Page 75 of Private Tutoring
Stephen took the lead. “We’re not compromising. We’ll find a way to make it work. Delilah has no proof.”
I flattened a hand over my stomach. “In a few months, there won’t be any hiding the proof.”
“True, but you won’t be our student anymore.” Matthew’s crooked grin brought a much-needed sense of levity. “Are you trying to find an out?”
“No.” My emphatic headshake caused all of them to chuckle. “I guess we’re all trying to protect each other in our own way. I never really cared about college, so it’s easy for me to let that go.”
“You’re not giving up on your career. That’s nonnegotiable.” Roberto remained behind me, the heat of his body pressing close and comforting.
“We’re not giving up on anything.” Stephen placed a finger under my chin and raised my head. “There are no limits to what we would do to protect you and our baby.”
It meant so much coming from the man who’d lost his wife and child that I nearly burst into tears. He was willing to set aside his pain and fear and accept a relationship with me. They were all willing to accept my pregnancy and take on the responsibility of fatherhood. We’d figure out the semantics later. All that mattered in this moment was that they loved me and I loved them. We had a chance at a beautiful future.
I leaned into Roberto’s hand on the back of the couch and tipped my lips toward Stephen. “I love all of you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I’d been prepared to move ahead without them, but it was like they said, I made that decision based on false assumptions and Delilah’s influence.
“We love you too.” Stephen’s lips met mine in a searing kiss.
Matthew and Roberto stayed close but allowed Stephen to have this moment all to himself. I ran my hand along his face and around to the back of his neck.
He broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against mine. “Will you come back with us?”
“Yes.” I kissed his cheek and stood. “But first, I want something from you.”
“What’s that?” Roberto wiggled his eyebrows. “We’re happy to give you anything you want.”
I held out my hands. “Good, because my mom is at work and won’t be home until late evening. And what I really need right now is you. All three of you.”
They were on their feet in a simultaneous motion, and Roberto bent at the waist, ushering me forward with a wave. “Lead the way, sweetheart. Your wish is our command.”
“Oh, really?” I started toward the short hallway that ended with my bedroom on the left and Mom’s on the right. “My bed isn’t big enough for what I really want, but I’m sure we’ll make do.”
“Ah, a challenge.” Roberto rubbed his palms together. “I love when you push our limits.”
“You do it to me. I figure fair is fair.” I paused at the closed door, my hand on the knob. “It means the world to me that you came to find me. I’m sorry I bolted without telling you the truth.”
“We forgive you.” Matthew braced his hands on either side of my head and leaned down to capture my lips.
The kiss was all things sweet and enticing, just like Matthew. They each had their own flavor, their own style, that when combined brought me to heights I had never thought possible.
They loved me. That alone was so unfathomable, I gripped Matthew’s shirt with both hands as though to hold onto the dream a little longer. His lips softened against mine, and he set his hands on my hips.
Roberto opened the door, and Matthew walked me through. Like before, Stephen was the last into the room, and he closed the door with a decisivesnickthat caused an instant heat in my belly. It didn’t matter how many times we had sex, it was always incredible. But this was the first time we’d make love with all four of us letting our emotions free.
37
ROBERTO
There was a tempestuousness to sex, a kind of wild abandon that I had known and understood since my first experience with a woman. I’d learned to appreciate the complexity of a woman’s body and how to help them reach extreme pleasure. But I’d never truly let my heart be part of the process.
I couldn’t even claim to have been in love before, though I might have thought so at the time. None of those experiences compared to what I felt with Harmony.
She stood within the circle of Matthew’s arms, her eyes open and hopeful as she took in the sight of all three of us around her. I’d stopped beside a small dresser, my curiosity over Harmony’s life outside of college demanding I take a look at her room. It was small, even compared to what I expected.
A full-sized bed was tucked against one wall, with a single window up and to the left. Thick blue curtains covered the window, but a few worn places allowed sunlight to filter through. The carpet was the same tired and compressed beige color as in the living room. It had been worn down from years of use. And the dresser where I rested my hip had enough dings and scarsthat I considered it might have been rescued from a curb by Harmony’s mother.
It spoke to her determination that she’d made it to BAI on a full scholarship, and to her passion that she willingly gave that up for us.
We’d let her. That had bothered me from the beginning. We never should have stayed silent.
