Page 11 of When Autumn Arrives

The weight of him holding me helped ease the anxiety I had. I was exhausted, sick of fighting. I didn’t want to talk about the end; I wanted to savor the time we had left, and I hoped the conversation was over so that I could go back to pretending everything was okay.

Rough, wet lips pressed against the back of my neck. “You’re not alone anymore.”

I shuddered, my eyes still closed. I was. I would be. There was no room for anyone but Paisley.

“You’re not,” he repeated. “You having a child changes nothing. The toxic relationship you have with your ex changes nothing.” Parker’s voice came from behind us. He was probably standing at the edge of the room, but I didn’t turn around to look.

Hendrix nestled his chin into the crook of my neck. “It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s more than alright to accept that we’re here to be whatever you need.”

“This is what I need,” I croaked. I’d soak it up until she was home, I told myself. “Nothing more, Hen.”

My heart ached, not wanting to accept the end, despite how much I’d convinced myself it was coming. I didn’t want it to. Not with Parker and Hendrix, and fuck, not even with Calder and Shane. Calder was the bane of my existence, but I still accepted he was a part of my life now.

Hendrix let out a heavy, agitated breath. “You say you don’t need protection, but that night? The night he hurt you?” His grip on me released.

Hendrix’s hand slid under me, a thumb grazing my nipple when his other hand reached lower and lower until he reached the waistband of my shorts. My breath hitched when his hand swept inside, fingers spreading me open.

“If I were there,” Hendrix’s deep voice rumbled against my ear. The pad of one of his fingers pressed against my clit. “I’d have killed him for touching what belongs to me and Parker.”

I groaned at the pressure he applied, massaging me. My ass pushed back, grinding against his groin in response. My clit throbbed when he stopped.

“I’d have never let you go outside.” He nipped at my ear. “I would have gone out there and crushed his windpipe with the same rock he threw at your window.” His tongue slid down the nape of my neck. “And Parker would have forced him to his knees.” He bit down on my shoulder, and I let out a yelp. The pain subsided immediately when a digit filled my aching core. “He’d have made him beg for mercy.”

My eyes snapped open at the feel of his steel rod hardening against the swell of my ass.

“And I’d have made him suffer for even thinking about raping you,” Hendrix said. “Then, as he pissed himself from terror, I’d have punctured his radial artery.” His fingers picked up the pace. “Do you know where that is?”

I shook my head. He removed himself from me, and I whimpered at the emptiness that seemed to be everywhere not just my core. His hand moved up toward my arm. Wetness coated the inside of my wrist as he applied pressure. “Here.” He brought my wrist to his lips and licked up the glistening coat left behind. “He’d bleed out in two minutes.”

Fingers pressed against my lips, shoving inside. I sucked on them, cleaning off my own arousal and coating his hand.

“We’re here, nabi,“ Parker said, his voice closer now.

My eyes snapped open. He was standing at the side of the bed, peering down at me. When I looked up, he wiped away the tears falling from my cheek. “And the thing is, you are ours. Whether you like it or not, whether you want to admit it or not.”

I shook my head in disagreement. Hendrix’s fingers left my mouth and wrapped around my neck in response. His chest rumbled with a deep growl. I tried to suck in air, but couldn’t with his tight grip on me.

“Ours,” Hendrix repeated in my ear. He released his hold on my throat, and I sucked in air. “Now, tomorrow, even when summer ends, kitten.”

“Say it,” Parker demanded.

I gasped, taking in as much oxygen as I could. “I can’t,” I whispered when my breath evened.

“Wrong answer.” Hendrix slid a hand back into the waistband of my pants.

The circles he rubbed against my clit didn’t seem like I’d given the wrong answer. It felt like I’d said exactly what I should have. He increased the pressure, and I squirmed at how intense and overstimulating it was.

I needed the release that wasn’t coming.

“I can’t,” I said through a pained breath.

Hendrix stopped again, unhappy with my response. Parker pinched a nipple, and I yelped. “Fuck, fine. I’m yours. I’m both of yours.”

“That’s it, kitten,” Hendrix said. He flipped me onto my back, undressing me while Parker pulled his shirt over his head.

“How do you want to do this?” Parker asked.

Hendrix peered down at me. “Do you think she deserves what she wants?”

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