Chapter 28 (Breslin)
“And that's the story of how my Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather met during World War I,” Landon finishes, twirling both mine and Asher's fingers with his as we lie on either side of him in his bed.
“Fascinating,” Asher says and I tamp down the impulse to giggle.
Landon wanted to spend his night in his bed asking questions and getting to know us even more. Personally, I think it's kind of romantic, but the look on Asher's face when he found out how we were spending our night was hysterical.
“Give me one of your favorite days,” Landon says. “But it can't have anything to do with any of us.”
He's been adding that disclaimer at the end of all his questions.
Asher shrugs. “Easy. The day I threw my first touchdown.” He tucks one hand behind his head and looks up to the ceiling. “Never knew I had it in me. It was fucking awesome.”
Landon looks at me. “What about you, Bre?”
My stomach turns because there's no way I can tell this story without disclosing the bad parts of it, and I don't want their pity.
He sweeps a hand down my cheek. “Please?”
I clear my throat, steeling myself. “Okay, fine. One weekend when I was in the first grade my father left me in the trailer longer than usual. So long that when I left to go to school on Monday morning, he still wasn't back.”
I stall for a moment, my composure shaky. “I don't think I'd ever been so hungry in my life before. I had pretty much eaten what I could of the moldy loaf of bread he left me that Friday night, but it wasn't enough; and there's only so much water you can drink to fill your belly before you cramp up.”
Landon's eyes soften and Asher's jaw tics, but I continue, “Anyway, I left for school. I was so dizzy and sick, but I knew better than to go to the school nurse for fear that she would take me out of my father's trailer and stick me in the dreaded foster care system. I kept telling myself to hold on until lunch time, because I knew I'd get a sandwich thanks to the lunch assistance program.”
I can feel both their gazes on me and I look down at my hands. “I will never forget the moment the teacher came around with paper and little paint sets and told us to paint whatever we wanted, and that she would hang the best ones up around the classroom later that day.” I push my hair out of my face and smile. “I painted my heart out, drew every beautiful thing I could think of and when I ran out of paper, the teacher gave me more. I'd never felt happier than at that moment. Creating...like I was in my own little world. A world where I wasn't hungry, my mom wasn't gone, and my father wasn't an addict who didn't care about me. I created my own perfect universe that day and it was everything.” I laugh. “In fact, I was so distracted the teacher had to pull me away and remind me it was lunch time.”
I finally cut my eyes to them. “But the best part was that the teacher chose my painting to be hung up that day and even gave me a little award for it.” I tap my chest. “Me. The girl who was never good at anything was finally recognized for something.”
I leave out the part about walking into the classroom the next day just as Kyle Sinclair ripped down my painting from the wall and told me how ugly it was.
Landon tugs me closer to him and plants a kiss on my cheek. “I'm so sorry—”
“No,” I tell him. “Don't be, because I'm not. I had my moment and no one can ever take that away from me.”
There's an awkward silence in the air before Landon asks, “Most recent disappointment?” He pauses. “Again, it can't have anything to do with us.”
“Not being able to watch the super bowl in person this year,” Asher answers quickly.
When we turn to look at him he adds, “I know it sounds superficial, but it was something me and my dad always did every year without fail. It just sucks that I'm going to miss it this year.”
Landon gives his arm a squeeze and looks at me. “What about you?”
“Europe,” I blurt out without thinking and Landon winces.
“Let me finish,” I say. “There was this little village we went to visit one day while I was abroad. And although it was beautiful, there wasn't anything particularly distinct about it. Apart from one thing.”
“What?” Asher questions.
“A man with a tent.”
When Landon raises an eyebrow, I say, “He had the most amazing tent. When you went inside there were all these twinkling lights with different hues and soft music playing in the background. It was almost like a fancy wedding, but even prettier. He had even set sleeping bags on the floor for people to lay on for however long they wanted to. Didn't even charge anything for the experience, either. He just did it for people to enjoy.” I close my eyes. “It was so serene and breathtaking.”
Landon slides a finger up my arm. “How long did you stay in there?”
“I didn't. I had to get going to make it to the next tour stop, but I told myself I'd go back later that night.” I sigh. “But I didn't. I ended up falling asleep early in the hotel and the next day we had to leave.”
“That sucks,” Asher whispers and I nod. “It does. But, what can you do, you know?” I drape myself across Landon and rest my cheek on his chest. “What about you?”
“Well, now that graduation is looming ahead of us, I'd say it's not standing up to my parents and choosing music from the beginning.” He shrugs. “I just wanted to make them happy. I know they had really big expectations of me after Levi's death. Of course, they never told me that, but it's how they made me feel. Kind of like they stuck me on a pedestal and I was expected to fulfill everything he wouldn't be able to. Like all their hopes and dreams were pinned on me because I was up to bat now...because their first choice and first child couldn't.” He casts his gaze downward. “And now I sound like an asshole who didn't love his brother.”
Asher grips his shoulder and I meet his steady gaze for several beats. “No, you don't.” I trace his cheek. “I'm sorry you were made to feel like that. No one should have to live in anyone's shadow.”
His eyes dip to my mouth and I tilt my head and kiss him. The kiss starts off light and sweet at first, but with a flick of his hot tongue it becomes needy and urgent. The energy in the room shifts entirely when he pulls away and grabs Asher's head next, kissing him with just as much passion.
Tingles zip up and down my spine and I push forward and join them, lightly running my tongue along the seam of both their mouths.
Landon brushes his knuckles down the side of my neck and Asher curls his hands around my hips, and the next thing I know, I'm straddling Landon's thighs.
Asher moves behind me and motions for me to raise my arms. When he takes off my shirt, his fingertips brush over my ribs, sending sparks along my nerve endings. I grind against Landon and he pulls us into a sitting position, planting slow, sensual kisses down my jaw. When I mewl, he lowers his mouth to my collarbone and gently sucks the skin there.
I arch my back and press against Asher whose fingers wander down my stomach until he reaches the button on my jeans and pops it open.
I feel like I'm spinning out of control, there's so many sensations crashing into me at once and I can't wrap my head around what's happening right now, but I don't want it to stop.
My heart skips into overdrive when I feel the hard muscles of Asher's bare skin against my back. I take off Landon's shirt next and I openly ogle his chest and tattoos.
Their bodies are so different. One lean and toned, the other cut and muscular, but both are so gorgeous in their own ways. It's a struggle to keep my breathing in check.
When I feel Landon’s cock harden against my thigh, I run my hand along his length. And then before I can put too much thought into it, I shift until I'm hovering over his lap.
I toy with his zipper that's bulging with his erection and give him a coy smile. “What do you want me to do about this?”
He bites his lip and looks at Asher. “What do you think she should do about this?”
The heat in both his stare and his words has my blood turning to lava.
A pair of rough and callused hands tug me against them and the muscles in my belly contract when Asher undoes my bra and cups my breasts.
He lowers his lips to my temple right before he whispers, “Suck him for me, baby.”
I push down Landon's jeans and boxers in one long movement and his cock springs out, slapping against his stomach.
Landon holds that long dick of his out to me. “You want this in your mouth?”
My cheeks flame. “I do,” I say as I dip my head.
A sharp tug on my hair stops me the second I part my lips.
“Tease him,” Asher rasps, wrapping my hair around his hand.
Landon looks at Asher and a slow smirk spreads across his face.
My tongue darts out and I swipe the pre-come forming on the head of his cock. When he grunts, I open my mouth wider, slowly sucking his crown, flicking the sensitive dip.
Landon's abdomen flexes and he hisses. “Take me deeper.”
I ease my mouth down his length but Asher pulls on my hair, stopping me when I'm mid-way.
“Fuck,” Landon groans and I lap at the vein throbbing against my tongue.
Asher eases his grip and I take Landon as far as I can, until Asher tugs on my hair again, gliding me up Landon's shaft.
“Why don't you get down here and join her?” Landon growls and my stomach somersaults.
Nerves catch in my throat when Asher sidles beside me, but it's overpowered by the hunger in Landon's gaze as he stares down at us.
When I stretch my mouth over Landon's head and Asher licks his base, our tongues touch.
Landon jerks his hips up. “Fucking hell.”
With a smirk, Asher moves to his balls and I deepen my strokes around his shaft.
Landon goes crazy, his body spasming and contracting. “If you two don't stop I'm gonna come.”
Asher circles one of his balls and I speed up my pace.
Landon cups my cheek, halting my movements. “I want to fuck you at the same time he does,” he groans, his dick pulsating in my mouth. “I want to come in that tight little pussy of yours while he fucks you from behind.”
Holy Shit.
Landon is no stranger to dirty talk, none of us are, but he's never been quite so candid before. It's hot as hell.
I release him and Asher slides my jeans and panties down before he rummages around for something in the dresser drawer. I'm confused briefly because I'm on the pill and we've all had the talk about being tested, but he pulls out a bottle of lube. “Ever had anal before?”
I glance at Landon and his eyes blaze.
“I have,” I tell Asher, recalling my very first time, which just so happened to be the first time me and Landon ever had sex.
I ended up watching one of his shows at the Black Spoon and of course at the request of the crowd he played Glycerine. I loved everything about that night up until that moment. I was so upset and needed a distraction from my thoughts—so right after his show, I trapped him in an abandoned staircase as he was leaving and all but begged him to take my ass right there and then.
And he did.
It was an unforgettable night. And the smile currently plastered on Landon's face tells me he remembers every bit of it just as much as I do.
I return Landon's smile and then before I know what hits me, I'm slammed against the bed.
Asher works his way down my torso, nipping and licking at my skin, his forearms caging my body.
When his lips travel to my pelvic bone and he sweeps his hot mouth across it, I open my legs and look back at Landon who's stroking his cock, his gaze pinned on us.
And that's when Asher tongues my clit before pulling the sensitive flesh into his mouth and suckling it. I propel into his jaw and grab a handful of his hair, my legs shaking around his head.
“Yes,” he groans into my wetness. “That's what I want, baby.”
When he lifts his head and presses a finger to my mouth, I instinctively lick it. A moment later, everything around me spins when his face settles between my thighs again and he inserts the same finger into my narrow hole while he laps at my slickness, preparing me for what's to come.
I buck, arch, and clench around his finger and his tongue, so lost in pleasure as I orgasm, I have no time to second guess anything.
Until he props himself on his elbows and I feel the tip of his cock at my entrance, causing painful memories to slam into me.
The last time Asher was inside me, he broke me.
I tilt my head and look over at Landon, because I need him right now in order to get through this. I need him to be that shield for me and protect me from myself. Protect me from Asher.
I press a palm to Asher's chest and when he draws back, I crawl across the bed to Landon—whose arms are open, waiting for me.
I don't waste another second being in them. I wrap my legs around his waist and his arms snake around my lower back as he holds me steady.
No words are exchanged in the moment, but his eyes tell me everything that I need. They tell me he's right here with me and I'm safe, that he'll keep holding onto me for as long as I need him to.
I sink down, letting him fill both me and the hollow ache in my chest.
When Asher maps gentle kisses up and down my spine, I close my eyes and bury my face in Landon's neck.
“Do you still want this?” Asher whispers and I nod my head, because I do.
More than that...I need this. It's why I agreed to this.
It hurts to breathe and my muscles lock up when he starts to enter me. I dig my nails into Landon's shoulders and nuzzle the crook of his neck but Asher tugs my head back, forcing me to look up at him as he pushes forward.
Emotion clogs my throat and he swipes away the tear that rolls down my face with his thumb as he drives himself to the hilt.
The heavy air around us stills as they wait for me to get used to them. Physically, my body feels pushed to the sexual brink, stretched and fuller than I ever thought possible. Mentally, my mind feels uncongested and clear for the first time in a long time. I've already made it through the hard part, the only thing left to do is let go.
Slowly, I start to move, gliding myself along Landon's cock, finding the perfect rhythm. On the way down Asher grabs my hips and thrusts, controlling the sequence as he wraps his legs around Landon, connecting all of us as we maneuver together fluidly, almost like we orchestrated this.
Landon closes his eyes, both our names a whisper on his lips. He looks so far gone and swept away by lust, I can't help but lean over and taste the smile on his face. Brushing my mouth across his neck next, I lick the goosebumps on his skin as Asher kisses between my shoulder blades and runs his hand up Landon's thigh.
The air around us is charged and intoxicating, the scent of sex and pheromones from our sweat-soaked bodies surrounds us like a fog as our finish line approaches.
Landon pulses inside me and I feel Asher's cock jerk. Grabbing the headboard for leverage, I pick up my pace, losing myself in the sensation.
Asher's teeth dig into my back and he groans as he reaches between us to stroke my clit.
I slide up Landon's length, clinging to his shoulders and rocking my hips as his hand joins Asher's—causing torturous pressure to build until I'm writhing and gasping, sucking in air faster than my lungs can take in, begging them for the release that I so desperately need.
“Let go, baby,” Asher whispers as Landon plants the softest of kisses along my breasts before lifting and sucking my nipples into his mouth.
My head swirls as the pressure releases and I clench around Landon, my body vibrating with a bolt of intense pleasure I never knew it was capable of feeling. Groaning, they both shudder as they fall apart with me.
We stay silent in the aftermath—all of us touching and holding each other as we fall into bed, afraid to break the connection that tethers us to one another.
It should be awkward and strange.
It should be wrong and immoral.
There are a million things it should be.
But right now? None of that matters, because there's only one thing that I feel.
And that's exactly what scares the hell out of me. Because I know all too well what's waiting on the other side of the divide.
And the fact that I want nothing more than to stay here with them...is exactly why I have to leave.
There's no way this could ever work out. Not just because of me and Asher's history—but this dynamic is just asking for a broken heart. Nothing healthy can ever come out of this fucked up and unusual situation. And I need the healthy. I've had so much toxic poison in my life I can barely gather the strength that it takes to keep waking up every morning.
Being careful not to wake them, I gather my clothes off the floor and get dressed as quickly as I can.
I take one last glance at them and my eyes land on the clock on the nightstand. A clock that reads 12:00 a.m.
Which means it's no longer day three...and whatever was happening between us has officially come to an end.