Page 46 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
“Fine,” I reply, and Aiden smiles like he can see right through me. “Yeah, okay, better than fine. You?”
He reaches out to cup my face, his hand warmed by the heat of his mug. “I’ve never slept better than with you by my side.”
My lips tilt into a smile as if on their own, but I remain silent. What the hell would I even say? ‘Yeah, I know what you mean. The nightmares usually ruin any semblance of sleep I might have, but snuggled up between you two after a night of fucking sure scares the demons away.’ It might all be true, but there’s no damn way I’d voice it. He’d only have more questions if I did.
Things had been changing with me for a while now, ever since Calantha signed me up for that sinful lock-in. Where before I might have been terrified of sex, now I craved it. Even after everything that happened at the gala, coming face to face with a man who sexually abused me, I should be a total mess. But somehow I’m doing alright.
“I’m not normally like this,” I blurt out, immediately regretting the words.
“I know.”
Of course he does. Aiden isn’t some stranger I pulled in off the street. He was there at Club Rapture, and he’s worked alongside me these past few months. I wonder if Kaleb knows about the night I spent with Aiden and another man. Would he change his mind about me if he knew? Would he think any less of me?
“Hey,” Aiden tilts my head until I have no choice but to look at him. He smells clean, freshly showered, and my skin heats as I picture him lathering up beneath the hot spray. His hand comes up, smoothing out the slight v that formed between my brows.
I smile, unable to control the reaction as I watch my smokey-eyed god care for me.
“This thing between us… there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re all consenting adults, and it’s so much more than just sex. Kaleb and I want to give this a real shot with you, but we’ll understand if it’s too much. Whatever you decide won’t affect your job or our interactions.” He dips his head low, pressing his lips against mine gently. “Mostly, anyway. I wouldn’t be able to do that in front of Sharon, I suppose.”
I chuckle, throwing my arms around his shoulders and kissing him again. Aiden lifts me up and sets me down on the counter as he crowds between my legs. The cold marble bites the back of my thighs, causing goosebumps to rise on my arms. He presses his hard cock against my center, making me forget the aches and pains coursing through my body.
Through the kiss, I sense someone watching me, and when I open my eyes, it’s not Aiden I find staring back. Kaleb rests against the wall, watching us with a passionate hunger in his gaze. Embarrassment sizzles through my veins as if I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. What if they only like to share at the same time? Fuck this was confusing.
“Damn,” Kaleb says, stepping forward and letting out a long, low whistle. “I get why you like to watch now.” He adjusts the bulge in his navy sweats before coming to stand beside us at the counter. God damn. Sweatpants on these two had to be a crime. If they wore these in public, there’s no doubt in my mind that it would start a riot.
I watch him, unsure what he’s going to do or how he’s going to react, and when he does, it’s not what I expect.
“Kiss her again.”
My gaze darts between the two of them, but Aiden doesn’t give me a second more to wonder before he claims my lips. No longer a delicate kiss, this one is demanding, filled with a fiery heat that brands my very soul. I feel Kaleb’s hands on me, lightly trailing up my arm mere seconds before his lips follow the same path.
Tingles shoot down to my clit as he nips and licks his way up my neck, stopping to tug on my lobe gently.
“This is real, Lily. We’ve never wanted anyone more, never craved a woman like this before. And now that we have a taste… I don’t think we can stop.”
As if on cue, they both shift back an inch, just enough so that we’re still touching but they’re giving me space to breathe. To think.
What they’re offering is more than I’d ever expected. Hell, I don’t even know what I expected at this point. I always thought my life would be dull and lonely. Something I was absolutely fine with after everything Calantha and I had gone through at the farm. Boring was the safe choice, one far better than the pain of abuse. I should have realized by now that my sister is stronger than me. She doesn’t harbor self-doubt and hatred for what happened. She just moved on.
But for the first time, things are different. Aiden and Kaleb make me feel like I’m worthy of their attention and the craziest part of all is that I’m starting to believe them.
A few blissful hours later, I walk through the door to my apartment. While I might have hoped to sneak home and keepthe events of last night to myself for just a little longer, my sister had other ideas.
Kaleb found a way to let her know I wouldn’t be home until later today, so I’m surprised to find her patiently waiting for me when I get back.
Part of me is scared to tell her. Not because she’d judge me — Calantha is hands down my biggest supporter — but because saying it out loud makes it undeniably real.
She’s curled up on the couch with her Oodie on — I know, I know. They might be expensive as hell, but damn did they spruce up our Sister Sundays — watching The Proposal. She pauses it when she hears me, and I breathe a sigh of relief that she hasn’t gotten very far into it yet. Thank God I didn’t miss all of Sister Sunday.
“Sorry I’m late! I promise it won’t happen again, okay? Give me six minutes, and I’ll be ready.” My good mood plummets as I begin to spiral. Did I really choose Aiden and Kaleb over my own sister? What kind of crappy sibling does that make me? If my relationship with them is already causing issues, maybe I should just—
Arms wrap around me from behind as Calantha hugs me tight. “Oh, no you don’t, missy. I’m not mad, upset, or any other emotion other than fucking ecstatic, so throw away whatever nonsensical fears are flowing through your head right now.”
“But how can you even say that? Sister Sundays are our tradition, and I’m already making other things a priority. Maybe—”
“No. Nomaybe. I love our Sister Sundays, Lil, but I love seeing you happy more. And it’s not as if I’m a total hermit without friends. I rather like my own company, in fact, so I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Calantha pulls back, keeping her hands on my shoulders as she assesses me. “Besides,it’s obvious you’re in excellent hands, so I really have nothing to be worried about.”
A weight seems to lift from my shoulders with her words, and I let out a chuckle. “Don’t think for a second that I missed the glint in your eyes when you said ‘friends’, Calla. We’re coming back to that.”
