Page 53 of Chasing Callie

“Probably.” His voice is a low rumble that vibrates through me. “Or we can stay here all night. Sleep beneath the stars.”

A romantic thought, but it’s not just us. I swallow hard, my fingers trailing down his chest. “Jax and Brax are waiting.”

The mention of his brothers makes something flash in Knox’s eyes. Unease stirs in my stomach. I hadn’t thought too hard about what they’d think in the moment, but now that I have to face them, clearly thoroughly fucked by their brother, my heart is in my throat.

“Will they be mad?” I can’t help asking.

Knox’s thumb traces my bottom lip. “Only one way to find out, pretty woman.”

My stomach does a nervous flip as I climb off his lap. Are you mad? I want to ask, but I don’t have the guts. We shared something special just now and I don’t want to ruin it. I readjust my dress and attempt to smooth my hair. As if the twins don’t already know what we’ve been doing. My cheeks burn at the thought as his cum leaks out of me. I wish I could say I’m embarrassed, but I’m not. I like knowing how much he enjoyed being inside of me.

The walk to the front door feels like a mile long. Knox keeps his hand on the small of my back, a silent reassurance that makes my chest swell. When he pushes open the door, I brace myself for what exactly? Anger? Jealousy? Cold shoulders?

Another falling out that’ll tear my heart straight out of my chest and stomp all over it. Instead, Brax and Jax glance up from the couch where they’re hunched over controllers, the familiar sounds of Halo 3 blasting from the TV.

“About time,” Jax calls without looking away from the screen.

Brax’s eyes flick to my flushed face, then to Knox, and a knowing smirk tugs at his lips. “Thought you might’ve gotten lost in the driveway.”

I wait for the tension, the awkwardness, but it never comes.

“Do you have a controller for our girl?” Knox asks, squeezing my hip before moving toward the recliner.

Our girl. The casual possessiveness in those words makes my insides liquify. But they don’t mean it in the way I want them to. Be careful, Callie, you’re careening toward a heartbreak.

“Always.” Brax pats the couch. “Get over here.”

My feet carry me forward without conscious thought, and I sink into the cushion between them. Jax hands me a controller, his fingers lingering against mine for a beat too long. My stomach flutters. I’ll never get tired of the effect these brothers have on me.

“Ready to get your ass handed to you?” he teases, bumping his shoulder against mine.

I fight a smile. “In your dreams, Jax.” Truth be told, I’m not that great compared to them, but then again, they played every night whereas I only played when we wound up hanging out at their house.

The familiar rhythm of trash talk and button-mashing settles over us like a comfortable blanket. Knox lounges in the recliner, watching with that cocky smirk that makes heat pool low in my belly. He deserves every bit of confidence he has, though. He knows how to please. Every time our eyes meet, I remember his hands on my body, his lips on my neck, him driving into me, and I fumble the controller.

“Left side, Callie,” Brax murmurs, his breath warm against my ear.

Heat swoops through me, and I whip around in time to see an Elite charging at me, but before I can line up the shot, Brax takes it down. Jax comes in from the right to take out another enemy I hadn’t even spotted.

“I could’ve handled that,” I protest. I one shot a grunt as if to make a point.

“Course you could’ve.” Jax’s tone is placating. “Only speeding things up.”

They’re holding back, letting me get the easy kills, protecting me from the tougher enemies at every angle like they used to. It makes my chest ache with a tenderness I wasn’t prepared for.

“Grenade on your six,” Knox calls from the recliner, and I jump away in time to avoid the worst of the blast. My health bar decreases by half but that’s better than being in the red.

“Thanks,” I breathe, shooting him a grateful smile.

His eyes darken. “I got you.” The weight of his words are heavier than this moment. I look away from him before I get lost in them again.

We clear the mission with minimal casualties (mostly mine when I accidentally blow my character up), and when the scene closes out, I throw my hands up in victory.

“Still got it,” I sing.

“You’ve still got it, Alley cat,” Jax confirms, his voice dipping low.

The air shifts, thickens. The playful competition evaporates, replaced by something electric that has my pulse racing. My hands tremble as I set down the controller, and Brax notices immediately.