Chapter 244

Still holding me against his chest, Archer sits down on the couch. He finally releases me some, but only so much that I’m not sitting in his lap instead. His arms wrap around me like chains. I’m not against the position entirely, and he’s not hurting me. But it would be nice to do what I wanted and not be forced to.

“Archer,” I grumble. “Let me go.”

“You’ll run back to him,” Archer says with a growl. “You’ll let him fuck you.”

“I don’t know. Maybe!” Probably not now. The mood was officially ruined by Archer’s extreme and sudden jealousy. What was it with these guys? The minute I decided to lose my virginity, it was like everything changed between all of us.

Neil should have given me some kind of warning that things might turn out this way. He probably knew way back then that it would turn out like this.

Neil usually had a more level head about things. Sure, the heat of the moment was certainly intense, but the man had dealt with having silver in his shoulder for weeks and weeks, he could have handled being horny long enough to explain to me why maybe fucking him wasn’t the best idea right now.

Although, honestly, even if I knew it would be a problem, I still would have likely had sex with Neil. It had been something special in the moment, a bonding of two souls.

That can’t be tarnished, even now. Even with this whole mess.

It doesn’t take long for Beau to wrangle the other brothers and soon Beau, Neil, and Steven are all joining us. The other three are openly glaring at Archer in disapproval. Since I’m partially in the way, I can’t help but feel like the temperature in here is dropping by several dozen degrees.

“It’s time we all had a talk,” Neil says.

I sigh. They’ve already had this talk, from what I remember. And from that they seemed to all agree to share me. Now, however, since I’ve lost my virginity to Neil, that agreement seems to have flown straight out the window.

“You’re one to talk,” Archer snaps. “You’re the first one to cross the line.”

What line? How is what we were doing any less than actual penis in vagina sex? We still used hands and mouths and watched each other get off. None of this makes any sense to me. It all seems so asinine, so juvenile.

I’m not some toy that they get to pass around. I’m a living, breathing, thinking person. Maybe it’s past time I remind them of that.

“Chloe asked me to cross the line, so I did,” Neil says. “I don’t regret it.”

“Then you can’t be mad when others get to,” Beau tells him. “Like me, for instance.” He turns his sharp glare on Asher. “You can’t just swoop in and steal her away when I’m moments from sealing the deal!”

I rub at my forehead with hand thumb and forefinger. This really is so ridiculous.

Even Steven, despite what he said earlier, seems caught up in it. “Why don’t we all back off for a while?”

“Or,” I shout, claiming their attention. When I have it, I return my voice to a normal tone. “You let me make my own decisions about who I want to fuck and when?”

“Who?” Archer growls. I can feel his chest vibrate against my back and I know I screwed up. “Who else would you fuck but the four of us?”

“No one,” I correct immediately. “But you are acting like even that is something that needs to be negotiated between the four of you, like it has nothing to do with me!” My frustration was peaking, I struggled to hold in my rage. “Need I remind you that I am in a relationship with exactly none of you?”

They’re quite a moment. Steven looks down. Neil frowns somewhat. Beau is shaking his head like that doesn’t matter. I can’t see Archer as we are, but I imagine he’s glaring as per usual.

“In fact,” I go on. “Up until a couple of days ago, you were all content in never seeing me again!”

Now, I find three pairs of eyes looking at me in disbelief.

“Nanny,” Beau says. “You know that was never true.”

“Do I?” I snap. “You guys sure acted like you wanted me gone. And now what, I’m supposed to believe that you all actually are fighting over who gets to have me? I don’t buy this for a second.”

“I’ve made it clear that I want you,” Neil says.

“So have I,” Archer says, adding a growl to his words.

“I’m trying,” Beau says, “If I would stop getting cock-blocked.”

I rub my forehead again. They aren’t listening to me at all. Too soon, the conversation devolves into growls and the same familiar arguments again and again, like they’re all stuck on some kind of broken record player.

Only Steven gives me a sympathetic look and a sad sort of smile. Even that devolves, however, when Beau starts talking about making some kind of sex schedule to make sure everyone gets equal turns.

“That’s it!” I shout. I elbow Archer in the gut so he’ll release me, then I hop to my feet. I give my own fierce glare to each and every one of them before shouting, “I’m done having sex with all of you!”

Everyone goes very still. Each of them look at each other and then at me. All of their expressions are carefully blank, like they can’t quite decide how to process my words.

Yeah, well. Get in line.

There’s a long moment where no one even twitches.

Then, Neil’s phone rings.

“Ignore it, Neil,” Beau grumbles. “Did you hear what she said? This is fucking serious.”

Neil takes out his phone, maybe to turn off the ringer, maybe not. But when he sees the name on the screen, he just stares at it.

Archer is immediately standing up behind me. He sidesteps me and walks to the phone.

“Who is it?” Steven asks. I’m curious about that too.

Slowly, Neil turns the phone around. The text on the screen reads, Alpha King.

Not Dad. Not even his first name.

His title.

What the hell kind of delinquent ass father has his kids call him by his work title?

Though I guess I already knew some of the answer to that. Alpha King Hayes has not impressed me in the past with any of his behaviors and actions. The man I’d seen on the television screen was an illusion hiding the monster he was under his public persona.

The Hayes brothers, his sons, know the truth of it. Carrie does too. I’m learning.

Beau’s face goes pale. Steven’s expression falls.

Archer comes to my side, grabs me by the arm, and says, “Be as silent as the grave. If he knows you’re here, we’re fucked.”

I nod, already silent, indicating that I understand.

Neil turns the phone back toward him. He takes a slow, steadying breath, and then hits accept. He clicks a button and places the call on speakerphone. He holds it out so it is an equal distance between all of us.

“Father,” Neil says.

“Neil. It’s good to hear your voice, son.”