Page 14

Small Fish

Haley

M y body has no end. There’s a carnival of sensations going on around me. I’m on fire in every sense. I’m stretched more than I’ve ever been, but with each thrust Sam takes, I love it more. I’m becoming addicted to it. I’m addicted to all of them, more than I ever thought.

Then Sam whispered he loves me and I left my body. How could I ever be so lucky? There’s no way I deserve any of this. But I’m taking it; I’m going to take all of it. Fake it until you make it, right? I moan again. My soul hovers outside of my body.

I dart my tongue out around the tip of Zane’s cock. I want to taste him fully at the base of my throat. But it’s hard when I’m... so full. My eyes dart up to his brown pools. Can love shine from eyes? It can because that’s what his do.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous. Look at you taking all of us. You’re such a love, Little Bird.” His cock moves from my mouth, and I reach for him. But his neck dips and he sucks in my lips, then kisses around my neck to my ear. “I love you, Haley Brewster.”

“I love you too.”

“Good, because I’m going to come on your tits now.” He pulls my left breast out between Calvin and me. His hand shakes on his cock until thick streams fly from it, coating me. Sam slows his pace. The second Zane’s done, Sam’s grip on my hips tightens.

“Haley.” It’s an affirmation, question, and statement, Sam says.

“It’s so good. More, please. More.”

Dante chuckles from the side. He’s hard again, his hand on his cock.

Zane was right. This isn’t something I’ll ever do with Dante.

There’s not enough lube in the world. Sam’s a piston sending Calvin and Easton deeper into me with each thrust. I ease my hand between Calvin’s chiseled abs and my stomach, and I swear I can feel them under my ribs.

“Let me do that.” Dante pulls my hand out and pushes his in instead of mine.

His fingers find my clit. He contrasts Sam’s motions, rubbing when there’s space, and I’m gone.

Rational and irrational thoughts vanish.

My senses are gone. I have no idea of anything.

Only a velvety night with stars that grow behind my eyes.

I’m coming harder than I ever have. My stomach flutters, convulses, with my hips matching Sam’s.

Shouts fill the jungle. It’s a melody of love and sex.

I’m bouncing on Calvin’s chest. Aftershocks wrack me.

Fingers grasp at me, pouring over my skin.

So many hands, each of them different. I’d know each one of them without a speck of light or any clues.

“How you doing?” Sam’s commanding touch runs down my spine.

“I can’t move.”

Dante laughs, but there’s a moment rustling from the rest of them.

“I’m just a limp poodle.” There’s chuckling around me. I meant noodle, but I don’t have enough strength to correct myself.

“Well, I don’t normally like limp poodles or noodles, but in this case, I’ll allow it.” Dante kisses the top of my head. “I’m going to go get a tub of cool water to give you a sponge bath.”

I shiver. I’m not sure I can?—

“A light-handed sponge bath, and then we’re going to tuck you into your softest pajamas and tuck you into a clean bed, Sassy.”

I lift my head from Calvin’s chest. Or at least I think I do.

Sam pulls away first. I both love it and hate it. Then Easton wiggles out from underneath the pile. He hisses under his breath. And I spin. In the throes of it all, I forgot about his arm. It’s been three weeks, but I see him stretching it at odd angles when he thinks no one’s watching.

“I’m good, Firefly.” Easton places kisses on the top of my head. “I’ll be right back.”

My hand flings to my clammy chest; my heart won’t stop thundering behind my ribs.

“Come here, Little Bird.” Zane cocks his head at me. I don’t want to move. But Calvin’s got to want to get cleaned up. I push to sit up, letting him have his freedom.

“Don’t move.” His head cocks to Zane.

“She’s good. You can go help Dante with the water if you want. It’s a hardship I can bear.”

Zane holds his hands out to me again.

“I’ve got her,” Calvin’s tone clips deep.

“Okay, okay.” Zane stands. “You want something to eat?”

“Is there any Pepperfruit left?”

“You know, Dante’s got some squirreled away just for you.”

“Thanks.” My head drops to Calvin. And it’s only then I feel him twitch inside of me. “You sure you don’t want to?—”

“I’m good.” His arms lock around my back just as I start to shiver.

“Are you cold, Haley?” Sam drops a blanket over our legs, not waiting for my response,

Calvin moves, spreading out and smoothing it over my back.

My eyes flick from Sam to Calvin. Tonight has changed everything.

We’re in this all together. And I’m not the only one who’s realized it.

Sam took charge, and we did things that wouldn’t have happened without him taking the lead.

Not even with Dante hinting at them before.

Yeah, there’s going to be a hell of a lot of awkwardness. Maybe.

I push to slide a few inches up Calvin’s chest. “Hey.”

But he doesn’t look at me.

I grab his chin. “Hey, I love you.”

“I love you too.” Calvin kisses the top of my nose. He moves me to the crook of his arm. His cock slides out of me.

I gaze up at Sam, standing at the side of the mattress. “I love you.” The memory of his words comes back, warming me up.

He crouches next to my legs. “I love you.” But he grabs me around the back of my neck and kisses me until sharp sparks zip around my groin and I have to clench my legs together. I interlace my fingers with his as the kiss wanes. I place my other hand on Calvin’s chest.

“This, this isn’t a competition,” I say. If this spirals into a testosterone-fueled feud, who can fuck me better... No, I don’t want that.

“Of course,” Sam says, bringing my knuckles to his lips for a kiss.

“That was a lot of teamwork.” Calvin kisses the side of my cheek.

“A team—that’s what I really want us to be. One where we share things,” I say.

“I’d say we’ve got the sharing thing down pretty well,” Dante says as he hits the top step. He’s brought a large bin of water up.

“Oh, I should have just gone down and gotten cleaned—” I move my legs from Calvin’s side and sit up, but nope. I’m not climbing down that ladder, not tonight.

Dante laughs.

“What?” My hair is stuck under Calvin, and I have to give it a yank.

“You should see the look on your beautiful face. You need to stay here.” He lays a clean sheet down. “Bring her over here, will you, Sam?”

And I’m airborne. Over in Dante’s washroom.

“Zane,” Dante calls out.

“Yo?” Zane’s hand reaches up with a bowl in it. “Take this. I want to get some other things.”

Dante puts the bowl on a stool Zane made. “Hey, you need to make us a washroom addition.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Zane calls up.

“A bathroom?” I laugh.

“A washroom. We’ll figure it out tomorrow,” Dante says.

I reach for the cloth, but Dante doesn’t let me wash myself. He’s efficient, and the cool water on my skin breathes life into me. Moving has me groaning.

“Be still. Let me do this, Sassy.” Dante slaps my hand away when I try to take the cloth.

And I let my arms go limp at my side. I’m a noodle, be the noodle . “Thank you.” I bite my lip.

Calvin and Sam strip the sheets off the mattress. “And don’t you even try to do the laundry tomorrow. Or I’ll have to punish you.” Dante dries me off. “Hands up.”

I hold my arms up, and Dante slips my pajamas onto me even as my eyes drift closed. He picks me up and holds me to his chest. I breathe him in. It should be illegal for anyone to smell as good as he constantly does.

The light’s bright and full-force when I wake up. “Holy crap.” I no longer reach for a phone or even a watch to tell what time it is. I don’t need to anymore. The shadows streaming across the floor let me know it’s got to be close to three.

Pepper’s lying on my feet, and Penny has her head on the mattress.

“Hey there.” I rub Pepper behind her ears first and then move to Penny. But I don’t hear anyone else bustling around below.

I stretch my legs. I’m sore and covered in bruises. There are two on my hips, another on my thigh, and one on my breast. There’s also a wicked smile on my face when I remember everything that happened.

“Where is everyone?” I ask Penny as I gingerly get up and slowly move to hunt through my cubby for something to wear.

Penny follows at my heels and drops to the floor when I stop to put on my clothes.

She’s got the most expressive eyes. It’s almost like she’s saying they’re off doing dumb boy shit again.

I climb down the ladder to the first platform.

Penny jumps the four feet and heads down the ramp on the far side of the tree that Zane made her.

You can tell she doesn’t like it. And if Calvin’s anywhere near, she’ll whine until he picks her up.

I cup my hands and tilt my head up to the observation tower. “Hello.”

There’s no answer, so I head down to the kitchen area. Pepper and Penny are already waiting for me. “Where are they? Did you two get breakfast? Heck, lunch?”

Penny’s tail wags in double time. But I’m not falling for it. I know they fed her already.

Pepper strolls off to the beach. Which may or may not be her answer, or it could be her being her sassy self.

I stop by the kitchen. Under a covered bowl, I find a breakfast of coconut grits mixed with some of Pepper’s fruit.

I stare through the thinning jungle to the beach as I eat.

But I can’t hear anyone. They wouldn’t have left me alone.

I chomp on the toasted coconut. I would have thought I would be sick of it by now, but with the rainy season gone, it’s good, and things are crisp instead of soggy.

I head out to the beach, taking the zigzag path behind the new blind that the guys have been working on. Dante’s out at the fish weir. It’s low tide. But something’s different. And it takes me a good second to pick out what it is.

“Where’s the tender?” My stomach flips, and I want to lose my breakfast.

“Sassy!” Dante says, his voice full of his normal sunshine.

“Don’t you Sassy me. Where are they?”

“They went to see if the WaveRunner is still there.”

“And...” Because I can definitely see there’s an “and” going on here.

“And they went back to the Pomelo village to bury the rest of the villagers.”

My mother used to say, “It’s a good thing you’re not a cartoon because there would be steam pouring out of your ears.” It’s one of the reasons why I learned to control my emotions in front of guests. But it’s true. The guys are family now, and I’m not hiding my true self anymore.

“Hey, they’ll be back soon.”

“But they didn’t need to go at all.”

“Sassy... this has been festering in Calvin for a long time.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m not heartless. It’s a really noble thing he wants to do. But they’re dead. He’s putting not only his life in danger but Zane, Sam, and Easton’s too.”

“Sam wants to know if the pirates came back to take the WaveRunner. And Zane... Zane wants?—”

“Chickens.”

“Yeah, but don’t tell him I told you. He wants it to be a surprise.”

“And Easton?”

“I think Easton wants?—”

“Closure.” I drop my arms. It’s easy to tell that he’s not been himself since he was shot. He hasn’t even tried to swim yet.

“Closure? You think? I think he just wants to make sure the lot of them don’t get hurt and upset you.” Dante tosses a fish into the basket.

“Oh... sure, that’s probably it.” I nod at Dante and sink down onto the big rock next to the fish weir.

Dante’s got the weir mostly cleared out. I watch a small fish swimming around in the shallow water. It’s small enough to fit through the bars, but it can’t find its way out of the prison. And suddenly I feel a lot like a small fish.