Page 22 of Single Mom’s Undoing (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems #1)

“Absolutely,” I reply.

Carter gives his sister a deep frown. “Does anyone else know you’re here?”

“You mean Daddy? No, I figured I’d get a feel for the situation myself before I bring it up to him,” she says.

“What situation is that?” he asks.

Margot looks at him, then at Damon, Jace, and finally at me. The realization strikes me like a hammer on the head. She’s his sister; Carter’s personal life isn’t that big of a secret for her. Stephan knew they shared their women. It stands to reason that Margot is aware, too.

“I think you know precisely what situation it is,” she says. “How long have you been in town, Clara, over a month?”

“What business is it of yours?” Carter snaps, getting protective. I feel his reaction could lead to something worse.

“We’re all family here in a way, aren’t we? Might as well come out in the open with it,” Margot replies. “This town lives off rumors; why not be honest with one another for once?”

I give Margot a warning look and shake my head.

I know she’s thinking about it. I am the only one aware of her relationship with Stephan aside from Jace .

“Margot, if you’re here to stir up trouble, don’t,” Carter says. “I have no tolerance at this point.”

“Oh, yeah, I ran into Elizabeth on the way out,” she says. “She’s a bitter plum, isn’t she? For what it’s worth, Damon, she’s the one who missed out. You dodged a bullet, buddy.”

“Didn’t exactly dodge it,” Damon mutters.

She laughs. “Fair enough. But it was a through and through. That’s what you guys call it, right, when the bullet goes in one way and exits cleanly out another?”

“Margot,” I try to stop her, though I have a hard time finding my words.

“You got a beautiful child out of that nightmare,” Margot tells Damon. “And Shiloh got a great daddy. So, yes, through and through. Speaking of children, I met Matty the other day.”

“You did?” Carter asks, surprised, his gaze moving from Margot to me.

“At the cemetery,” I mumble. “We were visiting Stephan’s grave.”

“What were you doing there?” Jace asks her. I know it’s on purpose. Dammit, he’s adding fuel to the fire, and it’s going to blow up in my face, not his, though I understand why he’s asking. He’s trying to get the truth out in the open without hurting me.

That’s not going to happen, unfortunately.

“Stephan wasn’t just your friend,” Margot says, raising her chin in defiance. “I stop by, every once in a while.”

“We all grieve his passing,” I cut in. “Can we just leave it at that and move on? ”

Jace gives me a hard look, then looks at Margot. “She’s right. We’re all still grieving. Stephan’s death is clearly still a sensitive topic.”

“I agree. Also, Clara, Matty’s heart condition tends to be hereditary. Did either of your parents have it? I just thought you should know.” She fixes her gaze on me.

I shake my head slowly.

“I see. Well, I had it, too, as did our grandfather. I actually had surgery when I was about Matty’s age,” she says.

Carter’s gaze darkens as it bounces between Margot and me. “What are you talking about, Margot?”

“You don’t remember; you were too little. Mom didn’t like to talk about it, but I had valve replacement surgery,” she says.

Carter’s focus shifts to me. “Matty needs heart valve replacement surgery?”

“Yes, our mother used to carry an inhaler around for me all the time, too,” Margot answers for me. “It’s clear as day. The symptoms, the treatment. Matty has the same condition. And if he didn’t get it from his mother or anyone on his mother’s side, then he?—”

“Got it from his father’s side,” Carter finishes her conclusion, his voice low.

I can’t look away from him. At that moment, I would’ve given anything for the earth to just open up and swallow me whole. I thought Elizabeth’s jabs regarding my weight earlier were the most embarrassing and shameful thing to happen, but I was wrong.

This is much worse. Carter knows. There’s no more lying about it. No more excuses .

“Oh, you weren’t aware, were you?” Margot says to Carter, then snickers, giving me a side-eye.

She knows I won’t retaliate by spilling the tea about Stephan.

Carter has had enough suffering for one day.

“That’s awkward. I thought you’d figure it out just by looking at the boy, Carter. There is so much of you in him.”

“Margot, I’ve had enough of your bullshit,” he snaps and nods toward the door. “Get out. Just get out.”

“Carter—”

“NOW!” he shouts.

The entire hall falls silent for the longest moment. Several pairs of eyes find us, murmurs trickling through the crowd while Jodie watches us from afar with a mixture of dread and concern. I’m guessing I’m pale as a sheet of paper, judging by the look on her face.

I do feel rather queasy.

Margot scoffs and leaves, a heavy silence falling between us as I find the courage to look up at each of my men. Damon doesn’t seem that shocked, just disappointed. Jace’s lips are pressed tightly together—given what he found out earlier, this is yet another secret coming out.

“Carter, I?—”

“Don’t even think about it,” he cuts me off, dark storms brewing in his eyes. “I asked you, we all asked you, point blank, Clara, and you lied.”

“Yes, I lied.”

“Why? ”

“I had no intention of staying in Blackthorn Falls,” I manage, my body shaking uncontrollably. “I didn’t see the point in complicating your life when I had no intention of being a part of it in the first place.”

Slowly, the event recovers its conversational flow as the people become uninterested in what just happened, leaving me to face the consequences of my actions on my own.

“Complicating my life?” Carter is nowhere near done with me. “Clara, you had my child. You’ve been raising Matty and struggling all by yourself when you could’ve?—”

“I didn’t know I was pregnant when I left,” I cut him off. “By the time I found out, I knew I’d already done enough damage. I couldn’t bring myself to do more.”

“So you’ve been carrying this load on your shoulders,” Damon says. “Tormenting yourself, and, ultimately, where did that get you? Back here. Back to us. You can’t deny that the universe is trying to tell you something.”

I exhale sharply. “I’m sorry, Carter. I really am.

When you first asked me about Matty, I panicked.

I was so focused on keeping a low profile, on not letting anyone know that I’d returned.

When we crossed paths that night and then you showed up at the cabin, I didn’t know what else to do, so I lied. I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head, a muscle ticking furiously in his jaw. “That’s not good enough.”

“What do you mean?”

Half an hour later, I get my answer.

We’re back at the Vanguard Mansion in the residential wing.

Jodie’s got a handle on the event, and after I briefly explained what happened, she insisted that she could manage on her own.

Lenora’s got Shiloh and Matty for the night back at Damon’s cabin, checking in with us every other hour via texts and photos.

We’re in Carter’s bedroom, a sprawling space with lacquered floors and giant windows. Off-white curtains filter out the setting sun as the evening sets over Blackthorn Falls with shades of deep pink and purple. The bed reigns in the middle, sturdy with four imposing posters and dark sheets of silk.

My core is ignited while my heart aches and throbs, the guilt and desire so quickly intertwined.

Damon and Jace prowl around us, moving slowly with hungry looks in their eyes as they take their clothes off.

They lose the shirts first, revealing ripped muscles, dark tattoos, and several scars.

The pants are next, showing off thick thighs and twitching erections, hard inches eager to fill and stretch me beyond the realms of madness.

“Is this supposed to be my punishment?” I whisper, my cheeks burning red as I look up at Carter.

“I don’t want to punish you, Clara. There’s no fixing what you did, there’s no undoing the lies you told.

The only way now is forward. You said you never intended to be a part of my life again, but it’s too goddamn late for that.

So I intend to show you just how much of a part of my life, of our lives, you are. ”

“You’re mad.”

“I’m hurt. But it’ll pass. Undress.”

Slowly, I do as I’m told, my body shivering as I remove my dress and heels. Left in nothing but matching pink lace panties and bra, I wait for Carter to tell me what to do next. But he doesn’t say anything. He just looks at me, desire burning in his eyes while Damon and Jace get slightly closer.

Carter’s fragrance is whiskey and a vanilla-twisted edge of tobacco, and it invades my senses as he takes a step forward. “Take it all off,” he finally says.

“Yes, sir,” I reply, hoping to appease him.

“That’s a good girl,” he says as he edges closer.

The anticipation blends with a fiery wanting that has liquid heat gathering between my legs. By the time I remove my panties, they’re already soaked with my desire, my core clenching with every breath.

“Now, undress me,” Carter commands, and I am eager to oblige.

Damon and Jace quietly watch as I take his jacket off first, then his shirt. I let my fingers brush over his sculpted shoulders, his rippling pecs, and his taut abs before I reach the silver-plated belt buckle of his pants.

I spring him free and kneel before him, my mind doused in sinful thoughts.

Carnal despair rushes to drown my guilt, to wash away the lies I’ve told.

But Carter won’t let me off that easily. That much I can tell from his devious expression. “No. Get up,” he says.

“Yes, sir.”

“Clara, do you see us?” he asks.

“I do. ”

I see them so clearly. Tall, dark, and all-consuming. Hard bodies and fierce souls. Strong hands and noble hearts. I feel unworthy of their affection, of their grace, of their protection, yet I long for it. I breathe for it.

“Whatever happened before you came back to Blackthorn Falls was your cross to carry, your burden to bear,” Carter says. “The minute you set foot in this town again, however, the minute I saw you, Clara, that part of your life was over. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

I desperately want to believe him, but my past isn’t done with me yet, and I can’t bring myself to tell him why.

“You are ours,” Carter says. “No more lies, no more secrets.”

“No more secrets,” Jace agrees.

I give him a glance, the weight of his words crushing my very soul. Tears fill my eyes as he cups my cheek and feverishly kisses me. I melt against Jace’s lips as Carter’s hands explore my body, his fingers tracing and memorizing every inch of skin.

Then Damon takes over my mouth, his tongue eager and playful as Carter trails kisses down my neck. His lips close around my nipple, and I whimper in their grasp, my body soft against the three of them.

“Ours, Clara. Body and soul,” Damon whispers in my ear.

“So, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with us,” Jace adds. “And one of these days, we’re going to sit down and talk about it all. We’ll lay everything out in the open. Alright?”

“Alright,” I mumble against his lips .

“Beautiful,” Carter says as he fondles my breasts, kissing each nipple with growing hunger until the suckling turns to subtle nips, until the sting spreads through my chest and causes my knees to buckle.

They gently guide me over to the bed, and before I can make sense of what’s happening, I find myself holding on to Jace’s hips while I ride Damon and Carter takes me from behind.

I come hard as Damon and Carter give me all of themselves. My screams of pleasure are muffled as Jace deep-throats me into a frenzy, while I massage his hard balls and suckle his head.

“All of you,” Damon grunts as he thrusts himself upward, harder and faster. “Ours.”

“Ours, Clara,” Carter growls, ramming into me like a beast.

His fingers dig into my hips while Damon slaps my ass.

My breasts bounce with every push, full, plump and tender.

Damon comes up to kiss them, to suck my nipples, to bite into my skin while my orgasm unravels in waves.

I’m slick and throbbing, pulsating like a supernova as the rhythm intensifies, as I need more and more to forget about everything and only focus on them.

I take all of Jace in my mouth, to the back of my throat, until I feel him stiffening just as our eyes meet. I drink his seed and moan harshly when Damon slaps my ass again.

The sound of skin colliding with skin reverberates across the room. And then I feel it. The heat surging. The throbbing of his cock as Carter fills me with Damon not far behind.

My body collapses in on itself as they hold me .

“I’m yours,” I whisper as the moonlight breaches one of the windows.

“Don’t ever forget it,” Damon says and wraps his arms around me, covering my face with tiny, soft kisses.

All through the night, I am theirs. In turns, in tandem, in sweet madness until I can’t move anymore, until even the thought of sitting up makes me dizzy. By the time they’re done with me, I fall prey to the deepest sleep.

The rest of my secrets will be there, waiting for me, in the morning.