Page 261 of What We Become

She comes again with Knox buried inside her, crying out his name, and he follows with a rumble that shakes the bed, pulling out at the last second to paint her stomach in thick ropes. Eli’s there immediately, licking a stripe through the mess before kissing her, sharing the taste, and Micah joins in, his mouth on her neck, and between the two of them she starts making that sound again, the one I would sell state secrets for.

I slump back against the headboard, spent but still buzzing, watching the scene unfold with that post-orgasm clarity where everything feels sharper, more absurdly perfect. Sage’s eyes flutter open, finding mine through the tangle of bodies, and she reaches out a hand. I take it, threading our fingers together.

Eli pulls back from her mouth, his chest heaving, and growls something low to Micah that I can’t quite catch. Whatever it is, it makes Micah smile before he shifts, positioning himself behind Eli with a look I have never once seen on him. “I need you, husband,” Micah murmurs, and Eli’s eyes darken, his body tensing in anticipation as Micah slicks himself up and presses forward.

Eli’s groan is guttural, raw, as Micah slides in slow and steady, one hand braced on Eli’s hip, the other reaching around to stroke him. It’s mesmerizing—the way Eli’s control fractures, his head dropping forward, breaths coming sharp while Micah sets a rhythm that’s gentle at first. Sage watches too, her lips parted, free hand trailing down Eli’s arm like she’s anchoring him through it.

Knox maneuvers Sage onto his lap now, facing away from him, her back to his chest. He spreads her thighs wide over his, exposing her completely, and I can’t help the way my gaze locks there, even as my body screams that recovery time is a myth.

“Come here, little savage,” Eli rasps, shifting forward with Micah. He lines himself up with Sage, thrusting into her with a hiss that turns into a moan when Micah follows the movement, driving deeper.

The chain forms again—Micah fucking Eli into Sage, who’s seated on Knox like a throne of muscle and heat, his hands roaming her body, one dipping between her legs to circle her clit while the other bands around her waist, holding her steady. Holden recovers enough to kneel beside them, capturing Sage’s mouth in a kiss that’s all possession, his fingers tweaking her nipple until she whimpers into him.

Somewhere in here I lose track of whose hand is on me. I decide this is the correct number of husbands.

I lean in to whisper against her ear, “You’re a vision, kitten. Look how they fall apart for you.” She turns her head, capturing my lips in a sloppy, desperate kiss, her body rocking with the force of Eli’s thrusts, amplified by Micah’s. The room fills with the sounds of them—skin on skin, ragged breaths, low curses—and it’s so much input my brain files the whole thing under later and quits.

Sage breaks first, her cry muffled against my shoulder as she comes undone, clenching around Eli, her nails digging into my hand. It sets off a domino effect—Eli follows with a shattered groan, spilling into her while Micah grips his hips harder, thrusting a few more times before he stills, head thrown back in silent ecstasy. Knox doesn’t move, just holds her through it, his low rumble of approval vibrating against her back.

By the time we’ve cleaned up, the water bottle has made two trips around the bed and nobody agrees about where the pillows belong.

“That one’s mine,” I tell Knox.

He lifts his arm so I can retrieve it.

“Thank you.”

“Stop talking.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sage laughs as I settle between her and Holden. Across the bed, Micah pulls the sheet over Eli’s shoulder, then gives it a harder tug when he discovers Knox is lying on the other end.

We get there eventually.

Holden finds my hand beneath the sheet and folds it against his chest.

“This was a good day,” I say. “I’m keeping this one. Every hour of it, somewhere the permissions don’t reset.”

Sage presses a kiss to my shoulder. “It really was.”

“We should have an anniversary.”

“That’s generally how marriage works,” Holden says.

“I’m appreciating things.”

“Appreciate them quietly.”

He kisses my knuckles, which substantially undermines the delivery.

I’m still smiling when he reaches over me and switches off the lamp.

SIXTY-ONE

SAGE

“This isn’t the way to the cabin.”