Home (Finding My Home Book 1)

by Nikita Parmenter

  A flash of light catches my attention snapping me out of my thoughts as I approach a sharp corner midway around the course, the momentary distraction costs me causing my bike to slide out from underneath me. I tuck and roll as best I can, trying to avoid injury, fortunately as it’s such a steep corner my approaching speed is fairly slow and I manage to land on the hard packed dirt with minimal damage. Thank fuck this part of the course doesn’t have tree’s on this side, that would’ve really fucking hurt.

  I hear the approach of another bike, just as I land and lie there catching my breath. Out of the corner of my eye I see Riot drop his bike carelessly and tear his helmet off rushing towards me.

  "Ever?" He calls his voice panicked.

  I'm still catching my breath, so I simply raise my hand, giving him a thumbs up. His breath whooshes out of him as crashes to his knees next to me.

  "Thank fuck" he breathes as he lies down next me, his breathing harsh.

  "Why are you lying down?" I laugh.

  "I think I've just lost at least ten years off my life, Ever. Of course, I'm fucking lying down." He says it so seriously that I can't help but chuckle as I turn over and start to get up, groaning as I feel a few new bruises covering me.

  "Are you ok?" Riot asks his eyes flashing concern as he studies me looking for injuries.

  "Yeah, just a few new bruises to add to the collection" I chuckle lightly.

  "New bruises?" He questions sitting up and frowning.

  "Yeah" I say distractedly as I finally get to my feet and start to make my way over to where I think I saw the glint that distracted me, I'm curious. "I've still got a couple from a drop I made last week" I honestly can't believe that was only a week ago.

  "I really don't like the sound of that" he gets up to follow me, his voice tense.

  I wave a hand behind me dismissively, “It was nothing” I’m too focused on the glint just ahead, through the trees to explain that right now.

  "What're you doing Ever?"

  "Something over here was glinting in the sunlight, it distracted me, that's why I slid out" I explain as we approach the shiny object.

  "What the fuck is that?" He says, his deep voice, dark and threatening.

  I don't answer, too busy staring at the small ornate mirror nailed to a tree at just the right angle for the sun to hit and distract someone riding the course.

  "I see you, Everleigh Rose" I read the worlds scrawled in purple across the mirror, shuddering.

  This is getting super creepy now.

  "Everleigh Rose, isn't that what that note from the locker room said?" Riot says through gritted teeth, coming up beside me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

  I go willingly into his embrace, accepting his comfort.

  "Yeah it is and the one that was in the bottom of my bag. Come on let's get back to the others" I say stepping out of his arms.

  He reaches out and threads his fingers through mine, leading us back towards the bikes. Just as we reach them, I stop suddenly, a thought occurring to me.

  "Riot, that mirror can't have been there earlier. We’ve all been around this course a few times now, and no one noticed it, it instantly distracted me. We haven't been out long enough for the sun to have changed positions in the sky. That means whoever put it up was watching us and was in the woods" I growl out beyond pissed. I do not take kindly to being made to feel vulnerable.

  "Fuck, come on we need to tell the others. I'll grab a backpack and come back for the mirror. I think we need to show it to the police."

  We were riding in twos, each pair waiting until the ones before got back before setting off, so the others aren’t going to be coming along here until we get back.

  I nod in agreement and reach down to stand my bike back up, as he does the same to his. I straddle my bike, pull my helmet on and accelerate off towards the others. Hearing Riot's bike follow me.

  As soon as we arrive back the others smirk at me, it doesn't click at first why, my mind too busy analysing the situation.

  "Well, well what took you two so long?" Trick smirks at us and the penny drops.

  I grin although my mind is still mostly occupied so my brain to mouth filter is gone.

  "Well I sure as hell hope not, we were only gone for fifteen minutes. I'd hope he would be able to entertain me for a bit longer than that, although if not I guess we could always make it even more fun and get one of you to join in too" I shrug as I grin wickedly, watching as surprisingly, the guys eyes heat, even as their eyebrows rise in shock.

  My unfiltered words finally register in my brain and I inwardly groan, well shit. That could've backfired massively. I open my mouth to explain somehow, when a hard body presses against my back, and warm lips make a scorching hot trail from my shoulder up my neck. I tilt my head to the side to give Riot better access and my eyes flutter close as a quiet moan works its way free.

  Fuck me.

  His lips graze my ear causing my body to shudder in pleasure.

  "Trust me, Everleigh, I can definitely keep you entertained for longer than fifteen minutes however, I'm not at all opposed to sharing you with our guys" his voice is silk and heated.

  It doesn't escape my notice that he specifically mentioned our guys, not just sharing me in general. His admission and the implications of his words cause my blood to heat, I rub my thighs together and swallow down a moan. He chuckles, knowing exactly what he's doing to me. He steps back and my eyes snap open. The guys chuckle as I glare at them. Damn it. When I glance at Rylie she just winks and smirks at me.

  Traitor.

  "Anyway" I say desperately trying to change the subject, "I fell off in the woods because something glinting in the trees caught my attention" I hold my hand up as they all take a step towards me to see if I'm ok, "I'm fine but when I went to see what distracted me, we found a mirror with the words, 'I can see you, Everleigh Rose' written across it. The thing is the person had to have just put it up or someone would've noticed it before" I finish frowning.

  "I want to take a backpack back with me to go and grab it, what with the notes today and now this, I think we need to take them to the cops" Riot says.

  "Good idea, I'll come with you" Trick says and they both hop back onto their bikes and set off.

  "Come on let's pack up, I'm hungry anyway and Jenny did say we could get pizza" Luc grins.

  We all help load the bikes back into the secure garage/shed thing.

  We just finish up when Trick and Riot get back.

  "It wasn't there, that fucker took it!" Riot growls throwing his helmet to the ground and running his hands through his hair.

  "Whoever it is must've heard you and Riot talking" Trick adds, looking at me worriedly.

  That means that they were there whilst I was and if Riot wasn’t with me fuck knows what could’ve happened.

  "Maybe it's scared them enough that they will back off now" I say hopefully, shrugging.

  None of the guys look convinced but they all nod.

  "Are you coming back to Trick’s place for pizza, Rylie?" I ask.

  "Nah, thanks though. I've got to get back to my dad."

  I give her a hug goodbye and the rest of us all pile back into the SUV and the truck.

  By the time we get back to the house, Luc and Jensen have successfully broken the tension just by being their ridiculous selves.

  We all traipse inside, and Jensen quickly places an order at the pizza place for all of us. As the guys all take seats around the sitting room, I notice that they all appear just that small amount more relaxed, which once again makes me realise that they really were hiding the more dangerous side of themselves from me.

  There's a lethal quality to each of them, a readiness to act at a second’s notice. Looking back over our interactions and their reactions to the situations I shared with them, I start to see them in a new light. Like when I told them about the girl who got a bit stabby with me. Yes, it’s highly unlikely stabbing happens regularly at my new school, it's too well off but that doesn't m
ean that they haven't witnessed it happen before or maybe even experienced it. That means that their reaction was purely out of concern for me and not judgement like I first thought.

  My heart thumps hard, stupid heart.

  Just friends.

  I glance up to see Rafe watching me silently as the other guys have a heated discussion about what we're going to play on the game console or if we should watch a movie instead. He raises his eyebrow in question and I just grin wickedly, his answering smirk promises things that make me squirm where I am. I am definitely more attracted to them now that I realise how dangerous they are.

  Isn't that just a little but fucked up?

  I'm suddenly picked up as Jensen sits us on down the sofa, with me straddling him. I have a brief moment where I wonder when I stopped flinching when they touched me, but I shake it off raising an eyebrow in question and glancing around at the other guys who are all smirking.

  "I have a challenge to win" he shrugs.

  It takes me a second to remember but when I do, I grin wickedly. Jensen's eyes widen slightly. I slowly slide my hands up his chest causing him to stiffen, just not the part of him that I want to stiffen. My grin widens at my terrible internal joke.

  "So, let me get this straight" I say huskily, "you win the challenge if I can sit on your lap like this and your dick doesn't get hard?" I bite my lip and gaze up at him from under my lashes, having enormous amounts of fun. I move forward so that my hips are tight against his and my boobs pressed against his chest he’s already semi-hard as I lean in, my lips grazing his ear. "What do you win?" I say and nip his ear, he groans deeply now and there’s no denying the hard length pressing against me. I rock my hips once causing us both to moan. Then with the last tiny bit of self-control I have left, I get up slowly.

  "I win" I say grinning cheekily and trying to push down my reaction to him. I glance at the sofa where Riot, Cash and Trick are and heat under their intense stares. My eyes trail over all of them, my need rising as I spot the sizeable bulges in their jeans. I force myself to look away before I can do something my desire addled brain may regret later, doubtful I’d regret it but still.

  I try to look anywhere but at hard dicks I mean, no fuck it. That was exactly what I meant, my eyes land on the smaller couch where Rafe and Luc are sitting, both watching me with heated stares. Rafe waits until I'm watching and then reaches down to adjust his hard length. Again, my eyes dart away before I allow them to linger. Straight back to Jensen who smirks at me his eyes alight with heat.

  The dirty fuckers, they liked watching.

  A small part of me screams that I liked it too.

  I can't help but take a small step towards the guys on the couch, my mind preoccupied with all the ways we could have more fun. I seem to lose all sense of propriety around these men. I don’t hate it.

  Suddenly the front door opens.

  "Hey kids we're home early" Jenny yells from the front entrance way.

  The guys freeze for a second, looking panicked since all of them still have rock hard dicks before they suddenly springing into action. Riot and Cash grab throw pillows from behind them and launch them at Jensen, Rafe and Luc who immediately place them over their dicks. Jensen balances a bowl of popcorn on top of the pillow and Rafe grabs a magazine and pretends to start reading, Luc simply turns slightly bringing one leg up on the couch and turning so he can see the TV but is facing away from the entrance where Trick’s parents will come from. They look surprisingly casual.

  I'm suddenly but gently pulled by my arm and land with my ass in Riot’s lap, Cash reaches down and brings my legs up so they stretch across his lap, my feet barely graze Trick’s thigh and he reaches an arm across his lap and holds on to my ankle, effectively blocking his dick from view. I can't help but pout slightly, I was enjoying the view. I don’t school my reaction quick enough and Rafe notices.

  "Ever" he growls.

  I know exactly what he's trying to say, I'm not helping. However, his deep gravelly voice does exactly what it always does. Sending heat scorching through my veins and making me squirm in Riot's lap. His arm tenses around me and I feel him grow hard again underneath me. He shoots Rafe a glare who just grins unapologetically.

  "Not helping" Riot growls, echoing my earlier thoughts and although his voice isn't as deep as Rafe's, his growl, filled with need, still has an effect on me and I let out a quiet moan shifting in his lap again. Seriously what are these guy’s doing to me!

  Cash's hands tighten around my thighs as Trick starts lightly tracing a pattern up the inside of leg. Fucking hell, all the different hands on me are driving me crazy. I don't think I've ever been so turned on in my life, my hips buck involuntarily as Cash's hand moves further up my thigh. Riot groans deeply and buries his head in my neck.

  "Fuck you're gonna be the death of me" he growls quietly.

  "What's not helping?" Robs voice suddenly announces, sounding so much closer than Jenny did from the entryway.

  The guys all tense slightly before forcing themselves to relax. Jensen saves everyone’s ass by chiming in.

  "I kept running Trick off the road in the game" he grins cheekily.

  I glance between him and Trick surprised to see they both have games controllers in their hands and are racing on the TV. Trick sees me looking and winks, smirking at my obvious shock. When in the hell did, they have time to set that up?

  Rob looks at us suspiciously for a moment, especially when he notices me sat in Trick, Riot and Cash’s laps, with Riot's head still buried in my neck. He didn't move quick enough when we heard Rob’s voice and obviously decided it was less suspicious to just stay where he was, than to be caught jerking away from me quickly like he was doing something wrong.

  "He fell asleep" I shrug, it'd be a slightly odd position, his head tilted into my neck but not impossible. For some reason, the guys tense at my explanation but relax when they spot a soft smile on Rob’s face.

  I get the feeling I'm missing something.

  "Are you sure you're ok with that Ever?" Rob asks concerned and I realise it's because of my reaction towards touch.

  I reach up and softly stroke Riot’s hair making him bury his face further into my neck. His arms tightening around me and his breathing soft. I'm not entirely sure I was lying when I said he fell asleep. He could always fall asleep ridiculously quickly when we were kids but if he really is asleep now, that's even more impressive. He managed to fall asleep in seconds, I repress my grin and answer Rob’s question.

  "It's Riot, he'd never hurt me" I smile softly and watch the as the guys exchange a meaningful look.

  Rob glances between us all, then opens his mouth as if to say something.

  "Pizza should be here soon dad. We ordered extra just in case. So, there’s enough for you and mom." Trick interrupts, successfully halting whatever Rob wanted to say.

  "Alright you lot, I'll go help Jen put the groceries away, she decided to stock up since she figured you'd all be here more" he teases raising an eyebrow at the guys, to which they just grin completely unashamed in return.

  Rob chuckles and wanders off towards the kitchen. We all breathe a sigh of relief and I can't help the giggle that escapes me. My giggle soon sets everyone off apart from Riot whose head is still buried in my neck, his arms wrapped just as tightly around me.

  "Guys, I think Riot might actually have fallen asleep" I chuckle and when no one joins in I glance around.

  "Well fuck me she's right" Cash says, surprise lacing his tone as he leans forward and dips his head so he can see Riot’s eyes.

  "Why do you sound so surprised?" I ask completely confused.

  "He rarely sleeps, nightmares" Jensen says sadly and my heart squeezes painfully.

  I turn my head gently, so I don't wake him and gently kiss his forehead, he sighs heavily and drags me tighter against him.

  "Let him sleep then" I say simply.

  My poor Riot and yes, fuck the friend’s thing, in this moment he's MY Riot and he's hurting. I'm somehow helping wit
h that, just a little bit by helping him sleep. I'll stay here all damn night if I have to, let's be honest it's not exactly a hardship. I clear my throat, "what are we playing?" I ask casually.

  "That's it?" Luc asks.

  "That's it, like I said in the car it's his story to tell. I'm not going to pry, if he wants to, when he's ready, I'll be there to listen but I'm not going to push him and if he is never ready to tell me, that's fine too."

  "God you're perfect" Cash says causing me to blush and duck my head.

  This time the interruption is the pizza and I'm glad for it. Mainly because I'm hungry but also because I have no idea how to respond to Cash's words.

  The guys chuckle, seeming to see straight through me. Which is a slightly terrifying thought.

  "Pizza's here guys" Jenny yells bringing it in and placing it on the large coffee table.

  Everyone gets up to get a slice except me, I wasn't joking, I'm not waking Riot up.

  "Oh, Ever, I'll wake him, so you can get something to eat" Jenny says kindly.

  "Don’t worry about it, it's ok, let him sleep."

  "Pepperoni still your favourite?" Rafe signs and I nod smiling.

  He plates me up four pieces already knowing full well that I'll eat it all. I grin up at him happily, he gives me a soft smile before handing me the plate and giving me a gentle kiss on my forehead. I glance at Rob and Jenny who are eyeing us curiously.

  "So, how was school Everleigh?" Jenny asks.

  "It was fine, not much to report."

  "It’s winter break soon, are you guys going up to the cabin again?" Rob asks.

  "Yeah" Trick answers his dad before turning towards me and explaining further. "We have a cabin up in the mountains, far away from everything and me and the guys usually spend a week or so of winter break up there, you fancy it?" He asks.