Chapter 15: TEAM PLAYERS: Chapter 14

I have one foot on the bottom step when there’s a knock at the front door.

As I’m the only one around, I open it, finding a huge man with a black beard and round belly overspilling his snug jeans on the doorstep. He’s facing to the side and whirls around when he hears the click of the latch. I can see he’s surprised that I’ve opened the door. Is he one of Dad’s friends passing by to check on the boys?

‘Can I help you?’

‘You might be able to. I’m looking to speak to any one of the men who live at this address.’

‘What about?’ I ask, not really liking his patronizing expression or the way he’s taken another step up as though he’s trying to physically intimidate me.

‘They know what it’s about. Nothing to worry your pretty head with.’

‘My pretty head will decide what I need to worry about and what I don’t,’ I say, putting my hands on my hips.

The man grins, but it’s not an amused expression. He’s leering at me as though breaking me might be the sweetest thing he’s ever thought about doing. ‘If you don’t own this house, you got no interest in what I’ve got to say.’ It’s patronizing to the core, and he’s about to get a shock.

‘Well, I do own this house, so maybe you’d better spit out whatever you’ve come over here to gas about.’

The man’s eyebrows rise momentarily, and then he seems to compose himself because he takes a step back and squares his shoulders. ‘Those boys tell you about my offer, then?’

‘Offer?’ I frown, not liking this man, his words or attitude, one bit.

‘My offer to buy this place?’

Well, now it’s me who’s on the back foot because I know nothing about any offer, but I don’t want this man to know I’m being kept in the dark.

‘Ah… the offer,’ I say, nodding knowingly, despite my lack of knowledge.

‘So you’re considering it? Honestly, you won’t get a better price. No one else around here has the money to do what I’m planning. If you put this place on the open market, you’d end up getting half of what I’m offering.’

‘I wouldn’t say I’m considering anything right now. We’ve had a bereavement, and our focus is on that.’

‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ the man says, although he does it with an impatience in his voice that makes his sympathy sound hollow.

‘Thank you.’ I take a step back, wanting to ask the man for his details, but how do I do that without him realizing that I have no idea who he is. I guess if he’s that interested in the place, he’ll be back, and by then, the boys should have opened up about the offer. After all, the house belongs to all of us. ‘We’ll be in touch,’ I say firmly.

The man sighs noticeably, obviously weary with the process. I wonder how long ago he made the offer and how many times he’s come knocking since. ‘I’ll come by again on Wednesday,’ he says.

As I begin to close the door, the man stares up at the house. Is he looking for my foster brothers or dreaming about whatever he has planned for this building?

I stand with my back to the door, considering whether I should ask the boys about the offer or wait to see if they will tell me about it. This is my house too, and it’s only fair that they should let me have a say in what happens to it. I decide to leave it a few days as a test to see how open and honest they are with me.

When I make it to the top of the stairs, I find Harley coming out of his room. ‘Sorry, I just needed to get something,’ he says.

‘I’m feeling guilty that you guys have to sleep in the den. I’m happy for you to have your room back.’

He shakes his head. ‘I won’t have you sleeping downstairs,’ he says. ‘Not when we’re all upstairs.’

‘Well, I could stay. The beds are plenty big enough.’

Harley’s eyebrows raise comically, and then he smiles. ‘Well, I wouldn’t say no to sleeping in my own bed, especially if there’s going to be a pretty girl in there too.’

‘Well, I’m not going to get to know anyone if I spend all my time alone in this bedroom, and I don’t have a whole lot of time. I’m gonna have to go home soon, at least to sort out what’s happening at school.’

Harley nods. ‘Shall I tell Hunter too?’

Two brothers.

It wouldn’t seem fair to leave Hunter out, although getting to know these men one at a time would be easier. ‘Do you guys always hang out as a twosome?’ I ask.

Harley leans against the door frame and pushes his hand through his hair. ‘We tend to do most things together.’

‘Most things?’

‘Well, we don’t shower together, apart from after training, but then there are thirty dudes washing off, not just the two of us. That’s about it.’

‘Wanna hang out now?’

‘Sure… I’ll go get Hunter.’

I’m about to open my suitcase, so I can freshen up when Harley and Hunter appear at the door. Hunter has a basketball under his arm. ‘Fancy shooting some hoops?’

Well, I certainly hadn’t considered that as something we’d do to hang out, but why the hell not? Unlike Sean, the twins don’t seem to have the same agenda to move things into the bedroom, and although these guys are sexy as hell, I’m actually relieved that we might have a chance to have some fun and get to know each other.

‘Sure.’

‘Can I play?’ Reggie asks from the doorway.

‘The more, the merrier.’

Hunter snorts, his mind drifting somewhere smuttier than mine. Maybe they’re not so different from Sean.

‘I’ll just grab my sneakers.’

It turns out the hoop is at the back of the yard. The house is surrounded by more land than I expected, which wraps around it. No wonder the man with the big belly is interested in buying it. This house really wasn’t built to make the most of the plot size.

Hunter tosses the ball to me, and I take a shot, getting it in the first time. Reggie whistles, and Harley claps. I guess they weren’t expecting me to be good at basketball. Little do they know I’ve been playing since I was eight years old. The fitness I need to stay in the cheer squad only helps with my technique.

‘I think we’ve been hustled,’ Hunter says.

‘Now, to be fair, I never told you I was good or bad,’ I say. ‘And anyway, you didn’t seriously think that I could play against you guys. You’re all twice the size of me. The height and weight advantage would be…’ I’m about to say unfair when Reggie jumps in.

‘…dangerous. We gotta be careful not to barge you… the baby.’

The twins nod solemnly, and part of me is really impressed at Reggie’s thoughtfulness and Hunter and Harley’s concern. The other half of me wants to show them that I’m not a fragile flower. The second half wins.

I spring into three cartwheels, then into a handstand, finally dropping into a bridge and then jumping to my feet. My body feels good, strong, and lean, ready for action. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I’m weak. It doesn’t have to take away the joy I feel in keeping active.

There are more whistles. ‘You on the cheer squad?’ Reggie asks.

‘I am… well, I was.’ The idea of leaving and not keeping my place in the team makes me want to weep.

‘Reggie has a thing for cheerleaders,’ Hunter laughs.

‘There’s not a red-blooded man in this whole country who doesn’t get a kick out of seeing girls in skimpy outfits jumping around looking happy.’

‘It’s a sport,’ I say with a scowl. ‘And it takes a lot of practice to be good.’

‘And I sincerely appreciate all of that practice,’ Reggie says with a wink.

He tosses the ball into the hoop with as much precision as me, and from then, we take it in turns to retrieve the ball and try to get it into the net. It’s fun to be outside and to have people to do things with. At home, Mom is always working, and our yard is just a tiny, paved, neglected space with nothing in it except weeds and things from the house that don’t work anymore. It’s also amusing to see them trying not to be competitive with each other. They are definitely holding themselves back from keeping score and from jumping on every mistake. I wonder if they’ve made a decision to show me unity between themselves or if they just thought individually that bickering would make me concerned about the viability of us forming this crazy bond.

I’m sweaty, and my heart is pounding, but I feel fit and free. I laugh when Hunter misses three in a row and chuckle even more when he gets a grumpy face. Hanging out with my foster brothers is so much fun.

After we’re done playing, exhausted from all the exertion, we head inside to grab a glass of water each. I shower and dress in my pj’s, returning to Hunter and Harley’s room to put my toiletries away. They’re both there, clean and fresh smelling, relaxing on their beds.

‘Hey,’ Harley says, dropping his phone to the comforter, all attention focused on me. His brother does the same. ‘Wanna hang out with us?’

‘Sure.’ My heart flutters as I busy myself, tidying my possessions while I inhale deep, steadying breaths. This doesn’t have to be anything more than what they said—hanging out. Getting to know each other, but my mind drifts over how amazing Hunter looked in the yard wearing his shorts and fitted shirt. When he got really hot and sweaty and stripped off his top… well, I thought I might pass out. And Harley too. They’re identical in every physical attribute that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing.

When I turn, I’m faced with the decision of where to sit. A nightstand separates their beds, so I have to choose just one. That feels like favoritism. Just as I’m about to meltdown from the stress, Harley pats the bed next to him. I glance at Hunter expecting a reaction, but there’s none.

It’s odd to slide onto the warm comforter next to Harley. I’ve held this man’s hand, and he’s comforted me at one of my saddest moments. We’ve laughed and joked, shared a meal, watched a movie, but these are all small things when it comes to knowing someone’s heart and mind.

‘We’ve got a game on Friday,’ Harley says. ‘Want to come?’

‘Sure.’ I prop myself up on his pillows and cross my legs. ‘What position do you play?’

‘Wide receiver and Hunter plays fullback.’

‘Offensive,’ I say, nodding. They have that air about them, confidence, and a need to be on the front foot.

‘Logan’s the starting quarterback. Sean plays quarterback too. Coach switches them out. I think if they weren’t brothers, it would be an issue for them, but as it stands, all it does is create match-up issues for the defense.’

‘You got any injuries, playing? It looks so dangerous.’

‘Hunter broke his ankle a couple of years ago, but it’s healed up okay. Dad insisted that he rest it well.’

‘He kept me out of the game for too long.’

‘But it was worth it. You don’t know what your ankle would be like now if Coach had gotten away with playing you sooner.’

Hunter shrugs. ‘There’s no point arguing about the past, is there?’

‘No point in dwelling on the past either,’ Harley says.

‘What happens when there are things that are unresolved?’ I ask.

Harley’s hand finds mine, enveloping my fingers in his warm palm. ‘There are always going to be parts of our lives that remain unresolved. That’s just how life is. We won’t ever get to find out why our mom wasn’t strong enough to keep us with her. We both found it challenging to accept the change. It was your dad who told us that holding on to hurt from the past only serves to ruin the present. He helped us write down what we were struggling with, then we set the pages alight and watched all our worries burn away. I know it was symbolic. They didn’t really disappear with the flames, but it helped. We let everything go. We found a way to look forward rather than back.’

‘I feel like that is what I need to do right now,’ I say. ‘Things weren’t great at home. I messed up with the pregnancy and going back there… it’s like my shame is going to carry over to the baby.’

‘This can be a new start,’ Harley says softly. His thumb brushes my knuckles, and I close my eyes with the sensation.

‘A new start,’ I repeat softly.

‘A new start for all of us,’ Hunter says.

The bed shifts as Harley turns to kiss me. His lips are soft, but the weight of him behind them is powerful. My hand slides into his hair, drawing him closer so I can kiss him deeper. Somewhere from the other side of the room, I hear the door closing and the lock sliding, but I don’t turn to watch Hunter sealing the room off to his brothers. When the bed shifts again, this time to accommodate Hunter, I draw away from Harley. His twin’s eyes are hungrier, darker in their intention if not in their color. He reaches out to unfasten my hair, allowing the soft waves to drop down over my shoulders. ‘You have such pretty hair,’ he says.

‘She has such pretty everything,’ Harley agrees.

‘You haven’t seen everything,’ I say, eyes moving between them. They’re like gorgeous bookends, identically hewn from the best DNA known to the universe. Their mother and father might not have been good at raising them, but they sure did a fine job with their creation.

‘You want to show us?’

Hunter’s thumb strokes down my face and over my bottom lip. I nod, feeling the heat of arousal spreading from my belly and down between my legs. There are so many reasons I should say no. So many reasons I should know better.

When I fucked Justin, I did it to taste a life I’d never known. To feel what it was like to have a man to hold me. A man to tell me I’m beautiful. A man to make me feel like nothing bad can touch me. It worked for a while. I wanted it enough that I created something in my mind that wasn’t there in reality.

But this is different. These men know my situation, and they want me. They know the burden I’m carrying, and they want to shoulder it anyway. They want to do better for my child than my own father did for me. And I’m so lonely. So cold inside. So empty of the warmth that I felt in Justin’s arms, even if it was all a lie.

‘I’ve never done this before… you know.’ I glance between them, so they get that I mean more than one guy. Is it something I imagined? Hell yes. Justin’s friend Danny is a total hottie. On more than one occasion, I imagined what it would be like to be the meat in that sandwich. The thing is, if Danny is a hottie, Harley and Hunter are raging infernos. They’re so hot that my skin burns from even the gentlest graze. How am I going to deal with the two of them caressing me?

‘You don’t have to do anything, baby,’ Hunter says. ‘We’ve got this.’

‘Have you?’

I’m not sure why I’m asking them about their previous sexual experiences. I’m pretty sure they all have them unless the girls in this town are all confined to chastity belts.

‘She wants to know if we know what we’re doing.’ Harley smiles crookedly as though the very idea that I would question them is ridiculous.

‘Oh, we know what we’re doing!’ It’s like I’ve ignited something competitive in Hunter, and now he’s all about proving his prowess. When he tugs off his shirt in one smooth movement, I get to see exactly how determined he really is. Oh God. I actually feel faint from the sight of his gorgeous broad shoulders and rounded biceps. His chest has a soft dusting of hair in the center and more trailing from navel down to the place I’ve only imagined. If Hunter’s eagerness to strip off is anything to go by, I won’t be imagining for long. A whoosh of excited air leaves my lips as Harley removes his shirt too.

I’m encouraged to move to the middle of the bed and lie back against the pillows. Harley and Hunter rest on either side of me. Hunter turns my face to him, kissing me gently, his hand resting on my belly, just underneath the fabric of my shirt. He’s so hot, his hand so heavy, that my heart skitters. And when his brother’s hand rests lower over my thigh, I find myself squirming.

How does Danna cope with ten men all wanting to be with her this way? Two men feel more than double as overwhelming as one. Maybe it’s like riding a bike; you flounder at first, but then it’s the easiest thing in the world. I hope so. I hope that these men can make me feel comfortable enough for this to be an amazing experience.

Hunter kisses me softly for what feels like hours, teasing and teasing as though he knows exactly what the slide of his tongue over mine does to me between my legs. His hand moves upward so painfully slowly that I almost break away to scream at him to just touch my breast, strip me down until I’m naked and my whole body is available for them to pleasure.

It’s Harley who moves things forward, his hand moving to push down my stretchy yoga pants, discovering the flimsy lace panties I have beneath. They’re barely there with their transparent floral pattern, white string sides, and thong back. Harley’s fingers stroke back and forth, gliding under the strings and then the lace until he feels the soft, trimmed curls between my legs. I can’t help the moaning sound I make against Hunter’s lips. It’s enough for him to draw back to check out what his brother is doing that is making me so squirmy. He must like what he sees because his lids lower. ‘Don’t take them off,’ he says.

My heart sinks as I consider whether they actually want to go all the way with me. If I was just a normal nineteen-year-old, I’m pretty sure they’d be ripping my panties off with their teeth. Maybe it’s the pregnancy. Maybe they’re going to treat me like I’m fragile again. I turn to Harley, hoping he can see the need in my eyes, grazing my hand across his muscular chest, praying that he can feel the tremble of want in my hands. It’s his turn to lean in to kiss me, and he does, his hand still moving just above where I want it to be. On the other side of me, Hunter seems more frenzied, his big palm stroking up my ribs and resting just beneath my breast. I hear the moment he realizes that I’m not wearing a bra. That growl is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

I whimper again, arching my back so he’ll go faster, squeeze my breast, pinch my tightening nipple, anything to take away the ache.

‘Slowly,’ he whispers against my ear. ‘There’s no rush. We’re just getting started.’

The graze of his fingers on the underside of my breast makes me shiver. It agonizingly matches his brother’s slow movement so close to my clit that all it would take would be one slight shift of my hip to get him there. ‘Please,’ I murmur against Harley’s lips. ‘Touch me.’

‘She’s impatient,’ Hunter says with amusement in his voice.

‘Shall we give her what she wants?’ Harley asks his brother. They’re talking about me as though I’m not here. I shouldn’t like it, but I do. It makes me feel outside of my body, outside of this experience, just enough for me to let go of my inhibitions.

‘Lick her,’ Hunter orders his brother.

My eyes meet Harley’s as he slides down my body, gently parting my legs, leaving my panties in place as Hunter requested. Just the first gust of his warm breath between my legs is enough to make me moan. He licks me through the lace, the pressure teasing but not enough. I need the rasp of his tongue over my bare clit and his fingers moving inside me to get close to where I want to go.

‘Look at me,’ Hunter growls. He takes my face in his hand and forces me to gaze into his eyes while Harley works to pleasure me. It’s as though he wants to see every tiny reaction, every twitch of bliss, every eye-roll of ecstasy. When I moan again, he presses his lips to mine, capturing my reaction to himself.

‘Pull her panties to the side,’ Hunter says. ‘Spread her open. I want to see.’ Again, Harley does his brother’s bidding. The scrap of lace between my legs is tugged away, and my pussy is spread open, thighs forced as wide as they will go. Hunter slides off the edge of the bed to where his brother is gazing at my pussy like it’s the center of the universe. ‘Can she take us?’

Harley sucks on his fingers one by one, then starts to work them inside me. I’m wet. Wet enough to take everything he has to give. I’d tell them, but my voice is strangled by arousal, and I’m enjoying them testing me out. When he pushes in the fourth of his thick, long fingers, the stretch is so delicious that I grip the sheets and throw my head back.

‘She can take us,’ Harley tells Hunter, and there’s a smile in his voice that makes me want to laugh out loud. I’m doing this. We’re doing this. This crazy idea that I laughed at, we’re really trying to see if it can work.

‘We’ll give it to her slow.’ Hunter’s fingers trail up the inside of my thighs, pushing inside me, into the place his brother’s fingers have just left. ‘Would you like that, Maggie?’

I nod, my eyes rolling as he pumps into me, a precursor to what we’re all imagining is going to come next. Then, as I watch these gorgeous twins, they whisper something to each other. I’m expecting Hunter to go first. He’s the one making all the decisions, it seems. He’s the impatient one. But he doesn’t. Instead, Harley comes to lie on the bed next to me, propped up by the pillows. He pushes his underwear down, freeing his cock, which is big enough to make my eyes water. Oh my God. No wonder they were worried that I’d struggle to take them. I thought Justin had a lot going on, but this is just ridiculous. One cock that big would be daunting, but two… as Hunter strips off too, I’m treated to what feels like double-vision perfection.

‘I want you to be in control,’ Hunter says, trailing his hand over my hip and thigh. ‘I think you should be, the first time.’

Harley reaches over to stroke over my breasts. ‘Come sit in my lap,’ he says softly. ‘You get to set the pace.’

Oh God. I know they’re trying to be thoughtful. Maybe they’re worried about going too hard and hurting me. Maybe they’ve experienced that in the past, and this is what they do to prevent it. But this isn’t making anything easier for me. I’m not knowledgeable about sex. I’ve had limited experience with Justin, who liked everything a certain way, and I just went along with it. They’re asking me to get up on Harley’s lap, fully naked, and do all the work. I just don’t know if I can do it.

But I have to. I want to know what it’s like to be with these men in the way they desire. I want to push my boundaries and feel what Danna experienced that has kept her happy with ten men. I scramble to my knees, watching with wide eyes as Harley uses his big hand to stroke his cock. He’s watching me, his eyes caressing my body languidly. As I get closer, he tugs my right leg over him, so I’m straddling his thighs. There’s so much of him, and I’m not a tall girl, so my hips ache with the stretch.

‘That’s it,’ Hunter says. He kneels behind me, his hands stroking my curves, his mouth moving down the bumps of my spine. ‘Take his cock… stroke your pussy with it.’

I do as he asks. The first touch of Harley’s cock is like fire against my palm, and I’m not sure how it can be so hard and so smooth at the same time. He’s slick across the tip, and the idea that I’m sliding his wetness into mine is so hot that I shiver. I push my hips forward, probing myself, stroking the round head of his cock over my clit, through my labia, and to my entrance. Oh God, he feels so big.

Hunter’s hand comes around me, sliding over my belly, his finger finding my clit. He strokes slowly, mesmerizingly, as I lower myself down onto Harley, and it’s as though his finger has the power to help me stretch, to take his brother deeper and deeper.

Harley’s eyes are closed, a deep furrow between his brow as I settle onto his lap, all the time, Hunter’s finger is stroking and stroking and stroking. ‘That’s it, Maggie. Ride him,’ he whispers against my ear.

Harley’s hands grip the headboard behind him, his triceps bulging with the effort of restraint. His whole gorgeous chest is stretched out before me, pectorals tensed, abdominals rippling. I rest my hand there, wanting to feel his muscles, needing to ground myself. Hunter’s hands grip my hips. ‘Move slowly,’ he says, and I let my body rock in the motion he’s suggesting, grinding back and forth. It’s hard to move because I’m so stuffed, but with each sway, my clit grinds against Harley.

Once Hunter is sure I’m happy with the rhythm, he moves his hands to cup my breasts from behind. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he says, breath gusting over my ear as he tugs on my nipples. ‘Look at my brother. Look at what you’re doing to him.’

And I do. I can’t take my eyes off Harley. His expression is a crazy mixture of pleasure and pain, his whole body taut. I wonder if he’s holding himself that way so that he doesn’t move. The idea of him fucking into me from beneath is so hot, but maybe he’s worried about going too deep. As it is, I can moderate how far I slide down his length. It’s definitely not all the way to the bottom.

I keep undulating, throwing my head back as the crazy link between my nipples and clit is ignited. ‘That’s it,’ Hunter growls. ‘That’s it. You’re going to make him come.’

And I feel it deep inside me. The swelling of Harley’s cock as he gets closer. Hunter’s fingers slide down my spine, making me shudder until they rest over my taint. I want to wriggle away, to tell him that it’s too naughty, too forbidden to touch me there, but I’m too overwhelmed with sensation. As he strokes and strokes, I jerk, my pussy clamping down on Harley as I come and come and come. And he does, too, pulsating inside me, gripping the headboard so hard it looks like he could splinter the wood.

‘Oh!’ I shout, back arching until I’m resting against Hunter. His lips find my extended throat, suckling the soft skin there. ‘You did it, baby,’ he says softly. ‘You did so good.’

I’m too boneless to move, but Hunter’s ready for his turn. As though I weigh nothing, he eases me off Harley’s cock and turns me, so I’m straddling his lap. His knees are still bent, so I’m higher this time, and he’s upright so as he aligns me with his cock and pushes into my slick pussy, I’m pressed tightly against his body. Rubbing my nose with his, he smiles. There had been a little frisson of fear in my heart that Hunter would be rough with me. He’s so controlling, so demanding, that it would have fit his MO, but he’s not. His smile is warm, and when he leans in to inhale against my neck, all I feel is an overwhelming sense of bonding with this man. I’m his mate and there for him to possess in the most primal way.

This time, he doesn’t need to urge me to move. I grab hold of his shoulders and grind against him, loving how slick I am from Harley’s cum, loving that Hunter can feel what his brother has done to me. He kisses me deeply, hands on my back, holding me close. The bed shifts behind us, and Harley is there, his hands stroking my ass and hips, over my thighs and stomach. His mouth finds the most sensitive spot on my neck, and he licks my skin possessively. ‘See how perfect you are for us,’ Harley whispers in my ear. ‘See how well we fit. It’s gonna be like this with all our brothers, you’ll see. They’ll show you what it’s like to be owned by eleven men. We’ll show you how good it is to be ours.’

Eleven men.

Just the thought of the other men on the other side of the door sends my head spinning. Two men, I can handle, but eleven seems totally unfathomable.

‘Fuck,’ Hunter says from beneath me. His hips are moving, thighs clenching as he matches the push and pull of my hips. Harley’s finger finds my clit, which is still slick from his release and swollen to the point of pain.

‘You’re going to come again,’ he says with so much certainty that, despite how wrecked I feel, I actually believe him. I think these men could tell me anything right now, and I’d believe it.

‘That’s it!’ Hunter shouts, ‘Don’t stop!’ And I can’t because I’m so close that my movement has become something involuntary. My orgasm is whip-fast, a white-hot burst that steals my breath. Hunter’s is deep and long and intense, his cock pulsing as he crushes me against him.

I’m boneless and mindless when he finally finishes and sets about laying me back on the bed to rest. Someone retrieves a towel to clean me between my legs, then they lie on either side of me, finding a blanket to cover us all.

What happens next is nothing like I’m expecting. With Justin, he’d always find a reason for us to get up and then for me to leave. Harley and Hunter settle in next to me for what transpires to be cuddle time. I’m not used to physical affection. I’m not used to relishing the strength of a man’s body at rest. They ask me questions; silly things like my favorite color and flavor of ice-cream. They tell me it’s their birthday next week and all about the silly traditions my dad had to celebrate. And I find myself relaxing in their presence and relishing everything about these two amazing brothers.

And for the first time, a glimmer of hope that this could really work blooms inside me.