These Wondrous Moments (Fates)

8. Ellis

Ellis

I close my eyes, tipping my head back and letting the sun bathe my skin. The salty wind whips strands of my hair around my face. And the sound of crashing waves brings a smile to my lips. I made sure to wake up early enough to see the ocean in the daylight hours. And the perk of that is getting to watch the sunset.

Sand crunches next to me, and I open my eyes to find Sterling sitting in the sand next to my towel. He leans over, resting his hand behind my back and I lean into him, the motion effortless. A year ago, I never would have been able to do that. My body would have locked up. My heart would have frozen. And my lungs would have seized. Now, I don’t feel complete unless one of my guys is with me.

“Cade is making you coffee,” he murmurs, brushing his lips against my temple.

I hum contentedly, and watch the waves crash on the shore. Silence falls between us, and the sound of the ocean soothes something inside me. When Cade sits on my other side, he hands me an iced coffee, and the three of us watch the sun sink lower to the horizon. The vibrant oranges, pinks, and purple stain the sky and reflect off the water. It’s breathtaking, and I’ve never seen anything quite so beautiful.

“Thank you,” I breathe into the silence. Both of the guys look at me, so I continue. “Thank you for everything.” I have to swallow past the lump in my throat that forms at the mere thought of everything these guys have done for me. “You guys saved me. You have given me my life back and so much more. I …”

Cade gently turns my face to his. His violet eyes are beautiful in the sunset. “Never thank us for that, love. We did it gladly, and would do it again.” He kisses me softly, and my throat burns with unshed tears.

“You’re our entire world, kitten,” Sterling says, brushing his fingers down my arm. “We would do anything for you. And we always will.”

I look away, not wanting them to see the emotion that bubbles inside me at their words, but I know they know. We’re all so in tune with each other, it’s impossible to not know.

We watch the rest of the sunset in silence. I only wish Kai was with us, but sunrise and sunset are the hardest on him. When it’s almost too dark to see, Sterling helps me to my feet, and we head back inside.

The condo is right on the beach. The large patio doors open to the sand and ocean beyond. The bed—big enough for all of us—is positioned to see the view from the windows. The curtains are closed now, though, to keep the sun out. But with the darkness outside, we leave the doors open and Cade tugs open the curtains.

Kai is laying in the massive bed alone. He’s awake but only just barely. He looks at me sleepily, his black hair mussed. I climb into bed with him and snuggle against his side. His arms come around me and hold me tight.

“How’s the view?” he asks, voice rough with sleep.

When we arrived it was the middle of the day. We hurried to the condo, and because we’re all so used to sleeping at night, we passed out immediately.

“Beautiful,” I say, kissing his chest. “The sunset was gorgeous. I wish you could have seen it.”

He hums and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “That’s okay. I get to see something even more beautiful every day.”

A fake gagging noise draws my attention, and I look up to find Cade bending over and pretending to vomit. “So gross,” he mutters.

“You’re just jealous I said that about Ellis and not you,” Kai retorts.

Cade glares at us and walks away, leaving me giggling. “So, what’s the plan for today?” I ask snuggling back down with Kai.

“This,” he says. “Laying in bed with you.”

I think that sounds wonderful. But Cade and Sterling have a different idea. They come back to the bedroom, both of them wearing swim trunks. My gaze snags on their muscled torsos and gets stuck.

Kai prods me in the side. “You’re drooling on me.”

“Am not,” I mutter, but I make sure to close my mouth.

Sterling tosses a bathing suit toward me, and I stare at it sprawled on the bed. “I took it upon myself to buy you a new swimsuit. I’m sure that one piece looked adorable on you, but…”

My cheeks heat and I duck my head against Kai’s chest. “Stop making fun of me.”

The bed dips as Cade flops down next to Kai, getting in my face. “It was very cute, but this is so much better.” He grins, then tugs Kai’s head around to kiss him roughly. “You too, loverboy. We’re going swimming.”

The bathing suit Sterling picked out fits perfectly. I have no idea how he does it, but he never fails when he buys me clothes. And I always love everything he picks out for me. The top is leopard print with thin adjustable straps. The entire thing ties in between my breasts with a bow. The bottoms are simple black, but they also tie on the sides. I have a feeling those ties will be pulled tonight and the suit removed.

All three guys are already on the beach when I exit the condo. The sand is still warm under my feet from the sun beating down on it all day, but when I dig my toes in deeper, it’s cool and wet. It squishes between my toes as I make my way to the guys. There’s a large cabana bed on the beach with curtains that can be untied to block the sun. I set my towel on it and put my hands on my hips.

“Does this pass your approval?” I ask, raising one brow.

All three guys stare at me with hungry gazes. Cade steps up to me and wraps his hands around my waist. “Fucking perfect,” he mutters against my neck, making my toes curl in the sand.

Kai laughs and wades into the ocean, bracing himself against the waves as they crash against him. He dives under a swell, popping up on the other side and spraying salt water as he shakes his hair from his face.

“Let’s go.” Sterling takes my hand and tugs me forward.

The water is warm as it swirls around my calves. The current pushes and pulls as the waves crash onto the shore then recede. Sterling sweeps me into his arms and carries me further out into the ocean. I cling to him, hesitant about the dark waters around us, a slight fear of what’s swimming around me unknown, making my skin prickle.

“Don’t worry,” he whispers in my ear, making me shiver for an entirely different reason. “You’ll be fine.”

He sets me down in waist deep water but keeps his hands on my waist. Behind me I hear a yelp, and I whirl around to see Cade emerge from the water, spluttering and wiping his face.

“Fucking vampire,” he growls, searching the dark water. Without any warning, he disappears again, another yelp getting cut off as his head sinks below the surface.

Kai pops up, grinning maniacally, his fangs glinting in the moonlight. A look of pure shock crossing his features as Cade rises from the water, tackling him from behind and pushing his head under.

“Two can play that game,” Cade says breathlessly.

I lean back into Sterling’s arms and watch Cade and Kai take turns shoving each other underwater. Kai’s curses are sharp and imaginative, and I find myself laughing more than I have in a long time. For all Kai’s supernatural grace, Cade manages to get the upper hand on him quite a few times.

Sterling’s fingers trace idle patterns on my stomach, and his chest rumbles with laughter as we watch the boys. “It’s nice finally being able to let our guards down a little bit,” he says quietly.

I smile at the ‘little bit’ comment because I know with them, their guard will never be totally down. “It still seems like a dream to me sometimes. Like I’ll wake up and realize none of it’s real. It doesn’t seem possible I could be allowed this much happiness.”

Sterling’s arms tighten around me and he kisses my shoulder right where it meets my neck. “It’s not a dream, kitten. And you deserve all of the happiness and then some. And we’ll do everything in our power to keep it that way.”

Cade jumps on Kai’s back, and Kai somehow manages to keep his balance and not be pushed under. Maybe he was letting Cade win all those times. The thought makes me giggle, almost as much as the way the tension between the two of them sparks to life. Cade’s grip around Kai’s chest loosens, his hands trailing over Kai’s smooth skin while his head drops to Kai’s neck.

Heat builds in my belly, and Sterling clearly senses the shift in me. He nips at my earlobe, growling low in his chest. “Are you watching them, kitten?” His fingers dip into the waist of my bikini bottom.

“Yes,” I breathe, eyes glued to my two guys.

“Tell me what you see.”

I open my mouth to say something, but his finger slides to my core, and a gasp escapes my lips. He pauses, clearly waiting for me to speak before doing anything else. “I see Cade kissing Kai’s neck.” The finger moves lower, gathering my arousal and sliding back up to my clit, then pausing. “Cade’s hand is in Kai’s pant—” I break off with a gasp as Sterling’s finger circles my clit.

“Don’t stop,” he growls.

“Kai’s head is … is tipped back and … and he’s biting his bottom lip.”

Sterling’s finger flicks over my clit making me whimper and my hips jerk. I lose my train of thought as every bit of my focus narrows to what he’s doing to me. At least until he stops, waiting expectantly for me to continue.

“Cade is in front of Kai now, and … and. Fuck, Sterling,” I breathe, rolling my hips as he slips two fingers inside of me.

Sterling growls, the sound vibrating against my back. “I’m pretty sure I’m not there, kitten. Keep describing what they’re doing.”

I suck in a breath and try to clear my head, but it’s impossible with Sterling fucking me with his fingers. “They’re kissing, and oh gods, it’s so hot.” I grab Sterling’s wrist and try to rub the heel of his hand against my clit, but he’s too strong.

“Do you want to be in the middle of them?” he asks, voice low and seductive. His breath fans over my neck a second before he licks up the side of my throat. “Do you want them to worship you while they fuck each other?”

I whimper at the picture his words conjure in my mind. Being in the middle of them, with Sterling giving orders and letting all of us be able to just let go, is something I will never, ever, get tired of.

“That’s not an answer, kitten.” He bites my earlobe making my core clench around his fingers. He chuckles darkly and withdraws from my body before bringing his fingers to his mouth and sucking my pleasure from them. A low growl rumbles in his chest. “Call them to you. Let them know you want them.”

I call Kai’s name first, because with his supernatural hearing, I know he’ll hear me. But my voice is breathy and it doesn’t carry far enough. Without warning, Sterling pinches my nipple through my swimsuit top, and I gasp loudly. That get’s Kai’s attention and he snaps his head in my direction. He mutters something to Cade and they both grin before wading to me.

Kai grabs me around the waist and throws me over his shoulder, smacking my ass hard and making me squeal. With my hands on his low back, I push my head up and look at Cade and Sterling as they follow us to the shore. Their gazes are dark and glued to me, desire obvious in their expressions. Just seeing how much they want me makes me crave them even more. I love having this kind of power over such badass men. Knowing they can kill someone in the blink of an eye, yet worship me with those same bloody hands is exhilarating.

The world spins as Kai drops me, and my stomach rises to my throat until I crash onto the cabana bed. All three guys stand over me as I scoot back, slowly discarding their bathing suits, and the sight makes my mouth water and my core heat.

Kai looks at Sterling with an expectant raised brow, his piercing catching the light from the moon. “What would you have us do?” His voice is low and dark, promising wicked things to come.

Sterling’s smile is just as wicked. “Make her squirm.”