We sit there in silence for hours on end, Logan going back to the kitchen every so often to get me more tea and probably to check on Quaid too, while Carter never leaves my side. Once the noon heat begins to blaze, I tell them I’ve had enough sun for one day and return back inside.
The first thing I notice is that Quaid is no longer in the kitchen. My brows furrow, and I walk throughout the house, looking for him. I don’t check the living room, since he wouldn’t be there either. Sweat trickles down the nape of my neck when I hear ruffling papers coming from down the hall. I swallow dryly and take a tentative step towards the sound. When I get to my father’s office door, I stop at its threshold, watching Quaid gently go through my dad’s designs. He has tears in his eyes as he looks at a certain drawing.
“Quaid?” I utter, making him lift his head in my direction.
He wipes his tears with the back of his hand. He tries to stand up straight, but does a poor job of it—the weight of his sorrow slumping his shoulders.
I walk over to him, to see what got him so riled up, and my breath catches in my throat. It’s a sketch of a house I once told Dad I wanted to live in one day. A house where Quaid, Logan, Carter, and I could grow old together, while my father played around with his grandchildren in our front yard and told them all about how we all came to be. It was a stupid dream told by a stargazed teenager, but my father had loved the dream house enough that, unbeknownst to me, he drew it. I had no idea Quaid knew of its existence, but then again, their bond was as strong as mine.
“I always dreamed that it would be close to water,” I mumble.
“I know,” Quaid replies. “He added some here. See?”
I look at the speck of river coming down from the back of the house and smile, an honest to God genuine smile.
“So this field right here was your doing, huh?”
“Kids need space to play around,” Quaid utters softly, tracing his digit over the vast yard in the front, filled with a swing set and large trees to be climbed upon.
“I love it. It’s perfect,” I whisper softly, leaning my head onto his shoulder.
Logan and Carter walk closer to us, their own curiosity blooming. Logan chuckles when he sees a gaming room.
“He knew you’d need a man cave to retreat to from time to time,” I answer his silent question, and then point out another division of the house. “And he knew you would need a large enough dark room and studio to work,” I explain, pointing to the division that my dad drew up with Carter in mind.
My heart hurts looking at the grand design of a house I will never have, at least, not one exactly like it. In each division, I can see my father’s imprint on it, and no other house could ever have that, save for this one. He was supposed to share my life with me and the boys, and now… Now that will never happen.
Oxygen begins to leave my lungs, and I struggle for breath.
“I-I can’t—” I begin to stutter. “I just can’t.”
I run out of the room and up the stairs to my bedroom and my sanctuary. Logan, Carter, and Quaid enter my room worried, pain marring their beautiful features.
“Valentina, what’s wrong?” Carter rushes, cupping my face in his strong hands.
“I can’t breathe. I just can’t!” I say in panic, feeling the whole world collapse around me.
I’m hysterical and in pain, and I can’t see the end of the dark tunnel, no matter how hard I try. My chest starts to tighten, and my lungs refuse to work.
“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.”
My panic attack is almost full blown when Carter presses his lips against mine, stunning me quiet.
“Breathe me,” he whispers into my mouth.
When he sees his kiss is able to lessen the ache of my broken heart, he goes for another. This kiss feels grander than all the ones he’s given me before. It’s a prayer and plea to come back to him—to all of them.
As my eyes scan his beautiful face, Carter turns me over to Logan, who leans in to deliver his own transcendent kiss.
“Breathe us, Val. Breathe us,” Logan whispers as he bites into my lower lip before his tongue dominates mine completely.
I’m breathless and out of my depth, when Logan places me in Quaid’s trembling arms. He doesn’t say anything, but his tears and heartache say it all for him. His lips part for mine, and I hold on to the nape of his neck, relishing his warm tongue in my mouth. I get lost in this kiss as I feel another pair of lips kiss my neck. Logan is still at my side, worshiping me as Quaid’s and my tongues wrestle with one another.
I gasp in for air as Quaid begins to kiss the hollow of my throat. My eyes go over to Carter, who is now sitting on the edge of my bed, his eyes filled with lust and love. My eyes fall to his hands, and I see the ache he has to have his trusty camera in them so he can record this moment.
When Quaid’s mouth finds one heavy breast, I cry out, making Carter rub his palm over his hard length. Logan’s hands cup my ass cheeks as he continues to place feathered kisses all over my neck, wrapping my hair around his wrist and pulling my head back so I can kiss him.
“Breathe us, Val. Just like you’re the oxygen we need to feel alive, let us be yours,” he utters, locking his lips with my own.
His first kiss was sweet and tender, but this one is suffocating. It eats up all my cries and moans. I feel my body respond to each of their touches, my gaze fixed on Carter’s smoldering look.
“Take her shirt off,” Carter orders, as if he’s the one in charge. And by the way Logan and Quaid comply, maybe he always has been.
Quaid lifts my shirt from the front as Logan does the same from the back. They pull the garment off my head and throw it to the floor, revealing my bare breasts. Carter licks his lips, and I feel it on my burning skin.
“Now her shorts,” he commands, and Quaid dutifully abides by his every rule.
I swallow hard, as I feel his tongue travel down my navel, just before he pulls my boy shorts and panties down my shaky legs. Logan’s erection presses up alongside my ass, the bulge in his jeans rubbing against my bare flesh, creating a delicious friction that only fuels my desire.
“Taste her, Quaid. Tell us how sweet she is,” Carter groans, unzipping his jeans and pulling out his hard cock.
I moan at the sight, my head falling back to Logan’s shoulder as his hands begin to play with my nipples while Quaid falls to his knees.
Quaid takes one long full lap, and I squirm in Logan’s embrace.
“Argh!”
“Hold her still, Logan!” Carter demands, making my knees want to buckle.
Quaid must feel my impending drop and laces one leg over his shoulder while he eats me out. His tongue laps at my folds, and I cry at the torturous ecstasy of it.
“Oh God,” I moan out before Logan snaps my head in his direction and eats up my cries with his kiss.
I feel myself going over the precipice, my nails sinking into Quaid’s shoulders as he continues his merciless assault.
“Does that feel good, baby? Do you like Quaid eating you out?” Logan whispers in my ear, making me even hotter.
I bite my tongue to keep from wailing, but it’s useless since all my senses are on overdrive. Quaid continues to play with my sensitive clit with his tongue following Carter’s every growled instruction, while Logan torments me by teasing my breasts as his tongue fucks my mouth. I’m so close, I feel as if I’m about to burst in flames and burn this whole house down.