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There were, and I felt myself glow as I gave all three of them a second helping. My happiness surprised me — I hadn’t felt that way for a very long time. Yet here I was, beaming at something as silly as three people enjoying my cooking.
Was this what it was like to have a family? I wondered and pushed the thought out of my mind. Even when I was with Nathan, that wasn’t something I allowed myself to feel like I deserved. But being here, with the guys, seeing them joke together so comfortably… it made my chest ache.
“Excuse me,” I said, and stood up, making my way to the bathroom, where I splashed my face with cold water again.
What was going on with me?
I’d never been a particularly emotional person, yet here I was, giving myself the sink equivalent of a cold shower for the second time today. I patted my face dry and stared at myself in the mirror. Reflection Emma looked like she had far more resolve than I did, and I blinked at her until I felt better.
I went back into the living room, pausing in the hallway when I heard Jackson say my name.
“Emma’s such a good cook,” he said, and I smiled. He couldn’t have known I was listening, so the compliment felt extra genuine.
“It’s delicious,” Adrian agreed. “I want to eat more, but I’m stuffed.”
“Me too,” Xavier’s deep voice said. “I still can’t believe the way her ex treated her — I can’t imagine anyone doing that. She’s such a sweetheart — look at what she’s done for us. Cooking dinner, helping out in the shop… and willing to do it for free, no less.”
There was silence for a moment and I almost returned to the living room, but my instincts told me to stay where I was. It wasn’t like I wanted to spy on them, but it felt like a reflective time, one that I didn’t want to interrupt.
“She made me remember why I love art,” Jackson said, breaking the silence.
“Me too,” Adrian said. “Seeing it through her eyes… it’s like I’m watching myself learn how to draw all over again.”
“We know whatyoulike about her,” Jackson joked, and my abdomen burned as I remembered our encounter in the gym. It was one of the best orgasms I’d ever had, and I held my breath and strained my ears to see what he’d say next. Had he enjoyed it too? Did he want to do it again, despite Xavier’s warnings not to?
“I like everything,” Adrian said. “Her eyes, her hair, the way she smells…” He drifted off, and I felt my pussy pulsate as warmth spread through my thighs.
Now that I knew he felt this way, being unable to touch him again would be torture. I licked my lips and waited.
“I know,” Jackson said softly. “There’s something about her that’s just…”
He trailed off and I held my breath. Didhewant to fuck me, too?
“Yeah,” Xavier agreed. “I know what you mean.”
They didn’t explicitly say what they were thinking, but I knew what that silence meant.
My pussy felt like it was on fire, and I could barely believe my own ears. I wasn’t even used to one man being attracted to me, and now I hadthree? Hormones surged through me and my clit begged for a man’s touch. My body craved sex, but my brain told me to wait. I didn’t want them to know I’d been eavesdropping, and what was I supposed to do, fuck all three of them at once?
That was a ridiculous idea.
“I just want to protect her,” Xavier continued. “But I don’t know how. Short of killing that guy…”
The wordkillingmade a shiver of dread run through me, dampening my desire. I wanted Nathan to back off and leave me alone, but I didn’t want to do anythingthatdrastic. I was prepared to fight him and run away, butkillinghim? Despite everything he’d done, that was a step too far.
Luckily, Adrian stepped in.
“We can’t do that,” he said, to my relief. “You know that.”
“What are our options, then?” Xavier asked, and I heard his silverware clink together, like he was clearing the table. “If the police won’t do anything…”
“We’ll work something out,” Adrian said. “But in the meantime, we’ll keep her safe.”
“I did some checking on him,” Jackson said. “Got a cop buddy of mine to look into it. He gave me some background information, but nothing we can use against him.”
“I did some digging of my own,” Xavier said. “And found zilch.”
I sank against the wall. Anxiety rose in me: I felt like a confined animal, like one of those dolphins that kept swimming in circles in their tank until they drowned. I loved living with the guys, but knowing that I might be trapped here forever made my arousal vanish.
