Page 53 of The Reckoning
“I—” I start, but don’t get to finish as Arson shifts, rolling me gently onto my back. He hovers over me, his weight supported on one elbow while his free hand traces lazy patterns on my stomach where my shirt has ridden up during sleep.
“You made the rules, remember?” he reminds me, lips brushing my ear as he speaks. “If I have you, he has to be present. Well, he’s present.” His teeth graze my earlobe, drawing a small gasp from me. “Even if he’s not fully…conscious.”
The implied suggestion sends a rush of heat through me that has nothing to do with embarrassment. There’s something forbidden, something thrilling about the idea of Aries waking to find us like this. About watching his face as he realizes what’s happening.
“What are you thinking about?” Arson asks, clearly reading the desire in my expression. “Tell me.”
“Him,” I admit, the honesty surprising even me. “Watching us. Joining us.”
Something flashes in Arson’s eyes—possession, jealousy, excitement, or some complex mixture of all three. “You want us both at the same time,” he says, not a question but a statement of fact.
I nod, unable to deny it. “Is that wrong?”
“No,” he says after a moment, his hand still making those maddening circles on my skin. “It’s honest. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted from you, Lilian. Honesty.”
He kisses me again, harder this time, more demanding. His hand slides higher under my shirt, skimming the underside of my breast without quite touching where I want him most. It’s a tease, deliberate and calculated to make me arch into him, seeking more contact.
I comply without thinking, pressing closer, my body responding to his with a will of its own. The movement causes Aries to shift beside us, but his breathing remains deep and even. He’s still asleep, unaware of what’s happening just inches away.
Arson pulls back just enough to look into my eyes, his expression darkening with intent. “I want to taste you,” he says,the words sending a jolt of desire straight to my core. “And I want him to wake up and see exactly what he’s been missing.”
Before I can respond, he’s shifting down my body, pushing the blankets aside as he goes. His hands find the waistband of my sleep shorts, tugging gently in silent question.
I hesitate for only a moment before lifting my hips in permission. This is madness, part of me knows—to allow this while Aries sleeps beside us, to cross boundaries that can never be uncrossed. But a larger part, a hungrier part, doesn’t care about consequences or complications. It wants only the release, the connection, the temporary oblivion these two men offer.
Arson slides my shorts down slowly, his gaze never leaving mine as inch by inch, he reveals bare skin. I’m not wearing underwear—didn’t think to put any on before collapsing into bed last night—and the realization makes his pupils dilate, swallowing the hazel of his irises.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs, settling between my legs, his broad shoulders nudging my thighs apart. “So beautiful.”
The position is vulnerable, exposing, and I fight the urge to cover myself. Instead, I watch him watching me, fascinated by the naked desire in his expression, the way he looks at me like I’m something precious and wild all at once.
Beside us, Aries remains asleep, oblivious to the tableau unfolding next to him. His face remains peaceful, his breathing deep and regular. The contrast between his innocence and what Arson and I are about to do adds an extra layer of forbidden excitement that I’m not proud of but can’t deny.
“He’s going to be so jealous when he wakes up,” Arson murmurs, his breath warm against my inner thigh. “Finding out what he missed while he was dreaming.”
His words send a shiver through me—anticipation, guilt, desire all mingled together into something intoxicating. I shouldn’t want this complicated dynamic, this twisted trianglewe’ve created. I shouldn’t crave the possessive looks, the competing attention, the knowledge that both brothers want me with an intensity that borders on obsession.
But I do. God help me, I do.
Arson’s mouth finds me then, his tongue parting my folds in a long, slow lick that has my hips bucking off the bed. He pins me down with one strong forearm, keeping me still as he explores, savors, devours. Each stroke sends shock waves of bliss rippling through my body, building on the last until I’m trembling, panting, my fingers fisting in the sheets.
It’s too much and not enough all at once. I need more, need him inside me, need the stretch and burn and fullness only he can provide. But he seems content to tease and to torment, bringing me to the edge again and again, only to back off just before I tumble over.
A whimper escapes my throat as he seals his lips around my clit, sucking hard. My hand flies to his hair, gripping the dark strands as I try to hold him in place and urge him on. But he resists, lifting his head to shoot me a wicked grin.
“Patience,” he chides, nipping at my inner thigh. “We wouldn’t want to finish before your other lover joins the party.”
As if on cue, Aries stirs beside us, a sleepy groan rumbling from his throat as consciousness returns. I freeze, suddenly aware of how this must look—me splayed out half naked with Arson’s head between my thighs.
For a moment, the only sound is our mingled breathing, heavy with anticipation. Then Aries’s eyes flutter open, hazy with sleep before sharpening into focus as he takes in the scene before him.
“What the hell?” His voice is thick with confusion and dawning anger. He pushes up onto one elbow, gaze darting between Arson and me, a muscle ticking in his clenched jaw.
Arson lifts his head, meeting his brother’s furious stare with a smug, unrepentant grin. “Morning, sunshine. Nice of you to join us.”
“What are you doing?” Aries growls, sitting up fully now. The blankets pool around his waist, his bare chest heaving with agitation.
“What does it look like?” Arson retorts, one hand still resting possessively on my thigh. “I’m giving our girl what she needs. What she craves. Don’t interrupt, but you can watch as I make her scream, then fuck her mouth as a reward for being my little brat.”
