And Then There Were Four by Lilith Carrie

It was an amazing idea, but at the same time, I felt so unsure of it all.

“What’s on your mind, Ivy?” Hale whispered from behind me, pulling me closer to him as he wrapped himself around my body.

Yet, even through the chaos that was my life, I couldn’t stop my swirling emotions.

“Are you going to hide what you have with me like James does?” I asked softly, curious to know if Hale would be the same way James had been.

“Never. I don’t care what Damian has to say, and if I have to move in here with you to show him that, then I will.” He chuckled, kissing the back of my neck. His words made me smile, and a giggle escaped me as I rolled over to face him.

“You would move out here with me—”

A smile crossed his lips as he leaned in kissing me, “I would move mountains for you.”

“Hale.” A voice called from out in the living room, causing my eyes to widen. I wasn’t sure who it was, but it didn’t sound like Damian. At least I didn’t think it did. Hale simply smirked at me before sighing and climbing off the bed.

“Talon, you didn’t want to join us?”

The teasing sound in Hale’s voice made me sigh. He was purposely trying to tease his brother, and Talon didn’t seem like the type of man to be enthusiastic about something like that.

I had known for some time that eventually I would get to sleep with both of them, but they were going to allow me to decide when I wanted that to happen. That was the wonderful thing about Hale– he wouldn’t make me be forced into something.

I watched as Talon stepped into the doorway of the room. His well defined upper half on full display due to his lack of shirt with glistening beads of sweat dripping down his chest. I was fixed on him, and the sight itself was a turn on.

Laying with a sheet covering half of my body, I smiled at Talon as his eyes fell upon me naked on the bed. “Talon–”

“Go figure.” He mumbled, shaking his head and turning away from me. I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but my heart broke with the look Talon had given me. Had I honestly done something wrong?

“Dude, what is your problem?” Hale replied following his brother, my footsteps quickly following behind him as I walked into the living room to spot the two men talking.

“Damian is looking for you. You may want to get back before he comes here.”

“Okay–” Hale replied as if he didn’t care. “What does that have to do with you being rude to, Ivy? Go figure?”

Talon’s face was void of emotion, “I don’t have time for this. Damian needs you and James to take care of an issue with an ally. You need to go meet him, but I am sure he will smell Ivy all over you so figure something out.”

Hale hesitated for a moment before turning back to face me. I knew that Talon was right, and even though Hale said he wouldn’t keep me a secret– it wasn’t truthful.

“I have to go.” He replied softly as Talon turned and left my home, slamming the door behind him. “I’m sorry, Ivy—”

I hushed him quickly, and smiled. “It’s okay. I understand.”

In all honesty, I didn’t understand one bit.

I didn’t understand how I could have four amazing men in my life, and yet I was stuck playing dirty little secrets while trying to focus on school. There were a lot of things that I could do to change the outcome of my situation, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to risk the chance of losing Hale or James.

“I hate that I am having to do this after I promised you I wouldn’t.”

There was nothing but sincerity in Hale’s words, and as I closed the distance between us, I leaned up, planting a soft kiss upon his lips. “Sometimes in life we have to do things we don’t want to, to make sure the ones we care for are safe.”

The movie quote made him smile, and with another breathless moment, he stole a kiss from me before turning and quickly leaving. Being alone wasn’t something that was new to me. For the longest time, I had been alone even if I wasn’t physically alone.