by Eva Ashwood
It feels good. Better than good. Perfect.
My head lolls back on his shoulder again, and I want to let my eyes drift shut, to just feel the incredible sensations sparking inside me. But I can’t tear my gaze away from Declan and Gray. I don’t want to miss a fucking second of this.
“They like watching you like this,” Elias whispers, his voice strained as he rocks up into me again. “So do I. Do you know how gorgeous you are when you let go, Blue? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Declan is stroking himself harder, his chest rising and falling faster. He took off his suit jacket a while ago and rolled his sleeves up, and the sight of him like this with his fist wrapped around his cock is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. Gray is still watching me with a brutal intensity in his eyes, and I think even though it turns him on, there’s part of him that still wants to rip me away from Elias, bend me over the small wall that surrounds the edge of the roof, and fuck me until my knees give out. The fact that he hasn’t moved, hasn’t lifted a single finger to pull me from Elias’s hold, shows how strong the bond between these men is.
The bond between the four of us.
It was stretched almost to the breaking point for a while, but like a rubber band snapping back into shape, it feels stronger now than it did before. Because when it snapped back, things didn’t just go back to the way they were. They grew into something else. Something better.
Pleasure is cascading through me again, building up as Elias fucks me from below, his fingers finding my clit and working gentle circles. He’s not pushing me toward an orgasm like he did earlier. He’s not rushing. But still, I can feel it growing inside me, feel the familiar tingling in my extremities as my heart beats harder.
“Fuck,” Elias grunts, his hips rolling faster beneath mine. He can’t get as deep from this angle as he could from another position, but the steady pressure of his fingers on my clit makes up for that. “I’m close, Blue. Jesus, you feel so good. Can you come again? Come with me. Let them see you come.”
Gray and Declan are both stroking themselves hard and fast now. I can tell they’re hovering right on the edge, so close to letting go—but they’re waiting for me. They want to see me, just like Elias wants to feel me.
So I let them.
When the orgasm reaches up and drags me under, I let them see everything. My head presses against Elias’s shoulder, my ass grinding against him as I come hard on his cock, clenching my walls and swirling my hips like I’m trying to wring out his dick.
“Shit. Oh, fuck. Fuck!”
With a hoarse grunt, Elias wraps one arm around my stomach, pinning me to him as he throbs and pulses inside of me. Declan explodes a second later, ropes of cum spilling over his hand. Gray lets out a low growl, and when my gaze shoots to him, he curses, his hips jerking up toward his fist. Cum spatters his white shirt, and his body sags back against the chair just like mine is sagging against Elias.
The night air goes quiet again as we all catch our breath. Elias is still buried inside me, and I have a sudden vivid image of what the other two men must see when they look at us. My pussy clenches with an aftershock of pleasure, and Elias groans, breaking the silence.
Declan chuckles, taking his shirt off and using it to wipe his hand clean. I’m sure that shirt wasn’t cheap, but he doesn’t seem to think twice about repurposing it as a rag.
“You know, I really didn’t know what to expect when I realized that this”—he gestures around the rough grouping of chairs, indicating all of us—“was going to be a thing. But fuck. I think I like it.”
20
I’m just sitting down with a steaming hot cup of coffee in my hand when Max barges into my dorm, not even bothering to knock. I mutter a curse as the liquid splashes across my hands and lap, stinging.
“Wait until you hear this.” Her gaze scans me quickly. “Did you just now wake up?”
It’s almost noon, but it’s a Saturday, so I feel justified in having slept in. Besides, I needed it. I was worn out—not just from the art show, but from everything that followed the art show.
“Yeah, late night,” I say, blowing on my coffee and trying to push away the mental images that are filtering through my mind.
The weight of arousal still lingers, and the rest of me is still floating on the rush the art show gave me. I slept like a rock last night, but that sleep was filled with dreams and memories of last night, both at the gallery and later on the rooftop with the guys, as if my brain was trying to sort through it all again so I could tuck it away and save it for later.
“Congrats, by the way.” Max grins. “I didn’t get to say goodbye and congrats, but for good reason—I’m sure the guys have already told you, but I got Aaron alone last night.”
I raise an eyebrow as she plops down on the couch. Her hazel eyes glitter as she turns to face me, propping one bent leg up on the cushion.
“Remember how I told you I’d do a little digging? I’ve been getting some vibes from him, but last night was the first time he put out definite signals, so I decided not to waste my chance.”
“Okay.” I raise my eyebrows, setting my coffee down so I can give her my full attention. I was never a huge fan of this idea, mostly because I didn’t like the idea of Max putting herself in any potential danger. I’ve never gotten a rapey vibe from Aaron, but having seen who he hangs out with, I’m not really willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Anyway, we got to talking and it was going well. So I asked him if he wanted to come back to my dorm for drinks,” she continues. “He said yes right away.”
“Of course.” I give her a look. “No surprise there.”
She blushes just slightly, and not for the first time, I wonder what’s really there between her and Aaron. She offered to put moves on him to try to find out embarrassing or damaging shit about Cliff, but I think maybe she’s starting to like Aaron more than she’s letting on.
“So we went back to my dorm and had a few drinks. And, you know, the booze sort of kicked in a little bit…” Her voice trails off and she flushes a little. “Stuff started happening, nothing too intense.”
“Nothing too intense?” I repeat, leaning back against the couch cushions as I narrow my eyes. “Come on, Max.”
“Just a little making out,” she says, then amends herself quickly. “Okay, a lot of making out, but that’s not the point. The point is, I got shit on Cliff.”
After waiting weeks to find anything we can use to shut Cliff down, I should be more excited, but instead, I can’t quite let go of the thought of Max and Aaron hooking up.
I know it was her choice to do this, and I know she wouldn’t have let it get farther than she was comfortable with, but… a part of me is starting to wonder if she was so willing to try this tactic because she wanted an excuse to get closer to Aaron.
Does she actually like him?
I want to press her for more details, to see if I’m right about my suspicion, but before I can say anything, Max leans forward, her eyes widening a little.
“Get this,” she says. “Cliff hired a hooker to pop his cherry. Someone to lose his virginity to.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “What the hell? Are you kidding?”
Max snorts. “Kidding about Cliff Montgomery’s sex life? Fuck, no. I would never joke about that.” Then her voice drops a little. “There’s more, and this is the stuff we can actually use against him. So, he hires the hooker to be his first, but then… shit gets weird.”
I grimace. God, I really wish I didn’t have to ask this. “Weird how?”
“I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that Cliff basically wouldn’t let her go. Like, he tried to kidnap her or something, or he thought he was in love with her? Sort of like how he got so obsessed with you. Aaron was a little vague there, but that could have been because—uh, never mind.”
She clears her throat, and I want to ask her if because means he was otherwise occupied by her, but I keep my mouth shut.
“Aaron didn�
��t really seem to know the details anyway,” she says. “This happened a few years ago. It was all covered up, and Cliff only told him about it one night when he got super drunk. But Aaron did know that Cliff’s dad had to come intervene with the situation, paying off the hooker to keep her quiet.”
“Shit. That’s messed up,” I say, turning the information over in my head. Then I grin viciously. “It’s fucking perfect.”
“I thought so too.” Max looks pleased with herself. “It’s just what we need. His dad already went out of his way to cover it up the first time, and there’s no fucking way he’s gonna revisit that mess or risk it being exposed. Even if Cliff doesn’t care about whatever fucked up thing he did to some poor hooker getting out, I’d bet anything his family won’t want their good name trashed like that.” She flips her dark hair over her shoulder. “Which means we have our bargaining chip. It just might be enough to keep you safe.”
“You’re fucking amazing.” I pick up my coffee again, my mind already buzzing with possibilities.
“I know.” She shrugs, grinning. Then her cheeks turn a little pink. “If you need me to get more from Aaron, I’m sure I could…”
I cock an eyebrow as I dig out my phone, which is trying to escape into the crack between the couch cushions. “You sure that offer doesn’t have more to do with the source than it does the information?”
She grimaces, looking a little guilty, and I pause with my fingertip hovering over the call button on my phone.
“Hey. What you do and who you do is your business,” I tell her. “I don’t judge. And you don’t need my permission to hook up with whoever you like. I just want to make sure you’re safe. I don’t know Aaron all that well, but if he hangs out with Cliff—”
“I know.” Max cuts me off, her face falling a little. She shakes her head. “The thing is, he doesn’t seem like Cliff at all. He seems like a pretty decent guy. Smart and funny. But you’re right—how could he be a good guy and be friends with someone who’s an asshole? I need to be smart and not get sucked into wishful thinking. It’s just… hard.” She chuckles lightly.
“I’m not saying people can’t surprise you.” I bump her knee with mine. “Look at the Sinners. They all surprised the fuck out of me, and I never would’ve expected this is where our relationship would end up.”
She perks up a little at that, and I turn back to my phone and call Gray. He picks up quickly, and the sound of his voice brings back a fresh wave of memories of last night.
“Sparrow? What’s up? Are you okay?”
I wonder if he ever won’t answer the phone like that, with a layer of concern under his voice. I’d like to think that someday things will be settled enough in my life that the men who care about me don’t automatically assume something terrible has happened every time I call.
We’ll get there, I silently promise myself. We’re one step closer already.
“Hey. Everything’s fine. I’ve got good news,” I tell him, glancing at Max. “Well, Max has good news. She found some stuff out last night. Can you grab Elias and Declan and come over?”
I don’t have to ask him twice. Less than five minutes later, he’s striding through the door with the two other Sinners following close behind. Three sets of eyes immediately fall on me, and I flush from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
Their gazes all heat a bit, and I know I’m not the only one thinking about what happened last night.
Clearing my throat, I focus back on what’s important right now. “Max, tell them everything you told me.”
The guys are all about as disgusted by the story as I was, but they all agree with me that it’s the perfect material to use to try to force Cliff to back off.
The shit he pulled trying to get my show cancelled was small potatoes, but it seems smart to not give him a chance to pull out his big guns and escalate this war. So Gray makes a quick call, telling him only that we need to meet.
I wonder if he’ll refuse, but maybe something about Gray’s tone makes him nervous, because he agrees.
A few hours later, we walk into a local dive bar Gray designated as our meeting place. My skin thrums with adrenaline, and I can see it echoed in everyone else’s faces as we walk to the back where Cliff is waiting for us.
He’s not alone. Just like me, he brought backup—Shane and Aaron are with him.
The only person who doesn’t look on edge is Gray, but I can feel it radiating off of his body as it brushes against mine. He reaches and catches my hand in his without hesitation, giving it a squeeze. It sends the smallest wave of comfort through my own body, which is just what I need when I make eye contact with Cliff. A wave of hot, violent anger rushes through me, but I concentrate on Gray’s fingers woven through mine.
“Tell me why the fuck I’m here,” Cliff drawls.
Gray smirks, not bothering to sit down. He leans over the table, watching Cliff like a wolf hunting his next meal. “Don’t worry, we’re not here to waste your time,” Gray says. “We know about the hooker. You know. The one you tried to keep, against her will.”
The color drains from Cliff’s face.
And he’s not the only one.
Aaron’s gaze flickers to Max’s for a split second as his face goes a little pale. I fight the urge to reach out and grab her hand to reassure her. I had no fucking clue Cliff would come with backup, and I can feel the panic radiating from her even though she keeps a straight face.
Aaron does too. He glances at Max once more, but he doesn’t say anything to Cliff.
As far as I know, last night is the only time Aaron and Max have hooked up, but I’m even more curious now about exactly what feelings exist between them.
I silently pray that Gray will skip the part about where we got the information about Cliff hiring a hooker. The last thing I want is to draw Max even deeper into this game of threats and blackmail.
But Gray doesn’t mention it, and neither do Aaron or Max. The two stay silent, stealing nervous glances at each other every few seconds, as if mutually agreeing not to sell each other out. I let out a small breath and hope Cliff doesn’t notice the silent exchange, but I think he’s too pissed to pick up on it at this point.
He’s red from his neck all the way up to his ears, his jaw clenching as Gray speaks. He looks like he’s about three seconds from jumping over the table and putting his fist into Gray’s face, but he keeps himself in check, proving I was right—our blackmail is good, and he’s scared as shit that it’ll get out. He’s not about to attack anyone… for now.
“The game is over, Cliff,” Gray says in a low voice. “Keep fucking with Sophie and this will be all over the school, all over the internet. I’ll pay for a fucking billboard to make sure people find out about it, and none of us will stop until the whole world knows what a fucking sicko you are.”
With that, the Sinners, Max, and I head out of the bar. Cliff doesn’t make a move to stop us, and as the door swings shut and we step out into the cool California air, I want to feel triumphant.
But the twisting feeling in the pit of my stomach tells me none of this is actually over.
It’s just the beginning.
21
By the time we’re back on the campus, I’ve managed to shake off my dark thoughts, writing them off as just nerves. Cliff won’t try to do shit now that we have real blackmail material on him—blackmail that extends outside the little bubble of Hawthorne’s campus. Sure, he wouldn’t want the entire fucking school knowing about it, but the shit we have on him would follow him outside of school. It would follow him in his daddy’s circles, in business, in everything.
“Hell, yeah. We fucking did it.” Elias whoops into the dark parking lot. “Guess the leader of the Saints isn’t so saintly after all.”
He pulls me into his arms and presses a playful kiss to my lips, spinning me around.
“Who’s ruling Hawthorne now?” He grins. “Should we dub you Queen Sophie? Because I’m pretty sure Cliff just got dethroned.”
“It is a little strange to think that he’s not going to be at my throat all the time.” I huff a laugh. “Maybe I’ll actually start enjoying school for once.”
“You’ll still need to watch your back,” Declan says, tugging me gently from Elias’s grasp. “But that’s why we’re here.”
He’s right. It’s not like Cliff has been completely neutralized. I’ve damaged his ego twice now—first by kicking his ass and then by standing up to his threats—and I wouldn’t put it past him to pull more petty bullshit like trying to get my art show cancelled. But at least he won’t frame me for murder.
Declan places two fingers under my chin, tilting my head up toward his, and my lips reach up to catch his before I even have time to think. His kiss is slow, promising, protecting. It seals his promise with something that goes beyond words, and I let myself sink into it for a moment.
When we break apart, I suck in a breath, my heart kicking hard in my chest. I catch Gray’s gaze in the growing darkness of the parking lot, his green eyes looking a little closer to his namesake tonight.
“Come here, Sparrow.”
It’s part command and part plea, and even though it’s not really in my nature to obey anyone, I walk toward him, a grin tugging at my lips. “You called?”
He growls softly, catching my wrist and pulling me the last few steps toward him. My body collides with his a second before our lips meet.
When Gray kisses me, it’s like the burn that comes with a good shot of whiskey, a kiss that warms me from the inside out. It makes my lungs burn and my skin prickle as if fire is dancing through my veins.
Max raises an eyebrow when I pull away, and I roll my eyes. I know she would never judge me, no matter how strange my normal might be to other people. Hell, it was strange to me just a few short months ago, but now I can’t imagine my life without the Sinners. I can’t imagine having to choose between them.