Page 94 of Shared By my Ex's Best Friends
“This one’s yours,” he says quietly, glancing at me over his shoulder.
“I got that from a roadside place outside Nashville,” I say, warmth blooming in my chest. “It has character.”
He smiles. “Sure does.”
Across the living room, Liam is cross-legged on the floor with a stack of books and an old crate labeledMisc.He’s the picture of calm focus, flipping through an old journal of mine before setting it carefully aside.
He looks up, catches my eye, and smiles—a soft, steady thing that holds me down.
“You should take a breather,” he says gently, his voice like smooth river stone. “You’ve been on your feet all morning.”
I pause, frowning. “I’m okay.”
He stands and crosses to me in two quiet steps, his fingers brushing my elbow. “Okay doesn’t mean you have to keep pushing.”
The moment stretches—quiet, charged. I’m suddenly acutely aware of all of them in the room. Jake’s teasing glance from the kitchen, Ethan’s gentle precision, Liam’s unwavering presence.
The air grows thick and hot.
I move to pick up a book from the floor, and when I stand, Jake is right there. Close. So close I can see the gold flecks in his eyes.
“Need a break?” His voice drops, low and knowing, laced with mischief.
Before I can respond, I feel Ethan behind me—his hands grazing my waist as he passes, then lingering just enough to make me shiver. My breath catches.
Liam moves in from the other side, his hand brushing my arm, fingers trailing down until they catch mine.
“Feels like we could all use one,” he murmurs.
Jake leans in, lips nearly touching my ear. “Or maybe something more.”
I swallow, heat rising like a tide beneath my skin. I glance between them—Jake’s roguish grin, Ethan’s dark, smoldering focus, Liam’s quiet gravity—and I feel it. That pull.
That thrum of something bigger than any of us expected when we started this.
“Maybe…” My voice trembles. “Maybe we should stop unpacking for a minute.”
Ethan’s hand slips over mine, fingers strong and certain. “I like the way you think.”
Jake’s hand slides to the small of my back, guiding me toward the couch piled high with pillows and a blanket we tossed aside earlier.
The room hums, alive with tension. With possibility. With us.
Liam follows, his hand warm against my spine when he slips it under my shirt. “We’ll finish the boxes later,” he says, lips brushing my temple.
I moan softly at his touch, but Jake catches it in a hard kiss.
Ethan sits on the couch in front of me and takes hold of my shorts, dragging them down my legs, along with my panties. At the same time, Liam pulls my shirt up and over my head, then makes quick work of my bra.
Just like that, I’m completely naked while the three of them remain fully dressed.
I don’t feel shy, though, or exposed. The way they’re looking at me with fire in their eyes has my skin flushing and my blood heating with need.
“Look at our pretty girl,” Ethan murmurs, running his hand up the outside of my leg.
“How lucky are we to have her all to ourselves?” Liam says, brushing his lips along my shoulder.
“Our precious treasure,” Jake purrs, turning my face toward his so he can capture my lips in another kiss.
