He also made the rest of her body come alive. Her nipples were hard points and her clit was swollen, making her feel restless.
It seemed like forever before he released her lips. Just her lips. Not her body.
“Way to make us all look bad, Ledger,” Gatlin stated.
“Told you he’d make you beg,” Nile pointed out.
“Can someone explain why my sister gets four men today and I get none?” Ariel whined.
Ledger held Layla’s gaze through their teasing. His smile was infectious. “Happy?”
She nodded.
“Good.” He gave her butt a squeeze and released her, taking her hand in his. “My turn to hold hands. Let’s get moving.”
Layla was speechless as she somehow found a way to put one foot in front of the other and let Ledger guide her through the dark night toward their destiny.
For a long time, he let her be alone with her thoughts, which she appreciated. He’d knocked her off her feet, that was for sure. But Nile was right again; it wasn’t that she could compare their kisses. Each of them had their own style. None better than the other. Comparing and choosing had never been her goal. Her goal had been to see if they had chemistry, and the answer was yes.
Seems like an important hurdle. To her at least. She might not know who the heck she was all of the sudden, but some of her concerns eased.
She learned something else at the same time. The men didn’t have jealousy or animosity. That was important to her. The other two had joked about Ledger’s apparent dominance, but they’d only been kidding around.
She spent the next hour or so with Ledger, learning as much as she could about him. He was constantly paying attention to their surroundings, guiding her around rocks or over stumps. He set his hands on her hips and lifted her over something more than a few times.
Ledger liked to keep her close, though so far all of them had when they’d been near her. They were protective, kind, observant, and fun.
Yes, they were fun. All of them. She could tell they could be serious when life called for it, but they could be jovial and silly when appropriate too.
It should’ve been awkward that Ariel was along for this strange ride. But Layla was glad. Her sister’s presence meant she could later bump heads with her and do a good mental health check. Ariel would tell Layla if this entire thing was ludicrous. She would be honest.
As Ledger passed Layla to Gatlin, everyone shifted positions. No one ever left Ariel unattended. They kept her just as safe as Layla without all the hand-holding and groping.
Gatlin held Layla’s hand like the others had, but she found that he was partial to setting his palm on her hip, keeping her close to his body. He liked to speak to her with his mouth an inch from hers. And he kissed her often in between sentences, enough to make her feel the same growing connection that she had with each of them.
After a few hours, Ariel looked exhausted and Layla’s legs were tired.
“There’s a small lean-to up ahead. We’ll stop and rest for a few hours,” Gatlin called to the others.
When they reached the partial shelter, Layla dropped to her butt with a groan. Nile sat next to her and encouraged her to lie down and rest, her head on his lap.
Ariel leaned her cheek on her pack and closed her eyes. “A nap…” she mumbled. “I promise I’ll be fine after a nap…”