Page 78 of Shattered Rhythm

* * *

Chase

As soon as Liv leaves, Jaxon breaks the heavy silence.

“I’m sorry, guys. I know things have been tense between us, and it was all my fault,” he says, and I take a deep breath before responding, attempting to sound composed.

“Jax, we all understand why you needed time to think about all of this. You just wanted to make sure we’re all going to be okay.”

“And we just wanted to make sure you’re treating her right,” River says, nodding in agreement.

Jaxon looks down at his feet. “I know, and I am. I just messed up, and I’m trying to make it right.” Despite his sincere words, I’m still not sure if they are fully out of the woods yet.

“Well, just make sure you’re doing everything you can to make her happy, like us,” River says, patting him on the back.

“I will,” he says with a nod. “And I’m sorry for any tension this has caused between us.”

“It’s okay,” I say, giving him a small smile. “We just want what’s best for this family, Liv included.”

“So, we’re doing this now?” Ryder interjects. “We’re going to be with her and share her?”

Jaxon nods. “I think it would be a lot more damaging for us to not try than to just try our best.” He looks at me, and I force a smile. It seems like he’s taken my words to heart.

Ryder nearly jumps on Jaxon, hugging him tightly. “This will work out perfectly, Jax! We’ll all be so happy; it’ll be disgusting to watch.” Jaxon pushes him off. “We’re not only brothers, but brothers-in-law!” Ryder exclaims, and Jaxon puts his head in his hands. Ryder turns to me. “Now we only have to make sure you get your head out of your ass too, and everything will be all right.”

I laugh, shake my head and look over to River, who has an amused smirk on his face.

“Either way, we should all be careful with her. She already told us that she isn’t ready for sex yet, so take it slow,” he says.

“Absolutely,” Jaxon agrees. “I’m still thinking she’s been through a lot more than she’s let on, though she already told us there was some trauma. Even if she hasn’t told us everything yet, helping her heal is the most important thing we can do.”

“You can tell she’s been through enough already,” I say, nodding in agreement. “We need to be patient with her and make sure she feels safe.”

“Oh, look who’s getting on the same page already,” Ryder says with a grin, and I huff.

“I’m not. I’m just making sure you guys don’t fuck up with her,” I say.

“Well, I’m definitely up for the challenge.” Ryder grins at me, and with that, we all grab our bags and head out to start our day. Maybe things will start to look up for us after all.

* * *

Liv

I grab my water bottle and make my way down from the stage, feeling sweaty and breathing heavily. Chase winks at me as I pass him and some students, and I smile. I just finished working on a new routine, so the choreography is stuck in my head. Every time I think about the guys, Sam Smith’s “Fire on Fire” plays on repeat in my mind. It’s somehow become their song for me.

I’ve just left the studio and am in the hallway leading to the locker rooms when someone grabs my wrist and pulls me into one of the maintenance rooms. It’s dark inside, and I’m about to panic until I hear a whispered, “Shh, it’s me.”

The voices of the twins are so similar that I can’t tell them apart from such a short, whispered line, but I know I’m safe, so I relax against him. His hard body moves against mine, and as soon as his hands find my hips and his lips find mine, I know it’s River. He pulls me closer, one hand on my lower back and the other reaching up to cup the back of my head under my ponytail. His kisses range from gentle to passionate, and I hum happily.Finally, he pulls away from me.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “Not being able to do that was torture.”

I rest my head on River’s chest and inhale his fresh peppermint scent, but then I remember my sweaty state. I try to look up at him, but it’s too dark to see anything. He has his hands on my upper arms, gently stroking up and down.

“God, River, I probably smell horrible and I’m all sweaty and sticky,” I say, feeling self-conscious. I feel his warm breath near my ear, and the next thing I know, he’s licking me from the base of my throat up to my earlobe, which he takes into his mouth to suck on gently.

“I like you sweaty,” he whispers. “I’d even enjoy it more if I was the one who made you sweat.” His words send shivers down my spine, and I can feel myself getting wet.And here I thought Ryder was the dirty one.

“Fuck, River,” I murmur, half moaning, and he chuckles and pulls back a bit.

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