Sated

by Charity Parkerson

  Echo didn’t give her time to enjoy it. Snagging her arms the second her feet hit the ground, the woman dragged her in the direction of the fire.

  “Come on. I want to play.”

  Arbor shot the men a pleading look. They were both smiling unapologetically as they fell in step behind her.

  “Have fun, Arbor,” Killian said, encouraging her. She was, but she still mouthed “help me” when Echo began braiding her hair. Hunter handed her a paper cup. The smell of alcohol hit her before she had time to close her fingers around the drink. With a smile of thanks, Arbor prayed for strength as she touched the cup to her lips. It didn’t taste as bad as she’d been expecting.

  The combination of Echo’s fingers running through her hair, too little sleep, and alcohol had Arbor floating on a haze in no time. Logs—too big to have found their way around the fire naturally—were strategically placed for people sit. Arbor still chose to sit on the ground. She left room for Echo to squeeze in between her and the log so she could finish braiding her hair. Even though conversation buzzed around her, and Echo was going on about something or another, Arbor couldn’t focus on the actual words. Instead, she concentrated on the people. With Hunter sitting across from her, Arbor had a clear view of the blonde woman hanging on to him.

  “Who is that with Hunter?” Arbor didn’t bother whispering since someone had the music blaring, muting their conversation. Echo wrapped her arms around Arbor’s waist and set her chin on her shoulder.

  “That’s Lindsay.”

  There was something about her tone. Arbor wanted to turn her head and see her expression. Somehow, she knew if she did, Echo would clam up. Instead, she eyed the woman in question—beyond caring that she was openly staring.

  “She doesn’t like you touching me.” Arbor didn’t know how she knew, but it was true. Animosity filled the space between them with every brush of Echo’s hands on Arbor’s body.

  “She can get the fuck over it,” Echo said, bitterness tinging every word. “Look how she’s pawing Hunter.”

  Arbor wasn’t sure she could look any harder than she already was, but out of loyalty, she tried. Hunter and Lindsay were almost mimicking their pose, except Lindsay was sitting on the log at Hunter’s back while he sat on the ground between her thighs. His position left Lindsay free to watch Echo’s every move, and she had. As Arbor looked on, Lindsay shaped Hunter’s shoulders with her fingers—massaging. If he noticed at all, he didn’t show it. Echo—on the other hand—tightened her hold on Arbor’s waist.

  “It’s a show,” Arbor decided. “You’re watching what her hands are doing when you should be paying attention to what her eyes are saying.”

  There was so much hunger in Lindsay’s gaze, Arbor couldn’t believe she was the only one staring. It was mesmerizing. Echo didn’t respond. A wave of longing washed over her. For once, it wasn’t for herself. She wanted Echo to have this woman who was obviously under her skin. In a bid for courage, Arbor turned up her drink, downing the contents. She set the cup aside.

  “Let’s dance.”

  Echo’s giggle let her know she’d made the right decision. Sheesh! Arbor hated being the center of attention, but she would do this. Moving to her feet, she ignored the way the ground shifted a little as she tugged Echo to hers.

  “Come on, babe,” Arbor cajoled, hauling the woman against her and touching her mouth to Echo’s ear. “If she can put on a show, so can you. Make it good.”

  Echo growled. Arbor’s body shook with suppressed laughter. “Make it good, eh?” Echo grabbed a handful of Arbor’s ass, hauling her even closer. “Oh, love, you have no idea how good it would be.” Arbor shook harder, even as she swayed to the music. She couldn’t help it. Her nervousness mixed with the alcohol, making it almost impossible to suppress the laughter. Peeking over Echo’s shoulder, she sought Killian and Lyric with her eyes. When her gaze landed on them, the air changed. It wasn’t an act any longer. Her performance was for them. With their focus upon her, she allowed Echo’s hands to slide down her body—shaping her every curve.

  Steering the woman in Lindsay’s direction, Arbor moved slowly, hoping it wasn’t too obvious of a move. As soon as she was within striking distance, Arbor twisted in Echo’s hold, pressing her ass against the woman and coaxing Lindsay to her feet. Hunter followed as well. It was okay. Lindsay was strong enough to handle them both. Arbor found her men with her gaze. Killian was the first to move, coming to the rescue. He extricated her from the middle of the group like a master. Actually, it was a bit more primal. He shouldered his way in between the gyrating bodies and threw her over his shoulder.

  “Excuse me. This one is mine.” They ignored him and the space she’d once occupied closed immediately as Echo and Lindsay came together. Hunter had the blonde’s backside covered. Arbor watched it happen with a smile. “I’m guessing you’re rather proud of yourself,” Killian said, running his hand over the curve of her ass as he set her on her feet. A dizzy spell hit her, but she managed a nod. Lyric rushed to steady her.

  “Oh, babe, liquid courage doesn’t suit you.” Sitting down on the ground with his back to the log, he pulled her down between his thighs. With his chest supporting her back, the world steadied. Killian dropped down to his knees beside them. Turning sideways, he lit up like a schoolboy as he crawled his way beneath Arbor’s knees before settling down on his stomach. With his head pillowed on his hands, he stared at her with his heart in his eyes, reminding Arbor of a large puppy. She chuckled at the sight. He could be so outrageous.

  “There’s no way you’re comfortable like that.” Even as Arbor made the argument, she settled deeper into Lyric’s hold and tucked Killian more solidly beneath her knees. The toes of Lyric’s boots were shoved beneath Killian. There truly was no way in hell Killian could be comfortable, but she didn’t want him to move.

  “Hush, Arbor,” Killian fussed. “I’m relaxing over here.” Lyric’s low laugh vibrated against her back. “You’re such a softy, by the way.” Arbor huffed at Killian’s words.

  “Just because I don’t want sticks stabbing me in the stomach.”

  Killian cut her off. “I was talking about what you just did for Echo.” Arbor shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. Glancing away, her gaze landed on the topic of their discussion. Her mouth fell open before she snapped it closed again, hoping to hide her reaction. Echo’s hand was down the front of Lindsay’s pants. Their tongues clashed as Hunter worked toward divesting both women of their clothing. Blushing, Arbor began stammering.

  “Hey, it’s the least I can do for the woman who I shared my first girl-on-girl action with.” How Killian continued ignoring what was happening behind him was beyond Arbor, but she kept her eyes locked on his face in hopes of doing the same. A dimple appeared at the corner of his mouth.

  “First? Do you intend for there to be more?”

  “Most likely not, no.” Arbor shrugged. “Still, you never forget your first, right?”

  “Is that so?” The wicked tint to Killian’s tone should’ve warned her. Better yet, she should’ve watched her words to begin with. “Do tell?”

  “Um,” Arbor said, stalling for time. “What would you like to know?”

  “Don’t pretend to be daft. Tell us all about this fellow. Was he wicked handsome or were you simply young and dumb?” Her face was on fire. Every ounce of her strength went into not covering it with her hands and cackling like an idiot. Lyric nudged her.

  “Come on, Arbor.”

  Damn. She couldn’t ignore Lyric. Her embarrassment caused her words to sound higher than was strictly necessary. “Why do you want to know this?” The humor drained from Killian’s expression at her question.

  “If you were gone tomorrow, not knowing the answer would drive me insane. Every day, I’d wonder why I never asked. I don’t want there to be a million unspoken questions, billions of words I never got to hear you say. I’d mourn for every single one of them equally.”

  A tear slid from the corner of her eye and down her cheek.
The trio who’d triggered the conversation disappeared inside the woods. Arbor barely noticed. His confession rocked her. She more than heard the words. Arbor felt them.

  “Same.” It was the only word she could force past her swollen throat, but Arbor hoped he understood. If they were gone tomorrow, she’d hate herself for every unspoken word and detail she didn’t know about them. Every second of their lives, even the ones they’d lived before meeting her, mattered to Arbor. Killian’s smile returned. It was different—sweeter.

  “Now, tell us all about this wanker who stole what should’ve been mine.”

  “Wait,” Lyric said, cutting in. “Yours?” His offended tone caused Arbor to laugh while Killian merely looked thoughtful.

  “After due consideration, I agree with Lyric. He’s the gentle one and you deserve that.”

  “The gentle one,” Lyric repeated, sounding even more insulted and obviously intent on continuing the argument. Arbor was dying inside. Having the loss of her virginity discussed openly between these men was in—the very least—her top twenty of most embarrassing moments ever.

  “His name was Brandt,” Arbor said a bit too loudly, in an attempt at cutting off their bickering. It worked…sort of.

  “Brandt,” Killian and Lyric repeated simultaneously, sounding disgusted.

  Killian was the first to find fault. “Sounds like a banker’s son or a prat…possibly both.”

  “Okay, well, I’ve never been one hundred percent sure what a prat is exactly. Considering it sounds bad, I’m going to say, yes, he was. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time. He was on the football team and I was me.”

  Killian pulled a face. Lyric’s arms tightened at her waist. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Lyric asked, sounding pissed.

  She shrugged. “There wasn’t anything special about me. I was just me. We were lab partners and were supposed to create one of those ridiculous working volcano things. Outside of school, he was nice. We were so different. It gave us plenty to talk about. The first time he kissed me, I saw stars and pictured how jealous all the other girls would be when they found out. Of course, then I learned he wanted to keep it a secret.”

  Lyric and Killian released matching sounds of loathing along with a few choice words. It warmed her heart. Now that Arbor had gotten past the initial wave of embarrassment, she let it all fly. “My mom did the best she could for me, but she was still only one person. My clothes were always clean, but they weren’t the latest styles. I had a hard time fitting in. Not only was I young and stupid, I was also terribly lonely. Having a secret friend was better than no friend at all. Naturally, it ended badly. Turns out, he had a girlfriend—a cheerleader, no less. When she found out about me, she spread around the typical whore rumors. Teenagers aren’t known for their inventiveness. Anyhow, I spent the remainder of high school in hell.”

  “Please tell me something horrible happened to these people? If nothing else, Brandt must’ve gotten fat and lost his hair.” Killian was amazing, but she didn’t want them to think she carried around any old hurts.

  “I have no idea,” she answered honestly. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t spared another thought for any of them until you asked.” She twisted in Lyric’s arms, ensuring she could see both of the men’s faces. “Now, turnabout is fair play. Give up the goods, boys. I want to hear all the dirt.” She didn’t want to miss a second of their confessions. Judging by what she’d seen of their lifestyle thus far, it was bound to be a good story. “I don’t care which of you go first,” she said, nudging them along when neither one appeared intent on answering.

  Killian rolled onto his side, going up on one elbow. He motioned for Lyric to go first and Arbor focused on him—waiting. A ghost of a smile passed over his features. “Well, it’s like this,” Lyric began, sounding calm and reasonable. “We were each other’s first.”

  Her heart squeezed in her chest. “Awww! That’s a beautiful story.”

  Lyric shook his head. “Probably not, if you look at things too closely. We’ve done a lot of crazy shit since then. Seriously, we knew right away something was missing. It’s driven a wedge between us at times.”

  “It’s odd,” Arbor mused aloud. “Logically, I think I should feel like an interloper here, after such a confession, but in my heart, I know I’m not.”

  “Damn straight you’re not,” Lyric said at the same time as Killian said, “You’re exactly where you belong.” Coming up on his knees, Killian palmed Lyric’s thighs as he invaded their space. The aching in her cheeks made Arbor realize she was smiling like an idiot. It was the expression on Killian’s face. She couldn’t help it. His eyes flashed mischievously. She didn’t know what he intended, but she couldn’t wait.

  “This was our first fight. You should say you’re sorry.”

  Even though Arbor was certain she hadn’t missed a thing, she felt moved to check. “We fought?”

  Killian nodded. “We did. You lost. Now, we have to kiss and make up. That’s how it works.” Scooting in closer until his knees pressed against the apex of her thighs, he cupped the back of her neck and drew her mouth to his. Her lips parted and Lyric was there as well. Arbor’s body lit up, burning hotter than the raging bonfire. Killian held her in place, controlling the angle and pressure of their kiss. Their tongues toyed with hers. Lips curled, shaping one another. Her clit pulsed in time with every stroke. Both men were delicious in their own right. Together, they were incomparable. There was a strange pressure building in her chest, distracting Arbor from her lust. If not for the presence of the unnamed emotion attempting to burst from inside her, Arbor would’ve made every effort to rip their shirts from their backs. She hated every article separating them with an unhealthy passion.

  Killian moved away first, but only enough to close his lips over the cords in her neck. A single swipe of his tongue nearly brought her to release. He pulled away, groaning like a man doomed. The sound drew a low laugh from Lyric. Arbor moaned at the sensation against her lips. Killian faked a loud sob.

  “That’s not helping, Arbor. Damn. I really want you to make that noise for a whole other reason, but we’re not alone.”

  A tiny slice of Arbor wanted to argue that Echo hadn’t seemed to mind an audience, but she knew they were showing her respect. It meant she was special. The pressure sitting on her chest increased. Lyric set his forehead against hers and Killian joined in. His eyes were closed. She couldn’t force hers shut. They were both too beautiful. Arbor didn’t want to miss a second of staring at them. Killian took a deep breath. She mimicked him, inhaling them into her lungs.

  “There’re seven billion people in the world.”

  She bit back a smile over having him steal her words. Lyric’s fingers brushed her cheek. He did the same to Killian, holding them both while finishing Killian’s thoughts.

  “And you’re the only ones for me.”

  Shit. They really were. He’d known exactly what she’d been trying to say, even when she had not.

  Chapter Seven

  “Our window seat isn't the same anymore. It'll never be the same again. Every day, I stand next to it, wondering if I have the nerve to set my knees on it and crawl into the spot we shared. Every day, I fail. Trey is the only thing saving my sanity. If there's anything left to salvage, that is. Perhaps I'm already too far gone. He's playing the cop now; even got promoted to detective already. I suppose it's what he was always meant to do. He'll make it. I'm not so sure about me. Even when he's with me, I can't move away from our window. It's like it's all I have left. The graves where you’re buried are empty as far as I'm concerned, because you’re here in our spot…lingering. It's killing me. It's a slow death. Too slow. I'm not going to make it.”—Aug 15th

  * * * * *

  One corner of Trey’s mouth lifted. A wicked glint entered his eyes. It was all the warning he gave before the cold metal closed around Arbor’s wrist with a click. Her heart rate kicked up.

  “You belong to me,” Trey said, sounding calm as he coaxed her arms
above her head. After weaving the empty cuff through a rung on the headboard, he snapped it around her other wrist. She let it happen.

  “This new job has made you cocky.” Even to Arbor’s ears, she sounded breathless. Trey’s palms slid up her sides, pushing her shirt higher as he went. With her hands chained and Trey straddling her hips, Arbor couldn’t stop him—not that she wanted it to end.

  “I’ve always been cocky,” Trey said absently, staring down at the newly bared skin. Arbor searched for something to say to keep from moaning. She hated making things too easy for him.

  “Then it’s made you think you can do whatever you like.”

  He smirked. “That was already true as well.” His gaze lifted, meeting hers. Arbor’s mind went blank. The expression on Trey’s face was breathtaking. “You’ve always let me do whatever I want.”

  “Spoiled,” she accused.

  A low rumble of laughter floated through the air as he dipped his head, flattening his tongue against her nipple. The urge to hold him there was near to crippling.

  “Spoiled,” he agreed. His lips brushed her skin with every syllable, drawing a moan from her as he added, “Addicted. Infatuated. Completely in love.”

  The banging on the door pulled her from a deep sleep. Arbor stared at the unfamiliar room, confused, before she realized she was in her bed. Fully clothed, on top of the covers, and using only Lyric’s jacket for warmth, she focused on the ceiling, trying to remember how she’d come to be there. The last thing she could recall was listening to Lyric sing. The vibration of every word against her skin as she watched Killian’s hands move over his guitar was so strong it was almost as if they were there with her. The banging started again, reminding her of why she was awake.