Page 25

SHAWN

She’s going to say yes.

I knew it the moment her hungry gaze swept over my chest and abs, like desperate fingers tracing every line. The way her lips parted, the soft hitch in her breath. She didn’t even realize she was giving herself away, but I could feel it radiating off her. The need. The craving. The barely contained starvation.

She’s a virgin.

Sweet, untouched, and unexplored. It’s a deeply primal response that rears up inside me; a deep-rooted urge to claim, mark, and make her ours. What would it be like to sink inside her, to be the first to spread her open and discover her heat? To be the one who discovers how her body responds and teaches her how good it can be?

If she hadn’t already been responsible for the hardest hard-ons I’ve had in years, she sure as hell is now.

Just watching Hayes take her mouth. Holy shit. His tongue sliding against hers in languid strokes has me adjusting myself, squeezing my dick hard as Riley moans.

Oh God. The sound of it, the husky desperation contained within such a simple sound.

“We’re waiting for an answer,” Jacob says, his voice soft but firm, causing Hayes to pull back.

Riley blinks rapidly like she’s coming awake from a winter’s hibernation, her mouth wet and swollen, and it’s all I can do to control my desire to fill the space Hayes left. “I don’t…”

Jacob holds up his hand, and she lowers her eyes. He’s not being a dick; it’s just his way of telling her to take her time. There’s no pressure.

“Yes,” she whispers. Hayes tips her chin with his finger, forcing her to look directly at him.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.” She speaks more firmly a second time.

“Can we take you to bed, Riley?” I ask, letting my hand drift across the space between us to take hers. The softness of her skin is so tempting, and I give her fingers a light squeeze, hoping it reassures her. “To seal the deal.”

“All of you?” she asks, voice wavering and eyes widening, and the innocence in the question almost floors me.

“All of us. At your pace. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

As her gaze sweeps over the three of us, lingering on each face as though she’s trying to reassure herself of our intentions, I nod gently. There’s a lot in this for us, but for her, too. Three men dedicated to her pleasure, her comfort, and delivering her desires. We can give her what she needs. We can give her what she’s never even dreamed about having.

Finally, with a deep, steadying breath, she nods. “Okay.”

“Sure?” Hayes leans in and takes her other hand. I understand the possessiveness in the gesture. He found her again after all these years. He took her on a date and hoped for more. He has the biggest stake in this, for now.

“Yes.”

He’s quick to rise once he has Riley’s confirmation, and he assists her to her feet. My hand also remains in hers, and when our eyes meet, the buzz of electricity between us flickers the hairs on the back of my neck. Jacob stands, but none of us knows what to do next.

The air shifts, heavy with anticipation and longing. None of us wants to mess this up. I don’t know about my brothers, but I worry that one wrong move will make Riley bolt. Snap the threads of desire before they can thicken into rope, and she’ll be out the door. Slowly, carefully, I rest my hand against her cheek, letting my fingers tangle in her hair, and I lean in for the kiss I’ve been craving. The soft gasp she makes just before my lips touch hers is silenced with the gentle connection between us. She’s warm and soft and so tentative that I take it slower than I ever have, teasing her until I’m trembling and she’s leaning in and moaning. Fuck. This is what I’ve been craving. This is what’s been missing.

It's like I’ve been eating dry bread for years and suddenly discover butter.

I pull back, blinking, heart ragged, body tensed for more.

“Who’s room?” I ask, knowing that we need to cross the barrier of relocating quickly before she has a chance to change her mind, and once we have, once we’re shut together in a bedroom, everything will move more smoothly.

“Mine,” Hayes says.

It makes sense for this to be in his space, at least for the first time. Too many other girls have shared my bed. And Jacob’s? He could have populated a small island by now if he’d been less meticulous about wrapping up his dick.

Hayes leads Riley upstairs, and I follow behind, anticipation building with each step. Jacob brings up the rear, quiet for once, the weight of his gaze on Riley as she ascends. For all of his arrogance, my brother has a softer side that I hope Riley can bring out. I’ve already seen signs of it returning since she’s come back into our lives and it’s a relief.

When we reach Hayes’ room, he pushes the door open and steps aside, giving Riley the choice to go in first. She hesitates for half a second before proceeding, her movements slow and deliberate, like she’s crossing an invisible threshold, a portal to another world she won’t be able to return from.

The room is warm and clean, the bed made, and the scent of Hayes’ cologne lingers in the air.

Riley stops near the foot of the bed, her hands brushing over the hem of her shirt like she’s grounding herself. We follow, and I carefully close the door behind Jacob, cutting us off from the rest of the world. When I turn back, Jacob leans against the wall, his expression unreadable. Hayes stays close to Riley, his hand brushing her lower back in a subtle gesture that might’ve gone unnoticed if I weren’t watching so closely.

“Riley,” Hayes says, his whispered voice drawing her attention. “You set the pace. You say stop, and we stop. No questions asked.”

Her eyes dart between us again, wary but bright and sharp, as though we’re coming into focus for the first time. Or maybe it’s her who’s coming into focus, a new Riley who takes the kind of chances we’re offering.

“What if I don’t want to stop?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jacob chuckles, breaking the tension, and he pushes off the wall, his usual cockiness tempered with more languid movements. “Stop treating her like something breakable,” he tells Hayes. “The girl has more backbone than all of us.”

She takes a startled breath, her lips curving into a smile that says, ‘he sees me and appreciates me.’ Who would have thought that Jacob would be the one to get under her skin?

“Okay.” Hayes nods, but he’s working to convince himself more than the rest of us.

As we step closer, encircling Riley, it’s strange to realize I’m not picturing a way to make her leave when we’re done like the other girls. For the first time in a long time, I’m going to enjoy the journey and see where it takes us. I’m relishing the thought of her curled up and sleeping between us as much as the fucking.

The air in the room hums with anticipation, thick enough to wrap around us, making the outside world recede. Hayes allows his hand to trail up her arm and Riley’s lips part. For a moment, she just stares at him. “I just… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“That’s the best part,” Jacob says from behind us, confident and sure. “You don’t have to do anything . ”

Jacob moves in then, his footsteps silent as he stands at her other side. His presence is like a force of nature, impossible to ignore, and when he leans in, his voice is low and teasing. “You’re still thinking too hard. Relax, Riley. Let us take care of you.”

Her laugh is soft, breathless. “You guys keep saying that, but it’s kind of overwhelming, you know?”

Hayes leans in, his lips brushing hers with feather-light tenderness, testing. She sighs into the kiss as she starts to relax.

I glance at Jacob, who meets my gaze with a slight nod. This is it—the moment where everything shifts.

Hayes deepens the kiss, his hand sliding to her waist, and I take a step closer, brushing her hair over her shoulder. My lips find the curve of her neck, pressing soft, lingering kisses to her sweet-smelling skin. She shivers, a whimper escaping her lips, and the heat of her flush radiates against my mouth.

Jacob moves in on her other side, his hand brushing over hers, his lips curving into a lazy smile. “See? Not so overwhelming now, is it?”

Her laugh is shaky but genuine. “Still overwhelming… in a good way.”

“That’s the idea,” I murmur against her skin, my hand sliding to her back.

The tension in the room shifts again, softening into something warmer, more intimate. The three of us move in sync, a silent understanding passing between us as we focus on Riley. It’s not about rushing, not about proving anything. It’s about her . And it’s new for all of us.

We guide her to the bed, each touch careful and deliberate. When Hayes lays her down, his movements slow and reverent, the gentleness in his expression echoes in my throat. Jacob takes her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm, his arrogance replaced by tenderness.

I kneel beside Riley, my fingers brushing her cheek as I meet her gaze. “You’re perfect, you know that?”

Her eyes shine, and she bites her lip, her smile soft. “You guys are going to ruin me, aren’t you?”

Jacob laughs, low and warm. “That’s the plan.”

“So, what are you waiting for?”

This girl. I think she’s got it all wrong. Forget us ruining her. Riley’s going to be the one to ruin us.