I shake my head.
“Maybe. Maybe I led him on, I don't know. You should have seen how thick our parents were laying it on us. I’ll speak to my daddy about it. I know it's crazy but I think that somehow, he was convinced that I wanted him and I was ok with our families stupid plan to have us date. His mom was riding him so hard about taking me to Prom. I don't know, the fact that earlier on I let my family believe that we were dating, might've given him the wrong idea.”
Devon gives me a long, troubled look.
“Baby I’m not mad at you, I promise. But if you like Tyler, this is when you need to tell us.”
“I really don’t. As I said it's just our families’ fault, as far as I’m concerned we’re just friends. Also, I think that despite him trying to look like he was up for a fight out there, you guys scared the shit out of him. And despite the fact that you all jumped the gun and the situation wasn't as serious as you thought, thank you for trying to protect me. That was ... sweet.”
The guys all look proud of themselves and the intensity of their gazes makes me squirm for a second.
“By the way, I came back home quite early. What were you all doing here?”
Knox is the first to talk.
“I wanted to talk to you, pretty girl. About the whole choosing thing.”
“Me too.”
Teague nods.
Devon and Landon say they're here for the same reason.
I swallow, trying to make the hard lump that just formed in my throat go down.
I feared that this would happen: they want me to choose.
For just a second, I wonder if I should listen to my fight or flight instinct but I can only imagine what would happen if I run out of the door right now.
The reality is that I’m in love with all of them and fuck if I know how I could let this happen.
It started innocently as getting to know each of them since they were all interested in me, aside from Devon.
But when getting to know them should've told me who was the one I liked, I ended up developing strong feelings for all of them.
And the more I told myself that I needed more time to make a decision, to get to know them better, the deeper those feelings started to run.
So now I have to fess up to the reality that I can't choose and let them all walk away from me, because this is the only way it can end.
I try to keep from crying but I know it's a failed endeavour by the way my throat burns and stings painfully when I force myself to speak.
“I can't choose. I'm sorry. I fucked up. I’ve fallen for each of you—”
That's all I can manage to croak out before a stream of tears start burning hot tracks down my cheeks and it physically hurts so damn much.
I close my eyes, telling myself that it's best if I don't see their reactions, if I don't see them walking away from me, one by one.
But the boys have different reactions to my tears: Landon and Teague are instantly by my side, trying to soothe me, while Devon and Knox are frozen in place like deer in front of headlights.
When I open my eyes to the feeling of Landon’s and Teague's hands caressing my face and drying my tears, I see the terror in Devon’s and Knox's gazes.
Devon is the first one to talk.
“Baby, please stop crying. I ... we—”
Knox comes to his rescue and takes a step towards me, crouching in front of me and taking one of my hands in his.
“Aubrey, it's ok. This is what we came here to tell you. That you don't have to choose unless you really want to. And that if you don't want to choose, then we’re fine the way things are.”
I open my eyes and his gaze is the softest I've ever seen: his grey eyes sparkle silver, with a warmth that he normally keeps hidden from the rest of the world.
I’ve only ever seen Knox look this way at me and his sister.
“What—”
Devon clarifies things for me.
“Aubrey, we all realised that none of us was gonna back down because we’re all in love with you. And we almost got into a fight about it, thinking that we couldn't keep this up. I mean, we couldn't all be with you.”
“I know.”
I sob but Knox shakes his head, his smile giving me hope that somewhere in this huge mess of feelings there's a plan.
“I won't lie to you, Aubrey, at first we fought. And we concluded that we couldn't pull it off, that we’d end up hurting you because the only way for all of us to date you, would be to be friends. More than friends, brothers, even. So last night, when we left football practice, we were at a loss of how to get what we all wanted: you.”
Teague agrees with him.
“Yeah. That was the only thing we were all positive about: that we all love you and that we’d do anything to be with you, princess. And then Knox said that if we could learn to get along in real life like we do on the field, when we play ball—”
Landon chimes in.
“Last night’s conversation gave us a lot to think about. And then this evening, we were all worried about you riding with Tyler to that stupid family dinner and somehow, we all showed up here. We talked while we were waiting for you and we came to the conclusion that despite our differences, our feelings for you are beginning to cement a bond that goes beyond being teammates or even friends. That if we could all think as one by showing up here to check on you, maybe this relationship could work out.”
Devon takes one last step towards me and Knox moves to the side on the floor at my feet, giving Devon space to crouch at my feet by his side.
“We aren't saying that it’ll be perfect and that there won't ever be jealousy or fights. We're saying that for you, we wanna work on it. That like we're getting close to you, we’ll work on getting close to one another.”
Landon kisses one of my temples.
“We decided that when you're on a date with one of us, the others will start to hang out more. But we also want some time when we can all be with you together. Like now.”
My eyes fill with tears again but it's an entirely different kind of tears this time: my heart is so full of hope, happiness, and love, that it can't be contained and it all overflows in warm tears of joy.
Teague kisses me softly, his lips start by drying out the tears on my face and make their way to my own lips, brushing against them gently and then parting them with his tongue for a kiss that is as deep as it is brief.
Landon turns my face towards him by putting a hand on my jaw and his lips take over what Teague's were doing, kissing me thoroughly and sweetly.
But again, it's not a long kiss because Knox takes his turn, making me shiver when he slants his mouth on mine, his kiss equally skilled and passionate.
And finally Devon takes my mouth, kissing me without holding back: there's no more lies, no more anger or distrust.
Landon
LIFE'S FUCKING AWESOME right now.
There's no other way to put it: since we decided to stop competing to win Aubrey's love and to embrace the fact that she loved us all back, we’ve grown closer and closer.
Not only with our girl but also among us.
I’m starting to appreciate the others and to trust them and I have to admit that I really enjoy their company.
I'm an only child and lately it's like having three brothers: we're really busy with football but by hanging out a lot more after school, I discovered that Devon loves old cowboy movies like me, Knox surfs too and we’ve gone together a few times.
Teague loves scuba-diving and we decided to get PADI certified together and it's awesome because I’ve always wanted to do it but my dad never had the time to join me and I didn't wanna do it alone.
And things don't only work seamlessly off of the field: our team qualifies for the State Championship final and we’ve had no more trouble with our drug tests, despite constant monitoring.
So I’m happy and ‘life couldn't be any better’, I think as I ring the doorbell to pick Aubrey up for a date on the Saturday before the State Championshi
p final.
There's only one thing I haven't shared with the others: I haven't told them about the fact that I'm a virgin.
I think that's something they don't need to know and now that I'm sure that Aubrey won't choose one of the others and dump me, I’ve been thinking about taking that final step into deepening our relationship more and more.
I never broached the subject with her, I'm happy to let things develop naturally between us and I won't lie that I’m a little anxious about it.
What if I last two seconds and disappoint her like Devon did on their first time?
“Hey, come on in.”
When Aubrey opens the door and invites me in, I know it straight away: tonight's the night.
Don't ask me why but it's something in her eyes, in the fact that she’s wearing simple but really sexy clothes and that she asked me earlier if I was ok not to go out but to have dinner at her place and watch a movie.
“It's the last weekend I’ll have the house to myself for a while and time to really relax before thanksgiving and all the final exams before winter break. I just wanna enjoy each other's company. If you don't mind?”
I follow her to the living room and I can't help but notice how good her ass looks in a short green skirt that leaves her shapely legs naked.
She's not wearing shoes, her hair is down and she smells heavenly, like flowers and something else, clean and fresh.
I know Aubrey loves to cook but tonight, she indulged my weakness for pizza rolls, tater tots and cheese popcorn.
As soon as I sit down on her couch, she nestles on my lap and beams at me with a huge smile.
“I’m so happy that at least one of you guys shares my love for Disney movies! Devon likes super hero movies, Teague’s into car racing and sports movies and Knox likes thrillers and horror movies. So when they let me choose, I know that they're compromising.”
I chuckle, squeezing her a bit tighter and asking her which movie she wants to watch tonight.
The choice is between Mulan or the Emperor’s New Groove and it's a damn hard choice because they're among my favourites of all time.
We decide to go with the Emperor’s New Groove and the first part of our evening is spent eating and laughing at the hilarious story.
When the final credits roll onto the huge flat screen TV, I tighten my arm around Aubrey’s shoulders and kiss her temple inhaling her sweet scent.
“Thank you so much for thinking about staying in tonight. Between the end of football season and the upcoming finals, life’s been so hectic that I didn't even realise how much I needed to slow down and chill. Especially with the sweetest and prettiest girl in the world by my side.”
She gives me such a sweet smile that I don't feel cliché by saying that my heart almost stops.
I cup her jaw with one hand and whisper to her that I love her, impatient to feel her soft lips on mine.
And the kisses we’ve been exchanging tonight so far have been as sweet and easy going as the vibe between us, but this one's different.
This time I'm aware of her tits pressed against my chest and when I pry her lips open with my tongue to explore her mouth, I feel an onslaught of sensation running down my spine and making me instantly rock hard.
She's partially sitting on my lap and she must feel my excitement because she straddles me as a soft moan escapes her lips.
Every time anything more than kissing has happened between us, things progressed quite slowly, we got naked after a lot of kissing and cuddling, a lot of looking into each other's eyes, whispering sweet words to one another.
I opened up to her not only about my waiting for the right girl but also about how she makes me feel, how much I care about her.
So I knew that she liked me enough to eventually sleep with me and that she had the same feelings for me that she had for the others but I’ve never seen her act the way she is after I break this kiss.
We're both breathing hard and Aubrey lifts my t-shirt over my head, without saying anything.
Her dark blue eyes are fixed onto mine while she runs her lips down my neck and chest, her hands fumbling with the buckle of my belt to open my jeans.
I lift my hips to help her push them down and when I'm in my boxers, she slowly unbuttons her shirt and slides it down her shoulders and arms.
Her skirt follows shortly after and I drink in her soft skin and the sexy pink lace of her bra and panties.
Her lips cover mine in a scorching hot kiss and I don't know what feels more exciting: the way her teeth are tormenting my bottom lip or the feeling of her skin against mine.
So far I've been letting her take the lead, waiting her out and matching kiss for kiss, touch for touch.
But when she bites softly on my ear lobe, I lose control and cup her ass, squeezing her toned flesh in a gentle but firm grip.
This is when she grinds on me, rolling her hips against mine and making our crotches rub against one another.
“Oh, fuck!”
I moan when I feel my dick respond to the contact by hardening further and twitching as a jolt of pleasure shoots from my balls all the way up my spine.
Aubrey stops, breathing hard, her chest heaving against mine and as I feel how hard her nipples are through the thin lace of her bra, I can't even think.
My body wants her so badly that I tighten my grip on her hips to avoid doing something stupid and ruining everything.
Because the reality is that my body wants her but it doesn't exactly know what it wants.
Maybe I should've bullshitted my way through this and not told her that I hadn't had sex, like that, I could've just played it by ear and not feel this huge amount of anxiety, the fear that if I fuck up, she'll know that's because I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.
She runs a gentle hand down my cheek, tracing my neck and collar bone and all the way down to my chest and I know that she has the right to know how special and important this is for me, even if it makes me totally uncool.
Aubrey’s hand stops at the edge of my boxer briefs, and when her eyes find mine, she hesitates.
This is when usually she’d go down on me or wrap her hand around my shaft and I would reciprocate or even take over if I was too impatient to taste her and feel her writhing under my kisses and touches.
When I don't say anything, she tells me how she feels: this is why I love her so much, she doesn't ask or demand.
She shares her feelings openly and this is how I knew that I could trust her from the very beginning.
“Landon, I want you. But I don't know if it's too soon or if your feelings aren't there yet. I know I am but I don't wanna—”
“I love you, Aubrey. I was only waiting because I couldn't bear it if you hadn't chosen me. And after I knew that you felt the same way I did, I just didn't wanna push you. I didn't wanna make you feel like we had to have sex immediately. But it's not because I'm not ready.”
Her lips touch mine softly and she tells me that she feels the same way.
“Then tonight's the night.”
She whispers it against my lips while her hands lower my underwear and I help her shed hers, basking in the view of her sexy body.
She's still straddling me and once we're both completely naked, she lifts her hips, aligning my tip with her opening and beginning to lower herself onto me.
She's warm and wet and once I'm only halfway inside her, it starts feeling so incredible that I'm terrified that this is gonna be over before we even begin.
“Aubrey, maybe I should touch you first or something. This—”
She slides down until I’m totally sheathed inside of her and she's sitting on my lap, her inner thighs touching my hips.
She rolls slightly forward to whisper in my ear.
“Are you all right?”
I swallow hard, trying to calm down: overwhelmed by the sleek, silky heat that surrounds me.
“Yeah ... no. I mean, fuck, you feel so good. I ... I know this isn't gonna last long and I would hate to let you down.”
She kisses me deeply, her hips dead still and that helps me at least even out my breathing.
“You won't let me down, Landon. The way you kiss me and the feeling of your hands on me ... It won't take me that long either. It doesn't matter if this doesn't last long. We can do it again, so just feel me the same way I'm feeling you.”
She rocks her hips slowly at first and for as incredible as that feels, I almost think that I got this, but I’m a total fool because as soon as she lifts her hips to slam herself on me as deeply as she can, a strangled noise escapes my lips.
She does it again and again and I lose control of my body, I don't even realise that I'm meeting her movements by thrusting my hips upwards and when I know that I have seconds before I explode inside of her, I make the huge mistake of taking my gaze away from hers and looking down, where we're joined.
That's the end of me and I feel myself starting to twitch as the first wave of pleasure washes over me and I know that I’m seconds away from exploding.
But I don't have any time to tell her that I'm sorry that this is gonna be over soon, because I feel her tighten her muscles around me and when I shudder, feeling myself beginning to spill inside of her, I realise that her muscles are spasming uncontrollably around me and we're both holding onto each other, shaken by the most intense pleasure I’ve ever felt.
When it's over, she collapses into my arms, her head resting in the crook of my neck.
I give us a second to calm down, still joined when I lift her face up to mine to kiss her softly.
“That was ... fuck!”
I can't think about anything else and she giggles but she sounds as happy as I feel.
“That was so damn good, Landon.”
And I know she isn't just saying it to make me feel better when she kisses me and asks me if I wanna spend the night.
“Fuck, yeah!”
I answer lifting her into my arms and making my way up the stairs.
I don't know how I’ll ever keep my hands off of her but by how tight she holds me once I begin kissing every inch of her body, I know that she doesn't want me to.
The Retribution: A High School Light Bully Romance (Beverly Hills Prep Academy Book 3) Page 25
