Page 26 of Hellbent (Snakes & Daggers #1)

He studies me, then shrugs. “As long as it’s good.”

I chew my lip. “But what if it stops being good? What if one of you gets sick of it, or—” I stop short before I can say, what if one of you leaves?

Jake squeezes my hand. “You’re overthinking it, Max.”

“Am I?”

“It goes both ways, you know. What if you got sick of it? Of us? That could happen too.”

“No,” I whisper. “That would never happen.” But Ryder's hand on my arm flashes to mind. Say that again.

“Babe, nothing lasts forever. But whether we’re sleeping together or not doesn’t change the fact that I’ll always care for you.

You don’t have to swear nothing will ever change.

You don’t know that. Right now, we’re good.

And you don’t have to worry about picking sides or choosing or whatever it is that’s got you all twisted up.

” He pauses, then adds, “We don’t own each other, Max. ”

I nod, but the words strike a chord. We don’t own each other. He says it like it’s a good thing. And maybe it is. Billy certainly felt like he owned me, and look where that got me. All the same, I think I want to be owned now—by both Jake and Damian. I just don’t know how to say it.

“I’m not used to that,” I say honestly. “My ex used to keep me on a tight leash.”

Jake lets go of my hand as if to prove his point. “There’s no leash on you now.”

“It sounds like you're saying you wouldn't care if I slept with someone else.”

He leans in close, his voice teasing but warm. “Depends who, but, baby, you must know by now that the idea of you getting fucked just turns me on.”

“You’re really not jealous?”

He chuckles. “That's not my style. But watching, though? Now that’s different.”

My cheeks heat—arousal and shame, all tangled together.

Just then, Damian returns, balancing three glasses with practiced ease—two with brown liquid and one with water.

“What’d I miss?” he asks, his eyes sweeping between us as he sets the glasses down.

Jake lifts his whiskey glass with a grin. “Just telling Max she’s off the leash.”

“Oh damn.” Damian slings one arm along the back of the booth and winks at me. “I’d love to see you on a leash.”

Jake’s eyes spark. “Ooh. Now there’s an idea. Max as our little submissive…could be fun.”

The arousal I’ve been suppressing since the garage comes roaring back. My brain flashes to a pornographic vision of myself kneeling between them, leather and chains and filthy praise.

“Jesus, Jake,” Damian says with a crooked grin. “You’re a fucking visionary.”

His hand finds my thigh beneath the table. “What do you think, Max? Little cosplay in our future?”

“Maybe.” I shrug, trying for cool, but my pulse is pounding in my ears.

I glance between them—Jake with his wicked mouth and those sly green eyes, Damian with his inked arms and quiet intensity. The bar pulses around us, but I’m locked in their gravity, heat threading between the three of us like an electric current.

We finish our drinks and Jake gets another round for him and I, and by the time I finish my second drink, I’m ready to dance.

I take Damian’s hand, pulling him behind me as Jake laughs, and the crowd parts just enough for us to make our way to the floor, squeezing by college kids and the townies in their plaid shirts.

I’m just glad to move, to feel the music thumping through me. Damian’s hands find my hips, and he’s moving with me, body pressing into mine from behind. I sink against him, until we’re together, in sync, and then Jake steps in front of me, his hands grazing my arms, a wicked look in his eyes.

I close my eyes, letting my body sway between theirs, sandwiched between heat and want.

Damian’s grip tightens, his breath teasing against my neck, while Jake’s hands find my waist. His lips brush my jaw, my cheek, before finally catching my mouth, and I melt into it, drinking in the way he kisses me like he owns me, even after insisting he doesn’t.

Behind me, Damian’s hands grow bolder, one sliding from my hip, skimming the waistband of my jeans, fingers teasing at the button. His mouth finds my neck, breath hot against my skin.

Heat pools between my legs. The press of their bodies, the deep thrum of the music, the anonymity of the dark, crowded room—it makes it easy to let go. I shift slightly, giving him the space he needs, and his fingers slip beneath the denim, tracing over the fabric of my panties.

Jake swallows my moan with his mouth as Damian pushes the lace aside, parting me with deliberate slowness.

I whimper into Jake’s mouth as Damian slides a finger over my clit, making a molten heat spread out from my center.

Jake’s grip tightens at my waist, his body moving against mine as if he can feel exactly what Damian’s doing, as if it’s unraveling him just as much as me.

“That’s it, baby,” Jake murmurs, his voice thick.

Damian’s fingers work me open, circling my clit light and slick, dragging out the tension until my knees threaten to give out. Then he slips a finger inside—and fuck.

The music pounds around us, but all I can hear is my own ragged breathing, the low growl in Damian’s throat, the dark heat in Jake’s voice.

“You gonna come, Max?” Jake taunts against my lips, his hands tightening in my hair, tilting my head back so he can kiss me deeper. “Right here in front of everyone?”

My body tightens, heat spiraling, coiling deep in my core. Damian’s fingers move faster, and my nails dig into Jake’s shoulders as my orgasm builds, pressure mounting, unbearable.

And then it breaks.

A strangled moan escapes me, swallowed by Jake’s mouth as pleasure crashes over me in waves, my body shuddering between them. Damian’s fingers slow, drawing it out, his breath hot against my neck, while Jake kisses me through it, taking every little sound and tremor.

As the last aftershocks fade, both of them hold me steady, their bodies keeping me upright. Damian chuckles against my ear. “That’s our girl.”

Jake exhales a low, satisfied groan, the rumble of it vibrating against my chest. “That was so fucking hot.”

My heart is pounding, my body still buzzing, and I should probably feel embarrassed—exposed—but all I feel is them. Their hands, their heat, their absolute certainty that I am theirs.

I’m euphoric on their closeness, and filled with something dangerous and heady, something like love. All I want is to keep losing myself in them.

I lean into Jake, rising up to speak in his ear. “I need to return the favor.”

His response is instant. His fingers tighten at my waist, pulling me flush against him. “Oh, baby,” he murmurs, his voice rough with amusement. “You really are the gift that keeps on giving.”

Damian laughs at my back. “She just got off, and she’s already thinking of us. Fuck, I love that.”

He takes my hand, tugging me off the dance floor, Jake following close behind. “Let’s go outside.”

A thrill sparks through me as they lead me toward the back of the bar.

A heavy metal door swings outward, revealing a wide alleyway.

The night air is crisp, a relief after the heat of the dance floor.

A few feet away, a single flickering light casts long shadows.

Further down the alley, two older men smoke cigarettes, too lost in their own world to care about what’s happening in the dark.

Jake presses his back to the brick wall, eyes heavy-lidded and gleaming with hunger. He undoes his jeans, reaching in and pulling his cock—already thick and hard.

“C’mere, baby,” he murmurs. “Let me feel your hot, sweet mouth.”

Fuck.

I drop to my knees without hesitation. The pavement is cold and unforgiving beneath me, but I barely feel it. My pulse pounds as I wrap my fingers around him, stroking slow and teasing.

Jake groans, his head knocking back against the brick. “Jesus, Max.”

Beside him, Damian pulls himself free, stroking as he watches me. “Mmm,” he murmurs. “We’re gonna give you two big loads of cum, princess. You sure that’s not more than you can handle?”

“Uh-uh.”

I shake my head, then I open my mouth and let Jake’s cock slide over my lips, running my tongue down the underside and taking him in deep. His breath hisses between his teeth, his fingers tangling in my hair, guiding me down.

“God, that feels good,” he groans, his voice strained. “Fuck, that mouth—“

I reach for Damian, wrapping my fingers around his length, feeling the heavy, solid weight of him. He inhales sharply, pumping lightly into my hand as I stroke him.

“Oh, Max,” he mutters. “I’m so fucking hard for you.”

I switch, pulling off Jake with a wet pop, saliva connecting my lips to his cock as I turn to Damian. I drag my tongue along the underside of his length before taking him into my mouth, my other hand still working Jake in slow, teasing strokes.

“Fucking hell,” Damian groans, his hand tightening in my hair.

Jake watches, his fingers flexing against my scalp. “Look at you,”he murmurs, voice dark with satisfaction. “Taking two cocks. That’s so fucking hot, baby.”

His words send a shiver through me, my pulse spiking. I moan around Damian, and he groans, his hips jerking forward.

Jake curses. “Shit, D. She’s gonna make me come just watching.”

I switch back, licking the tip of Jake’s cock before taking him deep again, my hands alternating between them, stroking and teasing. The alley is filled with their low curses, their ragged breathing, the obscene sounds of my mouth working them both.

Jake’s thighs tense beneath my hands, his breath hitching every time I take him deeper.

I can feel him start to lose control—the way his hips twitch, the way his cock pulses against my tongue, the way his breathing has turned guttural and strained.

I glance up and catch his gaze, his eyes wild and dazed, like he’s barely hanging on.

A desperate heat coils low in my stomach, a needy sound slipping from my throat. Jake groans as the vibration rolls through him. “Fuck, Max. Fuck. I’m gonna come.”

His breath stutters, and a second later, he curses, stiffening as he spills down my throat, his fingers tightening in my hair as he groans my name. I take it all, swallowing, licking him clean before turning back to Damian.

Damian grits his teeth, his hips flexing into my touch. “God, you look so good with cum on your lips.”

Then he’s gone, groaning my name as I take him deep into my mouth, pulling my lips tight along his shaft until he shudders and cries out, his cock pulsing as he floods my mouth. I swallow him down too, but have to wipe my lips, my chest heaving.

Jake pulls me up with a lazy grin, his lips brushing mine in a slow, filthy kiss. “You are fucking dangerous,” he murmurs.

Damian tucks himself back into his jeans, shaking his head, his breath still coming hard. “Holy fuck, Finch, you’re incredible.”

I just smile, licking my lips, still tasting them both.

“C’mon,” Jake says, kissing me lightly. “Let’s get back inside before those guys try to get their turn.”

My head whips toward the two men down the alley. They raise their hands, cigarettes burning orange in the dark, and wave, grinning.

“Oh shit,” I hiss as Jake and Damian erupt into laughter.

“You made their fucking night,” Jake says. “C’mon.”

We slip back through the door, the warmth of the bar washing over me, but I barely register it—my body still humming, my knees weak, my pulse erratic.

Inside, the bass pounds through my chest, but I feel untethered, floating. Jake presses a kiss to my temple before heading toward the bar, Damian right behind him. I linger for a moment, smoothing my hair, still feeling the ghost of their hands on my skin.

And then, a prickle at the back of my neck.

That creeping awareness of being watched.

I turn, half expecting to see one of the men from the alley. But it’s someone else. Someone unfamiliar. A man stands near my left shoulder, older—mid-forties, maybe. His gaze lingers, his head tilting just slightly, studying me with an unreadable expression.

“Having a good night?”

His voice is casual, but something about it makes my stomach tighten.

I force a tight smile, lips barely curving. “Yeah.”

I turn away, dismissing him. But then—his breath, too close.

“It’s Maxwell, right?”

The words land like a cold weight in my gut.

My breath catches. It’s just…off.

Creepy.

“Who are you?”

His smirk deepens, like he knows something I don’t. But then, just like that, Jake is stepping into my space, unaware of the man standing a bit too close. He kisses my forehead, presses a drink into my hand.

I glance back—

And the man is gone.

Swallowed by the crowd like he was never there at all.

A slow exhale, my shoulders rolling, shaking off the unease.

I don’t want to let some random guy ruin my night.

So I follow Jake back to the dance floor, where Damian is waiting, pretending to lasso me in until I’m sandwiched between them again, losing myself in the music, the heat, the weight of their bodies against mine.

For a while, everything else fades, my troubles a million miles away.

We leave about an hour later, stepping into the cold, the air crisp against my flushed skin. Damian’s truck is parked across the street, and we head toward it, Jake’s arm slung loosely around my shoulders.

And then…

That prickle. Again.

I glance back.

The same man stands near the entrance of the bar, watching.

But this time, he doesn’t disappear.

This time, he just smiles until I turn away and get into the truck, suddenly eager to drive away.