“World record pace too, I might add. I saw the four of you in here, and my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.” He cupped her hand and slid her fingers to his lips, kissing each of them one and a time.
Her breath hitched. “Jay…”
He released her hand, slid his enormous palm to her back, and drew her closer. After staring into her eyes for a heartbeat, he closed the distance and locked his lips with hers.
Oh yeah… She’d kissed three men since him, but now she remembered what it felt like to be held by Jay, have his mouth on hers. His tongue teasing the seam of her lips.
The kiss lasted forever, and when he finally released her swollen lips, she was panting.
He kept nibbling the corners of her mouth, making her giggle. “Please tell me you got along well with my partners,” he murmured. “I assume so since they were all in my bed, fighting over you in their sleep.”
She giggled again. “I did. They each took turns talking to me during the walk. It made the time pass faster and I learned a lot about The Wanderers.”
“And you’re in our apartment in my bed, so, I have to assume you’re at least willing to give us a chance.”
“Mmm. Maybe,” she joked.
He slid his hand to her waist and tickled her, making her arch toward him and swat at his fingers while she laughed.
He stopped, but his hand rested under her tank top, his fingers touching her skin. He stroked her there, making her breath hitch, his gaze on hers. Finally, he dropped his forehead to hers and groaned.
She was breathing heavily as she leaned into him. Her body was tingling all over, her nipples hard points, her panties damp. “Jay…”
“I want to see you naked so bad, baby. I want to strip these clothes off you and kiss every inch of your body until you scream my name.”
Her chest rose and fell faster and faster, wanting to experience what he was offering.
He groaned again. “I won’t do that. Not yet. Not with your sister in the apartment and you exhausted and just having arrived and not really understanding our ways, and my partners left out of the decisions. Ugh.”
She cupped his face and met his gaze. “Hey. I want all of that too. And you’re right. We need to talk. All of us. This is important.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“I need to talk to Ariel. Take her to Ledger’s or Gatlin’s parents so she can meet their sisters and find her place in this new world. It’s going to be hard for us. We’ve never been separated. But she’s not going to want to stay here very long, subjected to our relationship discussions.”
“I get it.” He threaded their fingers together. “Understandable. I don’t want to rush you either. None of us do. We want you to be sure.”
She narrowed her gaze, a question forming. “Is there some sort of societal rule that says we can’t break up our arrangement after we’ve had sex or something? You’re all holding me slightly at arm’s length.”
He shook his head. “No. Not at all. We’re being careful with you because you’re so young and innocent. We don’t want to take that from you without you being fully invested. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“What if that’s exactly what I want? Tiptoeing around my stupid virginity makes me feel like I’m in a fragile glass house.”
He groaned yet again. “Baby, don’t tempt me. I’d like nothing more than to strip these clothes off you and slide into your warmth. But it would be disrespectful. I agree virginity is overrated and not very important in this new world, but in this case, it matters. To all of us. I know my partners would agree with me. Don’t rush it.”
She nodded. “How’d I get so lucky?”
He hauled her super close to his body again. “I’m quite certain I got lucky. Nearly swallowed my tongue when I first set eyes on you, and I’ve been choking on it ever since.” He kissed her gently, his lips lingering against hers for several moments. “We should join the others. Nile, Ledger, and Gatlin are undoubtedly pacing in the living room.”
She giggled. “It’s like you’re fighting over me. That’s a lot of pressure.”
“Don’t let it be. Always remember, you hold the power. We may be big and bossy and dominant at times, but the power is yours. We will bend to whatever you decide on nearly everything. That’s how we roll.”
She searched his gaze, knowing he was dead serious. Finally, she smiled. “Shall we put them out of their misery?”
“If we must,” he joked.