Chapter 36
“Going that well, huh?” Courtney asked.
“I mean, it is and it isn’t,” I said.
“Talk to me. What’s going on? What can I do?”
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do. I’ve said what I needed to say and I have found a sort of peace with that,” I said.
“Good. That’s good.”
“I did get them all to admit that they care for me. Kyle went so far as to say he loved me before he gave me a kiss.”
“Holy hell, that’s really good, Lexi. What did the other guys do?”
“Well, Tony and Terry were simply grinning,” I said.
“Doesn’t shock me. The Wolf brothers seem to be freaky freaks in my opinion,” she said.
“But the other men still aren’t sold. I can see it on their faces,” I said.
“Do you want me to come back up there?”
“No, no. You enjoy your dinner and drinks. I’ll shoot you a text message when we’re all done here.”
“Seriously, take your time,” she said. “If I’m done with dinner and haven’t heard from you, I can always go peek in at work and see what’s happening there, see if they need any help.”
“That place is lucky to have you,” I said.
“Damn straight they are. Keep me updated.”
“I will. Thanks, Court.”
“Anytime.”
The pessimistic part of my gut took over the moment I hung up the phone. All it would take was one brother not being onboard for me to lose all of them. I’d seen the shock on their faces, how they didn’t appreciate being backed into a corner. The Castle brothers seemed to be the most relentless about this. They were the ones who apparently had all the kickback. I wondered why. Why was it so hard for them to understand that I loved them all and that I wanted to care for and crave them all? There was enough of my heart to go around. There really was.
I just didn’t get how it couldn’t work.
I never thought I would experience disappointment like this. My heart was sinking to my toes while the men continued to murmur outside in the hotel suite. I was in love with them, all of them, all eight of those glorious, gorgeous, strong, talented, intelligent men. I never thought in a million years my heart would feel so full by being surrounded by people. I never thought I could feel so wanted, respected, and loved while fully loving and appreciating eight different men. While I wasn’t sure I fully understood what was happening to me, I knew I was no longer denying myself what my heart so desperately wanted.
I’d done that for three years, and I wasn’t doing it any longer.
All I wanted them to do was understand. I felt cherished when I was surrounded by them. Important. Safe. Holy hell, did I ever feel safe with them around! In a way, I knew it was the only way I’d ever feel safe, especially with what they’d all done and everything they had dropped in order to come protect me and guard this room. If I hadn’t been in love with them before, I fell in love with all of them the moment they dropped their own lives to come defend mine.
I felt my heart swelling in my chest, threatening to burst forth, when I heard a knock on my door.
“Lexi?” Liam asked.
I scrambled off my bed and collected myself before I opened the door. I looked up into light brown eyes, and for the first time, I noticed they were speckled with hazel. I smiled up at him as his ash-covered hand came up to cup my cheek. He dipped his lips to mine as I giggled into his skin.
Liam pulled back, and my eyes fluttered open. I got lost in his eyes one last time, but then he stepped off to the side. All eight men were standing at my door, their hands in various places on their bodies. The Wolf brothers had their hands in their suit pockets while the Jameson brothers had their hands behind their backs. The Oakley brothers had their hands clasped in front of them, and when I looked over at the Castle brothers, their hands were situated on their hips.
“I think it’s time for you to come sit, darling,” Tony said.
He pulled his hand from his pocket and held it out for mine. His large hand and slender fingers dwarfed mine, curling around me as he led me to the couch. He guided me over and sat me down before pressing onto my shoulders as I fell back into the cushions.
Then all eight men gathered around me with smiles on their faces.
“I love you, Lexi, because of your innocent charm,” Tony said.
“What?” I asked.
“I love the way your hair falls in your face even though you might not want it to, darling,” Tony said.
“And I love you because of your laughter, love,” Terry said. “I love the way your fingertips wind in my hair and scratch against my scalp when you wish to pull me closer to your body.”
“I love you because of your passion for your job,” Logan said. I whipped my eyes over to him. “I also love the way you seem to melt into me when I hug you.”
“And I love you because of your stubbornness,” Liam said. The other men groaned.
“She could have a bit less of that,” Tony said.
“Hey now,” I protested.
“And I also love how you wrap your arms around me. It’s like you want to keep me safe,” Liam said, smiling.
“Well, I love you because of your curiosity,” Kevin said. “I love that you want to know more about our jobs and how they affect my brother and I mentally.”
“And I love you because of your free spirit,” Kyle said, “the way you seem to move through life with little or no care in the world. It inspires me to do the same.”
“I love you because of your ability to have fun,” Cole said, grinning. “I love that you let loose on the dance floor and simply allow the music to take you where it may.”
“And I love you because of your submission,” Cameron said. “I love that, in those moments of passion when your body is spread for us, you trust us wholly and completely. I enjoy knowing that you feel safe with me.”
“I feel safe with all of you,” I said breathlessly.
Tears were tumbling down my cheeks, and my heart was pounding against my chest so hard I knew they could probably see it. My hands trembled as I brought them up to wipe my tears away, and in that moment, I was no longer concerned about their answer.
Every single one of these men loved me, and there would never be a point in my life that would top this one.
At least until Tony bent down and took my hands in his.
“Darling, can you look at me?” he asked.
I raised my watery gaze to him as he smiled his decadent smile. His dark brown eyes glowed as he brought my hands to his lips, kissing them over and over as Kevin settled down beside me.
“It took a great deal of bravery to have this conversation with all of us,” Kevin said as he rubbed my back.
“It only makes me love you more,” Liam said as he sat on my other side.
“I think we all have something to tell you, love,” Terry said, grinning.
“Wha—what’s that?” I asked.
“One, two, three,” Liam counted off.
“We all want to move in and live with you.”
My eyes widened as they chanted the phrase at the same time. My eyes darted between them, taking in their smiling faces as tears of joy continued to pour down my face. I looked at Tony, kneeling before me as a goofy smile crossed my face. I looked over at Kevin, his hand still rubbing my back as he leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. I felt Liam’s hand scoot over my thigh, massaging it tenderly as I looked over at him and giggled.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
“You all really want to?”
“Yes,” Cameron said. “We really do.”
“Even you?” I asked as I looked at Logan.
“Oh, yes,” he said, smiling. “I really do.”
“We want you to be happy,” Cole said. “Always.”
“And we want you to feel safe,” Kyle said. “Always.”
“And we want you to feel vivaciously sexy,” Terry said, smirking. “Always.”
“And none of us want to lose you,” Tony said as he gripped my hands. “Never.”
“The finishing touches on the mansion will be done come Friday, but the house is ready to be moved into whenever everyone wishes,” Terry said as he pulled his hands from his pockets. “I figure it’s probably appropriate now for us all to exchange numbers if we haven’t already, and I’ll shoot out a mass message with the address of the house.”
“I’ll get us all keys made and keep them in a safe place at our new home,” Tony said as I smiled broadly. “So when you guys start moving your stuff in, the key you take, you can keep.”
I threw my arms around Tony and crashed our lips together. His hands pulled me from the couch, swooping me up into his body as he stood. I about found my footing as he slowly released me, but before I could fully catch my bearings, Terry stepped in and ran his thumb along my swollen bottom lip.
“Think you can handle eight men, love?” he asked wickedly.
“Oh, can I ever,” I said.
I pulled him in for a kiss before I was passed off to Liam. His arms picked me up off my feet and swung me around, our tongues dancing like fire before he handed me to Kyle. Kyle peppered my neck and cheek with kisses, opting to suck in a patch of my skin as I moaned lightly.
Then I felt Kevin pull me from his grasp and wind me up in his long, strong arms.
“My brother was lucky enough to get one. I feel a bit left out,” he said, pouting.
“Then come here,” I said.
I ran my fingers through his auburn hair and pulled his lips down to mine. I could feel them swelling underneath the pressure as his hands rounded down to cup my ass. Then I was being pulled from his grasp before I was looking up into the eyes of Cole, the massive football player who enjoyed allowing his brother to have all the control.
“I’m so excited,” he said, grinning.
“So am I,” I said.
His kiss was soft, delicate. No tongue was involved and there was no urgency to his touch. His hands grazed over my body, memorizing my curves before they came up to cup my cheeks. But soon I was ripped from him by Cameron, who pulled me quickly into his body and jammed his tongue down my throat.
I moaned at his possessiveness as I felt his cock grow against my stomach.
I stumbled back onto my feet and felt the strong arms of Logan catch me around my waist. I slowly turned in his arms, my eyes half-hooded in pleasure as his lips descended on my forehead. I sighed into his touch, feeling his hands drift up my back and hold me close to him. I could still feel his body trembling, shocked from whatever had happened at work before he and his brother headed over here.
“I love you, Lexi,” Logan said into my hair.
“Oh, Logan, I love you, too.”
Gently, softly, I was pulled away from him and found myself face to face with Liam again. His eyes dripped with guilt as my hands snaked around his neck. I twirled my fingertips into the base of his black hair as his forehead slowly descended on mine.
“Not everyone made it today,” Liam said.
“Oh my gosh,” I said, whispering. “I’m so sorry.”
I crept up and slowly encompassed his lips. I could tell the person wrapping his arms around me from behind was Logan. He buried his face into my neck as they both shivered into me. Liam broke the kiss and held me close, his face buried in the other side of my neck, and one by one the rest of the brothers stood around and hugged them both.
These men weren’t just my support system; they were each other’s support system. Something told me this was the very rough beginning to a beautifully wonderful family.