The Pact: Rebels of Ridgecrest High (Book 1)

I knew they were waiting at Jace’s. I’m not stupid; it’s why I turned the light on when I came into the room after my shower. I quickly slipped my underwear on and put on a little show. I wanted to see what would happen, and their responses didn’t disappoint.

Thank you, Victoria’s Secret.

I’m surprised that my walkie-talkie works after all these years. I’d turned it on in hopes that Jace might wanna talk to me during the week, but he never did. I’d forgotten about it and left it on the windowsill. I had my phone with me, thinking they might text. Turns out, all I needed to do for him to pick it up was show a little bit of black lace.

I hear footsteps barreling through the house and look up just in time to see Hunter burst into my room as I’m doing up the last button on my silk pajamas. He stumbles forward, and I laugh. As he rights himself, breathing hard, and takes me all in, his face falls a little at my now dressed body. It seems he really wanted to catch me here in my underwear, and that sends little bolts of pleasure to my core. I’m glad he is just as worked up as I get with him.

“How the hell did you get—”

He holds up the spare key. I reach out, snatching it from him, and he laughs.

“You were quick…I hope you’re not always that quick.” I wink before turning around and bending over to grab my oversize wool cardigan from my bed.

It’s becoming cooler at night, but I wanted to wear this outfit to bed, in front of them all. Because I know it’s sexy. And well…I’m having thoughts of the wicked variety. I want one of them to make the first move. I feel like it’s the best way if I’m not the one choosing. Because I can’t. They can all chose me.

Hunter’s fingers grip my hips and curl around them. I brace my hands on the bed to steady myself, because if I turn around, I will kiss him right now, and I can’t. I can’t make the first move. His body moves in, and he grounds his erection into my ass. I press back a little, and he moans.

He breathes out my name in a caress, and my nipples tighten as I slowly arch back to standing. His body is warm and large against my back. His hand comes around to my tummy, pulling me close to him. My breathing grows rapid, anticipation of what he’s going to do next making me tremble with need.

“God, Mila. You’re killing me. Every day, I dream of touching you like this. Feeling you like this. And now…” he whispers into my throat as I feel his tongue trace a line up the side of my throat to the shell of my ear. “Now you can feel what you do to me.” His hips buck into me harder, and I can feel how hard he is for me.

My ass presses back into his erection, and a need for him to claim me pulsates between my legs. I clamp them together, wanting and needing to be touched there. His hand on my belly starts to lower, and I can feel how wet I am. I want him to feel that too.

I hear the other two making their way up the stairs and calling out Hunter’s name. They aren’t happy that he’s still faster than them.

We separate like we’ve just been caught with our hands in the cookie jar. Hell, Hunter almost had his hand in my cookie jar.

“I wasn’t going to do that,” he murmurs.

I cock my head, and he chuckles, running his hand over the back of his neck.

“Okay that’s a lie, but I wasn’t going to do it so quickly is what I meant. I was going to talk to you first, but you got me all worked up.”

I laugh and shake my head, making my way past Hunter. I pause, looking up at him under my lashes. He looks down and licks his lips. I run my fingers down his chest, stopping right as they reach the waist band of his basketball shorts.

“Let’s watch movies.” I wink up at him, and he lets out a deep groan.

I move my fingers slowly lower to see what other reactions I can get out of him before the other two show up. He grabs my wrist before I can touch his hard cock that’s tenting in his shorts. He lets out a chuckle, shaking his head with a grin.

“Wicked girl. I can’t sit and watch movies with cum in my shorts.”

I laugh as he lets go of my wrist, and I take the few steps to my doorway to see Jace rounding the stairs. He hasn’t seen what happened, but I bet he can see the flush on my cheeks.

I grin at him. “Let’s watch movies. I picked a few good ones.”

Just before I head down the stairs, I turn back to Hunter. The heel of his hand is pressing down on his erection. He catches me looking, and I wink.

He throws his head back and lets out a pained groan.

“I’m not watching that.” Jace points to the screen where I have The Notebook lined up on Netflix.

I pout, and he shakes his head, but he has a hint of a smile he tries to hide by taking a swig from the bottle of beer I got for us. Yeah…I got beer for tonight. Not a lot, just twelve.

I said I wouldn’t drink being back here, but this is different. I feel safe with the three of them. I don’t have to worry about them taking advantage of me. Hell, I want them all to touch me, and I need a cold shower after what happened with Hunter in my room. I’m still all worked up over the way he touched me.

Asher has been apologizing to me all week over the whole hand on his junk thing. I told him to get me beer and all will be forgiven. Not that it hasn’t already been. He made a good point with his erection.

I don’t just want to be friends with my guys. I want tonight to be fun and sexy. I want us to be like old times…but with beer and a romantic movie and my little silk shorts.

I need to cool myself down. I feel hot and needy, and we haven’t even started the movie. I shuck the cardigan I put on while walking down the stairs. I was warm before putting it on, but I’d been trying to hide my reaction to Hunter from Jace.

“Okay, we can watch it,” Jace says quickly, looking at my chest.

I glance down and find my nipples hard still. I look over to Hunter and he tips his bottle of beer toward me and winks.

Jace chuckles. “You don’t play fair, Hart.”

“When did I ever play fair?” I tease back as I place a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

“When we were all your first kiss.”

It’s like a bucket of cold water washes over me. I stumble over the rug and peer at Jace. Is he bringing that up again to hurt me? Is he going to press me again about who was first?

“Really? Jace, you had to go there?” Hunter says as he comes over and glares at his friend, standing beside me in a protective stance.

Roman even comes to stand beside me, and we all look down to where Jace is perched on edge of the sofa’s arm.

Jace puts his hands up. “No, fuck. I’m just saying…ugh. I finally get it, okay? No matter the order, we all wanted to be her first kiss, and we were. She made it fair in the only way she could.”

“Okay,” I say after having a moment to process it. I’m not sure if I believe he’s truly okay with not knowing the order. But when he gives me those big, brown, pleading eyes, I smile and reach out to him.

He takes my hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I nod and hug him. He’s easier to hug from where he’s sitting, and he wraps his arms around me. He smells good, and it’s easy to forgive him.

I break away from the hug as Hunter grabs the remote and lays down on the sofa bed I pulled out earlier. I told Dad I was gonna watch movies and sleep down here. He didn’t question it. The problem is, it’s only big enough for two, and with three big football players and me, there isn’t enough room for us all.

“You sure you don’t want to watch that shades of grey movie, Mila? I heard it’s romantic too.” Hunter winks over at me, and I laugh.

“You want to watch Fifty Shades of Grey with your best friends? Are you sure?”

Roman snorts and coughs from where he sits in the armchair. The no touching rule is still in place. He didn’t hug me when he saw me before, and I wished he would. But I respect his boundaries. I will wait for him to come to me. I know he will. I just have to wait.

Jace drops on the sofa bed, and the springs make a horrible protest at his weigh.

Hunter snickers. “Fat ass, you’re too heavy. Go sit in that chair. Mila can lay here, beside me.” Hunter pats the spot between them.

Well, the lack of a spot is more like it. There’s maybe two inches of space between them, if that. I will be touching them, all night.

Not gonna say no to that. Only a crazy person wouldn’t want to be pressed between two hot guys. But I will have to keep my hands to myself.

“Okay, let me grab more popcorn and turn the light out.”

I run to the kitchen and grab another bowl of popcorn and four more beers. Then, I make my way back, clicking the light switch with my elbow on the way past it.

“Shit, Mila.” Jace moves over to help me put the beers down on the coffee table. They’re cold, and the condensation leaves my white silk wet, where I’d hugged them to my chest as I carried them. You can see my black lace through it.

Jace sees it too, and his eyes linger for an extra beat. He licks his lips, and my skin prickles at his attention. He makes a small groaning sound as he grabs my waist and hauls me over between Hunter and himself. I reach out to get the popcorn, but he presses my shoulder back.

“Stay,” he mumbles.

Halfway through the movie, I look over at Roman. He’s fast asleep. Hunter draws circles with his thumb on my bare thigh, and the touch makes my center throb. Jace has been holding my hand for the past twenty minutes, his thumb running along the pulse point in my wrist.

This isn’t how I planned tonight to go. Hell, I never really had a plan. All I know is, I want more than friendships with these guys, and I have no idea how to even broach the topic with them. Yep, I can be strong and sassy like Ella says, but telling the guys I want them all and won’t share them with other girls…yeah, I don’t have the guts to do that.

Each one means something different to me; they each fill a place in my heart. Without one or two of them, my heart won’t ever be complete. I’ve never considered dating more than one person. I always saw that as cheating. But if they all know, it would be okay, right? If they all agree.

I have no idea how to make that happen. They would have to share me, my time, my heart with two others. I roll my head toward Jace and close my eyes, taking a deep breath as I settle deeper. I’m so sleepy, I can’t fight it.

Hunter and Jace speak in whispered voices. Their deep rumbles sooth me, and I curl up tighter to Jace. My ass is up against Hunter’s hip, and I feel him run his hand over my silk shorts.

“All’s fair in love and war,” Jace says.

“There is no war, we agreed. We also have to accept that she might pick someone outside the three of us. Like Emerson,” Hunter replies.

Emerson? No, he doesn’t give me butterflies like they do.

There’s a moment of silence before Hunter speaks again.

“Who gives you butterflies, Mila?”

I tense at his words. “Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes,” they both reply, a low chuckle coming from Hunter.

“Tell us,” Jace adds.

I smile sleepily. “You.”

“Who?” they both ask, and I feel the bed jostle as they move, my warm bubble growing colder.

“Which one, Mila?” Hunter probes.

I roll onto my back and yawn and stretch. I don’t mean to. I just need to. They both groan at the movement. I can feel my pajama top ride up, exposing my bare stomach. I smile sleepily.

“You’re killing us here, babe. Which one?” Jace asks.

One of them runs their fingers over my belly, and I feel it everywhere.

I open my eyes to see them both looking down at me. Hunter’s hand is hovering over my belly. I look over to Roman. He’s not sleeping anymore—his eyes are on me.

“All of you.”