Chapter 183
Chapter 183
Emily's POV
I turned my head, still pinned under Mason's weight, and saw both Ethan and Alex staring at us with identical expressions of shock and outrage.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Alex demanded, his voice strangled. "We're in the middle of a discussion—"
"You were arguing," Mason corrected, not slowing down for even a second. His voice was calm, almost serene, like he was commenting on the weather. "There's a difference."
Ethan looked at Alex. Alex looked at Ethan.
"He's so fucking calculating," they said in unison, and the sheer disbelief in their voices would have made me laugh if I wasn't already too far gone.
Mason's rhythm never faltered. He kept moving, kept working me higher, and I felt the climax rising fast and overwhelming. My nails scraped down his back, my thighs tightening around his hips, and he made this low, pleased sound that sent me over the edge.
I came hard, my whole body locking up around him, and through the rushing in my ears I could hear Ethan and Alex still arguing in the background—this time about Mason and his underhanded tactics—and Mason's quiet, breathless laughter as he buried his face in my neck.
It was so absurd, so perfectly ridiculous, that I felt a wave of pure affection crash over me. This was my life. These were my people. They fought over me, schemed around each other, and loved me with an intensity that should have been terrifying but instead felt like the safest thing in the world.
Mason pulled out carefully, and I watched through half-lidded eyes as he reached for something on the nightstand. It took me a second to realize what it was.
A condom wrapper.
"Wait," I said, my brain still sluggish from the orgasm. "Did you just—"
"I told you before," Mason said, tying off the condom and disposing of it in the small trash can by the bed. "I don't need to be the biological father. I'm not interested in putting you through that."
Alex's voice was flat with disbelief. "Where the hell did you even get that? We haven't used those in months."
Mason shrugged, settling back on his heels. "You two were talking about the baby thing last week. I figured I should be prepared." He glanced at me, his expression softening. "Just in case."
Ethan and Alex stared at him, then at each other, and I could see the exact moment the realization hit them both.
They'd been played.
Thoroughly.
I should have felt bad for them. I should have at least pretended to be annoyed on their behalf.
Instead, I started laughing.
It bubbled up from somewhere deep in my chest, uncontrollable and bright, and I flopped back against the pillows, covering my face with my hands. My whole body shook with it, and I heard Mason's quiet chuckle joining mine, and then—after a beat—Ethan's reluctant snort.
"Okay," I finally managed, lowering my hands and grinning at the ceiling. "Okay, you two. Have you figured it out yet, or do I need to flip a coin?"
The mood shifted instantly.
Ethan and Alex both moved at once, their competitive instincts snapping back into place. I saw them jockeying for position, saw Ethan's hand shoot out to grab my hip while Alex tried to wedge himself in from the other side.
But Ethan was faster.
Years of training and split-second reaction times gave him the edge, and he slid into place above me before Alex could block him, his knees bracketing my hips and his hands braced on either side of my head. He looked down at me, his eyes bright with triumph and something deeper, something that made my chest ache.
"I love you," he said, and then he kissed me, hard and claiming.
Alex made a frustrated noise beside us, but he didn't try to shove Ethan out of the way. Instead, he shifted closer, his hand settling on my breast, his thumb brushing over my nipple in slow, deliberate circles. His mouth found the side of my neck, teeth grazing the sensitive skin there, and I shivered.
"This doesn't mean you won," Alex muttered against my throat, but there was no real heat in it.
Ethan pulled back just enough to smirk at him. "Pretty sure it does."
I reached up and cupped Ethan's face, drawing his attention back to me. "Stop gloating and fuck me already."
His grin widened, and then he was moving, his hand sliding between my legs to make sure I was ready. I was—more than ready, still slick and sensitive from Mason—and when he pushed inside me, slow and steady, I felt the air leave my lungs in a rush.
This was different from Mason. Ethan filled me in a way that felt inevitable, like his body was designed to fit mine, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper.
Alex's hand never stopped moving, his touch maddeningly light, and when his fingers found my clit I jerked against Ethan, a broken sound escaping my throat.
"That's it," Alex murmured, his voice dark and pleased. "Let him feel how good I can make you."
Ethan growled, his hips snapping forward, and I was caught between them, pinned between Ethan's claiming thrusts and Alex's relentless, teasing fingers. Across the room, I caught a glimpse of Mason, still sitting at the edge of the bed, watching us with that soft, satisfied smile.
He looked happy.
They all did.
And I realized, as the pleasure started to crest again, that this was what love looked like for us. Messy and complicated and absolutely unconventional, but real. So fucking real.
Ethan's rhythm shifted, going deeper, harder, and Alex's fingers pressed down just right, and I shattered again, my body arching off the bed as the orgasm tore through me.
I heard Ethan's choked gasp, felt him pulse inside me, and the knowledge that this might be it—that this might be the moment we made our first child—sent another wave of emotion crashing over me.
When the world finally stopped spinning, I found myself tangled between all three of them, their hands gentle now, soothing.
"So," I said, my voice hoarse. "I guess that's settled."
Ethan pressed a kiss to my temple. "Guess so."
Alex huffed, but his hand stayed warm on my stomach, possessive and protective.
And Mason just smiled.
This was my family. Chaotic, competitive, and completely devoted.
And I wouldn't change a single thing.