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I can’t decide whether to be mortified or relieved, knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Madsen know I’m dating both their sons at once. What must they think of me? One word comes to mind. Whore.

  “Lizzie, breathe,” Silas says, his grip on my hand tightening to match the strength of his brother’s.

  I take a couple of deep gulps of air, my starved lungs grateful for the oxygen. I inadvertently take a step back, my shoulders bumping into a solid wall of muscle. I peek over my shoulder to see Jett behind me, one brow arched in that sardonic way of his.

  I straighten my spine and move away from him. I look from Silas to Slade, back and forth several times before asking, “And? What did they say?”

  Slade looks over his shoulder toward the house, as if he’s checking to make sure no one is eavesdropping on us. He leans in close, his spicy scent filling my nostrils.

  “They said they always knew those three would be a bad influence on us,” he says, jerking his head toward the Pattons behind me.

  “Knock it off, Slade,” Silas says as my body goes cold.

  “No,” I say before Slade can respond. “They don’t want this for you.” I take a step back, but this time, Jett is prepared and gets out of the way. “I should go.”

  “Lizzie,” Savanna starts, but whatever she was about to say never makes it out because the front door swings open, distracting her.

  “Well? Are you guys going to come in or stand out in the yard all day?” Mr. Madsen says from the doorway.

  Jett, Wyatt, Beckett and Savanna move around me and the twins. Hugs are spread around as Mrs. Madsen joins her husband at the door and they both greet the four of them. I try to snatch my hands back while they’re distracted, but Silas and Slade hold them in a tight, unrelenting grip.

  “Lizzie?”

  I look up at Mrs. Madsen, and I’m sure everyone can see the panic in my eyes. Fight or flight? Fight or flight? Flight. Definitely. I try once more to get my hands back, but the boys are unyielding. They move forward, pulling me with them.

  I dig in my heels and Silas sighs and says, “Mom, can you give us a minute?”

  “Nonsense,” she says, leaving the doorstep and striding toward us. Toward me.

  I flinch, waiting for the verbal, and possible physical, smack down I know she’s itching to give me. The boys release me at the last second and, before I can act on that flight instinct, I’m wrapped in Mrs. Madsen’s arms.

  The tension holding my body in a state of rigor mortis eases, turning my bones into spaghetti as I return her hug. She smells like flowers and bread, with an undercurrent of bleach, like she’s been baking and cleaning in anticipation of our arrival. My eyes burn as relief fills me. Perhaps she doesn’t hate me, after all.

  “We’ve all missed you, honey,” she says, turning to lead me up to the house with an arm around my shoulder.

  At the doorway, she urges me through and into Mr. Madsen’s arms. He hugs me quickly and pushes me back to an arm’s length, his eyes scanning me from head to foot.

  “All in one piece,” he says, his eyes darting to his sons with on brow arched. “To hear these two go on and on, one would think you’d never make it back here whole.”

  “Come on, Dad,” Slade says, his cheeks ruddy.

  Mr. Madsen chuckles as he releases me. Silas grabs my hand and pulls me away from his parents. I hear Slade’s footsteps pounding behind me and his brother leads me up the stairs, shouting “We’ll be right back,” over his shoulder.

  Suddenly, I’m in their bedroom, two gorgeous boys between me and the closed door. My body heats as I look around, noticing the beds, memories of our last time together swirling through my mind. A clearing of a throat brings me back to the present.

  I meet Slade’s eyes and see fire brimming in their depths, his thoughts, I’m sure, travelling along the same path as mine. Silas shoulder bumps his brother and says my name, making my eyes snap to his.

  “As you could probably tell by their warm greetings, our parents accepted our decision to be with you and respect our choices,” he says.

  “But, Slade said…”

  “I’m sorry, Lizzie. I should have known it wasn’t a good time to make jokes,” Slade murmurs. “You were freaking out and I just wanted to see you smile.”

  “So, they didn’t say the Pattons are a bad influence because you’re following in their footsteps and sharing a girlfriend?”

  Silas blushes and stammers out, “Yes. They said it.”

  “But, we made them understand,” Slade adds. “We made them see how much you mean to us.”

  “They already liked you,” Silas murmurs, “a lot. It didn’t take very long to convince them you’re the best thing for us.”

  “Because it’s true,” Slade adds, that fire in his eyes flaring brighter.

  He takes a step forward, his body tense like a panther preparing to strike. I stand paralyzed, my breaths heaving in and out as he stalks closer, a slow smile bringing those sexy ass dimples out to play. No fair.

  Movement in my periphery catches my attention, and I look to see Silas has moved as well. He’s closing in on my left, having circled around beside me when my eyes were locked on his brother. His face is more serious, no dimples in sight, but blatant lust is rolling off him in waves. I’d have to be completely oblivious not to notice it.

  Silas reaches me first, winding his hand into my hair. His other hand snakes around my waist and he jerks me forward, plastering my body against his as his grip on my curls tilts my head to the side. I’m a little shocked by his dominant behavior, but the shock is quickly overrun by pure heat as lava pours through my veins, making a billion nerve endings spark with fire.

  Oh, I like this.

  Silas brings his lips close to mine, just a hair’s breadth from touching, and whispers, “God, I missed you.”

  Before I can respond, his burning hot mouth is on mine. His tongue waits for no invitation, invading and taking what it wants without apology. Good God Almighty in Heaven. I think I’ve died and joined Him there.

  Just as my knees start to buckle, Silas loosens his grip on me, putting some distance between our bodies. I groan a protest into his mouth, but he ignores it as he continues to kiss me. I realize why, as a warm, hard body presses against my back and lean, strong arms circle my waist from behind.

  I tilt my head to the side as the hot, suctioning pressure of Slade’s mouth ravishes my neck. I couldn’t stop the groan that vibrates out of me if I’d tried. It feels like paradise, like everything I never knew I wanted.

  Silas breaks off our kiss and I open my eyes to find him gazing at my face as his brother takes me to new heights, his lips, his tongue, his teeth worshipping the delicate skin of my neck and shoulder. I lock eyes with him, watching the raging fires burn in their silvery depths.

  One of Slade’s hands moves up from my waist, slipping under the hem of my shirt. His palm flattens against my stomach, applying pressure, bringing my back flush against his chest. Once he has me where he wants me, the hand slides up to cup my breast through my bra.

  Another groan echoes from my chest as my eyes roll back and I lean my head against his shoulder. I feel more than hear a low growl just before Silas’s mouth is on mine again, working even more furiously than before. I can feel the evidence of his arousal against my stomach, and all I want is to—

  “Hey, are you guys coming back down, or what?”

  Like a very large, very unwelcome bucket of ice water, the sound of Jett’s voice outside the door destroys the bubble of need and want that’s enveloped us. As the outside world comes crashing back in, I wiggle to free myself from the Madsen sandwich I’m trapped in.

  “In a minute,” Slade grits out between clenched teeth, even as his grip tightens to keep me in place.

  “Not yet,” he whispers against my neck, his lips caressing the skin there ever so gently.

  Silas brushes his lips against mine, this time softly, gentle strokes at complete odds with the dominant ravishment of before. He releases his grip on my hair
, smoothing it with his palm before trailing his thumb down my cheek.

  Slade’s hands move to my hips and in a quick bout of teamwork, they work together to flip me around. Suddenly, I’m facing Slade and Silas is pressed against my back. As my eyes rove over his face, those devastating dimples pop back into existence as his lips turn up.

  “My turn.”

  His voice is a husky whisper, hitting my ears just before his lips hit mine. His kiss is a study of contradictions, soft yet urgent, gentle yet full of need. He pulls back much too quickly, murmuring something about finishing things later.

  The chill of the air has me shivering as they back away simultaneously. I rub my hands up and down my arms to ease it. Silas moves around me to stand beside his brother, their rapid breaths puffing in and out in perfect synchronicity.

  “Welcome home, Lizzie,” Slade says, making my breath hitch.

  “You’re back where you belong,” Silas adds.

  “Thank you,” I croak out, my voice barely a whisper.

  It’s good to be back.

  3

  After an only slightly uncomfortable dinner with the parentals, Savanna suggests we go out and do something, rather than cram ourselves into the Madsen’s small bedroom. Or hang out downstairs with Silas and Slade’s parents.

  I’m all for it, especially after the raised eyebrows the three of us were the recipients of when we came back downstairs. One look at my puffy lips and frizzed hair had all eyebrows raised… especially those of Mrs. Madsen. Of course, she didn’t utter a word about it. She’s too polite for that, but I’m sure she’ll have plenty to say to her sons later. Hopefully when I’m not around to hear it.

  Silas takes my keys as Slade guides me to my car. He opens the back door, helping me in and sliding in beside me as Silas take the driver’s seat. I wave through the window at Savanna as she follows the Pattons toward their truck, then I lean forward to speak to Silas.

  “I can drive, ya know,” I say, just a little miffed he took my keys.

  “I know,” he says, then looks into the rear view mirror.

  I turn to Slade, who’s wearing a Cheshire cat grin as he pulls me back and snuggles me against his chest. I allow it, because it’s honestly right where I want to be. And he smells like sunshine and freshly ground pepper.

  “I asked him to drive,” Slade says, pressing his lips to my forehead. “So we could have some time alone.”

  I sit up so I can see his face. One eyebrow lifted, I ask, “Alone?” before my eyes cut to his brother and back.

  Slade chuckles. “Well, as alone as we can be.”

  Then the conversation is over as his lips brush against mine. Nipping, licking, teasing… he kisses me playfully, making me chase his mouth with mine. And chase it, I do. I’m not ashamed to admit it. Our time in the bedroom earlier was cut short and left unresolved. My body demands resolution.

  Remembering how good Slade’s mouth felt on my neck, I decide to return the favor. I break off our kiss and use my fingers to tilt his head, giving me full access to the smooth column of his throat. I run my nose down its length, inhaling his intoxicating scent before planting a kiss at the base where it meets his shoulder.

  I trail kisses up to his ear before sucking the lobe into my mouth. His sharp intake of breath spurs me on, and I nibble my way back down toward his collarbone after pulling the neck of his t-shirt out of the way. His arm around me tenses as his breathing quickens and the feeling of empowerment those little signals give me is intoxicating.

  Even though I know, in the back of my mind, that it’s illegal and dangerous, I unlatch my seatbelt and throw a leg over him. Pulling myself across him, I brace my knees on either side of his hips so that I’m straddling his lap. His hands squeeze my ass and push down, grinding me against him.

  I can’t stifle my moan, the contact sending sparks shooting straight to my core. I lean into him, chest brushing against chest as my mouth presses firmly against his. The time for playfulness is over as his lips ravage mine, his tongue plundering my mouth has he pushes my hips down again and again.

  As the pressure inside me builds, I forget where we are and who we’re with. It’s just me and Slade and the need growing inside me. The need for release. A release that’s so close, I can practically taste it.

  “Guys, we’re almost there.”

  Silas’s quiet words were almost apologetic, yet effective.

  Reality comes crashing back in and I slump against Slade for a nanosecond before sliding off his lap and back to my seat. I’m embarrassed by my own wanton behavior, mortified that I’d taken things as far as I did. Especially with one brother while the other sat inches away, an observer. Is Silas upset? Hurt? Jealous?

  We’d only ever fooled around together, all three of us participating on an even playing field. I can’t stand the thought that one of them may feel slighted by me giving attention to the other. This whole situation is so complicated.

  “Hey, you okay?” Slade murmurs, his warm palm coming down to cover my thigh.

  I want to yank it away before Silas sees while, simultaneously, I need to tug it higher and more to the inside, so his fingers can brush the sensitive spot that I know will make me explode with release. So, I do nothing, just nod while my eyes stay glued to that hand.

  Gentle fingers wrap around my chin and lift it until I’m gazing into his silver-rimmed gray eyes. He tucks a lock of curls behind my ear before running the pad of his thumb across my lower lip.

  “What’s wrong, Liz?” he asks, using the shortened version of my name I’ve always hated. Until I heard it from his mouth.

  “Nothing,” I say, breaking eye contact.

  He catches my gaze again, wordlessly refusing to accept my lie. I lean in close to whisper, even though I know it’s a hopeless endeavor. With his Alt hearing, Silas won’t miss a word.

  “I’m afraid I’ve upset Silas, doing… what we did… without him.”

  My body lurches forward as the car screeches to a halt. A split second glance through the window shows trees surrounding us before Silas’s large body is squeezing between the two front seats. Slade yanks me close against him, giving his brother room to slide onto the backseat on my other side.

  Before my next breath, I’m in Silas’s lap. His large hand guides my knee over so that I’m straddling him, just as I did his brother. His mouth presses against mine, a hungry, exhilarating kiss that’s all lips and tongue and teeth. I grip his shoulders, holding on for dear life until the frenzy slows, and his lips gentle.

  “Upset,” he says, trailing his lips down my neck, “is not a word you could use to describe me right now.”

  He bucks his hips and the proof of his words brushes against my inner thigh. I can’t stop the hiss that accompanies my sharp intake of breath as the friction his movements creates wrenches up my libido. I turn my head to the side, giving his mouth better access to my neck and ear. My eyes flutter open and I see Slade leaning back against the door, watching.

  Memories assail me as I lock eyes with him. A hotel room in D.C. The three of us, together in one bed. Giving. Taking. Heat. Pleasure. Release.

  I feel that release sneaking up on me as Silas squeezes handfuls of my ass and bucks against me once more. This time, the ridge in his pants hits a more sensitive spot and I groan out something that sounds like a combination of the words yes and more.

  His teeth scrape against the skin of my shoulder and I rock against him, chasing after what I know is coming. It’s so close, my knees start to shake.

  Suddenly, Slade is there, filling my vision as his tongue licks at my lips. I open my mouth and he kisses me as one hand twists into my hair and the other slips under my shirt. His hand brushes over my bra for a moment before pushing the material down to cup my breast, skin to skin.

  His fingers brush over my nipple once, twice, before gently pinching the sensitive peak. I break off our kiss, turning my face toward the roof of the car as a growl purrs in my throat. Sparks shoot from the spot straight to my core,
making me rock harder against Silas.

  Cool air caresses my bare skin and I open my eyes to see Silas lifting my shirt. His eyes flare with silver fire as he watches his brother’s hand on my chest. My eyes flit to Slade, who is also staring at his hand, his bottom lip pinched tight between his teeth as he drags in breath after ragged breath.

  The warmth of his hand disappears and, before I can look down to see why, is replaced by the suction of Silas’s hot, wet mouth. He draws the flesh inside and with one quick flick of his tongue, my world goes black.

  The blackness subsides with a flare of white and red and blue and every other color of the rainbow as a veritable screech explodes from me and I shudder against Silas, my body going limp. Vibrations wrack me as wave after wave rolls through me, leaving me wrung out and exhausted.

  And one hundred percent satisfied.

  Which is more than I can say for the boys. I run my palms down Silas’s chest, over his abdomen to the waistband of his jeans, but he catches my hands and pulls them away. Without skipping a beat, I reach for Slade, but he brushes my hands aside, as well.

  “Lizzie,” Slade says, “I can’t… take it, right now. I need a minute.”

  “But, I want to give you what you gave me,” I say, turning my attentions back to Silas, whom I’m still straddling.

  “Lizzie, stop,” Silas says, wrapping his hands around my hips and stilling my movements. “What we just did was amazing, and it’s enough. For now.”

  I look over at Slade, who nods once in agreement with his brother.

  “Besides,” Silas continues, bringing my attention back to him, “the guys and Savanna are waiting for us.”

  A tremor runs through me at the reminder of where we are and the fact that we’re not actually alone. Somewhere beyond the fogged up windows of my small sedan, Savanna and the Pattons are growing impatient, waiting for us to join them. My face heats at the thought.

  Slade slides over to make room as I slip from Silas’s lap. With shaking fingers, I adjust my clothing and attempt to smooth my hair. I can tell without seeing it that it’s a lost cause. Thank God it’s getting dark out. Maybe the others won’t notice.