Solid Ground: Territory Walk Book 6, page 16
It feels wrong to stay here now that they’re all back together again the way they were meant to be, and we’re definitely intruding on their moment.
Lilah and her mates don’t let me get far though before her mates are pulling me in for a group hug. I meet Charlie and Jameson’s eyes over their shoulders, and they’re crying as well. I can just see so much admiration in their eyes as they look back at me, making my belly squirm with emotion.
I still feel pretty energized, so I go to the table of guys that look like they want nothing to do with me, for some reason just pulled there.
They keep staring me down as I approach, never getting friendlier. “We don’t need your help.”
“I’d like to offer it, just the same.”
They look at each other and hold a silent conversation, but it doesn’t seem to change much. “I’m sorry, we just can’t risk it. And after the last time… It took so long to calm her down. I think what you just did over there for that group looks real, but we have to protect our connector. She’s fragile.”
“I understand. How about we give you a way to contact us, and you can think about it? If you change your mind, you can call us or something, and we’ll find a time to meet up. We won't be here much longer, and I would really like to help as many people as possible.”
“You’re not planning on fixing everybody then? You're just gonna help the people you deem worthy enough? What are the qualifications for giving their magic back? Are you making money off of this?”
I can feel tension radiating from my mates behind me, but these guys seem really desperate. I can’t imagine the things they’ve been going through, so I can’t judge them for how they’re going to deal with it, or who they’re going to lash out at. “I want to help everybody, I really do. I’m just not sure yet if that’s possible. I guess I’m just kind of going where I feel called to. There’s no rhyme or reason to who I go to in what order. And I would never ask for money to return what should never have been taken in the first place. I just want to do the right thing and help families in need. That’s all.”
“Well, we don’t need you. We’ve already started over, and we’re building new memories. It might ruin everything if we let you try and it doesn’t pan out. It’s just a risk we’re not willing to take.”
“Would you please take my number? Just in case?”
One of them grabs his phone out of his pocket and swipes through a few screens before sliding it across the table to me. He’s opened up a new contact so I can enter my details. “I’ll put in the number for one of my mates as well, just in case. I won’t approach you again, and I’m sorry for bothering you.”
The guy on the right exhales heavily, rubbing his forehead. “We appreciate the offer, we really do, and I wish we could accept it, but —"
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. Really. I’m not offended at all. I respect that you’re taking care of your connector in the way that you think is best. I’ll just be going now; I hope you find healing.”
I know there are eyes on me as I walk away to greet a connector who seems a bit hyper. Her mental state is much different than Lilah’s, and she’s hanging all over one of her mates. It’s interesting how differently the magic removal process affected each of these connectors, because some of them are nearly comatose, while others seem like they’re just slightly inconvenienced.
This girl is a lot easier to help than Lilah, and it doesn’t take much coaxing to fix the little bit of magic that was taken from her. I'm guessing she had a strong barrier in place somehow, that made it so not all of her magic was taken.
I get through a few more connectors before I’m emotionally drained, and I feel like my reservoir is about empty. So after lunch we stumble back to our room intending to lay down for a bit, needing some quiet space to process everything we just went through.
Charlie
I can’t quite tell if Rory is more exhausted than she’s letting on, or if it’s just a pregnancy thing, or if she’s totally fine and I’m just overthinking it. She just spent her whole morning giving to other people, and I’m on edge about it. I know everything she’s doing is necessary, I just hate this falling on her shoulders alone. There’s not really a way for us to help her, except by supporting her and taking care of her between healing sessions.
“Come here,” I tell her, nodding my head towards the bedroom.
My bondmates were all a little too relieved to see her, and I think it’s going to take a while of us living normal lives without any threats, before we feel comfortable being separated.
Even though I’m new to the group and the two groups aren’t entirely comfortable together yet, we’re still building something big here. The trauma has bonded us, and I honestly feel like they're my home.
I dig through my bag until I find some lotion, then grab Felix and Ari. I’ve found that hanging out in smaller groups with them is a lot less overwhelming, and rotating who I hang out with seems to aid in acclimating to the new bond group.
Some of the other guys go to eat once Rory fully assures them that she’s fine, a couple of others are tidying up our rooms, and we go to the bedroom to help Rory relax some.
“Is there anywhere on your back or neck that feels extra tense?”
Rory sits on the edge of the bed with an eyebrow popped up. “What?”
I tap the lotion bottle on my hand. “We’re going to give you a nice massage. I think you’ve more than earned it; we gotta make sure we’re taking care of you, while you take care of everybody else.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
Felix growls at her and leans down to peel off her socks. He manipulates her to the middle of the bed then slides her pants off, pressing kisses across her mons as he goes. “Be a good girl and we’ll take extra good care of you, baby.”
Ari inhales and I laugh, surprised by how easy it is to do so. With this many horny guys, it almost always leads to sex of some sort.
“Wow, are you seriously trying to force me into having a massage? Alright.”
A smile teases Ari’s face, but it's actually aimed at me. I get stuck with the lotion cap open, because something in my chest makes it hard to breathe at the expression he wears. Is it this pure happiness I stumbled upon with dumb luck that’s causing it?
“I'll take that. I think your hands are needed elsewhere at the moment.”
I stare at a smirking Felix as he grabs the lotion from me, trying to decipher his words. When Ari takes a step towards me, I finally understand.
I eye Rory briefly, but Felix already has her moaning as he digs into her shoulder blades. He leans forward to whisper something in her ear, and then she immediately says, “Please kiss. It would make me feel better.” She doesn't lift up her face from the pillow it’s buried in, but I still feel like I'm doing something wrong when Ari winds his fingers into mine.
“How did I forget how fucking breathtaking you are when you let yourself smile?” Ari asks me.
Fuck it. I only get one chance at this life, and I think it's about time I start actually experiencing it.
I'm not gentle when I grab Ari’s face and plaster mine to it. This isn't at all what I wanted when I dragged Rory in here, but it's what I want now. With his hard body pressed against mine, and I can't help but press back. My hand slides down to his ass so I can pull him against me harder, and the room is thick with the sounds of our teeth bumping and our tongues rubbing against each other. “I'm so sorry. For so long…I kept us broken. I know we all could have fixed things so much sooner if I could have found a way to claw myself from my depression, and I'm sorry none of you were enough to make me.”
“Shh. It's okay, Charlie. I could never stop loving you. You scared the shit out of me, and I'm sorry I couldn't find a way to help you more.”
I find that I'm suddenly sobbing. All of our missed opportunities over the years pile up until I'm drowning in regret.
“You guys couldn't find that connection because you needed Rory. There's no point wishing for what you could have done differently when your only salvation is already before you.”
I stare at Felix wide eyed, again, for speaking truths we might not have fully confronted yet. He's giving me a limb to cling to, something to absolve me of everything I held back from my bondmates while I was broken.
“I think you’re strong as hell for making it to this point.” His hands are running mesmerizing lines up and down Rory’s back, her skin denting from his touch. I need to touch her, and I need Ari to be next to me while I do it.
“Baby,” I gasp, feeling something inside of me crack and begin to set properly.
Rory turns her head and smiles at me, but it's a deep one. It's not a smile you give someone when you're just trying to be nice, it's a true smile only gifted when all the circumstances line up perfectly and you realize how fucking happy someone just made you. Did I accomplish that somehow?
Ari sits on the bed next to where I'm now laying down, my arms wrapped around Rory.
Felix is a rare gem, I'm realizing. His relationship with Rory isn't as in your face as her relationship with some of the others, but it's so fucking perfect. I can just tell from how aware of each other they always are, that they’re completely in sync with each other. He leans over and puts a hand on my shoulder that Ari is already gripping onto. “You'll come to us just the way you are, or don't bother coming at all. I'm still understanding the relationship the four of you share, but starving that connection will hurt all of us. When you need to do something, do it.”
“I knew when we were with the connectors a little bit ago this would be triggering for you. I feel so selfish for not realizing that before dragging you and Jameson down there.” Rory looks contrite, but I’m not sure what to think.
“Is that what this is? A deep clean, triggered by other broken connections?” Ari starts rubbing my back, and I lean into the comfort. “I…don't think I know really. Maybe. Probably? I needed it though. Yes, they reminded me of how it felt early on when the hurt was fresh but seeing them working so hard to help their connector, seeing how everything changed once Rory worked her miracle, I think it started scraping out all the rot, and allowed me to realize I'm not suffocating anymore. I knew I was happy with Rory…”
“But it didn't hit you yet that you were safe and could ask for more?”
I feel the need to reassure Rory after another insightful comment from Felix. “You’re my connector, my life. My love for my bondmates is different…I need them to breathe deep, but I need you to breathe period. You know that, right?”
“I could never feel jealous of what you guys share. I have all the parts of you I need.”
I look back at Ari, hoping he still feels the same way. He speaks up for both of us, saving me some words. “We don't do things without our connector. Our connection to you is sacred, Rory. We can allow ourselves to love each other because you’ve reminded us how. Being together, the way we were when you and I claimed each other, only happens when we're with you because that's just how we function.”
Her brows wrinkle in confusion. “But I'm intimate with some of you without everyone present. Isn't this the same thing?”
“It’s not, because we all revolve around you. We might hold hands or kiss, but the drive to do more won't hit unless we have our connector in sight. It's always been that way, and we're not eager to change it. It works for us.”
She bites her lip and looks between Ari and me. “As long as you're not holding back because of how you think I'd react.”
It seems Felix wants to stir things up a little. “Rory, what would happen if you walked in the house and saw one of them going down on the other? Would you feel like they were sneaking around behind your back?”
“Honestly I’d probably jump in and help.”
“Fuck. You can't say shit like that.” The image alone has me choking.
“Yes she can,” Felix laughs. “I hear we've corrupted the shit out of her.”
“So…we’re good?” I ask.
In response, Rory moves to a kneeling position and straddles me, wrapping her arms around me as she buries her face in my neck. Then she presses a kiss to my mouth before scrambling out of my lap and attacking Ari in a similar manner. “We don’t have to know all the answers right now. It’s going to take a while to find our balance and figure out what works best for us as a bond group. I just don’t want to be the reason any of you hold back.”
“We’ll think about it,” Ari tells her. “We’re supposed to be helping you relax, though. All you’ve been doing today is helping other people navigate their feelings. You should numb yourself out for a bit.”
“This won’t numb me, but it will definitely make me feel better,” she says before kissing him again. She’s only in her bra and panties since we were giving her a rub down, and with all that pretty skin on display, there’s no way Ari isn’t as hard as I am. She’s wrapping herself all over him, wiggling and clawing at his hair. He groans before falling back onto the bed, putting her ass at the perfect vantage point.
“Fuck, look at that, would you?” Felix asks, staring at the same place I am. “I love her in lace panties. The way you can just barely see what’s happening behind them, it makes you wanna rip them off and shove something in there doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it really does.”
Rory wiggles her ass in the air, taunting us with it. She knows exactly what she’s doing. Felix and I let out twin groans as she lowers herself to unbutton Ari’s pants, then pulls him out before sinking her mouth onto him.
Ari is completely out of breath, his fingers gripping the sheets by his hips. He’s too much a gentleman to take everything he really wants from her, so we’re going to have to egg him on a bit, I think.
“You need a hand with that sweetheart?” They both still and turn their head to me. “I don’t mind.” I'm unbuttoning my shirt, ready to pull it off and meet up with them. I’m not sure how Felix will fit into all this yet, but we’ll figure something out.
“You know, I was just thinking I couldn’t figure out a way to get my tongue completely wrapped around him. Maybe teamwork will make that dream work?” She asks with a little laugh in her voice.
“Only one way to find out,” I say, diving forward and meeting her at Ari’s groin. I can feel saliva dripping down my face, both of our mouths getting messy and wet all over him. He’s starting to crack, his abdomen tense from holding back; but I know how to push him over the edge.
I hold up my finger to Rory and tell her to suck. She takes that finger deep into her mouth and wraps her tongue around it, making sure she does a thorough job before returning it to me. I work his legs further apart and pull his cheeks open, ready to bury my finger in the heat I know is hiding there. Without proper lube I can’t work my way in too quickly, but even the first knuckle’s enough to have his hands snapping out to grab onto us both. I swallow him whole while Rory licks at his sack, and a moan from Rory tells me that Felix just figured out where he fits.
I hear the snap of his hips as Felix drives into Rory, the percussive force of it making her head bump against mine. She’s starving for Ari now, fighting with me to get more of him into her mouth than I am. We end up grossly making out while we do this, sliding up and down him and taking turns swallowing him down while he continues to buck into our mouths. Finally, I feel his fingers in my hair and he starts guiding our faces down how he wants it, fucking our mouths and making us love it.
“That’s it baby, make him feel good.”
“She’s making me feel a hell of a lot more than good,” Ari barks back at Felix.
I pull myself back just enough take a good look at the scene, and it’s nearly impossible to believe that this is my life now. How many years did I waste being miserable, when I had this to look forward to?
“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, Rory.” It's not the first time she's heard the words from me, but the way she reacts feels like it is.
She freezes, Ari’s dick half in her mouth, her hair a huge fucking mess and makeup smeared, and then she slowly pulls off of him completely. She wipes off her lips with the back of her hand, opens her mouth and closes it a couple of times, before blurting out, “Really? That was the ideal time to say those words?”
“Like there was any better time?” Felix jokes.
“I’m serious,” I tell her. “I love you.”
She turns her head to look at Felix, who smiles at her and nods his head. Then Rory leans forward to give one, good lick to Ari, sweeping off the precum that had gathered in the absence of her mouth. “Impressive sucking skills, causing declarations like that, and he wasn't even the one getting head!” she says under her breath. She gives herself a little smile and then peers at me through her eyelashes. She grabs my hand, but instead of doing something crazy romantic, she links our fingers and wraps them around Ari, and it’s so absurd that I have to laugh.
“I love you too,” she finally replies.
“Yeah you do.” Our hands start slowly pumping Ari, and he’s now biting into his forearm trying to restrain himself, because I get the feeling he was getting close to coming when she pulled off of him.
“It would be pretty stupid not to when you do kinky shit like this with me. Seeing you with your bondmates like this, actually makes me feel more comfortable about where we’re at. Because I know we’re building a family, not just a relationship. If you were only here for me, then there’d always be the risk you could change your mind and decide you didn't want to do this again. But when you’re stuffing me in tandem with your bondmates on the regular, it’s kind of hard to imagine there’s anywhere else you’d want to be.”
I’m reaching forward to take her mouth, tasting Ari on her tongue. “You taste so damn good right now,” I whisper. “Even more delicious after all that sweet shit you just said.”
“Do you think we should finish him off? I think he’s getting a little impatient,” she giggles.
