“Holy crap, Frankie, how the hell does someone as tiny as you eat so much?” Ryan exclaims.
I shrug my shoulders. “Fast metabolism, I guess.”
“Yeah, or hollow legs, as my mum would say.” He laughs before taking my empty box over to the recycling bin.
Caleb tugs on my arm, pulling me from my seat and nudging me in the direction of the sitting room.
“Come on, you. Let’s get you settled. We have narrowed the movie selection down to The Avengers, X-men or The Notebook.”
“Can I assume that you guys threw The Notebook in there because I’m a girl?”
“No. It just happens to be Ryan’s favourite movie.”
I can’t help chuckling at the thought of the larger than life blond Adonis getting weepy at The Notebook.
“What’s funny?”
I turn at the sound of Sam’s voice and find him and Ryan watching me with smiles of their own. Sam is holding a couple of beers and a bottle of water while Ryan is trying to balance two bowls of popcorn and a few bags of sweets.
“I was just telling Frankie here what your favourite movie is.”
“Hey, I will have you know that that movie is a cinematic masterpiece. Allie and Noah’s love story transcends time.” He places all the stuff he was carrying down on the coffee table except for one of the bowls of popcorn and plonks himself down at one end of the sofa. Taking pity on him, I climb up next to him and snuggle into his side, burrowing closer when he places his arm around my shoulder and starts twirling a piece of my hair.
“I agree, it is a beautiful film.” Turning towards Caleb, I smile and tell him to go with The Avengers.
“Menace,” Ryan whispers in my ear, making me shiver.
Sam sits down on the other end of the sofa, lifting my legs and placing my feet in his lap. When he starts rubbing them, I swear I begin to purr. I start to shuffle down. Ryan, anticipating my needs, puts the popcorn onto the floor by his feet before placing a cushion on his lap, allowing me to stretch out and get comfortable. While Caleb sits in the love seat and hits the remote to start the movie, Sam continues his foot massage, pressing deep in the arch, making me moan. This makes Ryan freeze beneath me for a second before adjusting the cushion under my head. Puzzled, I turn slightly to look up at him and see the faint pink blush across his cheeks. What in the world? When he adjusts the cushion for a second time I realise why, and then it’s my turn to blush.
“Gah... I’m sorry. Just ignore it and it will go away. Well, it won’t go away but it will go down. Just don’t make that noise again. Or wriggle around too much. Erm… yeah, you should probably stop looking at it, too, or Little Ryan is going to burst through this cushion and scare the crap out of you alien-style.”
We all look at him for a beat before I burst out laughing, not bothered one little bit that it hurts my throat. Sam sits up and swings me around so that my head is against his chest and my feet are now in Ryan’s direction.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sam asks Ryan, which just sets me off again. When I finally settle down, I feel my eyelids getting heavy. Guess my giggle fest zapped the last of my energy. I peek over at Caleb and see that he has fallen asleep, which is hardly a surprise given that he has been awake for the last thirty-six hours. Ryan’s hand is on my foot, his thumb stroking over my ankle almost unconsciously, lulling me to sleep.
I send up a silent prayer of thanks knowing that today could have turned out very differently, even going as far back as Steve’s accident this morning. I’m blessed that we all made it out the other side. We might be a little battered and bruised but we all survived, and that’s all that matters to me.
Chapter Twenty-One
SAM
When I wake up, it takes me a minute to recognise my surroundings and to realise that the weight on my chest is Frankie. Her head is tucked under my chin, her hair tickling my nose. She is deep in slumber, completely unaware of the internal struggle I’m having trying to control my dick. Her leg is thrown over mine and her core is pressed against my thigh. I grit my teeth to stop myself from pulling her over me and grinding against her. We all agreed that Frankie was in charge of setting the pace, but my dick obviously missed that memo.
After Caleb and Frankie fell asleep downstairs I decided to postpone watching the movie and put Frankie to bed instead. Ryan followed me up, turning off the lights and shutting down the house. Knowing that today’s events would more than likely trigger a nightmare, Ryan and I decided to stay in case she needed us. As luck would have it, she slept like a log. Whether that was because she was so exhausted or because she felt safe with us here I don’t know, but it was certainly not a hardship for me, especially if it means waking up like this.
Movement to my left has me turning to see a dishevelled mop of blond hair pop up from under the quilt. I watch as Ryan does a quick scan of the room—old habits die hard, after all—before settling on me.
“Well, it’s going to take me a while to get used to waking up next to your ugly mug on a regular basis.” His eager tone is completely at odds with his sarcastic words.
I grunt in answer, not bothering to waste my words with a reply. I talk when I have something necessary to say, unlike Ryan, who never knows when to shut the fuck up. He glances down at Frankie, a soft smile on his face before glancing back up at me.
“Think we can make this work? The last thing I want is Frankie getting caught up in any of our bullshit. She has been hurt enough. I would rather walk away than risk hurting her again.”
See, this is why people underestimate him. They see a cocky loudmouth and automatically decide that he lacks substance. That’s their mistake, because the Ryan I know may be both those things, but he is also the most sensitive out of our trio, picking up things that Caleb and I fail to notice time and time again. He is one of the best people I know, and he is one of the few people I would trust with Frankie’s well-being. Even when he acts like an annoying turd.
“That right there proves why this will work. We fucked up, we know that, she knows that… fuck, everybody at the children’s centre that night knew that, but we learnt from it. The fact that each one of us would walk away despite how we all feel about her just to stop her from being hurt tells me everything I need to know. We will make it work, come hell or high water. We are going to figure this out because she deserves not just to be loved but to be surrounded by it.”
“Thanks, Doctor Phil,” the dumb ass replies.
I would flip him off but that involves moving, and I’m extremely happy with where I am. Frankie stirs slightly against me, making me take in a sharp breath when her leg grazes my dick. I swear this woman is trying to kill me. Ryan leans over her slightly, dipping his head and trailing soft kisses up her arm to her shoulder.
“She is so fucking beautiful,” he speaks between kisses, although I have no idea if he is talking to me or to himself. “How can she not see just how gorgeous she is?” He trails his lips over her shoulder and up her neck to her ear, pushing himself up against her and making her squirm against me again. Her soft moan as she starts to rouse from her sleep has my cock going from half-mast back to rock solid.
Her eyes flutter open. A brief moment of uncertainty melts away when she glances up and sees me watching her. Sliding her gently off my hip, I turn so that I’m facing her, sandwiching her between Ryan and me. She glances over her shoulder at Ryan, who stops kissing her neck long enough to bring his lips to hers. He kisses her softly, like he has all the time in the world, never taking it deeper, although it would be hard in this position. Talking of hard, watching them together is turning me on something fierce. I had already accepted the fact that we are all going to share Frankie, at least figuratively speaking, but I for some reason never considered sharing her. I never thought it would be something that I would be into but clearly, I was wrong. Just watching Frankie respond to Ryan’s touch and his kiss is threatening to break my control. I must remember to reign it in. I don’t want to scare her.
She breaks the kiss and tur
ns back to face me, her face flushed, her breathing erratic, and her lips deliciously swollen. Fuck it. I swoop in and devour her lips like I’ve been wanting to do since tasting them in her bathroom. I use my hand to cup her face, mindful of her tender cheek, and plunder her mouth with my tongue, exploring the unique taste that is all Frankie. She grips my shoulder, and for a moment I think she is going to push me away but instead she pulls me closer, wrapping her leg over mine, tugging me as close to her as she can get me.
Fisting her hair, Ryan breaks our kiss by pulling her back. His kisses are now gentle bites as he grinds into her, which in turn makes her core rub against my thigh. She watches me with lust-filled eyes as I slowly drag the strap of her tank top down.
My focus is on her face. I watch for any signs of weariness but all I see is eagerness and need reflected at me. The strap catches on her arm, refusing to go any lower, but it’s enough to reveal the creamy swell of her breast. Lowering my head, I trace over the exposed skin with the tip of my tongue. She tugs my hair, causing a moan of my own to escape.
“More,” she pleads.
I feel Ryan sit up, pulling her away from me so that she is sitting directly in front of him, his legs bracketed at her sides. I sit too, watching as he peels the tank top from her and throws it over my shoulder. My gaze homes in on the bite mark around her nipple, and I feel a red mist beginning to descend. I watch as she freezes in Ryan’s arms, unsure how to react. She tries to cover her chest, but Ryan stops her by sliding his hands up her torso before cupping her breasts.
“I can still feel him touching me. Please make it go away. I want this, I need you.”
I watch Ryan tug on her uninjured nipple whilst still cupping the other. He nods to me, holding her breast as an offering.
“Please,” she whispers between pants.
I kneel in front of her as Ryan leans back, pulling her against his chest, putting her at the perfect angle. When my lips make contact with her rosy red nipple, she jumps. Pulling back, I wait for her nod to continue before flicking over it with my tongue, making her gasp. I spend my time worshiping her breasts, making her moan and squirm in Ryan’s lap, and making him quietly curse.
“More?” he asks her, his voice sounding far deeper than usual. When I don’t hear her answer, I sit up, so I can see her better. Ryan must be on the same page as me, because he stops playing with the breast I have neglected and places his lips against her ear.
“Words, sweetheart. You want to stop, we will stop right now and just hold you, but if you want more, then you have to tell us.”
“More. I want more, Ryan.”
I lean forward again, this time taking her lips. Kissing Frankie is one of my favourite things to do. I swallow down her gasp and pull back, so I can watch her with Ryan. His hand is inside her little pink shorts and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he is doing to her. Frankie is panting and moaning, her hands fisted on Ryan’s legs as she arches her back.
“You like Ryan’s hands on you, Frankie?”
“Yes,” she pants.
“You want him to go harder, faster? Use your words, sweetheart.”
“Inside me, Ryan. I want your fingers inside me.”
“You heard the lady, Ryan.”
“You are both trying to kill me,” he groans. “Fuck me, she’s soaked. You like that, huh, Frankie? That’s it, keep squeezing my fingers.”
I move forwards and suck her uninjured nipple into my mouth, making her arch her back again.
“I’m going to… Ahhh!” she bites out, throwing her head back as she comes, smacking it into Ryan’s shoulder, but I doubt either of them felt it. I lick slowly up her chest to her neck and continue up before biting gently on her bottom lip while she rides out the aftershocks of her orgasm. Lifting her from Ryan, I sit her on my lap, facing him. Ryan sucks his fingers into his mouth while looking straight into her eyes before smiling that trademark smile of his.
“Mmmm, tasty.”
She ducks her head but I’m not having that.
“No, you hold your head up high, Frankie. You just brought two grown men to their knees. You own that shit.”
“What about you, guys? You didn’t… you know, finish?”
“This was all about you, Frankie. Sam and I got exactly what we wanted,” Ryan informs her. “You were fucking spectacular. Now I want you to crawl your ass back up the bed, so we can snuggle for a little while.”
Feeling her chuckle against me lets me know that Ryan has set her mind at ease, just like I knew he would. He dives back against the pillows, dragging Frankie with him and tucking her under his arm much like the position I was in when I awoke with her in my arms. She holds her hand out to me, and I take it and slot myself behind her, inhaling deeply the floral scent that is all Frankie. Today is going to be a great day, I can feel it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
CALEB
After finding Sam, Frankie and Ryan asleep upstairs I decided to head out to the hospital, knowing that she was in safe hands. I’m only half way there before Malcolm calls me to tell me that Frankie’s mother has been arrested. I’m relieved but I’m dreading having to explain to Frankie just how vindictive her mother is. The one guaranteed way to hurt Frankie is to hurt the people she loves, and that’s what her mother has done by targeting Steve. After parking and making my way up to Steve’s room, I make my way inside to find Jacob telling Steve he is mental.
“Not that I don’t agree, Jacob, but why are you calling Steve mental?”
He looks up at me with a frown on his face.
“Steve seems to think that when he leaves here he will be okay on his own. I’ve told him he must be freaking nuts if he thinks for one second that Frankie is going to let that shit fly. She will have him set up in one of the spare rooms before he can even blink. She isn’t going to want you out of her sight,” he says to Steve.
“I hate to say it, Steve, but he’s right. You know Frankie, you can’t possibly tell me that you are surprised.”
“Surprised, no. Hopeful, absofuckinglutly. I am way too old and stuck in my ways to have her waiting on me hand and foot, and you know she will. She just can’t help herself.”
I think about it for a minute before coming up with a solution that I hope won’t result in Frankie kicking my ass.
“What about if you stay at the centre? I got a call to say that Conner will be arriving in a few days, and it would help to know that someone I know and trust is there with him.”
I watch him consider my words before coming to a decision.
“Yeah, that could work. I could still get shit done while I’m there so I don’t drop dead from boredom, and I’ve got no problem helping Conner adjust to being there. I’ve been where he is, so he won’t scare me off with his pissy mood swings.” He turns to Jacob, who is sitting cross-legged on his bed, looking better than he did yesterday if you discount the massive shiner, and asks him what he thinks.
“Yeah, Steve. I think she will go for it… eventually, at least. Glad it’s not me that’s got to ask her. I can’t stand it when she cries.”
“You think she’s going to cry?” he says, looking worried. I can’t help but chuckle. What is it with this woman and the men who love her?
That thought has me taking a step back, as though I’ve been punched in the solar plexus.
I’m still reeling from the fact that I love her. When did that happen? God damn it, I’m so fucked. Unaware of my inner meltdown, Jacob is trying to reassure Steve that she might cry in the beginning, but she will get over it if he just lets her fuss over him a little. That makes me grin, because that is exactly what Frankie will do.
“I will talk to her,” I tell him. He nods before looking at Jacob quickly.
“How is she today?”
“Fast asleep when I went up to check on her.” I definitely won’t be mentioning that she wasn’t alone.
“I didn’t want to disturb her. She is exhausted after yesterday’s clusterfuck, but you know Frankie, she
is more worried about you guys than herself. I’m going to grab her some breakfast, because she has nothing in the fridge, but I wanted to stop by and see if you needed anything.”
“I just want out of here. If you can speed up that process, I won’t say no.”
“I will see what I can do. Jacob, I will bring Frankie by to pick you up in a little while. I hope you are ready for that Frankie-fussing you were teasing Steve about.”
“Crap, I forgot about that.” He lets out a large, dramatic sigh, but his small smile belies him. “I suppose I can take one for the team, you know, just to make her feel better.”
Knowing all that Jacob has lost I’m glad he has Frankie to love on him, and it’s easy to see that despite what he says, he loves it too, even if he isn’t sure how to handle it.
“MacDonald’s,” he randomly says, confirming that teenagers are, in fact, weird.
“For breakfast, get her a MacDonald’s.” Okay, now he is making sense, but seriously, Frankie must be the only millionaire I know who eats at MacDonald’s like it’s a treat.
“Sausage and egg bagel, hash brown, and one of those frosted caramel frappé drinks. Actually, you'd better get two bagels, or she will eat your breakfast, too.”
I stare at him to see if he is joking but he clearly isn’t. Reading the look on my face, he laughs.
“I have no idea how she eats so much and stays as small as she is, but she has been the same the whole time I’ve known her.”
“Okay, then two it is. I’d better get going. I will see you guys later.”
* * *
Unloading the food onto the kitchen counter a while later, I admit it smells awesome. I haven’t had a MacDonald’s since I was a kid, and I’m slightly ashamed that I’ve turned into a bit of a food snob.
Ryan is the first to come barrelling down the stairs. Spotting the food on the counter, he starts rummaging through the bags. I put Frankie’s to one side as I watch him pull out a bagel and demolish half of it in one bite.
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