Page 73 of Burning Bridges Duet

“So, we’re doing this now?” Ryder interjects. “We’re going to be with her and share her?”

Jaxon nods. “I think it would be a lot more damaging for us to not try than to just try our best.” He looks at me, and I force a smile. It seems like he’s taken my words to heart.

Ryder nearly jumps on Jaxon, hugging him tightly. “This will work out perfectly, Jax! We’ll all be so happy; it’ll be disgusting to watch.” Jaxon pushes him off. “We’re not only brothers, but brothers-in-law!” Ryder exclaims, and Jaxon puts his head in his hands. Ryder turns to me. “Now we only have to make sure you get your head out of your ass too, and everything will be all right.”

I laugh, shake my head and look over to River, who has an amused smirk on his face.

“Either way, we should all be careful with her. She already told us that she isn’t ready for sex yet, so take it slow,” he says.

“Absolutely,” Jaxon agrees. “I’m still thinking she’s been through a lot more than she’s let on, though she already told us there was some trauma. Even if she hasn’t told us everything yet, helping her heal is the most important thing we can do.”

“You can tell she’s been through enough already,” I say, nodding in agreement. “We need to be patient with her and make sure she feels safe.”

“Oh, look who’s getting on the same page already,” Ryder says with a grin, and I huff.

“I’m not. I’m just making sure you guys don’t fuck up with her,” I say.

“Well, I’m definitely up for the challenge.” Ryder grins at me, and with that, we all grab our bags and head out to start our day. Maybe things will start to look up for us after all.

I grab my water bottle and make my way down from the stage, feeling sweaty and breathing heavily. Chase winks at me as I pass him and some students, and I smile. I just finished working on a new routine, so the choreography is stuck in my head. Every time I think about the guys, Sam Smith’s “Fire on Fire” plays on repeat in my mind. It’s somehow become their song for me.

I’ve just left the studio and am in the hallway leading to the locker rooms when someone grabs my wrist and pulls me into one of the maintenance rooms. It’s dark inside, and I’m about to panic until I hear a whispered, “Shh, it’s me.”

The voices of the twins are so similar that I can’t tell them apart from such a short, whispered line, but I know I’m safe, so I relax against him. His hard body moves against mine, and as soon as his hands find my hips and his lips find mine, I know it’s River. He pulls me closer, one hand on my lower back and the other reaching up to cup the back of my head under my ponytail. His kisses range from gentle to passionate, and I hum happily. Finally, he pulls away from me.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “Not being able to do that was torture.”

I rest my head on River’s chest and inhale his fresh peppermint scent, but then I remember my sweaty state. I try to look up at him, but it’s too dark to see anything. He has his hands on my upper arms, gently stroking up and down.

“God, River, I probably smell horrible and I’m all sweaty and sticky,” I say, feeling self-conscious. I feel his warm breath near my ear, and the next thing I know, he’s licking me from the base of my throat up to my earlobe, which he takes into his mouth to suck on gently.

“I like you sweaty,” he whispers. “I’d even enjoy it more if I was the one who made you sweat.” His words send shivers down my spine, and I can feel myself getting wet. And here I thought Ryder was the dirty one.

“Fuck, River,” I murmur, half moaning, and he chuckles and pulls back a bit.

“As much as I’d love pulling more of those sounds out of you, I’m not going to do anything in this dirty closet. You deserve much better. I just needed you to myself for a minute,” he says, and I laugh.

“Oh, I’m not too good to get off in a closet, but I get what you’re saying,” I reply, putting my hands in his hair and scratching his scalp lightly with my nails, and he groans. “If you want to have me to yourself for a while, you only have to ask. It’s going to be a learning curve for all of us, but I always want to make sure that none of you feel left out. If you need me, I’ll be there.” I feel him nod in agreement.

“I missed you so much,” he whispers into my hair. I close my eyes, savoring the feeling of being in his arms again.

“I missed you too.”

We stand there for a few more moments, just holding each other, before reluctantly pulling away.

“We should probably get going before anyone notices we’re missing,” he says, and I nod.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

We leave the maintenance room and make our way to the locker room, feeling happy and still a little bit horny.

FORTY

Before I went home yesterday after my dance practice to shower and study, the guys asked me if I wanted to spend the whole Sunday together, and I was so excited that I couldn’t fall asleep for the longest time. Then I woke up at five-thirty and immediately got ready, scrubbing myself from head to toe and applying face and hair masks. I painted my nails with a pretty rose color and blow-dried my hair before styling it into beach waves. For makeup, I went with a light, natural look that accentuated my eyes.

They told me that we would be having breakfast together and then heading to the beach for some snorkeling. I’m thrilled to try it, since I’ve never done something like that before. The only problem is that a swimsuit is required, and I’m not quite ready to reveal the rest of my scars to them yet. So yesterday afternoon, I went shopping and found a cute rash guard like the surfer girls wear around here. It’s mint-colored with hibiscus flowers on the long sleeves and came with some matching mint bottoms. It fits me perfectly and it’s still sexy, even though most of my torso and arms are covered. I know I’ll have to change and take off my makeup before we head into the water, but I want to look good for them while we’re eating breakfast. So I decided to wear a pair of high-waisted, light wash denim shorts with frayed edges paired with a dark green crop top that has buttons down the center, which I leave open just enough to show off my cleavage without revealing too much. The sliver of skin between the shorts and the top is enough to create a sexy yet tasteful look.

I stand in front of the mirror and notice how much the scar on my knee stands out, but I haven’t bothered to cover it up in some time, so it’s old news by now. People seem to be much more polite and not point out your flaws or ask you about them if you’re not a celebrity.