Page 56 of Endless Terrors
It wasn’t that I was afraid to be vulnerable. I just truly couldn’t think of anything. Collith and Laurie had gotten so many pieces of me since we’d barreled into each other’s lives. They knew about my parents, my powers, my pain. They knew my faults and my fears. They even knew about Oliver, to an extent.
But then I did think of something. There was one thing they didn’t know. One thing no one knew, not even Finn, or Gil, or Damon. It wasn’t a secret, exactly, but until now, it had only belonged to me.
I repositioned myself on the pillows and let out a breath. “Okay. It was while we were on the road. Me and the pack, I mean. We had all this downtime in motels, and since I was constantly researching you-know-who, I just needed a break sometimes. I have no clue what made me do it, since nothing about my life is stable, and I don’t even know if I’ll be alive tomorrow morning”—both of them reacted to this, Collith’s eyes darkening, Laurie’s mouth tightening, which I ignored—“but I started looking into schools. And then, I don’t know, I started thinking about maybe going back.”
I shrugged, my fingers tugging at a string attached to a throw pillow in my lap. I could feel both of them looking at me, and I wasn’t sure what would be worse: seeing pity or apathy. So I focused on that small, delicate string, wondering if pulling it out would make the seam come undone.
“If you need a letter of recommendation for any applications, I’d be happy to provide one,” Laurie said, making my eyes fly to his. He shrugged. “My name is known in some veterinarian programs because of donations I’ve made to rescues over the years.”
“If you’re looking at schools in Denver, I own a property in the area,” Collith put in, giving me a soft smile of encouragement. “It’s vacant right now. You’re welcome to it on the nights you want to stay in the city.”
I sat there quietly for a moment, trying to think of what to say or how to express the sensation inside me. It felt like something soft and bright was in my chest. In the end, of course, I didn’t have the words. But I knew they could probably hear it in my voice when I simply said, “Thank you.”
Laurie winked, and Collith’s foot brushed against mine. A wordless, sweet touch. I took a sip from my glass to fill the silence, but I didn’t pull my leg back.
After that, the three of us proceeded to do something we’d never done before.
We … hung out.
Later, I wouldn’t remember how it happened, or at what point we forgot our tension. It was probably Laurie’s doing. Over and over, our laughter rang through the night. Collith and Laurie told me more stories from their earlier years. They constantly interrupted each other, arguing about the true order of events or whether certain details were correct. I told them about being Angel Jones. The wine must’ve loosened my tongue, because I also shared how, my first night on the job, I’d fallen off the pole and rolled into the crowd. To this day, I still wasn’t sure how, but in the fall I’d managed to break a customer’s nose with my boob.
Collith and Laurie roared. My gaze went back and forth between them, and I knew I was grinning like a moron. For the first time in months, I felt warm, and safe, and happy.
Those weren’t the only things I was feeling, though.
Throughout the night, there were touches. Small touches. A hand on the small of my back. A thigh graze. A finger curling briefly around mine. Every time one of us got up for those mundane, beautifully normal things that people do—to get a drink of water, use the bathroom—we found reasons to move closer or pass close by.
Once again, Laurie stood to get another bottle of wine. Did this make our fifth? Our sixth? I’d need to stop drinking soon, so I was sober for the spell. But that time hadn’t come yet. I leaned back on my arms, relaxing, and Collith stayed where he was. His eyes were hazy with desire as they roamed my body.
Seeing that look, heat surged between my thighs. I instinctively clamped them together. Collith’s gaze flickered, noting the movement. He did it so fast that I would’ve doubted whether I really saw it, but the way his nostrils flared told me all I needed to know.
Our eyes met. Held. I could see the past in those depths, our shared history. It had been so long since I’d touched anyone like that …
The throbbing between my legs intensified.
Collith pushed away from the couch, and then he leaned on one knee, bending over me. I felt his long, splayed fingers sliding up the backs of my calves, my knees, my thighs. When he reached my ass, his hands cupped me firmly, and he used that firm grip to lower me to the floor. Collith eased his body down, too. I watched, breathless, as he kissed me through my underwear.
I didn’t make a sound, but my fingertips flattened against the floor, and I felt my toes curl.
“I’ve missed this,” Collith murmured, keeping his eyes on mine as his hand moved.
I swallowed. I was having trouble remembering reasons why this was probably a bad idea. “So have I,” I admitted in a whisper.
I sensed Laurie returning from the kitchen, but Collith didn’t pull away. Still holding my gaze, he slid his fingers beneath my underwear and circled my clit slowly with his thumb. Pleasure exploded through me.
When I turned my head, biting my knuckle to keep from crying out, my eyes locked with Laurie’s. He’d taken the spot Collith had just vacated, his wrist propped on his knee again. He watched my face intently.
Without thinking about it, I reached for him. Laurie reached back, his rings gleaming as our fingertips met halfway. His gaze moved to Collith, who paused in his administrations. A wordless communication passed between them.
Something about that look made me remember Laurie’s remark at the dinner table. His silken voice moved through my mind. You think like a human, and you live with their limitations.
Without warning, Collith pulled away and got to his feet. He reached down before I could ask if something was wrong. I gripped his hands and stood, my dress falling back into place. He kissed me again, as if he couldn’t help himself. I stood on tiptoe and buried my fingers in his hair. Collith began to move, and I moved with him. Laurie strode ahead. I heard the sound of a door opening.
We were making our way to the bedroom, I registered dimly. Probably a wise move, since someone could come back to the loft. I allowed Collith and Laurie to guide me over the threshold and into the shadows, overwhelmed by what they were doing with their mouths and hands. My bare feet moved onto the rug in the center of the space, and something about the sensation brought me back to my senses. I pulled away from Laurie reluctantly. Collith stood behind me now, his hands on my waist. I felt his lips skim the side of my neck.
“Wait.” I could barely hear my own voice over the sound of my wild heart. “What if Lucifer is watching?”
Laurie gave me a slow, wicked grin. “Then let’s give the prick a show.”
