by Autumn Reed
Grinning, I took Knox’s hand and tugged him toward the patio doors. “Let’s get this non-party started.”
Jackson, Theo, and Chase were already in the pool, throwing practice shots into the basketball goals. Without hesitation, I ran up to the edge and jumped in, spraying all three of them. Knox followed a moment later and cannonballed, creating a tidal wave and starting an all-out splash war. In his usual protective mode, he managed to block most of the splashes aimed at me, though I still took several direct hits to the face.
When we finally called a truce minutes later, Liam was standing next to the pool, now wearing swim trunks and a smirk. “I have a proposition.”
Knox groaned. “Do we want to know?”
“Instead of playing three-on-three, we each get ten shots from the center of the pool. Whoever scores the most points gets to sleep in Haley’s room tonight.”
“Seriously?” I asked, flicking water onto his feet. “I thought we agreed—no competitions regarding sleeping arrangements.”
Liam shook his head. “You may think that happened, gorgeous, but it never did.”
I looked to Jackson, expecting him to nip this idea in the bud. His grin told me I would have no such luck. “Liam’s right. We’ve never outlawed jousting for your favors.”
My gaze strayed to Knox, but he’d already ducked his head, obviously choosing to stay out of it. “You’re all okay with this?”
Theo nodded and Chase shrugged.
“Fine, but if we’re doing this, I’m playing defense and fouls are permitted.” I wouldn’t make it easy for any of them to win, and I’d have fun at the same time.
“Done.” Liam retrieved the basketball from the other end of the pool. “Who’s up first?”
“I’ll go,” Chase offered.
His first shot made it cleanly into the hoop before I’d even figured out how to block him. Since I was stuck in the deep end, I soon realized that blocking wasn’t an option. I’d have to play dirty—I was going to distract him with everything I had.
For my next attempt, I splashed him in the face in the middle of setting up his third shot, which he missed. He anticipated that tactic for the next one, so I moved on to ducking under the water, then surging up out of it Sports Illustrated style. When I heard the other guys chuckling, I figured I’d ended up resembling a sea lion instead of a supermodel. Regardless, Chase looked like he’d rather kiss me than continue shooting hoops, so I decided it wasn’t a total loss.
As Theo and then Liam took their turns, it became more and more difficult for me to prevent them from making baskets. I was tired from treading water and quickly losing my resolve to even try.
After Knox sank three shots in a row despite my splashing and other distractions, I decided to attempt one last drastic move. As his arms lifted, I swam underwater, aiming straight for his torso. He shifted unexpectedly, and somehow, my face collided with the bulge in the front of his swim trunks. I grabbed at his waist, trying to push away, and managed to latch onto his butt cheek when he shifted yet again.
Finally coming up for air, I asked, “Did you get the point?” like I hadn’t just accidentally felt him up, twice.
“Nope,” Theo said happily from the edge of the pool.
“Ha!” I sang out triumphantly.
“You made a big mistake, sweetheart,” Knox declared, dragging my body to his. My arms and legs automatically wrapped around him, and then we were kissing. One of his hands was splayed across my back, the other gripping my hair. I was vaguely aware of the guys watching but couldn’t muster an ounce of concern about it.
Before I knew what was happening, he had walked us up the stairs and out of the pool. Cool air hit me, and I shivered . . . not from the chill but from the look of savage desire in his eyes.
A wolf whistle sounded from behind us, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Theo grinning and Jackson taking his first shot. “I think you forfeited your turn.”
“Don’t care.”
Instead of carrying me into the pool house like I expected, he rounded a tree with a broad trunk and backed me up against it. We were technically out of view of the others but just barely.
“We’re not going inside?”
“If we did that, I’d be inside you in seconds.”
My thighs clenched at his words. “That’s a bad thing?”
“That’s never a bad thing, but it’s not what tonight’s about. Doesn’t mean I can’t make you come, though.”
I sucked in a ragged breath. “Oh.”
Knox didn’t waste any more time talking, instead devouring my mouth with all the fervor I could feel simmering beneath his legendary control. My legs tightened around his waist, and his now hard length pressed into me. I ground against him, not caring about the bark digging into my back. Shifting so he was holding me with one arm, he slipped a finger inside me, and I whimpered.
“Shhh,” he whispered, “you don’t want the others to suspect what we’re doing, do you?”
“Pretty sure they know,” I gasped out as he began to thrust one finger in and out of me and then a second.
“Does that turn you on? Knowing they’re waiting and wishing they were me right now?”
Need blazed through me, the tension becoming almost unbearable. “Maybe.” He growled and ceased all movement, clearly waiting for a different answer. Acknowledging what I was only now coming to realize, I panted, “Yes, it turns me on.”
“I thought so.” He resumed his stroking, slower this time, leading me to the brink of desperation with his teasing.
“Knox, please.”
His mouth captured mine once again, and I lost all sense of myself and my surroundings as he coaxed my release, swallowing my moans in the process. My entire body shook with the force of it.
He carefully lowered me to my feet, and I sagged against the trunk, both sated and surprised. Knox had never been so aggressive with me, and I’d freaking loved it. He was two sides of the same coin—attentive and nurturing while also confident and demanding. I understood why he’d held back that darker side, but I wanted him to feel safe to show me every part of him. Maybe now he does.
“Turn around,” he commanded. “I need to check your back.”
Finally steady on my feet, I twisted and let him brush my skin and swimsuit clean of bark residue. His fingers lingered on my upper back. “Did I hurt you?”
I turned around, scarcely resisting the temptation to throw myself back into his arms. “Quite the opposite. That was hot, fantastic, amazing.”
He studied me for a few long moments before finally smiling. “Yeah, it was.”
Gesturing toward the house, I said, “I should probably go take a shower.”
His eyes darkened, like he was imagining joining me, but he merely nodded. “You should.”
Standing on tiptoes to kiss him, I murmured, “I love you, Knox.”
Green eyes glittered back at me. “And you’re my everything.”
I practically floated back to the guest room, where I took a quick shower and partially dried my hair before weaving it into a loose braid. As I checked my appearance in the bathroom mirror, I noticed the brightness of my eyes and the smile I couldn’t quite contain.
The night had just begun, and I was already overwhelmed by my boyfriends’ thoughtfulness. Though they weren’t perfect, and there were undoubtedly challenging times ahead, I felt almost greedy keeping all five of them to myself. I’m one lucky girl.
Returning to the kitchen, I found Liam working alone. “What can I do to help?”
“Sure you don’t need a little more recovery time?” he asked with a bold wink.
A blush stained my cheeks, but I refused to scamper away in embarrassment. “Thanks, but I feel great. Better than great, actually.”
He burst out laughing before handing me a large bowl. “Good, then you can make the salad.”
“Done.”
As I chopped the lettuce and tomatoes, I couldn’t help but think back to our first meeting. He’d bee
n such a flirt from that first moment, kissing my hand like we were the stars of an old black-and-white film.
“What did you think about me when we met?” I asked, genuinely curious. In a way, Liam’s blatant interest had made him more mysterious. His charm was so ingrained, it had been impossible to detect his true feelings in those early days.
He stopped what he was doing and popped a cherry tomato in his mouth, presumably to give himself a moment to form a response.
“I thought you were gorgeous, obviously. Innocent and unassuming. Not at all like the girls I was used to. I’d like to say it was love at first sight, but I’m not sure I even understood what love was back then. Though I was intrigued, you were still just another girl . . . until you weren’t.”
I smiled, unconcerned that he’d merely seen me as another pretty girl. He’d changed—we both had.
“What about me?” he asked with a coy grin. “Dare I ask about your first impressions?”
I returned to my chopping and averted my gaze. “Are you certain you want to know?”
“Now I need to.”
“Honestly, I thought you were extraordinarily good looking but also kind of . . .” I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn’t be offended, and peeked up at him. “Cheesy.”
Liam’s mouth dropped open. “Cheesy?”
I shrugged. “Between your over-the-top flirting, dazzling smile, and accent, it seemed like you were trying too hard.”
“Hmmm,” he said, appearing almost confused. “It’s bloody shocking that you fell for me after that.”
“It’s the man underneath the charm that I love. And, now, I happen to appreciate your seduction techniques.”
He pulled me in for a hot, open-mouthed kiss. “You better.”
We finished preparing the side dishes, then carried them out to the patio dining table. Knox and Jackson were at the grill, and Chase and Theo were playing fetch with Penny. As soon as I stepped outside, though, she ran to me, her tail wagging.
“Hey, girl, where’d you come from?”
“Jax dropped her off on the way to the graduation,” Chase said. “Theo and I freed her from the laundry room.”
“I’m sorry you were trapped in there,” I said in my cutesy dog voice as I scratched between her ears. “Did you miss me?”
Even though I spent at least one night at Jackson’s every week, it never felt like enough. Not only did that schedule keep me from seeing him as often as I wanted, I missed Penny and sometimes took her back to the loft with me. She didn’t feel like just Jackson’s dog anymore; she was a member of the family.
Jackson came up behind us, depositing a platter of steaks on the table. “She always misses you.”
“You could both move into the loft. There’s room in the basement,” I offered weakly, only half-joking.
“Hey. What about me?” Liam asked as we filled our plates.
“I thought you preferred to keep me all to yourself at your penthouse?”
He’d mentioned it on more than one occasion, but I’d also considered that he might be overcompensating. As the only one of us who lived in San Jose, he was often left out of group events. I wanted to push, but I knew he probably welcomed his relative peace and freedom.
“True, gorgeous. I already see too much of these twits at the office.”
“We can fix that,” Jackson said blandly. “I heard Team Falcon is looking to add a new member.”
“Falcon,” Liam spat out, like it was an obscenity. “I’d never.”
“Hey, that’s Kara’s team you’re talking about. And Logan, Tyler, and Hunter are all great,” I added.
Liam pointed his fork at me. “Exactly. They’re all great, except for . . .”
“. . . Scott,” the five of them said together. Apparently, they would never get over their dislike of the other team’s leader.
“Do you think Ethan might join Falcon?” He’d officially transferred back to the San Jose office, though he was still on probation. Since I’d rarely had reason to go to the office, or even the training center these past months, thanks to Diana, I’d only bumped into him once. He was polite, and I’d been genuinely pleased to see him.
“Maybe,” Chase answered. “It’s the most obvious choice, if he and Scott can get past their differences.”
“I hope they do. It seems like the best fit.”
“Speaking of the best,” Theo said, “I think we should watch an Academy Award winner tonight.”
Jackson groaned while Knox grumbled, “We’re supposed to be having fun.”
“How about a superhero movie?” I offered, hoping the suggestion would appeal to everyone.
“Thor,” Knox suggested at the same time Chase said, “Captain America.”
I couldn’t hold in my giggle, and they both turned to look at me. “Sorry, inside joke.” There was no way I was admitting to dreaming about them as their favorite superheroes and relative lookalikes.
Knox glanced around, and when he only found confused expressions, asked, “With who?”
“Um, myself?”
“Okaaay,” Theo said. “Maybe you should specify which movie you want to watch.”
I mentally flipped through the options before landing on the perfect one. “How about Wonder Woman?”
Surprisingly, they all immediately approved of my suggestion. Enthusiastically, even.
Jackson crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking satisfied. “If there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s our love of a smart, beautiful, badass woman.”
Not missing his double meaning, I beamed in response. “We’ll see if you still think so after I kick your butts at laser tag.”
Liam reached over and tugged on my braid. “I’ll go ahead and speak for all of us when I say that would only make us love you more.”
A gray, then cerulean, hazel, sky blue, and emerald gaze met mine, and I lost the ability to speak. All I could do was smile and thank my lucky stars for ending up here.
Epilogue
Five Months Later
Haley
With my eyes still closed, I reached for Jackson out of instinct, disappointed to discover he wasn’t there. Burying my nose in the sheets, I inhaled his clean scent and smiled. Knowing him, he’d snuck out just past daybreak, intent on catching the best waves of the day.
When I heard a noise downstairs, I forced myself out of bed and grabbed his dress shirt from the floor, pulling it over my head. Penny had stayed at the loft last night after Theo insisted he needed her company. We all adored that dog as much as Jackson; she was completely spoiled and entirely deserving.
Descending the stairs, I noted that the kitchen was immaculate, and Jackson was nowhere to be seen. I gazed out the back windows, surfers dotting the water below.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind. “Happy birthday, gorgeous.”
“Liam,” I said, both surprised and delighted to discover he was there.
“Please tell me you’re not wearing anything under that shirt.” His husky voice reached into my depths, filling me with want, and I shivered.
“I guess you’ll have to find out.”
He growled and pressed himself against me, his hardness digging into my back. With one hand wrapped possessively around my waist, he skimmed his palm up my thigh, Jackson’s shirt riding higher with every passing second. Between the feel of the starched fabric and his warm touch, my skin tingled with anticipation.
Jackson chose that moment to walk in; fresh from the outdoor shower, water dripped down his bare chest and into the towel slung low on his waist. He spotted us almost instantly, and the atmosphere shifted once more. Charged with electricity, I held my breath, waiting for his next move.
“Starting the party without me?” He arched an eyebrow as his gaze drank us in. “May I join you?”
“That depends on the birthday girl.” Liam continued to touch me, tease me.
I let out a long, slow breath and studied Jackson closely before tipping my head to look up at Liam.
Instead of the wicked gleam I expected, his eyes were soft with reassurance. This wasn’t the first time they’d toyed with the idea of sharing me—it started that day on the sailboat, continued in the hot tub, and they had taunted me on numerous occasions since. Yet, somehow, they always held back, unwilling to push too far.
Was today the exception?
I’d long anticipated such a moment with a mixture of enthusiasm and apprehension. Realizing my current butterflies were undoubtedly of the enthusiastic variety, I smiled at Jackson. “Yes.”
Without another word, he strode toward us and scooped me into his arms, carrying me up the stairs with Liam close on our heels. Jackson set me on the bed, and a look passed between them that I couldn’t quite decipher.
“What do you want, my love?” Liam asked.
Did I dare say it aloud? “Both of you,” I whispered, not even entirely sure what that meant.
“That can be arranged,” Jackson answered with a wicked grin.
Liam removed his shirt, shucking off his shorts and boxers as Jackson unknotted his towel, letting it fall to the floor. Seeing them both standing there, naked and with hunger in their eyes, sent my pulse skyrocketing.
My mouth went impossibly dry as my eyes roamed their tanned skin, lean muscles, and hard lengths. They advanced in sync, crawling on the bed toward me. Even though it seemed to happen in slow motion, I wanted to draw out this moment as long as possible, to freeze it in my mind.
Jackson kissed his way up my legs to my thighs while Liam unbuttoned my shirt with painstaking slowness. Anxiety and excitement threatened to overtake me with every inch of skin revealed. Were we really doing this? In broad daylight, no less?
When Liam caressed my stomach, then the underside of my breasts, my eyes fluttered shut. Without a doubt, I knew they wanted me, wanted this, and the idea that they craved it as much as I did was overwhelming.
“Open your eyes,” Jackson said softly.