Page 24 of The Honor of Being Hers
She stroked him slowly, wrist moving in a rhythm he set with a low groan and a subtle rock of his hips.His skin was silk and heat under her palm, and she marveled at how something so hard could feel so soft.William reached over and kissed her shoulder, his fingers threading through her hair as she moved.
Tyler, still watching, leaned in and bit the curve of her hip.
When Ryan came, it was with a soft curse and a shudder, his hand tightening on hers as he spilled into her palm.She felt a fierce satisfaction at the way his breath caught, the way his careful control had finally cracked open for her.
She felt powerful.Not for what she’d done, but for what they’d trusted her with.
Afterwards, they cleaned her gently, warm cloth soft against her sensitive skin, terry cloth towels that smelled like the same lavender as the sheets, whispered praise that made her chest tight with emotion.They pulled her between them again, wrapped in quiet and warmth and more skin than fabric.No one asked for more.No one tried.
And for the first time, as she lay tangled between them, bare and content and wrecked in the best way, she didn’t just feel safe.
She felt theirs.
11
The walk to the bluff took longer than expected, mainly because Justin insisted on packing enough food for five people, and Sarah kept stopping to photograph things.The path beneath their feet changed from packed earth to scattered pebbles that shifted and crunched with each step, then to the soft give of sand-mixed soil as they approached the coast.Lauren could feel the texture changes through her canvas sneakers, each surface distinct and grounding.
Rachel had commandeered the blanket, Samantha the drinks, and Lauren, well, Lauren carried almost nothing.William had taken her backpack the moment she’d slung it over one shoulder, murmuring something about her wrists needing to recover from last night, and Ryan had handed her a hat with a quiet smirk and no further comment.
They followed the edge of the cliffs west of the estate, where the air thinned and opened, and the scent of salt overtook the pines.Below them, waves curled into sand in patient rhythm, leaving long stretches of shore unbroken.The grass near the drop was short and soft, springy beneath their feet and still damp with morning dew.By the time they found a wide flat stretch, the sun had warmed the slope up just enough to ease the chill from the breeze, and Lauren could feel the heat soaking through her shoes into the soles of her feet.
Lauren sat down slowly, knees folding beneath her, and pressed her palms into the grass on either side of her body.The ground was firm but yielding, still cool in the shade but warming where the sun touched it, and she could smell the green, growing scent of the earth mixed with the distant salt of the ocean.Tiny wildflowers dotted the grass around her hands, white petals no bigger than her thumbnail.It felt good to be still.She hadn’t realized how much energy she’d been burning holding herself upright until this moment.Her thighs were still aching faintly from the morning, her ribs from laughing with Sarah during breakfast, and her lips were still chapped from the wind—and from Ryan’s mouth.She felt used, in a good way.
Tyler settled beside her, long legs stretched out in faded jeans, his sunglasses catching the sun in a way that made him look like he'd wandered out of a high-budget fashion campaign.The soft cotton of his t-shirt was warm from the sun when she accidentally brushed against his arm.William dropped behind them with the basket and began unloading food without comment, methodically dividing out jars, wrapped rolls, and berries into small dishes.The wicker creaked softly as he moved, and the smell of fresh bread mingled with the salt air.
Ryan was still standing, shirt half-unbuttoned, watching the water as though he was wondering whether or not to swim in it fully clothed.
“Are you actually thinking about going in?”Justin called, already reclining across a second blanket beside Rachel.
“No,” Ryan said.“But if I were, you’d be the first one I’d drag in after me.”
“You’re welcome to try, old man,” Justin said, sipping from a narrow flask he now wiggled invitingly.
Rachel, apparently unbothered, tipped her head toward Lauren.“How’s the recovery going?”
Lauren let out a low, half-laugh.“Ongoing.”
“Color me proud,” Sarah said, tossing a cherry stem into the grass.
“How’s Kyle doing with his trial?”Rachel asked.
“You’re asking me?”Lauren questioned.
“No,” Rachel laughed, “I was asking Samantha, actually.I think he checks up on her even more often than he checks in with you.”
All eyes turned towards Samantha at Rachel’s implication.Lauren noticed how she flushed a scarlet red before she stammered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.Kyle doesn’t call me that often.Maybe three times a week, four tops.”
Lauren felt her mouth drop open in surprise.She knew they talked frequently, but not that frequently.Her cousin really did check in more often with Samantha than he did with her.
“Oh my god,” Justin muttered.Turning toward Sarah he said, “Can you imagine I joked about filing an official ‘just kiss already’ complaint and I didn’t even know about this?!”
“Honey, Samantha, please tell me you’ve been carrying on a sordid affair with him and the rest of his pack.If you were worried Lauren or any of us would disapprove, you’re wrong!He would be such a good Alpha for you.”He continued.
“We’re not!”Samantha exclaimed, “I swear!I wouldn’t hide something like this.”
When everyone just looked at her with doubt clear in their eyes, she continued.“It’s just—.He’s—.”
Her cheeks flushed anew with a scarlet red, only it was clear to Lauren that this time it wasn’t embarrassment.This looked and felt more like shame.
