by Helen Scott
“I'm not planning on dying, but I understand. The thing you have to do is stop asking what ifs, stop thinking about what should have been or what should happen. This has all seemed to happen for a reason. Maybe there is a method to the madness that we aren't aware of. Do you want to do a blood bond, instead?” The question popped out unexpectedly, but I couldn't take it back. Something in me was pushing me to tie myself to these men, and ignoring the instinct was getting harder every day.
Hunter exhaled slowly, relief washing over his features. “That would be great.”
“Okay, just let me know when and what we need to do.”
“How about now? All we need to do is cut our hands and press them together. Did you ever make a blood brother as a kid, or I guess a blood sister in your case?”
I shook my head.
He stood and went digging through a very noisy drawer that seemed to be full of all kinds of odds and ends. Eventually, he pulled out a shiny silver pocketknife. “Just slide this across your palm until you bleed, and then I'll do the same, and we shake on it.”
“That's it? Seriously?”
He nodded and held the folded knife out to me. I took it, flicking the blade open, and quickly drew it across my palm, hissing in pain as the skin parted for the metal. Hunter did the same, only without the wimpy hiss, and held his hand out. I took it, and we shook, holding our cuts together. The blood was getting tacky between our hands, and just as I thought nothing was happening, I saw that flame within me once more, white and yellow with Knox's purple, and now with blue as well. I looked up from my introspective position to see Hunter's blue flame burning brightly within him. I had to assume that the spark of yellowy orange that I could see surrounding it was me, just like the blue around my flame was him. When his hand pulled away from mine, it brought me crashing back into the present.
“Your flame is so bright,” he said with awe.
“So is yours,” I said as I smiled back.
He stood and went into his en suite bathroom, returning with some antibacterial spray that he spritzed over the fresh cut. Thankfully, it was the kind that didn't hurt. The room descended into awkwardness after that. There was only so much stilted conversation I could handle at one time, so I said, “I think I'm going to go check on the other guys. See how Nolan is holding up.”
Hunter nodded. “Have a good evening, Poppy. Thanks for understanding,” he said quietly, as though he'd expected me to be completely unreasonable.
“Thanks for being so honest.” I reached out and squeezed his arm with my uninjured hand before I left.
As I padded down the hall, I heard voices coming from the kitchen. “Hey,” I said as I walked in.
Emmett looked at me, but there was a touch of sadness marring his features, while Knox was carefully neutral as he asked, “Doing okay, Poppy?”
“Yeah. Do you guys have bandages or something?” I asked since the wound on my hand was still bleeding.
Emmett nodded and retrieved a first aid kit from under the sink. As he opened it, I saw the female ghost hanging around.
“These boys sure have come around to you, haven't they, dear?”
I smile and nod while Knox slowly turned to see our ghostly friend.
“Hello there, young man. Your cooking has been a delight to watch!”
“Uh, thanks,” he said, earning concerned looks from Emmett and Nolan.
She faded again before I had much of a chance to ask her anything, and part of me wondered if that was on purpose. What kind of conversation would we have if I was in there alone?
Before I could ponder the ghost any further, Emmett was there, taking my injured hand in his. He swiped at it with more antibacterial goop before wrapping it in a gauze bandage.
“You did a blood bond?” he asked quietly, making me wonder how much they'd told Nolan.
I nodded. “We talked. Everything is good.”
Emmett smiled, and although it was slightly crooked, it was the sexiest thing in the world, especially since it made his eyes sparkle. My body felt as if it was coiling up, ready to spring at a moment’s notice. As though the thought had been transmitted directly to him, Emmett's eyes became hooded as his gaze traveled down my red dress and black heels.
“Knox, man, can you take care of Nolan?” Emmett said without breaking eye contact with me. The bigger man chuckled and grunted something that sounded affirmative while Emmett took my hand and led me from the room.
Chapter Sixteen
Poppy
Even though I had been in the room briefly before, I hadn’t had a chance to look around or take any of it in. I had been so focused on getting my bag that everything else had just slipped by unnoticed. Now, I was there again, and the circumstances couldn’t have been more dissimilar.
Emmett's room was so different from Hunter's that it almost made me laugh. Pale hardwood ran the length of the floor, covered in a variety of rugs and a bed that looked so fluffy and comfortable that I wanted to do a belly flop onto it. A fireplace was the main focus of the room, with a stack of wood just next to it, along with some plants scattered throughout. Everything was bathed in warm firelight and almost gave the illusion of being outside with all the greenery.
I heard the door click closed behind me, and my whole body went on alert in anticipation of Emmett's touch. I had been craving it for so long that the idea of finally getting it made me a little nervous. I went to turn around, but his hands were already sliding around my waist, pulling me back into him.
His body was warm against my back, and his mouth took full advantage of the skin exposed by the off-the-shoulder dress. Kisses rained upon my ear, neck, and shoulder. He even nibbled the area just above the hollow of my collarbone, which sent heat rushing to my core. Part of me was so anxious to feel him inside me that I didn't want to mess around with foreplay, but I knew that if we wanted to get to know each other as lovers, then rushing things was no good.
While his kisses continued on the other side of my neck, his hands undid my dress and let it fall to the floor. I had on a black strapless bra and some similar black panties. When he stopped kissing me and looked, he groaned with desire. As one hand came around and cupped my breast through my bra, the other slid around my hip, playing with the waistband of my panties, making butterflies flutter in my stomach. For a moment, his fingers strayed south over the delicate black lace to my core before coming back up to the waistband. Just enough to tease me.
I arched my back, causing my ass to rub up against the fly of his dress pants, and felt him hard and ready through the silky material. He had suited up like Knox and Hunter just in case he had to go into the restaurant for some reason, and I couldn't complain, because the man was beautiful. The suit just accented that. When I rubbed my hips back and forth, feeling the hard length of him across my butt cheeks, his hand slid inside my panties.
“Spread your legs, my queen,” he said, his voice low and husky.
I did as he asked, and his fingers dipped lower, spreading my folds and playing with my clit on the way to my entrance. My legs began to shake, and I could feel Emmett's heart beating hard in his chest through my back. We were both so on edge, I wasn't sure how long we would be able to draw this out before just ripping the remaining clothing off one another.
When his fingers slipped inside me, I moaned in joy. His other hand roughly pulled my bra down so he could play with my nipple. The thrusting and pinching sensations had my body aching for him, but when I tried to move, to turn toward him, his arms held me in place, which turned me on even more.
“Emmett, please, I want to look at you,” I whispered, my voice hoarse with need.
“Walk toward the bed, slowly,” he said as he pulled his hands away from me. I followed his instructions, putting some extra sway in my hips, while I heard clothing hit the floor behind me. My pulse hammered in my ears, and when I reached the bed, he said, “Turn around.”
When I did, I saw him fully naked for the first time, which was ironic since we had been in bed
together before, but at the time, I had been so overwhelmed with sensations that a lot of what was around me barely registered. Emmett wasn't as tall or as broad as Knox, but he was muscular. His biceps looked big enough to grab on to while the rest of his chest and abdomen formed peaks and valleys that I couldn't wait to run my tongue over.
He stalked toward me, and when he reached me, his hands went behind my back and deftly unhooked my bra, letting it fall away between us, before hooking his fingers in the elastic lace of my panties and gently tugging them down until he was kneeling on the floor in front of me. Once they were in a puddle on the floor, he picked one of my feet up, shoe and all, and set it down on the other side of the material before doing the same thing with the other foot. My legs were spread wide, and his gaze was trained on exactly where I wanted him to be.
“Sit down.”
I perched on the edge of the bed, and his hands ran up my legs, along my thighs, and to my core. His lips followed soon after, placing delicate kisses all along my inner thighs. When his kisses landed on my sex, I gasped as I fell back onto the bed. He growled as his tongue darted out and he tasted me for the first time. My back arched under his touch. Everything around me faded as I focused on the feeling of his mouth on my pussy.
His fingers slid into me. Not one at a time like Knox, but three at once, making me cry out. He circled his tongue around my clit just as his fingers had been doing the day before when the two of us were in bed together with Knox. The thought sent a fresh wave of need through me. I shuddered around him as his fingers stroked me into a frenzy.
I didn't know how long he was down there, but I knew I needed his cock inside me, or I’d go mad from the ache in my core.
“Emmett, please, I need to feel you inside me,” I managed between gasps from his tongue rubbing directly over my sensitive nub.
My body felt as if it were on fire for him, and when his mouth and hands withdrew, I was left cold and aching, but only for a moment. He pushed me further back onto the bed so he could get on with me. I started to kick my shoes off, but he shook his head. “Those stay on. I'll need them in a bit.”
I was confused but didn't care what he meant so long as he was inside me soon. When the velvety skin of his cock slid over my entrance, my eyes popped open and traveled down my own body to where we were soon to be joined. His manhood was thick, and my mouth watered as I remembered what he felt like when I sucked on him. He gripped himself tightly as he circled my bud with the head of his cock before dipping it down and thrusting into me.
He filled me with a growl escaping from his locked jaw, while I groaned in satisfaction. His cock wasn't as long as Knox’s, but it was thicker, and I felt myself stretched to the limit. We were frozen like that, joined together at the hip for a moment, before he began to move.
My hands hooked over his biceps, and I pulled him down into a kiss, tasting myself on his lips and tongue as he pounded into me. He pulled back enough that both of his hands found my breasts, and he roughly squeezed them, pinching my nipples hard enough that I was on the line of pleasure and pain once more.
His hips smacked into me again and again as he stared down at me, his hazel eyes boring into my own. The eye contact was just as intimate as the rest of it. He was breathing hard and sweat was beading on his forehead when he slowed to long sensual strokes. “I'm not going to last if you keep looking at me like that,” he said.
“Like what?” I breathed.
“Like you want me to fuck you forever.”
“I wouldn't be opposed to that.”
He chuckled, and it was deep and throaty. When he pulled out, I was confused, but as he gripped my ankles and pulled me down the bed, I let out a squeak of surprise. “Roll over.”
I did as he asked, and he planted my feet on the floor. My expectation was that he'd be inside me again within seconds. What I didn't think was going to happen was him licking and devouring my pussy like a man starved.
My breath came in short sharp pants as I gripped the sheets in my fists while his fingers and tongue worked me over. I wanted to have an orgasm so badly. It all felt so good, but that telltale feeling of it building wasn't there. Maybe I could only orgasm in a threesome? The thought struck me, but I knew immediately that there was some truth to it. I needed more than one man could give to go over that edge.
When his mouth pulled away, I was dripping wet. I could feel my juices smeared all over myself, but any thoughts of cleaning up or being squeamish about it left my head as he entered me from behind. I had never been more thankful for the ability to wear high heels. They gave me just enough height so that we could have sex in that position, which was something I rarely got to do.
I cried out as his hips met my own and I felt his balls smacking against my sensitized skin. His hand tangled in my hair and pulled my head back, releasing the cries that I was using the bed to muffle. My voice rang out as I reveled in the sensation of him fucking me hard while he tugged on my hair.
The darkness surrounded me for a moment then, and I saw my multicolored flame within myself. What had started as white and yellow had Knox's purple, Hunter's blue, and now Emmett's red. I turned and looked over at him. He blazed with a crimson fire. I could feel what he was feeling, and I could sense the others, too.
Knox wanted nothing more than to come in here and join us, while Hunter was trying to drown out my pleasure. I had a brief second of wondering about Nolan, but Emmett's tug on my hair brought me back to the present as the darkness receded. A moment later, and his movements sped up. They weren't jerky; they were just so fast that I wouldn't have been able to keep up no matter what.
When he came, a yell broke from him as he pulled me tight against him. His hips were melded with mine, while his hand used my hair to pull me up against his chest. I had always thought when I'd see hair pulling in movies or TV that it would hurt. I never realized that the pain could enhance the other sensations.
“Fuck, Poppy. You have the sweetest damned pussy I've ever tasted,” he groaned in my ear. “And that fucking heart-shaped ass of yours is too much. I wish I could fuck you again right now.”
“Maybe rest and rehydrate first,” I said, tilting my head toward his with a blissful smile.
“Probably the better idea.”
I hadn't even noticed the mini fridge in his room, but when he pulled out and went to go clean up, he came back with a bottle of water for both of us and a cock that was already getting hard again.
“That rest period might not be as long as you thought.” He grinned. “Drink up.”
I let the cool water slide down my throat as I looked at him. The man was beyond sexy. As he swigged from his bottle, some droplets escaped and landed on his chest, running down over the same peaks and valleys I had been admiring earlier, and for a moment, I was jealous of water. I smiled as I wondered what had happened to my life, before taking another swig from my own bottle under Emmett's hungry gaze. This time, I would be the one in charge, and I was going to lick every inch of him until I'd had my fill and he was begging to be inside me. Only then would I fuck him, not before.
Chapter Seventeen
Poppy
The smell of something awful woke me up. It was like moldy wet dog combined with sulfur. I covered my mouth and nose as I got out of Emmett's bed, wondering if he had gone in search of the smell as well. I dressed quickly in just leggings and a T-shirt, since my bag had apparently traveled from Knox's room to Emmett's at some point. I tried to move as fast as I could, but my body was sore from all the sex over the last few days, not to mention the car accident, although the bruises were finally beginning to fade. I had been stretched and positioned in ways I wasn't used to, and my muscles were letting me know.
I quickly walked down the hall, going toward the scent even though my mind was telling me to run away from it. The guys, even Nolan, were all standing in the kitchen and staring at the stove.
“What died?” I asked, my voice sounding funny and high-pitched since I had pinched my nose closed.
“Nothing. We're just preparing for the shielding,” Hunter said over his shoulder, barely even looking at me as he focused on whatever he was stirring in the pot on the stove.
Knox and Emmett, on the other hand, both came over and gave me good-morning kisses. First Emmett, and then Knox, who said in a low voice, “I felt you searching for me last night, angel. Next time I won't resist, but I thought you and Em should have some quality time.”
I nodded with a blush creeping up my cheeks. His hand came up and cupped my jaw, raising my eyes to his. The tender expression I saw there was enough to make my heart clench with an emotion I was unwilling to name.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of.”
My gaze darted over his shoulder to Nolan.
Knox's head turned slightly, and seeing where my eyes were focused, he said, “He knows the score. We had a long talk last night while you and Emmett did your thing. Once you claim him as the fourth hellhound, you will know what is in his heart, just like if you concentrate, you know what's in mine.”
I thought about that for a moment, concentrating on the man in front of me. I found the edge of his purple flame that was mixed with my own and focused on it. The emotions that came back to me were determination, loyalty, and lust, with a hint of something else, something that shouldn't be possible yet. My own heart thudded in response, and I wondered if he could feel it as emotion surged through me.
“Love has to start somewhere, angel,” he said, apparently sensing my confusion before kissing me once more, his lips tender against my own.