Room One Hundred and Eleven (Bred By Billionaires)

11. Aiden

CHAPTER 11

Aiden

“ Y ou ever getting up?” Knox wonders from where he leans his hip against the dresser.

“Not until she does.” I nuzzle Poppy’s thick hair and snuggle closer, if that’s possible.

I’m stealing every cuddle possible before this is over. Usually I find myself sandwiched between Carter and Knox, which is great. All that hard, hot muscle.

But our beauty is soft and extra huggable.

She’s been out cold for nearly eleven hours.

This time, our quiet conversation seems to rouse her.

With a sigh, she buries her face in the crook of my neck and makes a snuffle of protest as she fights waking up.

Knox joins us, sitting at the edge of the mattress on her opposite side. Carter is in the other room with his laptop, taking over the world by buying and selling companies.

You know, whatever it is he does for fun.

When Knox strokes Poppy’s hair, she stirs a bit.

I’m sure she’s awake for real when all of the relaxation flees her body and she goes ramrod straight, ripping from my hold.

It was nice while it lasted.

“You’re okay, Poppy,” I croon in her ear softly, helping her remember. “It’s me, Aiden. We brought you back to your room after…making love…with you at Club Sin last night.”

Knox raises a brow at me.

What does he think it is we did with her?

Sure, we fucked her. Drenched her.

But nothing about it felt detached or purely physical.

Rather than argue, he raises his voice and calls over his shoulder, “Carter, you can have food brought in. Beauty’s up.”

“On it,” he responds before strolling into the room while tapping out a text to the executive concierge. They have our favorites on file, I’m sure.

“What time is it? Heck, what day is it?” Poppy scrubs her fists over her eyes. “Where am I again?”

I’d like to be pleased that we screwed her so senseless, yet something feels off. Even after what we shared, she shouldn’t be this out of it.

Carter must be thinking the same thing, as usual. He focuses his attention on her and frowns at her disheveled confusion. “Poppy, how much do you usually sleep?”

“Why?” She pulls away, instantly defensive.

That’s not going to make Carter let it go.

Like a dog on a scent, he tracks down the problem. “Because I’m concerned about you, and I’d like to know if your reaction to what we did last night is normal for you.”

She tips her head and blinks up at him, still without answering him directly. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not used to anyone looking after you, are you?” I draw her back to me and rock her gently.

“I fend for myself.” That’s answer enough.

Why is she on her own? How can I show her that she doesn’t have to be—if she doesn’t want to be—when there’s no way Carter is going to let me keep her? Maybe not Knox either. He’s all about spontaneity, not really anything serious, except for with me and Carter.

Carter leans in, his forearm pressing my cheek as he reaches across to rub his thumb beneath her eyes. A purple cast darkens her porcelain skin there. “Do you, though?”

“Yes. I do what I have to in order to survive. To work toward something better. I’m in nursing school during the day, and I have to pay the bills somehow. That leaves a night shift. At Gunner’s.” She shrugs.

“So when do you hit the books?” Knox asks. “I’d bet my favorite sports car you have a four-point-oh GPA.”

“I do. Some of my financial aid—loans—are contingent on my grades. I study on breaks and after work. If I do all that and try to hit the gym for some cardio at least every other day, well…”

“You’re not sleeping enough.” Carter crosses his arms.

“It’s only temporary. While I’m earning my degree.”

“Oh yeah, because nurses are known for short, easy shifts and lots of time off in their careers?” Knox snorts. “You’re going to be the first person volunteering for overtime so you can land yourself a cute house and pay off your student loans. I can see it now.”

She doesn’t argue.

“No wonder you slept so hard.” I drag my knuckles over her cheek.

“Gunner told me this weekend would be a nice break for me. A chance to rest and relax and be spoiled.” She smiles shyly up at us then. “He was right about that part. Thank you.”

“We used the hell out of you last night.” Carter’s mouth is set in a slash.

“I remember now.” She doesn’t seem upset about it either.

“Are you sore?” I wonder.

“Not any worse than after a rough workout followed by a long day of school and work.” She acts like that’s normal. Or fine by us.

Which it definitely is not.

“After we feed you, we’ll be happy to give you another massage.” Knox doesn’t bother to ask me. He knows I’m in.

After all, we still have another twenty-four hours for a repeat of last night. If she’s up for it.

I’ll do everything in my power to ensure she is.

If I only have one more chance to experience whatever the fuck that was, I’m going to take it.

“And you?” She asks, her finger skimming the edge of the bandage on my face. “How is this?”

The fact that she cares does something to my soul. Most women only give a shit about what we can do for them. Not Poppy.

“Don’t even feel it when you’re in my arms.” It’s sappy but true. I forgot all about it until she pointed it out.

A blush highlights her prettiness.

Before Carter can continue to grill her, there’s a knock at the door. Room service wheels in cart after cart laden with silver domed plates.

“What the hell did you order?” Knox chuckles at Carter going over the top. Usually, he’ll scowl at us for doing the same.

It seems all of us are mixed up and off balance around our beauty.

“Everything.” Carter shrugs. “I wasn’t sure what she liked.”

“Me?” Poppy squeaks as she takes in the options from waffles to bacon and eggs to sandwiches to braised ribs with haricots verts. “I usually have a protein shake or maybe a bowl of oatmeal. A breakfast bar from a vending machine would be fine, really.”

“Absolutely not.” Carter tips the staff generously.

While he sees them out, Knox loads up a gorgeous wooden tray with more dahlias and as many different options as he can fit on it. For a long time we’re quiet, fueling ourselves while slipping bits of our favorite dishes between Poppy’s lips.

She accepts each one hungrily. The tiny sighs and hums of delight she makes as the flavors of fresh fruit and tea burst on her tongue remind me of how she sounded last night.

We eat in peace, and a growing sense of rightness.

Only when we’re finished, the dishes picked up and all four of us entwined in a pile on the bed, do I realize that Poppy’s gone quiet.

“What are you thinking so hard about, beauty?” Carter traces her eyebrow with the tip of one finger.

“You three could have anything in the world. Why this? Why do you want this so bad?”

“Breakfast in bed?” There’s a mischievous glint in Knox’s eye.

She laughs at him but shakes her head. “You know…the breeding thing.”

“Cravings are what they are.” He shrugs, but even she must be able to see there’s more to it.

“That’s bullshit. I’ll be honest with you.” Our beauty deserves the truth. “I grew up without a relatives. An orphan. And I’d like to give a child what we have—a real family, even if it’s one we’ve made ourselves.”

She hesitates, her mouth opening then closing again.

“Spit it out.” Knox nudges her with his knee.

“I’m afraid my question is insensitive.” She glances away.

I draw her chin back so she’s staring into my eyes. “We’re not delicate. We’re the men who entered a damn contract to take your virginity. Ask.”

“Why not adopt?” She rests her forehead on mine as if letting me know it’s not a judgment but genuine curiosity. “You’ve got plenty of resources for it.”

“Would love to.” I beam, the idea alone warming me from the inside out. “But Carter wants an heir and Knox just wants the experience of messing someone up. So this is how I got them to go along with it. My evil plan is that as soon as they have the first kid, they’ll want a million more, and I can bring a bunch of babies into our lives and our hearts and our home.”

“Oh…” Is she melting right in front of me?

“You want children too?”

“Um. I haven’t really thought about it.” She shakes her head. “But no. At least not right now. Not when I have so much on my plate and can barely support myself. It wouldn’t be fair.”

We could change those things for her overnight.

“What if none of that was an obstacle?” I don’t mean to press, though I’m sure I’m being too aggressive when Carter shoots me a glare.

“No sense in dreaming. It is. Besides, parenting is so much responsibility. It’s too easy to screw it up.” Poppy swallows hard.

“Where are your mom and dad?” Knox asks what I’m thinking. “Why aren’t they helping you out?”

“Gone. Dead.” Her face goes stony and cold as she drones the response. “Dad had a grade-four glioblastoma with FGFR mutations. Cancer. An aggressive one. Less than one percent survival rate. He found out in May of the year I turned seventeen and was gone by September.”

“I’m so sorry.” I hold her tight. Sometimes I wonder if it’s better or worse that I never had folks to lose.

“That’s why you want to be a nurse so badly?” Carter rubs her thigh. He’s never the one to soothe. She’s getting to him too.

Poppy nods. “I thought about going to med school, but let’s be honest, I probably won’t make it that long under the crushing debt. Besides, I remember what a difference the nurses made. How they cared for my dad. Gave him as much dignity and comfort as possible. I might specialize in hospice.”

She’s practically a fucking saint.

“Damn.” Knox kisses her forehead. “That makes me feel like we should be doing something better with our time.”

Maybe we should be.

Maybe that’s why I want a family so badly. To do something more with what we’ve got—wealth, security, and so much love to share.

Could we also ramp up our charitable efforts?

I glance at Carter, who’s tapping away on his phone, probably already structuring a hospital in Poppy’s name.

Or her father’s.

I don’t dare pry, but Knox has no boundaries. “And your mom?”

“She had only ever been a kept woman.” Poppy shrugs. “She didn’t know anything other than being doted on, including having a nanny for me when I was young. She was engaged to some rich dude before Christmas the year my dad died. No surprise, he didn’t relish the thought of carrying my mom’s baggage. She moved on. Moved out. Told me I was practically an adult anyway. Left me the bills and no forwarding address or even a phone number.”

“We can find her,” Knox offers. “With enough time and money, no one can hide.”

Carter pinches the bridge of his nose.

He hates drama and entanglements.

“Please don’t.” Poppy winces. “That would be super awkward. I don’t need to beg for love from someone who only wants me when it’s convenient.”

I squeeze her tight and she hugs me back.

“You’d be a great mother, Poppy. I can already tell.” I sigh. “The fact that you’re not willing to rush into it tells me all I need to know.”

“If I hadn’t worked my whole life to be a nurse, to be independent and reliant on no one, I might be tempted...” She trails off. “Someday.”

For a moment, I imagine her cradling a tiny version of Knox or Carter.

She crosses then recrosses her legs before a pained expression clouds her face.

Regret? Or a more direct discomfort?

We did use her senseless last night.

It’s the last thing I want but the only thing I’m willing to consider. Giving her an early out if she needs it. “We can call it here if you’ve had enough. Do you want to relax—and be left alone—for the rest of the day?”

Poppy surprises us all when she glares. “Don’t you dare bail now. After this weekend I’m going to be ruined for other men so you might as well give me all I can take. I can recover—and sleep —when we’re done.”

I hate it because I know she won’t. She’ll go back to the grind.

Unless we can give her a reason not to. The baby that will bind us forever, even more certainly than that necklace we welded around her neck, or the orgasms we introduced her to, or Carter’s ridiculous contract.

“You heard the beauty.” Knox isn’t about to argue with her.

Even Carter groans, his hand lowering to the bulge growing in his gray sweats.

I stare at it. “You like the idea too.”

The baby stuff or just the fucking? Either way, I approve.

“We should do something about it,” Carter says.

Knox strips off his jeans before cannonballing back into our mammoth bed, breaking through the heavy discussions with his antics.

Poppy giggles and opens her arms wide enough to squash us all to her.

I wish we never had to let go.