I shook my head. “No. Home,” I said. “We're going home.”
Brad stirred, a low groan escaping him. He slowly sat up, looking like something straight out of a horror movie. His face was bruised, bloody, and swollen, and he grimace in pain every time he moved. Good. I hoped he hurt. And bad.
“You look like shit, chief,” Sean observed.
Brad opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it, and closed it again. At least the man knew when he was beaten.
“On your feet,” I said. “We're taking you to the hospital, against my better judgment. Remember, the injuries you sustained were from your car wreck. Nothing more. Or I swear to God, I will get the police involved, and have you booked on kidnapping charges. You got me, Brad?”
Brad looked at Elise, his gaze longing, lingering, and then angry. But, without a word, he got to his feet, the pain tearing through him more than evident. But, then the fire in his eyes dimmed, and he looked down at the ground, merely nodding.
“Let's go,” I said.
Nolan, being less of an asshole than the rest of us, helped Brad get moving. With Elise walking between Trevor and I, Sean directly behind her, and Nolan helping Brad bringing up the rear, we walked out of the cabin, and headed back for the truck. I was hoping it didn't take long at the hospital, and we could get on the road soon.
All of us were ready to put this winter wonderland well behind us.
13
Elise
By the time I was released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, the storm had let up for the most part. Brad was going to be there for a few more days, but I was good to go. The air outside was still frigid, but the wind wasn't howling like it had been before, and the air didn't nearly burn my lungs the way it had earlier. Nolan still seemed nervous about driving the snow-covered mountain roads though. But I knew we would be fine. My guys would not let anything happen to me. The guys offered the front seat of the truck, but I took the back, and was comfortably situated between Chase and Sean. Sean's arm was wrapped around my shoulder, and he held me close. Chase didn't say much at first, he just let me sleep. I dozed on and off for a long time, my mind and body exhausted from everything they had been through over the last few days.
“I've never been so happy to see the South Carolina border in my life,” Nolan said, stirring me from my nap.
I sat up, and while there was some light snow on the ground, it was nothing like the mountains we'd left behind. We were home, or almost home, at least. It wasn't going to be long before I was going to be back in my warm, cozy house, tucked away in my warm, cozy bed, all safe and sound.
Thanks to these four amazing men.
They'd done so much. From driving up there to find me in the first place, to saving me from dying a certain death in the snow with my batshit crazy ex. The four men had risked their lives for me countless times, and I knew they'd do it again in a heartbeat. They'd always be there for me. To save me. To care for me. They would always be in my life, and I honestly couldn't imagine my life without them.
I really didn't know what I'd done to earn such enduring love and loyalty, but I was profoundly grateful for it.
I took Sean's hand in mine and then gently reached for Chase's. We hadn't really talked much since the night he caught me with Nolan, and I still felt bad for hurting him. I didn't want him to be hurt. I loved him. I loved all of them. I just needed to make them understand it – which might not be easy, since I didn't quite understand it myself.
Chase took my hand, staring down at where our fingers were intertwined. A faint smile touched his lips, and a look of nostalgia crossed his face. It was there one instant and gone the next though.
“Elise, I'm sorry,” he said.
Hearing him apologize, when he'd done nothing wrong, took me by surprise. He turned those blue eyes up to me, and my heart melted. God, he was so gorgeous.
“What are you sorry for, Chase?” I asked. “You really have nothing to be sorry for at all.”
“For being a petty, jealous little bitch, and for treating you like a child, I do,” he said. “Truth is, I was jealous, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. At least, not until now. But if you're happy, I'm happy for you. I just wanted you to know that, I needed you to know that.”
I gave him a small, warm smile. “Jealous of what exactly?”
He gave me a knowing grin. “Of you being with other people, of course,” he said simply. “I love you. I've wanted to be with you for – hell, I don't even know how long to tell you the truth. But if that's not what you want –”
“Who said that's not what I wanted?”
“But you're with –” He stopped and looked at the others in the truck, a look of confusion spreading across his features. “Well, I don't know who, but you're not with me, that's for certain.”
“Who says I have to be with any one of you in particular?” I asked.
Chase looked stunned and confused. “But, is that what you want?”
“It's what I want, but I don't know if that's what everyone else wants to,” I said, biting my lip. “I'm not the only one who should be involved in making this decision.”
We were talking as if we were alone in the truck, but the others were there, listening. They'd just remained quiet as Chase and I tried to come to terms with the situation. I could tell they were all paying keen attention to our conversation though. Nolan already seemed pretty accepting of the arrangement. Sean and Trevor too, maybe. Honestly, I wasn't sure if my All-American boy would be okay with a poly-style relationship. It took a special and different kind of person to be involved in the kind of relationship where we could all live happily ever after as one, large family. I didn't know if Chase had that thing inside of him, but I hoped that maybe – just maybe – we could make it all work out somehow.”
Losing any of my boys at that point would have been hard; it would have killed some small part of me. I knew though, that I needed to leave it up to them. They were the ones who'd have to share my love and attention, and I couldn't force them to be willing to accept that. I couldn't force them to want to do that.
Chase cleared his throat. “So have you talked about this with the others?”
“I'm talking about it now,” I said. “They're welcome to hop in at any time. They all know that. There's no sense in holding your tongue around me.”
No one said anything, not at first. The air inside the cab of the truck was a little stiff and awkward, but I knew they were all turning things over in their minds. I'd dropped a bit of a bombshell into the middle of things, and now they were having to pick through all the rubble, to sort it out in their own minds.
Eventually, Nolan was the one to speak up first. “I'm okay with it,” he said. “As long as Elise is happy, I'm fine with it.”
Always the pragmatic one, of course. Trevor and Sean were the most likely to get jealous and to be possessive, so I had more than a little worry about what they might think or say. Thankfully though, they were best friends. They had a brotherly love between the two of them that allowed them to work well together. They complemented each other, rather than served as each other's rivals, and they never tried to one up the other – except in friendly competition, of course. “It won't be easy,” Trevor said from his spot in the passenger seat. “But I love, Elise, and I love you guys too. You guys are my family. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. I'm committed to of all it.”
“You'd even be willing to take anger management classes?” Nolan teased from the driver's side.
Trevor scoffed. “I don't need any of that shit.”
Nolan side-eyed him, and Trevor laughed.
“Fine, I meant, I don't need any of that where you guys are concerned,” he said. “You're my brothers. Nothing will ever come between us.”
“Not even a girl?” I asked.
“Not even a girl,” Trevor said. “But you're more than just a girl, Elise. You know that, right?”
My cheeks burned red, and I lowered my
eyes away from him. “What do you mean?”
This time, it was Sean spoke up from his spot beside me. “What he means is that you're not just any girl. You’re the girl. You're worth it to us,” he said. “We love you, you love us. Maybe it's idealistic, but I think we all respect each other enough that we can find a way to make this work if that's what we all want.”
Even though I had hoped for this to happen, for my boys to come around to this way of thinking and openness, I honestly hadn't expected it. My heart fluttered in my chest, swelling with joy, and my eyes shimmered with tears, as three of the four agreed to be with me. Only one more remained to complete our little set. I looked over at Chase and gave his hand a squeeze.
“We don't have to do this,” I said.
Simply saying those words caused my heart to break a bit, but I meant it. If any of them were unhappy with the situation, I'd pull back. Nothing was worth damaging what we'd had before this trip. Nothing at all. I wanted these men in my life forever, in whatever form that took.
“We can forget all of this happened,” I said. “We can forget it and go back to our normal lives once we get back to Greenville.”
Chase sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. He shook his head.
“We can never go back to the way things were, Elise,” he said.
Those words crushed me in a way I hadn't expected or been prepared for. Those words were like a dagger through the heart, and I felt the tears falling down my cheeks as I began to accept that I'd fucked up. I'd changed everything, and that I was going to lose at least one of the men I loved more than anything in this world.
Chase reached out and stroked my cheek gently, and I fell into that touch. I leaned into it hard, relishing the feel of his hand on my skin as I closed my eyes. But then, I felt him lean closer and his lips were against mine in the next moment. It was a soft, chaste kiss, nothing more. But it had still managed to impart so much feeling and emotion. I yearned for him. I wanted him to be mine. I couldn't force the issue though. I had to let him do what was right for him, even if it killed me. If this was not what he wanted, I couldn't force it. “I'm sorry, Chase,” I said. “I'm sorry I messed everything up.”
“You didn't mess anything up,” he said, pressing his forehead against mine. “I'm just saying, now that we know how we feel, and everything is out in the open, we can't go back to pretending we don't have feelings for you. I wouldn't expect you to give up everything you knew just because I was scared.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my pulse quickening.
“I mean – I'm with the others,” he said. “Let's do this. We are family. Closer than family could ever be, and I believe in us.”
“I believe in us too,” I said.
My heart swelled even bigger in my chest, and I was suddenly the happiest woman on earth.
“And I believe Aaron would have wanted you to be happy,” he continued. “He asked us to take care of you, and we will. I promise we will, for the rest of your life, if you'll have us.”
“Yes, please,” I said.
I kissed him again, tears of joy spilling down my cheeks as we pulled into Greenville, South Carolina. Soon enough, we'd be home. I'd be home, and I'd have my boys with me. All of them. Life really couldn't get any stranger, or any better for me than it was at that moment.
Nolan pulled into my driveway and parked the truck. I was still curled up in Chase's arms, oblivious to the surroundings as he gently kissed my face and held me close.
“Please, come inside and stay for a bit,” I said. “I don't want you guys to leave just yet.”
No one argued with me, and we hustled into my house. As soon as I stepped inside, the sense of relief was immediate and palpable. My heart, my mind, and my body all felt a hell of a lot lighter. A hell of a lot freer, not to mention, a lot happier.
There was no more Brad or worrying about Brad's mood, or his abuse. There was no more cabin in the woods. No more snowstorms. And most of all, no more loneliness. I kicked off my shoes and took the hands of two of the guys, my guys – Trevor and Nolan – and led them upstairs. I looked behind me and motioned with my head for the others to follow. Chase still looked a little nervous, but he slowly walked up the steps behind us.
“I need to thank all of you for saving my life, properly,” I teased when we'd reached the top of the stairs.
The guys all stood against the bedroom wall, varying looks of confusion on their faces. One by one, I went down the line, feeling powerful and feeling desired and sexy. I started with Chase at the very end. I kissed him long and hard, our mouths becoming one as his hands explored my body for the first time.
Next up was Sean, and we'd kissed before, but this time, there was more passion and less uncertainty. He nibbled my lip playfully and smacked my ass. I squealed with delight and bit him back, feeling the fires of desire igniting within me.
Then I came to Nolan. He still looked uneasy, even after our little hookup outside the cabin. I removed his glasses and placed them on the nightstand before going in for the kiss. We made out like high schoolers, our tongues exploring each other's mouths, our hands exploring each other's bodies as he held me close. He was so sensual, but playful. I wouldn't have expected that from Nolan, but now that I'd gotten to experience him, there was no way I'd ever forget.
Trevor was waiting for me, a smile on his handsome face.
I yanked on his shirt, pulling the big guy closer to me and kissed him deeply. My tongue pushed past his lips, but he didn't allow me to stay in control for long. He grabbed my face with his hands, holding me in place as his tongue explored my mouth – much like he'd explored my pussy only the day before. Remembering that, my insides grew tighter, and there was a sudden wetness that soaked through my panties.
It would be a lot of work and take a lot of coordination to please all of them at once, but I was more than willing to take on the job. I dropped to my knees in front of Trevor and removed his belt. I stared up at him, and he looked down at me like I was a goddess. His hands were in my hair as I pulled down his boxers, revealing his thick cock, the head doused in pre-cum already. Flicking my tongue, I licked the tip before taking him into my mouth. He threw his head back and groaned as he filled my tiny mouth with his massive member. It took everything in me not to choke, but I managed. And when I came back up for air, the look on his face was worth it. Pure pleasure and bliss.
“God, I love you,” he muttered.
“I love you too,” I said.
I glanced over at the others, trying to decide what – or rather, who – to do next. I'd slept with each and every one of these men except for Chase, and I was dying to experience his cock. I crooked my finger at him and motioned for him to come over to me. Chase read my mind, closing the distance quickly, and stood behind me. The sound of his belt buckle being removed sent a shiver through my body as I returned to sucking on Trevor's cock. Chase's pants fell to the floor in a swish, and then his hands were on my pants, pulling them down my thighs.
“Are you sure?” he asked me, his voice nearly a growl.
“Yes, please, I need you inside of me, Chase,” I said.
Trevor's body shuddered above me as I took him once more, deep into my throat. Chase rubbed himself against my opening before sliding himself inside of me. I cried out around Trevor's dick as Chase filled me up, my back arching as I pushed my ass backward toward him.
Without any prompting, Sean dropped to his knees beside me, his hands moving over my breasts, cupping and kneading them. Nolan stepped to the other side, tweaking my nipples with his fingers. Trevor slipped from my mouth as I moaned, the pleasure almost becoming too much. Never had I experienced anything like that before.
Four different pairs of hands touching me, loving me, caressing me. It was sensory overload, and better than any of the fantasies I had ever come up with. Sean's fingers moved lower on my body, teasing my clit as Chase fucked me from behind. Nolan lowered himself even more, laying on his back and sucking on my nipple, and I screamed
in pleasure. I couldn't take it anymore, and I thrashed wildly, coming suddenly all over Chase's cock buried deep inside of me. Trevor shoved himself back into my mouth, and he cried out as his cock throbbed and he unloaded himself down my throat. I drank up his seed as I came around Chase's cock again. The rush of sensation was powerful and almost overwhelming – and yet, I couldn't get enough. Chase held onto my hips, continuing to thrust inside of me, though going slower, as if he didn't want this to end. Trevor pulled himself from my lips, looking down at me with a soft smile on his face as he stroked my cheeks softly.
With a smile on my lips, I reached for Nolan's hand.
“Please,” I begged.
He stood up and took Trevor's place in front of me, quickly dropping his pants. He wasn't as thick as Trevor, but he was longer, and I feared I might choke on him. I took him gently between my lips, teasing him as Chase continued fucking me from behind. His movements started to become even more desperate, his breathing ragged and his groans louder. His nails dug into my hips as he controlled my movement, and his body was tight with tension. I knew he was close. So very close.
I squeezed both my lips and my pussy at the same time, giving both my men a tighter grip on their stiff cocks. They responded in unison, grunting as they pushed deeper into me. For Chase, however, that was it. He buried himself inside of me one last time and held on for dear life. His warm cum filled me up as I came again, this time from the mere thought of him spurting his seed inside of me. My mouth tightened even more around Nolan's cock, and he was able to bury himself deeper in my mouth. I didn't gag or choke, I took him all the way.
“Fuck, yes,” Chase groaned, holding onto me as both of our orgasms subsided. “That was amazing.”
His cock slipped from my lower lips, and the warm rush of his cum slid down my thighs, sending a shiver of sensation washing through me.
I still had two men to please. Nolan was enjoying my mouth, but I needed Sean. My knees were hurting, so I pushed myself backward, sitting up against Chase. He grabbed hold of my breasts, and held me against him, kissing the back of my neck.
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