Page 13 of Hellbent (Snakes & Daggers #1)

THE brEAK ROOM is dim with the overhead light switched off.

Two ancient-looking lamps glow on either side of the couch, their amber light casting long shadows.

The TV on the wall emits a faint blue glow, Damian and Jake’s video game left idle.

A ready soldier sways patiently side to side on the screen, waiting for someone to pick up a controller and bring him to life.

A half-empty bottle of whiskey sits on the table between us, Jake’s offering when he showed up after work to celebrate “Dad being away.” He’s beside me, one arm stretched across the back of the couch, his fingers barely grazing my shoulder.

Across from us, Damian lounges in the chair, boots propped up on the rickety coffee table, a well-thumbed stack of auto magazines pushed to one side.

“Let’s put on some music.” The whiskey is wending its way through my veins, making me restless. “It’s too quiet.”

Jake reaches for his phone. “Sure. What are you thinking?”

“Something loud,” I say. “Something we can move to.”

Damian lifts a brow. “Dance party, eh?”

“C’mon.” I stand. “Let’s do something. The garage is empty. Music’ll sound better in there.”

Damian exhales a slow, amused breath but doesn’t argue. “Fine. But if you put on something awful, I’m leaving.”

I grin. “You’ll live.”

We walk into the dark garage, and Jake slings an arm around my shoulders as Damian hits the lights.

They crack open, one fluorescent tube at a time, flooding the cavernous space with an eerie glow it never has during the day.

The familiar scent of gasoline and dust hangs in the air, and for a second, it sends me back to the clubhouse, packed with men with rough voices, the low thrum of engines idling, loud music blasting from blown-out speakers.

I shake the memory off before it can settle. This isn’t that. This is Leathernecks, and it’s all ours. The night belongs to us.

Jake plugs his phone into the garage sound system, selecting a song with a poppy, upbeat rhythm. Then he turns, grinning as he makes his way toward me, rolling his shoulders loose like we’re about to get seriously physical. A laugh barks out of me before I can stop it.

“No way,” Damian snaps, bristling at Jake’s song selection and already descending on the phone. He scrolls for a moment before switching to something darker—something with a deep, pounding bass that makes it impossible to sit still.

With the whiskey warm in my blood, and the music thrumming through me, I sway to the beat, closing my eyes for half a second and letting it take me.

Jake steps in, his hands finding my hips, his touch light and teasing as he moves with me. “You’re a good dancer, baby.”

I snort. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Before Jake can answer, Damian is beside him. His hands close around mine and he tugs me toward him, stealing me away in one fluid motion.

“Let’s see if you can really move,” he murmurs in my ear.

Jake makes a noise of protest, but Damian ignores him, spinning me around easily before pulling me in close. His grip is firm, his body steady against mine, and he meets my eyes with a level stare. No teasing repartee. Just heat and intent. A quiet dare.

The music pounds around us, but all I hear is my own pulse, hammering harder than before.

Jake laughs and joins us, coming up behind me and placing his hands on Damian’s shoulders, pressing the long, hard expanse of his body up against my back as the three of us move faster, Damian pulling us around in a circle now, trying to make us dizzy.

I squeal, giggling breathlessly as the two men spin me around the room until the song ends and Damian grinds us to a sudden halt.

We’re all laughing, breath coming fast, but Damian’s smile is the first to slip into something else.

Something curved and loaded, hazel eyes sparking as they catch mine.

Jake lets his arms fall and wraps them around my torso until he’s holding me tightly against him, but still standing there, inches away from Damian, laugh fading away as he nuzzles my hair.

“I think you should know something, brother,” Damian says, eyes locked on mine, lips curling. I see it coming a second too late. My smile drops. “Your girlfriend kissed me today.”

My eyes flash fire at him, furious at the betrayal, and Jake spins me around to face him. “You did?” His green eyes burn, brow furrowing.

My heart stumbles. The room feels smaller.

“I…” I stutter. “I didn’t mean to.”

And then—he grins, all teeth, and laughs.

“That’s okay, babe,” he says, smiling. “I’m just playing with you.”

“We were driving…”

“Mmm.” He bends down, kisses me lightly, trailing his tongue across my lower lip. “Did you kiss him like this?”

I don’t know what to say. “You’re not mad?”

He pulls back, smiling, and flashes a look at Damian. “Nah. I’m just pissed I didn’t get to watch.”

I swallow hard, heat swirling in my stomach.

Jake would want to watch that? Me, kissing his best friend?

The whole room feels different now—hotter and closer—like the air itself is waiting for someone to make the next move. I turn my head back to Damian, to see what he’ll say.

He stares at me, his eyes lit with wickedness. “Shame you missed it,” he says, still holding my gaze but addressing Jake.

Jake murmurs in agreement, dipping his head lower and kissing the side of my neck. “Maybe next time,” he teases. His hands slide up my torso, slow and easy, like he’s testing how much I’ll let him get away with.

My skin feels hypersensitive as every nerve tunes into the brush of his hands and the warmth of his mouth. But I don’t break eye contact with Damian. I hold his gaze, daring him to see how far he’ll take this—this game that he started.

And he doesn’t back off.

He lifts a hand to my jaw, tracing the line of it with one finger before his thumb curves over my bottom lip, pulling it down. “Sexy little Finch,” he purrs, his hazel eyes flicking to my mouth, his intention so clear it sends a shiver through me.

I could step away. Crack a joke. Laugh it off.

But I don’t.

I just stand there, heart pounding, caught between the two of them as the tension twists tighter.

And Damian finally leans in, his lips brushing against mine.

His mouth is warm, teasing at first, like he’s savoring the moment before deepening the kiss. His hand slides into my hair, tugging just enough to make me gasp, and then he takes full control—pressing harder, his body moving in closer.

Jake’s grip on my waist tightens. I feel the way his breath shivers, the way his fingers flex like he’s holding himself back. “Oh,” he murmurs. “Now that is something worth watching.”

His hand lifts, cupping my cheek.

Damian slows the kiss, pulling back just enough to smile against my lips before letting me go. And then Jake is turning me toward him, his palm warm against my skin. His lips meet mine, and his tongue chases the taste of Damian from my mouth.

When we break apart, my breath is unsteady.

And then Damian is there again, heat banked in his eyes.

His mouth crashes against mine, rougher this time, more insistent. His hands find my waist, slipping beneath my shirt, fingers skating over bare skin.

He unhooks my bra in one smooth motion before his palms slide up, molding over my breasts. His thumbs brush over my nipples, and I suck in a sharp breath, arching back against Jake.

Jake makes a low sound in my ear, his fingers pressing into my hips as he keeps me anchored between them. “Look at you,” he murmurs, voice thick with heat. “Already coming apart.”

I turn my head, kissing him hard, swallowing his next words. He groans against my mouth, hands gripping my waist as he pulls me tighter against him. Damian doesn’t let go, doesn’t step back—his hands slide down my stomach, hooking into my waistband, unzipping my jeans.

Heat rolls over my skin as Damian’s hands slip beneath the fabric and over my hips, his fingers brushing over the bare skin of my ass. My head tips back against Jake’s shoulder, lips parting as Damian's mouth finds my throat.

Jake's breath is ragged in my ear. “You’re so fucking hot, Max.”

His hands slide under my shirt, lifting it up, up, until it’s gone, lost somewhere on the floor. His palms find my breasts and Damian growls against my neck, his grip tightening. Claiming.

Jake’s mouth brushes my shoulder, then the base of my neck. “Is this what happened when you kissed? Did you touch each other?”

“No,” I say defensively, stiffening slightly, guilt licking at the warmth I feel under Damian’s hands.

But Jake just chuckles. “You have no idea how fucking hot it is, seeing you like this. Lit up. Torn between us.”

His hands tighten around my breasts, squeezing gently.

“It’s such a turn-on for me, Max. The idea of you with someone else.

Not because I don’t want you—fuck, I do .

But because it’s filthy. Because it’s wrong.

I want to watch you break someone else. Watch him lose control because of how sweet and tight your pussy is. ”

My breath catches.

He glances at Damian. “ Him , I know. Him, I trust.”

Damian doesn’t speak. He watches me as Jake talks, reading my reactions. His hands slide down under the back of my jeans, fingers exploring, cupping my ass and going lower, stroking lightly. I gasp as his fingertip teases the back of my sensitive, swollen sex.

Jake’s voice drops to a whisper at my ear. “I want to share you with him. You good with that?”

I nod, barely breathing. “Yes.”

“Good.” He smiles against my neck. “Then we’re both gonna fuck you tonight, okay?”

The words ripple through me like a shockwave.

Jake turns my face to his, green eyes blazing. “You want that?”

No hesitation. “Yes.”

Damian’s breath hitches, and the shift in him is palpable. Controlled but charged like a wire ready to spark.

Jake groans. “Fuck, that makes me so hard.” He kisses my jaw.