Some anxiousness crash-landed into my stomach as his gaze fell on me. Around the same time, I jumped up on the deck and shifted my lollipop to my cheek.
I didn’t have to put up a front with these men.
River, Reese, Penelope, and Tate sat in the group of low sofas and chairs near the barbecue area, and I aimed straight for the empty spot between the twins. The table was packed with beer bottles, snacks, and a stack of plates left from dinner. And whiskey.
The conversation idled further when I squeezed by River’s legs and slumped down between him and Reese.
“Couldn’t sleep?” River murmured.
I shook my head and knew I had to make some form of a gesture for Reese to unclench. He’d kept his distance from me the whole day, and I’d hated it. He hadn’t been a fan of it either, thankfully. I’d seen him watch me apprehensively a few times, and it’d sort of hurt me. Like, it’d hurt me to know there was even the slightest possibility that he’d been in pain too.
It was more mellow between River and me, since we’d talked extensively at the diner.
Spotting a bottle cap from Reese’s beer on the table, I took out my lollipop and rested it on the cap. Then I nudged Reese against the backrest cushions and lifted his arm so I could get comfortable. And it was freeing. It felt so good, even more so when I sensed all the tension leaving his body. His strong arms came around me, and he pressed his mouth to the top of my head.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I muttered. “You can keep talking. I’m just gonna sit here.”
“Actually, I need you closer.” Reese slipped his hands under my armpits and silently urged me to straddle him, so I hitched a leg over his lap and got settled. Better. So much better. I threw my arms around his shoulders and buried my face against his neck, and he squeezed me back so tightly.
This was what it felt like to be glued back together.
I swallowed a burst of emotions and ignored what Penelope was saying. Something polite about this being a good time to retire for the evening. Who even used the word “retire”?
“Let’s go, Tate. I’ll show you where you can sleep,” she finished.
“You’re not my Mommy,” he exclaimed, which made Penelope and River chuckle. Maybe it’d been a joke.
“Thank heavens,” Penelope teased.
I heard Tate snicker before the two said their goodnights and left.
Once we were alone—except for the couple in the pool—River shifted closer, and I broke the hug with Reese only to hug River too.
“You done barkin’, lil pup?”
I sniffled and chuckled at the same time, then inched away so I could kiss him. River hummed and completely owned me with one of his deep, hungry kisses, his tongue against mine making me shiver and, for lack of a better term, heel. Or maybe the perfect term since he kept calling me puppy. But it was what he made me do. He took command so easily, and I followed. I obeyed.
“Goddammit,” I mumbled into the kiss. “Perhaps I’m a little bit submissive.”
“No way.” He smiled and gripped my chin. “What on earth gave you that idea?”
Reese gathered my free hand and kissed the inside of it. I felt his grin against my skin.
“Don’t get too smug.” I nipped at River’s bottom lip before returning my attention to Reese. No warning, no words. I locked my arms around his neck, pressed myself as closely as I could, and kissed him with everything I was.
He controlled me just as expertly as River, but Reese was still different. There was playful leeway and a bit of recklessness in his manner, and only the latter took a hike when he shouldered the role of a Sadist. He let me set the pace until he wanted something else. He let me cling to him until he wanted my hands elsewhere. Like now, when he deepened the kiss and brought my hands to his front.
“It’s possible I missed you,” I confessed, out of breath. “But don’t tell anyone.”
He grinned faintly and teased the tip of my tongue with his. “Secret’s safe with me, little fighter. I definitely missed you.”
It was ridiculous to feel this happy, wasn’t it?
It was another thing that was foreign to me lately. Happiness.
But I still needed River and Reese to hear me out and give me their opinion on whether or not I actually deserved to move on.
I closed my eyes and rested my forehead to his.
“I know we have a lot to talk about,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I’m gonna tell you guys everything, but…can it wait till tomorrow?”
River threaded his fingers through my hair and scratched my scalp gently.
“Of course.” Reese cupped my cheek, and I eased away a little and opened my eyes again. “Beautiful boy. We canceled tomorrow, so we’ll have all the time you need.”
Whoa, really? “Why did you cancel?” I felt my forehead crease. To be honest, I wanted to experience something like they’d planned with other kinksters.
“Bad timing,” River replied. “And it’s more of a rescheduling for us. The others will be here tomorrow and have fun on their own, and if you’re still interested once the dust’s settled, there’s another opportunity in a couple months.”
Reese’s mouth twisted into a little smirk. “Macklin loves his group play and knows it’s not an orgy until someone’s canceled, so he’s booked two dates.”
“Oh.” I pinched my lips together and smiled. “I wanna be here for that.”
He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Then we’ll make that happen.”
Awesome, but I would need those boundaries we’d discussed briefly at the diner. Or similar ones. Some sort of limits anyway. Which made it pretty fucking clear that there
