Page 14 of Triplets for the Rival MC

“You don’t need to thank me, I wanted this too.”

I shake my head, trying to find the words to explain to him how I feel. “No, I mean, thank you for treating me like a human being. Like someone worthy of affection.”

“You're worthy of so much more. You deserve so much more. And I want to give it to you. You’re mine now, Tori. You understand?” he says kissing me deeply.

I kiss him back and he holds me close. I fall asleep in his arms, feeling safe and loved for the first time ever.

Chapter 9

Hunter

My good mood after last night with Tori doesn’t last long, evaporating like steam on a cold morning. The warmth of her body lingers in my memory, the softness of her skin against mine, the heady tingles of pleasure shared under the moonlight. I had planned to spend the morning worshipping Tori’s curves, taking my time to explore every dip and contour, feeling her shudder and shiver as I brought her to the precipice of ecstasy several times. However, I’m jolted from my dreams by a loud, insistent banging on my door, the sound reverberating through the dimly lit room.

“Hunter. Kitchen, now. It’s an emergency,” Flint barks, his voice sharp and urgent, slicing through the remnants of sleep like a cold wind.

I know better than to ignore him. He’ll barge right in if I’m not in the kitchen in a moment. Tori groans and rolls over in the bed. “What time is it?” she croaks, her voice thick with sleep. She squints against the harsh light that streams through the window.

The clock on my nightstand says it’s seven, its bright numbers a stark reminder of the day ahead. “Too fucking early, go back to sleep,” I say, kissing her head, feeling the silky strands of her hair against my lips. I climb out of bed, the cold hardwood floor sending a shiver up my spine as I throw on some faded sweatpants.

I head into the kitchen and find Cyrus clutching a cup of coffee, its rich aroma swirling in the air, intertwining with the faint scent of burnt toast. Flint is pacing, a habit he does when agitated. “Tori’s gone,” Flint says, his voice low and filled with an uncharacteristic anxiety. Before I can speak, he continues. “Her bedroom door is wide open, and her bed is unmade. I knew she was tricking us. She must have snuck out last night and gone home. We should never have trusted her.”

“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” Tori says from the doorway.

The guys snap their attention to her. She’s wearing one of my t-shirts, hanging oversized and to her mid-thigh on her curvaceous yet petite frame, looking adorably sexy with her mussed-up morning hair. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where she spent the night and what we were doing. Flint and Cyrus glower at me, their expression a scornful mix of anger and jealousy.

“Nothing you need to worry about. Why don’t you go and get dressed, and we can go downstairs for some breakfast?” I say to her, desperately wanting to shield her from the brewing conflict. She doesn’t need to hear the fallout and blame herself for my bad decision. She nods, eyes narrowing suspiciously as she notes the tension between us, but she does as I ask and goes to her room.

“What the fuck?” Flint snarls as he rounds on me, his brow furrowed, and jaw clenched tight with pent-up frustration. “You fucked the enemy’s daughter?”

“So what if I did?” I snap back. The heat of his judgment sparks a flame of indignation within me. It’s none of his business who I have sex with.

“What were you trying to do? Hurt King by fucking her? He made it pretty clear he doesn’t give a shit about her. All you’re gonna do is hurt a vulnerable young woman who is under our protection,” Flint chastises. A wave of guilt washes over me at the thought that I may hurt Tori inadvertently. But it wasn’t just a casual one-night thing for me.

Cyrus stays quiet, but it’s clear that he agrees with Flint from the watchful, wary look in his eyes and the firm set of his jaw. His body language is rigid as he folds his arms, forming a protective barrier.

“It’s not like that. You guys know Tori is different, how great she is. I’m not trying to hurt her. We have a connection,” I say, trying to describe how I feel adequately. My voice rises as I fight to explain myself, desperate to convey the depth of my feelings.

Flint scoffs. “Oh, you have a connection. Hasn’t it occurred to you that she might be using you to get back at King?”

I hadn’t thought of that. The notion throws me off balance for a moment. Uncertainty claws at my mind, shaking my confidence.

“You know she wouldn’t do something like that. I know you guys like her too, that you understand how I feel,” I insist, slamming my hand down on the counter. The sharp slapping sound reverberates through the charged atmosphere.

“All the more reason you should have kept your dick in your damn pants. This is just like Bella. This is how it started.” Flint’s voice drips with disdain, and I feel anger and guilt swirl within me like a volatile storm.

“She’s not Bella!” I shout. My frustration bubbles over into anger.

I look to Cyrus in desperation for support, but he stares down at the floor, avoiding my gaze. His silence speaks volumes. He agrees with Flint. “Cyrus? You don’t get to sit this out. Say what you think,” I insist. I need to know what he really thinks, for him to say it. He’s always been the calmer, level-headed one, the voice of reason. I need him to back me up now, to understand.

“I think all of us wanting Bella nearly destroyed us. You knew that Flint and I felt the same about Tori as you, and you did it anyway,” he says quietly. His words hang heavy between us.

It’s true, we had discussed how attractive she is, our surprise over her being nothing like we expected when she first arrived. At the time, we agreed that she was off-limits, and I broke the agreement. I just couldn’t resist Tori. I knew what I was doing would hurt them, but I did it anyway. Maybe that’s why I’m so angry, I’m more mad at myself than I am at them.

“We swore we would never try to share a woman again, that if we all liked someone, none of us would make a move. We fucking agreed that Tori is off-limits. Not only because of that, but also because of who her father is and her age. This can only end badly,” Flint says, shaking his head.

I know I’m in the wrong, but that realization only ignites my defensiveness, causing me to lash out harder. “Or maybe you two can grow the fuck up and put on your big boy panties and accept that Tori chose me. She wants me. Why the fuck should I deny myself happiness because you two have a crush on the woman who wants me? Or is it so hard for you to accept that someone would pick me over you?” I snarl, fists clenched tightly, nails digging into my palms, bruising the skin.

“Maybe things would be different if you hadn’t gone behind our backs and broken our agreement. Or maybe you knew that if there was a level playing field, if Tori could actually choose knowing she had a choice, that she wouldn’t have picked you,” Flint retorts. His words are like sharp stones, and I flinch as they hit their mark.