Chapter 91
Emily's POV
We stayed like that for another few minutes, none of us willing to break the moment despite the growing discomfort of remaining connected. Eventually though it became unavoidable. Alex pulled out first, slowly and carefully, and I couldn't suppress the small whimper that escaped at the sensation. The emptiness felt wrong after being so completely filled, my body protesting the loss even though I was exhausted and oversensitive.
Ethan followed, easing me off him gently before rolling to the side to deal with the condom. The bed shifted as he got up and I felt suddenly cold and exposed lying there alone, my body still trembling slightly, thighs sticky with the evidence of what we'd just done.
But Alex was there immediately, wrapping around me from behind and pulling me back against his chest. His hand came up to cup my breast in a casual, possessive gesture, fingers idly playing with my nipple in a way that was more soothing than arousing. I leaned into him gratefully, letting him support my weight while my brain slowly came back online.
I heard the bathroom door open and close. Water running. Then footsteps coming back toward the bed.
Ethan reappeared, cleaned up and looking considerably more put together than either Alex or me. He sat on the edge of the mattress and without warning pried Alex's arms away from me, scooping me up and settling me in his own lap instead. His arms came around me securely, one hand cradling my head against his shoulder, the other resting on my hip.
Then he stood, lifting me with him like I weighed nothing, and carried me a few steps away from the bed.
"What are you—" I started to ask.
"Alex," Ethan said over his shoulder, his tone dry and pointed. "The sheets."
There was a beat of silence.
"Are you seriously ordering me to change the sheets right now?" Alex's voice was incredulous.
"Do you not have any fucking awareness?" Ethan shot back, adjusting his hold on me. "Look at the bed. You think she's gonna sleep in that?"
I glanced back and felt my face heat again. He had a point. The sheets were absolutely soaked, a dark wet patch spreading across the center where we'd been tangled together moments ago.
"I was getting to it," Alex muttered, but he was already moving, hauling himself off the bed with visible reluctance.
"Sure you were," Ethan said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Right after you finished using her as a body pillow."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize there was a prescribed post-sex etiquette I needed to follow." Alex yanked the top sheet off with more force than necessary.
I couldn't help it—I laughed.
The sound came out shaky and a little bit hysterical, but genuine. Here I was being passed between them like some kind of prize they were taking turns holding, and now they were bickering over housekeeping while I was still naked and trembling in Ethan's arms.
Instead of feeling objectified I just felt... cared for. Wanted. Like both of them needed to touch me, to keep me close, to make sure I was okay after what we'd just done—even if they couldn't stop arguing long enough to coordinate properly.
Ethan's arms tightened around me and I felt him smile against my hair. "What's funny?"
"You two," I said, my voice hoarse from screaming. "Can you go five minutes without fighting? Like, except when you're actively having sex with me?"
"If he did things right the first time I wouldn't have to say anything," Ethan replied, but there was no real heat in it.
"Oh fuck off," Alex said, wrestling with the fitted sheet. "You try thinking clearly after that and see how well you manage basic tasks."
"I managed fine."
"Because you left the room, asshole."
"Exactly. I had enough presence of mind to clean up instead of just collapsing and making it Emily's problem."
I shook my head, pressing my face against Ethan's shoulder to muffle another laugh. "You're both ridiculous."
"He started it," Alex muttered, finally getting the clean sheet smoothed over the mattress. "There. Satisfied?"
"Passable," Ethan said, but he was already moving toward the bed, still carrying me in his arms. He settled onto the fresh sheets carefully, adjusting me in his lap so I was curled against his chest, one hand cradling my head against his shoulder while the other rested possessively on my hip.
I'd barely had time to sink into his warmth when the mattress dipped beside us.
Alex's hands were on me immediately, tugging me away from Ethan and pulling me into his own arms instead. "My turn," he said, wrapping around me from behind and burying his face in my hair.
"Seriously?" Ethan's voice was flat with disbelief.
"What? You got to carry her. I get to hold her now."
I couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled up, even though it came out breathless and slightly hysterical. "Oh my god, you two are literally fighting over who gets to cuddle me like I'm a teddy bear."
"You're warmer than a teddy bear," Alex pointed out, his arms tightening around me, chin hooked over my shoulder. The grin in his voice was entirely unrepentant.
"And softer," Ethan added, his hand stroking up and down my spine.
I shook my head but didn't protest, too comfortable and too exhausted to do anything except sink into Alex's embrace and let myself be held while they continued their ridiculous back-and-forth. My body ached in places I'd never been sore before, my mind was still struggling to comprehend what had just happened, and I had absolutely no idea how we were supposed to navigate this situation going forward.
But for the first time in days, I didn't feel that familiar twist of self-loathing in my gut. That voice that usually whispered I was broken, damaged, wrong for wanting what I wanted, for needing what I needed. It was quiet now. Silenced by the weight of their arms around me, by the care in every touch, by the ridiculous normalcy of them bickering over who got to hold me.
I felt... satisfied. Whole. Like some piece of me that had been missing or bent out of shape had finally clicked back into place.
The words came out before I could stop them, quiet and raw. "I never thought I could have this much."
Ethan's arms tightened around me from behind. "Have what?"
"Happiness," I said simply, my voice cracking slightly on the word. "I never thought I'd get to feel like this. Like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Alex's hand came up to cup my face, tilting it gently toward him. His eyes were soft, searching mine with an intensity that made my chest ache. "Emily," he said quietly. "You deserve all of it. Every bit of happiness you can hold."
"More than you know," Ethan added against my hair. His hand found mine, threading our fingers together and squeezing. "And we're not going anywhere. Either of us."
I closed my eyes, letting their words settle into me, filling up spaces I hadn't realized were empty.