Haley

“Are we stopping by Patrick’s?” I asked Jackson as he exited the highway.

“Sort of.”

Twisting to look in the back seat, I frowned at Theo. “You didn’t plan a party, did you? I told you not to.” We’d just left the reception after my Zenith graduation, and I’d assumed we were heading back to the loft to hang out.

“Nope. No party.”

I looked at Knox, and he shrugged. “It depends on your definition of party.” Typical.

“And, by your definition, will there be a party?”

He appeared to consider the question. “Normally, I would say that a social gathering of six people is a party. But, if that was true, we’d be partying a lot these days.”

“So, it’s only the six of us?”

“Yes, cupcake, it is,” Theo replied. “Will you stop scowling at me now?”

“Do I have to?”

He stuck his tongue out at me, and I laughed before turning back to the front. It was amazing how much my life had changed in the last two months. Though my days in captivity would always cast a shadow over my past, I often wondered if it was something I’d needed to go through. Being thrust into DuBois’s clutches and my subsequent involvement in what would hopefully be his demise made the entire ordeal seem almost worth it. And I had to be somewhat grateful that I’d been pushed to the edge, to the realization that love and happiness were more important than society’s judgments or my own insecurities.

It was probably crazy to believe my kidnapping had been a good thing, but it had become impossible for me to think of it as only negative. Thankfully, the trauma counselor I’d been seeing didn’t seem to think I was insane.

“Where’s Patrick?” I asked as we waited for Jackson to enter the code on the keypad to the front door.

“He’s staying at Liam’s penthouse tonight.” Jackson grinned. “And I’m pretty sure he has a date.”

“With Diana?” I asked a little too excitedly. I’d observed them standing a little closer than necessary on several occasions recently and couldn’t help but hope there was something going on between them.

He nodded. “Uncle was vague about his plans, but that’s my best guess.”

“They would make such a cute couple.”

Theo slung an arm around my shoulder once we entered the foyer. “Just because you’re in the perfect relationship doesn’t mean everyone else wants to be.”

“Perfect?” I asked on a laugh. The guys were wonderful, and I was happier than ever, but I doubted anyone would consider my unique situation perfect.

“Yep. Don’t bother denying it. You have the best boyfriends ever.”

Unsurprisingly, Knox shook his head at his brother while Jackson seemed to wait for a response from me.

“I do have the best boyfriends ever.” There was no reason to refute his claim; it was true. More so than I’d even imagined when I began dating them.

“I knew you’d see it my way,” Theo said as he started down the hall carrying my overnight bag, his own duffel thrown over his shoulder. “Follow me.”

Shrugging at Knox and Jackson, I trailed after Theo and into one of the guest rooms. It was the same one he’d dropped me off in the very first time I’d visited Patrick’s house . . . the first time all six—well, seven of us then—were together.

He plopped my bag on the bed before kissing my forehead and walking back out. “Change into your swimsuit and meet us outside.”

“Isn’t it a little cold for that?” Though the weather was starting to warm up, it was still only in the sixties and overcast.

“The pool is heated,” he called through the now-closed door.

Deciding there was no point in arguing, I sat on the bed and unzipped my bag, curious about what Theo had packed for me. One by one, I removed a long-sleeve top and jeans, one of his vintage tees, silky sleep shorts and the matching tank, a hoodie, and a pair of sneakers. I opened the interior pocket to find my retro navy one-piece, and my mind immediately went back to that moment when I’d shed my cover-up at the pool in front of the guys, revealing this suit. Even though it was modest, I’d been so self-conscious standing there for their perusal. Now, not only had my five boyfriends seen me naked, they’d each explored every inch of my body in painstaking detail. Oh, what a difference a year and half made.

Not bothering to put anything on over my suit, I headed toward the backyard. When I caught sight of Knox talking to Liam from his spot on a barstool, I stopped in my tracks. Just like the first time I saw him in almost that exact spot, Liam was leaning against the kitchen counter, the first few buttons of his white dress shirt undone.

“Okay, I’m experiencing a serious case of déjà vu right now.”

Liam beamed at me. “Then, we’ve succeeded so far.”

“Wait, this was your plan . . . you’re recreating that night?”

Knox nodded, his eyes full of tenderness. “It was a great night.”

That had been a great night, one of my best. My friendships with the guys had been so new then, but I’d begun to understand what family meant to them and found myself hoping to find something like it one day. I never could have imagined what they would ultimately come to mean to me—that I would become part of their family.

Grinning, I took Knox’s hand and tugged him toward the patio doors. “Let’s get this non-party started.”

Jackson, Theo, and Chase were already in the pool, throwing practice shots into the basketball goals. Without hesitation, I ran up to the edge and jumped in, spraying all three of them. Knox followed a moment later and cannonballed, creating a tidal wave and starting an all-out splash war. In his usual protective mode, he managed to block most of the splashes aimed at me, though I still took several direct hits to the face.

When we finally called a truce minutes later, Liam was standing next to the pool, now wearing swim trunks and a smirk. “I have a proposition.”

Knox groaned. “Do we want to know?”

“Instead of playing three-on-three, we each get ten shots from the center of the pool. Whoever scores the most points gets to sleep in Haley’s room tonight.”

“Seriously?” I asked, flicking water onto his feet. “I thought we agreed—no competitions regarding sleeping arrangements.”

Liam shook his head. “You may think that happened, gorgeous, but it never did.”

I looked to Jackson, expecting him to nip this idea in the bud. His grin told me I would have no such luck. “Liam’s right. We’ve never outlawed jousting for your favors.”

My gaze strayed to Knox, but he’d already ducked his head, obviously choosing to stay out of it. “You’re all okay with this?”

Theo nodded and Chase shrugged.

“Fine, but if we’re doing this, I’m playing defense and fouls are permitted.” I wouldn’t make it easy for any of them to win, and I’d have fun at the same time.

“Done.” Liam retrieved the basketball from the other end of the pool. “Who’s up first?”

“I’ll go,” Chase offered.

His first shot made it cleanly into the hoop before I’d even figured out how to block him. Since I was stuck in the deep end, I soon realized that blocking wasn’t an option. I’d have to play dirty—I was going to distract him with everything I had.

For my next attempt, I splashed him in the face in the middle of setting up his third shot, which he missed. He anticipated that tactic for the next one, so I moved on to ducking under the water, then surging up out of it Sports Illustrated style. When I heard the other guys chuckling, I figured I’d ended up resembling a sea lion instead of a supermodel. Regardless, Chase looked like he’d rather kiss me than continue shooting hoops, so I decided it wasn’t a total loss.

As Theo and then Liam took their turns, it became more and more difficult for me to prevent them from making baskets. I was tired from treading water and quickly losing my resolve to even try.

After Knox sank three shots in a row despite my splashing and other distractions, I decided to attempt one last drastic move. As his arms lifted, I swam underwater, aiming straight for his torso. He shifted unexpectedly, and somehow, my face collided with the bulge in the front of his swim trunks. I grabbed at his waist, trying to push away, and managed to latch onto his butt cheek when he shifted yet again.

Finally coming up for air, I asked, “Did you get the point?” like I hadn’t just accidentally felt him up, twice.

“Nope,” Theo said happily from the edge of the pool.

“Ha!” I sang out triumphantly.

“You made a big mistake, sweetheart,” Knox declared, dragging my body to his. My arms and legs automatically wrapped around him, and then we were kissing. One of his hands was splayed across my back, the other gripping my hair. I was vaguely aware of the guys watching but couldn’t muster an ounce of concern about it.

Before I knew what was happening, he had walked us up the stairs and out of the pool. Cool air hit me, and I shivered . . . not from the chill but from the look of savage desire in his eyes.

A wolf whistle sounded from behind us, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Theo grinning and Jackson taking his first shot. “I think you forfeited your turn.”

“Don’t care.”

Instead of carrying me into the pool house like I expected, he rounded a tree with a broad trunk and backed me up against it. We were technically out of view of the others but just barely.

“We’re not going inside?”

“If we did that, I’d be inside you in seconds.”

My thighs clenched at his words. “That’s a bad thing?”

“That’s never a bad thing, but it’s not what tonight’s about. Doesn’t mean I can’t make you come, though.”

I sucked in a ragged breath. “Oh.”

Knox didn’t waste any more time talking, instead devouring my mouth with all the fervor I could feel simmering beneath his legendary control. My legs tightened around his waist, and his now hard length pressed into me. I ground against him, not caring about the bark digging into my back. Shifting so he was holding me with one arm, he slipped a finger inside me, and I whimpered.

“Shhh,” he whispered, “you don’t want the others to suspect what we’re doing, do you?”

“Pretty sure they know,” I gasped out as he began to thrust one finger in and out of me and then a second.

“Does that turn you on? Knowing they’re waiting and wishing they were me right now?”

Need blazed through me, the tension becoming almost unbearable. “Maybe.” He growled and ceased all movement, clearly waiting for a different answer. Acknowledging what I was only now coming to realize, I panted, “Yes, it turns me on.”

“I thought so.” He resumed his stroking, slower this time, leading me to the brink of desperation with his teasing.

“Knox, please.”

His mouth captured mine once again, and I lost all sense of myself and my surroundings as he coaxed my release, swallowing my moans in the process. My entire body shook with the force of it.

He carefully lowered me to my feet, and I sagged against the trunk, both sated and surprised. Knox had never been so aggressive with me, and I’d freaking loved it. He was two sides of the same coin—attentive and nurturing while also confident and demanding. I understood why he’d held back that darker side, but I wanted him to feel safe to show me every part of him. Maybe now he does.

“Turn around,” he commanded. “I need to check your back.”

Finally steady on my feet, I twisted and let him brush my skin and swimsuit clean of bark residue. His fingers lingered on my upper back. “Did I hurt you?”

I turned around, scarcely resisting the temptation to throw myself back into his arms. “Quite the opposite. That was hot, fantastic, amazing.”

He studied me for a few long moments before finally smiling. “Yeah, it was.”

Gesturing toward the house, I said, “I should probably go take a shower.”

His eyes darkened, like he was imagining joining me, but he merely nodded. “You should.”

Standing on tiptoes to kiss him, I murmured, “I love you, Knox.”

Green eyes glittered back at me. “And you’re my everything.”

I practically floated back to the guest room, where I took a quick shower and partially dried my hair before weaving it into a loose braid. As I checked my appearance in the bathroom mirror, I noticed the brightness of my eyes and the smile I couldn’t quite contain.

The night had just begun, and I was already overwhelmed by my boyfriends’ thoughtfulness. Though they weren’t perfect, and there were undoubtedly challenging times ahead, I felt almost greedy keeping all five of them to myself. I’m one lucky girl.

Returning to the kitchen, I found Liam working alone. “What can I do to help?”

“Sure you don’t need a little more recovery time?” he asked with a bold wink.

A blush stained my cheeks, but I refused to scamper away in embarrassment. “Thanks, but I feel great. Better than great, actually.”

He burst out laughing before handing me a large bowl. “Good, then you can make the salad.”

“Done.”

As I chopped the lettuce and tomatoes, I couldn’t help but think back to our first meeting. He’d been such a flirt from that first moment, kissing my hand like we were the stars of an old black-and-white film.

“What did you think about me when we met?” I asked, genuinely curious. In a way, Liam’s blatant interest had made him more mysterious. His charm was so ingrained, it had been impossible to detect his true feelings in those early days.

He stopped what he was doing and popped a cherry tomato in his mouth, presumably to give himself a moment to form a response.

“I thought you were gorgeous, obviously. Innocent and unassuming. Not at all like the girls I was used to. I’d like to say it was love at first sight, but I’m not sure I even understood what love was back then. Though I was intrigued, you were still just another girl . . . until you weren’t.”

I smiled, unconcerned that he’d merely seen me as another pretty girl. He’d changed—we both had.

“What about me?” he asked with a coy grin. “Dare I ask about your first impressions?”

I returned to my chopping and averted my gaze. “Are you certain you want to know?”

“Now I need to.”

“Honestly, I thought you were extraordinarily good looking but also kind of . . .” I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn’t be offended, and peeked up at him. “Cheesy.”

Liam’s mouth dropped open. “Cheesy?”

I shrugged. “Between your over-the-top flirting, dazzling smile, and accent, it seemed like you were trying too hard.”

“Hmmm,” he said, appearing almost confused. “It’s bloody shocking that you fell for me after that.”

“It’s the man underneath the charm that I love. And, now, I happen to appreciate your seduction techniques.”

He pulled me in for a hot, open-mouthed kiss. “You better.”

We finished preparing the side dishes, then carried them out to the patio dining table. Knox and Jackson were at the grill, and Chase and Theo were playing fetch with Penny. As soon as I stepped outside, though, she ran to me, her tail wagging.

“Hey, girl, where’d you come from?”

“Jax dropped her off on the way to the graduation,” Chase said. “Theo and I freed her from the laundry room.”

“I’m sorry you were trapped in there,” I said in my cutesy dog voice as I scratched between her ears. “Did you miss me?”

Even though I spent at least one night at Jackson’s every week, it never felt like enough. Not only did that schedule keep me from seeing him as often as I wanted, I missed Penny and sometimes took her back to the loft with me. She didn’t feel like just Jackson’s dog anymore; she was a member of the family.

Jackson came up behind us, depositing a platter of steaks on the table. “She always misses you.”

“You could both move into the loft. There’s room in the basement,” I offered weakly, only half-joking.

“Hey. What about me?” Liam asked as we filled our plates.

“I thought you preferred to keep me all to yourself at your penthouse?”

He’d mentioned it on more than one occasion, but I’d also considered that he might be overcompensating. As the only one of us who lived in San Jose, he was often left out of group events. I wanted to push, but I knew he probably welcomed his relative peace and freedom.

“True, gorgeous. I already see too much of these twits at the office.”

“We can fix that,” Jackson said blandly. “I heard Team Falcon is looking to add a new member.”

“Falcon,” Liam spat out, like it was an obscenity. “I’d never.”

“Hey, that’s Kara’s team you’re talking about. And Logan, Tyler, and Hunter are all great,” I added.

Liam pointed his fork at me. “Exactly. They’re all great, except for . . .”

“. . . Scott,” the five of them said together. Apparently, they would never get over their dislike of the other team’s leader.

“Do you think Ethan might join Falcon?” He’d officially transferred back to the San Jose office, though he was still on probation. Since I’d rarely had reason to go to the office, or even the training center these past months, thanks to Diana, I’d only bumped into him once. He was polite, and I’d been genuinely pleased to see him.

“Maybe,” Chase answered. “It’s the most obvious choice, if he and Scott can get past their differences.”

“I hope they do. It seems like the best fit.”

“Speaking of the best,” Theo said, “I think we should watch an Academy Award winner tonight.”

Jackson groaned while Knox grumbled, “We’re supposed to be having fun.”

“How about a superhero movie?” I offered, hoping the suggestion would appeal to everyone.

“Thor,” Knox suggested at the same time Chase said, “Captain America.”

I couldn’t hold in my giggle, and they both turned to look at me. “Sorry, inside joke.” There was no way I was admitting to dreaming about them as their favorite superheroes and relative lookalikes.

Knox glanced around, and when he only found confused expressions, asked, “With who?”

“Um, myself?”

“Okaaay,” Theo said. “Maybe you should specify which movie you want to watch.”

I mentally flipped through the options before landing on the perfect one. “How about Wonder Woman?”

Surprisingly, they all immediately approved of my suggestion. Enthusiastically, even.

Jackson crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking satisfied. “If there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s our love of a smart, beautiful, badass woman.”

Not missing his double meaning, I beamed in response. “We’ll see if you still think so after I kick your butts at laser tag.”

Liam reached over and tugged on my braid. “I’ll go ahead and speak for all of us when I say that would only make us love you more.”

A gray, then cerulean, hazel, sky blue, and emerald gaze met mine, and I lost the ability to speak. All I could do was smile and thank my lucky stars for ending up here.