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13
MADDIE
I pause justinside the open wall of windows. My toes sink into the plush cream rug in the corner of a rectangle of sunlight. I wanted a few minutes to recalibrate myself. It feels like my very molecules have been shifting over the last month, and with every moment with them—big and small—they move. Like a kaleidoscope, they rotate based on the men surrounding me at the time.
“I can feel your eyes on me, Raven.”
My lips part on an exhale, a noise closer to laughter than annoyance slips out. I smile and push off the wall. “You cannot.”
He drains the last of the amber-colored liquid in his fancy old fashioned glass. Whiskey, if I had to guess. From this angle, I can see his Adam’s apple bob with his swallow and my breath hitches. I’ve never found a man’s throat to be so attractive as I do at this moment.
I blame my libido. She’s greedy. It’s like she got a taste and suddenly, she’s insatiable.
Aries twists around and sets the glass on the blue-patterned mosaic tile behind him. Even with square black sunglasses covering his eyes, I can feel his gaze travel the length of my body. Like a physical caress, it starts at my toes and slides up along my legs, over my hips and stomach, pausing on the open vee of the robe. The gray waffle knit material is soft and lightweight, and I know I didn’t tie it tight, leaving it to drape open across the tops of my breasts.
He bites the corner of his lip before his head lifts a little and I can feel his hot gaze on my face. My body feels hot and tight from his slow perusal, and for the second time in as many minutes, I wonder what the hell is going on with me. My hormones are running rampant and my control went out the door the moment I let Aries pin me against the wall at the masquerade. If we wouldn’t have been interrupted by the rolling blackout, I’m fairly certain I would’ve dragged him into one of those darkened alcoves that night.
And since then, we’re like two ships passing in the night. I thought things might change—progress—at Dante’s house in the Hamptons, but he was nearly absent. Maybe I’m not being fair, maybe our timing hasn’t been right. But for the next however many hours, we’re stuck in a hotel room together, so maybe it’s time we have that chat.
“Why are you awake?”
Aries’s snark pulls me from my swirling what if thoughts, but nothing could bring me down too much. I’m riding on cloud nine, courtesy of Dante.
I smirk and give him his snark right back. “Why are you awake? The suite was so quiet, I assumed you were sleeping.”
He faces forward again, arms out wide along the back edge of the infinity pool, facing the stunning view of the mountains. Black patterns and designs cover his broad shoulders and arms, one even creeps up along his neck. I have a sudden urge to trace it with my tongue. I could argue that I have the best view from my vantage point, but that might be my post-orgasmic bliss I’m riding right now.
I left Dante in bed after another shower—this one a little less hands-on. Any other time, and I’d be a boneless pile of ecstasy from the way he expertly wrung every ounce of pleasure out of my system. But today I’m too amped up about what we have to do at Carnival.
Aries tips his head back, the Las Vegas sun highlighting the lighter brown tones in his hair through the slats in the pergola, giving him a halo effect. It’s hard to see his expression from this angle. “Dante didn't wear you out then?”
Okay, so maybe more like a fallen angel. He looks to the right, enough for me to see his lips tip into a smirk. Even though he’s trying to be crass, I’m too satisfied to care. Warmth settles over my cheeks at the idea of Aries listening to Dante wear me out, but not for the reason I'm sure he thinks. I'm not embarrassed that he listened. I'm glad he did.
If I'm honest with myself, and I always try to be, I was not-so-secretly hoping he would join in. And again, maybe the timing isn’t quite right, maybe he needs more time to get used to our unique relationship. I’m sure they all do. Hell, I know I do too. And that’s more than fine—I want everyone to be comfortable or this will never work.
But the thought of wrangling four alphaholes long enough to play nice together for a few hours excites me more than I thought possible. I bite my lip to stifle the wide grin that wants to take over my expression.
It’s the ultimate fantasy. Spread out, four sets of hands, four mouths—four cocks. I don’t even know how the mechanics of that would work. We’d probably need to practice, you know, to work the kinks out. My lips twist to the side as I contemplate who’d be the alpha in that little pack and if it would rotate.
But we’re not there yet, and that’s okay too. I’m hopeful for my future with all of them, and for now, that’s enough. It feels like he's holding back, waiting for something before he gives in. We have an undeniable chemistry, and I’ve felt drawn to him since the first moment I felt him at the masquerade.
I won't push him into this—I'll never push any of them. It has to be their choice.
But that doesn’t mean I won’t play a little, tease him like he teases me, and hopefully, get a few answers. It's selfish, and I know I’m playing with fire, but it’s a desire born out of this desperate need inside of me, urging me toward him. Always toward him.
An unconventional relationship with four men who already live unconventional lives. There's no specific timeline or guidebook for what to do. No if this situation arises, try this. Or if you meet these criteria, turn to page thirty-seven. We’ve already experienced some growing pains, as I’ve taken to calling them inside my head, and I’m sure there will be many more speed bumps.
So for now I'm just going to dip my toes in the water figuratively and literally.
I drop my gaze to the beautiful tile and tighten the belt on the robe to give myself something to do, and to hopefully, snap myself out of this daydream. I snagged the robe from inside the bathroom, since putting on clothes seemed like too much work. Plus, it’s ridiculously soft. It falls to a few inches above my knees, and the way it slopes over my body boosts my confidence in a way I wouldn't have thought a bathrobe could do. I feel desirable, powerful, like I could bring a man to his knees with the snap of my fingers. It’s a ridiculous notion, but as I stare at the picturesque man and view in front of me, I’m not so sure it’s unbelievable.
When my fantasy glides to the back of my mind, I cross the balcony and perch on the end of the lounger closest to Aries. My toes dip into the water, the coolness refreshing against the warmth of the sun.
I look at him, and he looks at the sky. I feel like it’s a cat and mouse sort of thing we’ve done before, but usually he does the chasing. That’s alright, I don’t mind a little role reversal.
The sun feels amazing on my skin, the warm air drying my damp hair into my natural loose waves. I lean back on the lounger and close my eyes against the bright sky. My robe parts in the middle, exposing more of the tops of my thighs, exposing a shoulder. The material feels incredible on my sensitive skin, buttery soft like a caress. My nerves still feel raw, exposed and heightened.
“Your silence speaks volumes, Raven.” His voice snaps through the air like a dart.
