes.
“Louisa, you beautiful, amazing woman,” he says, shaking his head in wonderment. “You have made Max so happy…”
“What about you, Bryce? Do I make you happy?” If I’m honest with myself, what I want to know is whether he loves me as well. But I mustn’t hope for that too.
“Fuck, Louisa, of course you do. I came to find you because I missed you, because we missed you, even though some of us were too pigheaded to admit it.” He glances over his shoulder at Hudson, who says nothing.
“When I saw you in the café, my heart nearly stopped beating. I knew then with absolute clarity what I’d really known all along. You’re my family now. Come here, darling,” he says, pulling me into his arms. I am engulfed by the sheer size of him and more than lust fills me, more than desire. In his arms I am not a shattered girl.
“When that bastard hurt you, I would have killed him had you not been there. I still want to kill him. But right now, all I want is for you to feel adored, wanted, loved. You are the sun and we are just planets orbiting you and I will spend the rest of my days doing just that, so long as you’ll have me. Damn it, Louisa, if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.” Bryce leans down and presses kisses on my cheeks, my nose, my closed eyes, my forehead and lastly against my mouth. White heat spreads outwards from my centre, rippling over my skin.
“So, you love me then?” I ask softly, wanting to hear the words. I need to hear them.
“Of course I love you. Darling, how can I not?”
Bryce steps back and rips open his shirt. Small white buttons fly everywhere. I giggle. He grins. Behind us, Max laughs.
“What about the rest?” I ask.
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Bryce unbuckles his belt, sliding it free from the loops of his trousers. He pulls them down, not once removing his eyes from mine. He reaches for my hand, brings it to his mouth then sucks on my index finger. I feel the gentle pull, the swirl of his tongue over the sensitive tip. That action alone has me panting. His mouth pops open as a dark desire blooms in his eyes. This time it is clear he doesn’t mind sharing this moment with his brothers.
“I hope you’re ready for us, darling,” he says, moving aside for Hudson.
“Always,” I say.
“But I think Hudson has a few words to say first,” Bryce says, glancing over his shoulder at him. He climbs on the bed, and I wait for Hudson to approach me. His eyes flick to Max and Bryce. He is guarded, unsure. I can tell he is fighting against himself, against his urge to run. Not from the sex, but from the emotion, the feelings. I know it’s true because, despite what both Bryce and Max have confessed, I’m still afraid to say those words too, even though I am certain that I love them all.
Chapter Twenty
“It’s okay, Hudson, you don’t have to say a thing,” I say. I really don’t expect anything. I am already overwhelmed by Bryce and Max’s confessions.
“I can’t…” Hudson starts, unable to finish his sentence. He rubs his hand against the centre of his chest, just like he had done before. When he does that I see the kid he must have been, broken by a mum who couldn’t love him. It shatters me, seeing him so vulnerable. Knowing the power those three tiny words have, I realise I need to say them and, more importantly, he needs to hear them.
“Then I will say it for you. I love you, Hudson Freed. I love you despite the jagged edges, because of them.” I turn around, looking at Bryce. “I have never felt safer than when I am in your arms. I love you.” My gaze settles on Max next. “And you, Max, I love you for the joy you bring me, for the laughter, for the way I never feel judged in your presence. Before I met you all, I was fragmented, shattered, but somehow, I’m beginning to piece myself together. I’m not brave. I am still scared, but I’ll never run.”
“Baby… you don’t have to be brave,” Hudson says, pulling off his top and striding towards me. He lifts me up under my arms, and as I wrap my legs around his waist he whispers in my ear. “We’ve got you, butterfly.”
He gently lies me on the bed, straddling my hips. Bryce and Max settle either side of me. I feel the length of their bodies pressed against mine as Hudson runs kisses over my face and neck, nipping at my ear as he begins to unbutton my top.
“Let us show you how much we love you, darling,” Bryce whispers into my ear. I can feel the firmness of his fingers as he swipes my shirt open. On the other side, Max gently kisses against my collar bone. I can feel the tendrils of his hair caress my skin, the featherlight touch in stark contrast to the passionate grasp of Bryce’s hand as he massages my breast.
“Oh…” I whimper, my synapses firing as their sk
illed hands and mouths stoke the embers within me. They feed the flame with every lick, every scalding touch. These men, my men, have cracked me open and filled me up. They are like an addiction, a drug. One I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do without, that I don’t want to be without. I feel alive in a way I never have before.
“Let go, Louisa. Let us love you,” Hudson whispers against my skin. His mouth closes over my nipple, the soft twirling of his tongue and the slight graze of his teeth sending ripples of pleasure to my groin. He gets up to remove his trousers and pants. Through my heavy-lidded eyes I can see how much he wants me. Leaning over, he undoes my jeans, and in one swift movement pulls them off with my knickers, leaving me exposed to him. I catch his eye and watch as the pink of his tongue wets his lips. He makes no move forward. Instead, he chooses to watch as Bryce and Max take control.
“You’re so wet, Icy,” Max says as his fingertip swirls over my sleek opening. I push up into his hand, wanting more. He obliges, sliding two fingers inside me as the pad of his thumb presses then circles my clit, alternating the movement until I am on the brink of a precipice I don’t ever want to climb out of. My eyes flutter closed as Bryce cups my breast with his large hand, squeezing gently.
“Open your eyes, baby,” Hudson says from his spot at the foot of the bed. I do as he asks. Hudson is running his hand up and down the long shaft of his cock whilst Max and Bryce turn my body into liquid heat.
Feeling suddenly brave, I reach down to grasp Max and Bryce. A small smile of victory spreads across my face when I feel their excitement and hear their groans of desire. Bryce tips my chin to the side and captures my mouth with his. A low growl erupts as I move my hand faster. Passion overtakes as he rocks into my hand, his tongue snaking around my own. He lets my mouth go briefly, as he wriggles out of his boxers. Max takes the opportunity to kiss me gently, his own hips rocking against my hand.
“Who do you want to take you over the edge, darling?” Bryce asks gently.
I find I can’t answer, that I’ve lost all control of my faculties. An orgasm is building, and I am too overwhelmed by the sensation to speak. Max pulls his fingers away, just as the orgasm is about to break and I cry out in disappointment.
“Not yet, Icy, I want to feel you around me when you come,” Max says as he slides off the bed. I watch as he takes off his underwear and opens the bedside table drawer, pulling out a condom packet. He slides one on then crawls across the bed towards me.
“Come here,” he says, resting his back against the headboard. I ease onto my elbows, sitting up. Bryce helps me out of my shirt and bra. He is exceedingly gentle.
Max holds his hand out to me. I take it and lift my leg over his, straddling him then slowly, ever so slowly, lower my body down over his cock. Behind me I hear Bryce and Hudson move away, giving us space in the moment, sensing Max needs this moment alone with me after his confession, that I need it too.
Max looks at me, his hands resting on my face. “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, Icy, but I sure do like it.” He grins, bringing my face close to his, kissing me sweetly. It is enough to melt my heart entirely. Max shifts, pulling me close against his chest, and moves within me slowly, tenderly. His hands twirl in my hair and we rock together. It doesn’t take long until the fire is building within me once again, and as we both come apart all I can hear are Max’s whispered words of love.
“BRYCE, HUDSON, MAX,” Calum calls from below. I twist sharply towards the door, worried that Calum is going to come running in. That worry is soon overshadowed by the fact that the usually calm Calum is shouting for our attention. This can’t be good. I ease off Max gently, turning my worried expression to Bryce and Hudson, who are already picking up their clothes and pulling them on. Hudson does up his jeans but doesn’t bother to put on a top.
“I’ll go,” he says quickly, pulling open the door and rushing out.
A sudden sick feeling fills me. Bryce hands me my clothes, as Max pulls on his. “Nish?” I ask, my voice cracking with emotion.
“I don’t know, darling,” Bryce says, grabbing my hand. He squeezes it gently. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together.”
Max puts his arm around me and presses a kiss against my head. “Come on, let’s see what’s up.” They glance at one another, and I can’t help but feel they might have an idea what’s going on but aren’t willing to speculate just yet. We head downstairs and into the living area. Calum is gesticulating wildly at Hudson, who is trying to calm him down. Nisha is nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Nish?” I bite out, panic littering my voice.
Calum stops pacing, his eyes wide with concern. There is fear too, and anger.
“They took her. That fucking prick took her and left me this damn note,” Calum says, pointing to a piece of paper in Hudson’s hand.
“Who took her? What are you talking about?” I stride over to Hudson, holding my hand out.
“I don’t think you should read this, Louisa,” he says.
“Hand me the fucking note, Hudson,” I grind out.
He puts it into my hand. I can see him making eyes at Bryce and Max over my shoulder.
“Fuck,” Bryce says, as though he knows something already. But how can he? I look at the note in my hand and start reading.
£150k, no fucking police or the mouthy bitch might just find herself in a body bag at the bottom of the River Thames. I know she means a lot to Tuitti Fruiti. Guess who’s next if you don’t pay up. You know the score.
“Smithy… He’s got Nisha? How did this happen? You were supposed to be looking after her!” I shout at Calum. He winces.
“I’m sorry, Louisa. We were having a meal, Nisha went to the toilet. When she didn’t return after a few minutes, I went to see if she was alright. I thought perhaps she’d got sick. When I couldn’t find her, I returned to our table and that note was there. After what Bryce told me, I knew it was from the same man who threatened you.”
My hand flies up to my mouth, smothering the scream that is rising up in my throat. Bryce steps up behind me, touching me gently on the arm. I turn on him. “Tell me what you know, Bryce,” I say steadily, my voice deadly calm.
Bryce grits his teeth, his eyes flicking to Hudson.
“Don’t fucking look at him. Tell me what the hell is going on!” I shout. Somewhere in the back of my head a small voice is telling me to calm down, to try and be reasonable, that this is my mum’s fault, not theirs. But she’s dead and they’re the only people I’ve got to blame, aside from my stupid fucking self. Why do I ever think my life could be easy, simple? It never has been, and it never will be, and now poor Nisha has got mixed up in it all.
“When I arranged for the money to be delivered to pay off your mum’s debt, Smithy sent my courier back with a similar note. He threatened further action if we didn’t pay ten times the amount he claimed from your mum. The greedy bastard somehow figured out who I was and tried to extort more money from us. I passed it off as all talk. I didn’t think the lowlife piece of scum would follow through. We chalked him up as a petty criminal and not one we needed to concern ourselves with. I’m sorry, Louisa, we underestimated him.” Bryce swipes a hand through his hair.
“So you sent Nisha out, knowing that fucking creep had threatened us both.”
“It’s wasn’t like that,” Max says, trying to placate me. “She was with Cal. We didn’t think he would go through with his threat. We thought she’d be okay.”
“Well she isn’t, is she? Now that bastard has Nisha. Fuck knows what he’s going to do with her,” I yell at Max.
Hudson places his hands on my shoulders. “Louisa, we will make this right. We will find Nisha and we’ll sort that fucker out once and for all.”
I twist in his arms, slapping his hands away. “You said you would keep us safe. I trusted you to do that. I trusted all of you, but now that bastard has Nisha. He’ll hurt her. You know what he did to me within five minutes of entering my flat.”
“Louisa, we’ll find he
r. We will bring her home,” Hudson says firmly. He glances over his shoulder at Calum. “Call Clifford, tell him what’s happened and that I want to meet him at the office. Max, you’re with me. Bryce, stay here and look after Louisa. She does not step outside this house. Keep her safe, she trusts you to do that.”
I laugh out loud at the irony.
“I’m coming too,” Calum says. “She was my responsibility. I need to make this right.” He glances at me, an apology on his face. “I will bring her back.”
I nod tightly, not able to respond. Calum strides past us, pulling out his mobile phone. He takes the steps down to the front door two at a time.
“I’m going to get dressed. Max, wait in the car, I’ll be there in a few,” Hudson says, before rushing back upstairs.
Max stops in front of me. “We’ll find her.”
“Go, I’ll take care of Louisa,” Bryce says. Turning to me, he places his hand on my lower back and steers me towards the kitchen. “Sit down. I’ll make you a sweet tea.”
“I don’t want a sodding tea,” I say, slamming my hand on the counter.
“Then something stronger, perhaps?”
“I don’t want a drink, Bryce.”
He ignores me, heads to one of the cabinets and pulls out a bottle of brandy and two glasses. He pours himself a glass and downs it. Then he pours me one and slides it across the table. I leave it there.
I hear footsteps pounding down the stairs. Hudson strides over to me and pulls me into his arms. He tightens his grip when I try to push him away.
“We’ll bring her back. I promise you, Louisa, we won’t come home without her.” Stepping away, he addresses Bryce. “Send me the location of where the courier delivered the money.”
“Already done,” Bryce says, placing his phone on the table.
“I’ll call you with updates,” he says, before rushing from the room. I hear the front door slam, and moments later the sound of a car speeding out of the drive.