Page 61 of Eternally Devoted

After swallowing, I reply, “The shower was incredible.” I notice now her hair is wet, and I pluck a piece, rubbing it between my fingers. “You showered?”

“Yeah, while Sterling ate. I used Ivy’s.” She wipes a crumb from my lip. “How was that?”

“Even better than the shower.” I take the last bite. “I love theBlues and Berries.” Sterling sips a cup of coffee, nothing but crumbs left on his plate as Juniper slides me mine, a sandwich waiting.

“It’s good, right?” she says, passing me a cup of coffee, too.

I arch a brow, playfully joking as I say, “As long as there are no secret ingredients.”

Sterling snorts as he takes a sip, casting me a sideways smile. I laugh, too.

But Juniper doesn’t laugh. She places her palms on the counter, a serious expression storming her beautiful features.

“Baby, I was joking,” I clarify, getting to my feet. She motions for me to sit back down, and lifts her chin to keep her tears at bay. I look at Sterling, who now looks as concerned as I feel.

“Sweetheart,” he starts. “He?—”

She shakes her head. “He’s right. I know it was a joke.” She looks at me, cupping her hand over mine on the counter. “I know you were joking. I’m not upset with you.”

“Then why are you upset?” I ask.

She sighs, the overhead light casting a glow around her golden hair. “I have all this energy inside of me, you know? My entire life I’ve just… had this spirit, this ball of passion inside me that needed to do something. Making jam was it for a while and don’t get me wrong, I love making jam. But it stopped being enough. And when I have a surplus of energy, that’s when I get myself in trouble.” Suddenly her eyes fill and her chin dimples, her voice wobbling. “I don’t want to kill men. I don’t. I know that I was not assigned by God to get rid of all the bad men. I know that. And I want to stop. But I’m realizing in the last few days that I need more from my life, more to give myself to. So Icanstop.”

Sterling crumbles a napkin between his hands, resting his forearms on the edge of the counter. I think I could watch this man lace shoes or stir soup and still lose my breath. “What do you want for your life, Juni?” he asks thoughtfully.

Lifting cookies from the cooling tray to a plate, one by one, she nibbles her bottom lip a moment before casting her gaze on me, then to Sterling. Looking between us, she says, “I want to live at my family home forever, to run my jam business at the farmers market and watch my sisters live with their loves, and raise families of their own. I want to see all my loved ones continue to thrive.”

Sterling reaches across the counter and steals her hand. “You have that, sweetheart.”

She smiles, her green eyes going stormy. She gave me that look on the patio. My pulse skips as I realize, the time is now. She said she was going to show me tonight, to prove that she knows how Sterl feels. My palms grow slick against the counter.

“The last part is you,” she says, looking at Sterling, then me. “Both of you.”

Sterling clears his throat as I watch his profile, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows, searching for words. “Juniper… We’re… That’s…” But he can’t find the right words.

She comes around the counter, and we swivel in our barstools to face her, backs to the counter. She offers us each a hand, which we both take, waffling our fingers together. “I’m not asking you to be anyone you’re not, either of you. But we’ve been spending time together for so long and… not only did I fall for both of you but… I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.” She splits her gaze, waiting for one of us to make an admission.

I already laid it out there, more or less, so I stay quiet, afraid as hell of overstepping and losing them both. Sterling’s voice is rough and husky when he asks, “What do you mean?’

She tugs on our joined hands, getting us to our feet. “I’m pretty sure you two fell for each other, too.” My skin burns as her words fill the space between the three of us. Heat sears my spine, sweat bubbling my brow as I slowly look at my best friend.

We share a simmering moment, no words, all looks, his eyes glittering beneath the dim lights.

Juniper doesn't wait for a response, and tugs us down the hall. Our hands bump together, and his thigh brushes mine. By the time we’re in Juniper’s bedroom, I’m already hard and standing upright behind my butterfly robe.

Reaching behind her, she unties the apron and lifts it off over her head.

Her eyes come to me and I reach for my robe, pulling the tie, letting it fall open. I look at Sterling to find him unknotting his robe.

Juniper takes the straps of her nightie, previously covered by her baking apron, and shucks them down her shoulders. She shimmies, and the silk fabric pools at her feet, leaving her completely naked.

With a shake of my shoulders, the robe slips off my body and falls to the floor, leaving me completely naked and very fucking erect.

Next Sterling does the same, shirking off theGIRL POWERbathrobe, revealing his naked body.

I’m not the only one hard.

Juniper steps to him, wrapping her hand around the head of his cock, squeezing as she rocks to her toes and kisses him.

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