Authors: Mari Carr
Bryson grabbed the beers, stopping by her chair on his way back out. “You sure?”
She nodded slowly.
He accepted her answer, returning to the living room.
Mama Lewis reached out to hold her hand. “Talk to them, Dani. Open your heart and let them in.”
Bryson returned to the living room, unaware he was scowling until Aiden snickered. “Jesus, man. Never realized you were such a sore loser.”
Bryson worked to lighten his expression as he handed Aiden, Caleb and Justin their beers. Ned, Zac and Noah had gone outside to shoot hoops earlier, so Bryson claimed the recliner Ned had vacated. His interest in the game had vanished as he considered what he’d just heard. Mama Lewis was accusing Dani of falling back into old habits. What had prompted that comment? Had Dani told her foster mother about them? Had she said she wanted to break things off?
Or had they been discussing something else? Perhaps Dani’s real reason for returning home? After meeting the Lewises, there had to be something else, something bad to keep Dani from the family she loved so much.
Before he could ponder that idea further, Justin muted the TV when a commercial break began. “Now might be a good time for us to discuss your intentions toward our sister.”
Suddenly Bryson understood why the room had cleared out. They’d been set up.
Aiden chuckled. “Seriously?”
Justin’s lip tipped up in an amused grin, but Caleb’s serious expression still warned them to proceed with caution.
If Aiden sensed any peril, he didn’t let on. “I know you guys had Dani first, but we’ve been the ones looking out for her the past six years. I appreciate that you want to protect her, but believe me, she’s not in danger from us.”
Caleb’s frown deepened. “It’s not a case of who met her first. Dani was our little sister for two years. She was a lonely, terrified girl, so we made sure she felt safe, knew she was loved. As brothers,” he stressed. “I’m not getting a brotherly vibe from you two.”
Bryson wanted to be annoyed by the fifth degree, but part of him was glad to know Dani had these men in her life. For so long, she’d been alone. The idea that she had a family that cared for her warmed him. She deserved this. “You’re right. We don’t love Dani like brothers and we sure as hell don’t see her as our little sister. But I’d cut out my own heart before I ever hurt her or let someone else cause her pain. I promise you that.”
“I can’t speak for Bryson, but I’m in love with her, and if she’ll have me…” Aiden paused and looked at Bryson before correcting himself. “If she’ll have us, we want to spend the rest of our lives making her happy.”
It was the first time Bryson had heard his own hopes for the future spoken aloud. It was amazing to him to think that this time yesterday, they were still foolishly living in just-friends mode and thinking that was okay. That was normal.
Caleb’s expression cleared and he smiled. “Yeah. That’s the vibe I was getting. Glad to have it confirmed.”
“It took her a long time to relax when she lived here and even then, I’m not sure she ever fully dropped her guard,” Justin said. “When she was sitting with you two at the table earlier, it felt like the first time I’d ever seen her without the shields in place.”
Bryson knew Justin’s comments should please him, but he couldn’t help but focus on the negative parts.
Lonely, terrified girl. Living her life on guard.
What the hell had happened to bring her to the Lewis house to begin with? Bryson was tempted to ask, but he didn’t want to hear Dani’s story from anyone except her. It felt too much like cheating. Maybe it was a silly test and maybe he’d pay for it, but Bryson couldn’t shake the feeling that the three of them couldn’t have a future until Dani trusted them enough to tell them everything.
The words he’d overheard Mama Lewis say came floating back to him.
Old habits die hard.
Dani wasn’t finished fighting her demons from the past.
Which left Bryson and Aiden struggling to defeat an unknown foe.
Bryson tapped his hand on his knee restlessly as he leaned his head back against the couch. It had been three days since their dinner with the Lewis family. Dani had tried to convince them to use their return flights to Nashville on Monday, but they’d canceled instead. Bryson had thought she’d appreciate the company on the long drive back, but she became uncharacteristically quiet—sullen—after they’d told her what they had done.
Since then, she’d been distant. He and Aiden had tried to cajole her out of her mood—offering to do some sightseeing or take her out for nice dinners. While she’d been polite, she’d refused every invitation, refusing to leave the apartment. And despite the fact she was in the same room with them, it almost felt as if she was somewhere else.
Worst of all was the sleeping situation. They’d returned to their own beds. Whatever magic had pushed them together had vanished. Aiden had tried to initiate a conversation about it several times, but Dani had brushed him off, claiming headaches or exhaustion or by simply saying it was over and they needed to move on.
It was frustrating, infuriating, maddening, but Bryson couldn’t figure out how to make things better. Aiden was better at dealing with emotions and talking and shit like that.
So now it was midday on Wednesday and they were stuck in limbo. None of them had suggested leaving the room today. In fact, no one had said anything in the past hour. Aiden was sitting at the counter, poring over lyrics for a new song he was working on. Dani was in her bedroom, strumming her guitar, though he hadn’t heard her sing a note. And he was sitting in the living room, brooding.
While he hadn’t caught the entire conversation between Dani and Mama Lewis, Bryson was more and more convinced that Dani wasn’t in New Orleans for the reason she’d given them. He was starting to suspect her annoyance with them was based on the fact they were keeping her from doing whatever it was she wanted to do. Which left Bryson with an uneasy feeling.
He glanced up when the door to Dani’s room opened and she stepped out.
Aiden gave her a tentative smile. “Hey.”
She pointed toward the kitchen area. “I’m just getting a bottle of water. Don’t let me interrupt you.”
“You’re not.” Aiden’s voice was careful.
Bryson rolled his eyes. They were tiptoeing around her as if she were an injured dog they were trying not to spook. His patience was gone. “Why are you really in New Orleans, Dani?”
Dani’s brows creased but not before Bryson caught the glimmer of fear in her eyes. “I told you.”
He nodded. “Yeah, you came to reconnect with your foster family. But the reunion already happened. So why are we still here?”
Dani’s temper sparked. “I told you guys to leave on Monday. You didn’t have to hang around on my account.”
Bryson stood up and walked toward her. “That’s not an answer.”
She scowled. “It’s the only one you’re going to get. So why don’t you just leave me alone?”
Aiden rose at the hostility in her voice. “Dani. What’s going on?”
She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. Being back is stirring up some things. Things I need to figure out and deal with. I can’t do that with you guys here.”
Bryson snorted. “And there’s another non-answer.”
Dani lifted her chin angrily. “Why can’t you just listen to what I’m saying? I need to be alone.”
Bryson stepped in front of her when she started back toward her room. He cupped her face and saw the sadness in her eyes. “That’s the last thing you need, bird.”
Before she could respond, he kissed her. He didn’t bother to keep it gentle, to try to cajole her or ease her into this. He wanted her, and not just physically. He loved her and he knew she felt the same, but something was holding her back, keeping her from reaching out for what was right there in front of them all.
Dani pressed against his chest, but the shove was short-lived. Within seconds, her attempts at pushing him away faded, her hands rising until she wrapped them around his neck. He moved two steps forward until he had her pressed against the wall. It allowed him to lean closer. He wanted her to feel what she did to him. His cock was hard, throbbing.
He forced her lips open with his, demanding entrance. He couldn’t let her pull away from him—from them—again.
“Dammit, Dani,” he whispered against her cheek. “Can’t you see that this is right?”
Dani’s teeth scraped his jaw and neck as they continued to cling, marking each other like wild animals.
Bryson wasn’t sure how long they touched, tasted, scratched and bit. He suspected he could have stood there with her in his arms for years.
They broke apart when a hard fist pounded the wall by their heads.
Aiden stood next to them, his eyes dark with desire, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in air. “Get in the bedroom.”
“Yes,” Dani hissed. “God. Yes.”
Bryson bent and picked her up, carrying her into her room as Aiden led the way.
Bryson dropped her onto the mattress, following her down before she could attempt to rise. He felt a dip in the bed as Aiden joined them.
Dani gripped his shirt, tearing at the material in her attempt to get him naked. He felt the same sense of urgency.
For three days, they’d been swimming in a thick brew of unrequited lust and sexual hunger. They’d fasted when they should have been feasting.
“Make me forget,” Dani pleaded. “Make it all go away.”
Bryson hesitated, torn between continuing and demanding that she explain her request. Aiden didn’t share that need. He stripped out of his clothes, tossing them to the floor, before dragging Dani’s shirt over her head.
Bryson was left to rise and catch up as Aiden fell next to Dani on the bed. The two of them rolled around on the mattress, kissing, clinging, desperate.
Once he was also naked, Bryson didn’t bother to join them. Instead, he watched for several minutes as he ran his hand over his raging erection. He was in pain, but unwilling to rush this. Every time he thought they were taking a step forward, Dani found some way to shove them back.
What they shared was still too tenuous, too fragile. If Dani kept resisting this—refusing them—he needed to make this time count because he was afraid it may be the last.
Aiden and Dani broke apart briefly and he realized they were both looking for him. He grinned, and then joined them.
She wanted to forget, but Bryson wanted to remember…every minute, every second.
Bryson turned to lie on his back. “Climb on, bird.”
Dani straddled his hips enthusiastically. He hoped that excitement didn’t waver when he told her what he wanted to do next. This interlude wasn’t going to be like the last. Though he wanted to go slow, time wasn’t on his side. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was now or never.
She lifted until he was poised at the entrance to her hot pussy. The past few days had obviously been difficult for all of them. Dani was wet and ready. She sank down faster than the last time, her trepidation over his size gone. Now that she knew he fit, her anxiety had given way to eagerness.
Once he was seated to the hilt, she started to rise again. He gripped her upper thighs tightly, holding her down. “No. Lean forward, Dani.”
She gave him a quizzical look, but their wild lady had yet to refuse them. While the previous requests had been tame, this time he was going to push her limits.
Bryson glanced at Aiden, kneeling next to them as Dani lowered until her breasts rested against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her. He’d release her if she asked, but at the same time, he wanted her to feel captured.
Aiden’s gaze drifted to Dani’s ass, then back to Bryson’s face. Words weren’t necessary. They wanted the same thing.
“Can you take us both?” Aiden asked as he caressed her ass.
Dani stiffened, but she didn’t seek to escape. She knew exactly what Aiden was asking. Neither man sought to rush her. This had to be her decision and they knew it.
Even so, Bryson felt compelled to comfort her. Reassure her. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. “You can say no, Dani. At any time. Now or later…if it hurts or if you don’t like it. The call is yours.”
“I want to try,” she whispered. “So much.” Her inner muscles clenched around his cock, confirming her words. Fear wasn’t going to stop her from taking what she wanted.
Aiden released a long sigh, not bothering to hide his joy at her answer.
Bryson grinned. “There’s lube in that nightstand.”
Aiden shifted to grab the tube from the drawer as Bryson and Dani held each other. Bryson was fighting every instinct in his body that cried out for him to move, to thrust. He’d never been great at restraint.
That was Aiden’s forte, and the bastard was proving it as he took his sweet time preparing Dani for his cock in her ass.
Dani’s escalated breathing tickled his chest. Her soft cries and the way her pussy quivered against Bryson’s hard flesh told him she was enjoying Aiden’s ministrations. So far he’d slowly worked the lube in with a single finger.
“Think you can take two?” Aiden asked.
Dani nodded.
Bryson lifted his head when he felt the second digit claim her ass. “Jesus. I can feel that too. Holy fuck, that’s hot.”
“Three,” Dani pleaded. “Give me three. And then I want you.”
Aiden added a third finger as he stretched her ass. Bryson and Dani groaned in unison.
“I don’t think I can wait any longer, Dani,” Aiden murmured.
She twisted to look at their lover over her shoulder. “Then don’t.”
Aiden quickly covered his cock with lubrication and then…they all held their breath as he moved into position. He pressed the head of his dick in slowly—too fucking slowly. None of the sensations Dani experienced were lost on Bryson. He felt what she did. It was incredible.
“Aiden,” Bryson said through gritted teeth, hoping his friend got the message to pick up the pace. Bryson didn’t have enough air in his lungs to say anything more.
“Don’t. Want. To hurt her,” Aiden said, his own words coming out stilted.