by Kit Rocha
"The New Earth movement is about stillness and appreciation of what we have now instead of what we used to have before Park-B, right? So as children we're taught to savor and meditate on the bounty of nature and what it provides. To me, a mouth full of blueberries is my benediction from the Earth. Or jumping into the water and letting myself sink to the bottom before I rise to the top again. The people at the communities think on it a different way, and I'm all right with that. They might not think I'm pure NE anymore, but living here in Paradise Village has brought me closer to those roots than I have been in a long time. Appreciation and celebration do not have to mean deprivation. I have one life and I want to live it with as much verve as I can."
Hatch caught her chin and kissed her mouth long and slow. As he did, he tangled his fingers with Charlie's, who watched the beauty unfurling between Hatch and Summer.
Hatch eased her back, kissing down her body, licking the water from her breasts. Charlie got to his knees and slid her legs wider, joining Hatch at her pussy, licking and nuzzling her to one quick, hard and fast climax and then backing off a few minutes before going back to make her come again and another time after that.
Then she leaned back against Hatch while Charlie fed her, while she and Hatch took turns jerking him off until he came. And then turned their attention to Hatch.
Even later, when Charlie closed his eyes he saw the way her skin looked, water beading against her ink, the size of Hatch's hand at her hip, the feel of his fingers in Hatch's.
It wasn't as if she'd complained about any of the little things needing fixing in her caravan. But the latch on her bedroom window had been sticking and one day when she'd gone to close it, it had been fixed, along with the hole in her screen.
This had made her jump into bed between her men and kiss them both silly. And then when she'd slept in as they'd gone out early to work, she'd awoken to find a new sketch on the pillow.
Charlie was always drawing things for her and leaving them as gifts. Folded like origami into cranes and flowers, he liked to keep his hands busy. There was a menagerie of paper animals all over her caravan. Brightly colored scraps of paper he'd rendered into little horses or birds.
Hatch had gone out of his way to be more open. To share his dreams with her. To be there not just when she needed him, but to be there before she realized she needed him. To fill that need before she had it.
It had always been flattering to be in Hatch's focus, but now it was so much deeper than flirtation. His focus was on an entirely new level.
And Charlie? He was the buffer, the person who knew both of them well enough to translate them for one another. She and Hatch would butt heads and Charlie would step in and restate what Hatch or Summer would say, only with words they could truly hear. It was a lovely gift he had and it made her love him all the more. And seeing Hatch through Charlie was illuminating as well. That Charlie loved Hatch and Hatch loved him back allowed Summer to see a different, softer side of Hatch.
It made her smile as she took her lunch to a table near the bakery stall.
"So what's going on in your life lately?" Jemmy grinned as he slid onto the bench across from her at her lunch break. It had been about four, maybe even five months since she'd seen him. Then again, a lot of her focus was on Hatch and Charlie these days.
"Hey." She smiled in response. She didn't love him, no, but she liked him a great deal and whatever else they weren't she did consider him to be a friend. "Things are pretty fantastic as it happens. What about you?"
"We're working through stuff. Me, Elia and Tay I mean. It's not always easy, but it's what you do when you want things to work out." The happiness on his face was genuine and that made her glad.
"That's wonderful to hear."
"So you're in a relationship." He blushed. "I mean, I've seen you around with them a lot so I figured that was the case. You're not one to stick with someone long term unless it's the real thing."
"I am. In a relationship that is. I'm sorry if I...if." She shook her head. "I'm not saying it right."
He snorted. "We went about it backward. I think we figured adding another person would help us with our issues. And it didn't because you can't fix your own problems by avoiding them and filling that gap with someone or something else. And, I felt for you far more deeply than Elia and Tay were prepared for. Hell, more than I was prepared for. You came along at the wrong time. Or maybe the right time because I remembered what it was to feel that intensely for someone. But now I know it's possible and I want to feel it for them. So I'm grateful for that. And for you and what I felt." He shook his head. "Anyway, so you're happy then?"
She realized that though she automatically nodded, she truly was. "I am. They're good to me. Good to each other." She shrugged. She was in love and it was impossible to deny it. They'd come into her life and had turned it all upside down and inside out and in the end, after all was said and done, after they'd done what she'd asked and backed off to give her time, she had to admit what she'd known three months before and was afraid to accept.
They ate lunch together before returning to work, just visiting and catching up. And she smiled the whole time because it had been good to finally let herself accept the truth.
Chapter Nine
Charlie came to her door. He raised his hand to knock but she opened before he could. "Hi."
So pretty. Her smile was his reward for a long day of hard work.
He stepped close and pulled her to his body. "Hi yourself" He kissed her hard and fast. "Before you hear it from anyone else, Hatch got hurt today."
Her eyes widened. "Where is he? Is he all right? What happened?"
"He's just finishing up at the urgent care. One of the machines was jammed. He reached in to clear it and got cut."
"Let's go to him now. Let me turn off the stove."
She hurried and met him at the door.
"We can wait for him here. You know he'll come to us when he's done."
She rolled her eyes. "Would you just wait for him to come to you?"
Charlie liked that. Liked that she had connected to them, to their relationship enough to act that way.
They headed out the door to the urgent care clinic.
He circled back to her question as they went. "Well, no. But I know you're wanting to take things slow. We just didn't want you to hear it from someone else and panic. He's all right. I promise. He just needed to get it cleaned up and stitched closed."
"Taking things slow doesn't mean I don't care if you're hurt."
Her bottom lip quivered and he paused, pulling her close. "Hey, I'm sorry. I know that. I'm trying hard not to overstep. If it were up to me, we'd all be living in the same place, together all the time."
She nodded. "You're not overstepping. But we're all together. I want to know this stuff. I care about you. I worry every day when you're out there."
The knot in his belly eased. She made things better and seemed to have no idea. He kissed her. "Come on. He may end up meeting us halfway. I stayed until they'd started the stitches and he sent me to you. We knew once people started coming back into the village you might hear it from someone and we didn't want you to worry."
He took her hand and she squeezed back as they walked.
Up ahead he caught sight of Hatch leaving the clinic. He stood talking to Lenore, one of their team leaders and the person who'd offered Hatch a supervisory position earlier that day.
Roots. Hatch had accepted and would start in a week. Which meant Charlie had the time and opportunity to find a permanent job in the village. Roots were important and this was just another step in the right direction. A huge one.
Summer's reaction was everything he'd hoped for. Oh yes, they'd had a relationship. They clearly all worked together physically. They were good with one another. She'd slowly been opening herself up to them. Each time some new intimacy had clicked into place was a victory.
Summer made a sound. A little growl and Charlie turned to her. "What's wrong?"
&n
bsp; "Who is that and why is she touching Hatch?"
Jealousy. Interesting.
He looked closer and tried to see it from her perspective. Lenore was touching Hatch, yes. People liked to. He was remote and people seemed to want to draw his attention by touching him.
It hadn't occurred to Charlie to be jealous. He'd seen it happen and Hatch's reaction so many times. Hatch always came home to him. He might throw that intense sensuality around but his focus--his intimacy--was where it belonged.
"That's one of the team leaders." He started to reassure her, but realized this was one of those moments when she and Hatch needed to work through something. Hatch did indeed come home to Charlie every night, but he hadn't come home to Summer.
He got it right at that moment. This was the last hurdle. She could depend on them and she knew it. They loved her. And he knew she loved them too. But there was that last gulf to breach, which was that Hatch hadn't come home to her.
That she was jealous was a good sign. She wasn't jealous of Charlie, who'd had Hatch in the years Hatch had been gone from her life. She'd accepted Charlie and Hatch as a unit. But Lenore was an interloper.
Summer accepted them and what they all had. Enough to be suspicious of anyone she perceived as a threat.
Hatch turned, the distance in his gaze when he'd been talking to Lenore wisped away when he focused and recognized Charlie and Summer.
Summer leaned into Charlie and then moved to Hatch. She cupped his cheek. "Are you all right?"
Hatch's grin sent a shiver through Charlie just watching. "I could always use a kiss to make it better."
Summer snorted but blushed. "How did I know you'd say that?" She looked down at his forearm, bending her head and kissing over the bandages. "That'll have to do for now."
She turned and smiled at Lenore as she slid an arm around Hatch's waist.
"Summer, this is Lenore. She's one of the harvest team leaders. She brought me here after the accident."
"Thank you for that."
Charlie wisely withheld a smile as he moved to Hatch and Summer. "Hey, Lenore. Summer and I will take it from here. Thanks for your help today."
Lenore got the hint and stepped back. "No problem. Remember, Hatch, I don't want to see you until next week when you start at the processing center. Take care of yourself. See you tomorrow, Charlie. Nice to meet you, Summer." She waved and walked away.
"I have excellent pain medication and an empty stomach." Hatch grinned at Summer and then to Charlie.
"Come back to my place. We'll get you settled. I've had a stew on all day so there's dinner."
Charlie watched Hatch play it up for Summer, who doted and got him tucked up on her couch before she brought him some tea and some biscuits to eat before he took his pain medication.
Charlie kissed Hatch's forehead before he went to the kitchen to help Summer.
"Glad I thought to do this when I got home earlier today. Someone brought me two pheasants, all dressed and everything, so I thought it would be a good starter for a nice thick stew."
Charlie pulled her close. "You're taking care of us."
"Of course. You take care of me too."
True, of course. But it felt so good to have her do it. He kissed her nose and then her lips. "It's nice. I like it."
She blushed. "Oh. Well. Thank you."
She pulled out some deep bowls and he dished out big helpings for each of them.
"Go on and take them in to Hatch so he can eat some more. Those pills are going to send him to sleep soon enough." She grinned and Charlie laughed.
He grabbed the tray.
"I'll be in shortly. I'm just going to get you and I some tea."
"She made us stew." Charlie announced as he helped settle Hatch.
Hatch grinned. "She totally did. Pain meds just hit. I'm loopy."
"I noticed. You're also totally playing this up. I've seen you keep working with way worse injuries than this one."
"I like it when she fusses over me. Plus, she knows me. She knows I'm exaggerating for attention. She indulges me. Like you do."
Which charmed Charlie even more.
"Lenore ruined my surprise," Hatch muttered.
"She also touched you way more than a boss needs to," Summer said as she came in, handing a tall glass to Charlie before settling and grabbing a bowl of her own.
"Are you jealous?"
She frowned. "I don't like it when random people who aren't me or Charlie rub all over you."
Charlie guffawed. "Sunshine, rubbed might be an exaggeration. Though I agree with the idea that no one but you or me should be rubbing on Hatch," he added at her glare.
"She was just asking after me."
"Are we pretending you're not completely aware of your appeal, Hatch?"
"It's not my fault I'm irresistible."
She leaned in and pinched his side. Hatch yelped. "Hey!" He took a few spoonfuls of his stew. "Jealousy makes you mean."
"I had lunch with Jemmy today." She sent Hatch a raised brow.
He frowned and though Charlie knew what she was doing, he frowned too. "The tattoo guy? Your ex?"
"Yes. Are you jealous?"
"Yes. But I never fucked Lenore."
"Which is why I didn't punch her. Or you for letting her rub her boob on your arm."
Hatch smirked. "Did you really have lunch with your ex today?"
"He came to sit with me while I was at my lunch break. He's working things out with his partners. He asked about you two. We talked about ink. Yours to be specific. I told him about your left sleeve. Said you both had great tattoos."
"He asked after us? After our relationship?" Charlie gave Hatch a look.
"Yes, of course. He's my friend."
"He was seeing if you were single."
She waved a hand. "No. He's not a villain. He's in love with his triad. He thanked me for reminding him what was important. I talked about you two pretty much the whole time. And he didn't touch me a single time. Not even a hug goodbye."
Hatch settled back against the pillows. "You're the kind of woman a man would hate himself for losing." She sucked in a breath and leaned back. "Really now?"
Charlie held back a groan, hoping Hatch had something to add because Summer was sensitive on this subject. Hatch's words had slowed down a little as the medication hit.
Hatch took her hand. "Yes. So I get it if he wanted you back. I'm living with the consequences of failing you once and glad as hell you're giving me another chance. I'd burn the world down if I lost you again."
Her features softened and she smiled. "You're really good at this stuff."
"It's the truth."
Summer leaned forward, kissing his forehead. "Sleep a while."
They cleared dinner away and left Hatch in the bedroom to sleep.
"I'm going to run back to our caravan and get some clothes for tomorrow."
"All right. I'll keep an eye on him."
Charlie put his arms around her waist. "He's fine you know. Just some stitches."
"Oh I know. If it were you, I'd hover too."
He cocked his head. He'd known that, but it was nice to be reassured. "Yeah. I know. It makes me happy that you and I have our own thing."
She traced over his eyebrows and along his cheeks. "It wouldn't work otherwise. Of the three of us, you're the strongest, you know."
"What makes you say that?"
"He and I will always be at each other. You're aware of that, right? When we were kids it was the same. We'd get into these huge fights over stupid stuff all the time. But it never really mattered. Still, you're the buffer."
"Can I tell you a secret?" He moved to lean against the porch and pulled her in so he could kiss her.
"Was that the secret? Because I think I knew it already."
He laughed. "Smartass. I'm glad it's no secret how I feel about you. Because I've felt it since the moment we locked gazes that first day. The secret is, the energy between you and Hatch is ridiculously hot. It gets me off. Makes my
cock hard and my skin tingle. I like being the buffer between you. You're both volatile and passionate. It turns me on. But more than that it's why I love you both so much."
She was quiet for long moments.
"You're not going to argue that I can't possibly love you?"
She shook her head. "No. How can I argue when I'm so glad?"
He smiled and she leaned close to kiss him. He gathered two handfuls of her luscious ass and tugged until he could grind himself in all that softness.
"I'll be back in a few minutes." He spoke against her lips as he broke the kiss.
"I believe you."
Chapter Ten
Hatch realized he'd forgotten to tell her more of the details about his new job. Lenore had spoiled it by mentioning it outside the clinic, but he hadn't given Summer anything more than that.
They needed a long conversation to move to the next step in their relationship.
He stopped at the stall in the afternoon. She looked up from the counter and saw him. Such a beautiful smile his heart seemed to expand to fill every part of him.
"How's the arm?"
It had been three days and he was fine. "Just went and they checked the stitches. Everything is fine. Healing fine. No signs of infection. Tonight how about you meet me and Charlie? Just the three of us. We'll have dinner out on your back porch. Day off for you and Charlie tomorrow so we can stay up late and be naked."
"Okay. That sounds good. You're not going to work are you?"
"No. I have a few days left before I do. I have some things to do though so we'll meet you at your place when you get off, all right?"
She held up a finger. "Hang on a second." She asked Lucy to watch the counter and disappeared into the back for a minute or two and then came back out with a key she handed to him. "I've been meaning to give you two a key. I asked Dulce to make me extras. If I'm not home, just let yourselves in."
That made him ridiculously happy. First because she'd been leaving things unlocked for them and he didn't like the insecurity of that. And second because she was stepping into new territory with opening her life to them more. He grinned. "Thank you."