Seven is Swell: Hemlock Academy Book 7, page 2
“She wants more.” I send a wink back at a still spent August.
“More? More what? What is she going to do to me?” Adam tries to scramble away but he’s very much unable to move through the back of the couch. Not one of his talents.
I get closer to Adam and all I know in this moment is all the years I’ve spent dreaming about being able to hold him and touch him and kiss him anytime I wanted. I’m imagining all the ridiculous shit we’ve done together and how many hours we’ve spent talking and…just everything. I’m reminded in this sporadic snapshot how important to me he is, how much weight he carries in my life, and it seems absolutely impossible that I’ve never had the chance to explore anything with him.
“What does courting mean to you two?” My voice is still very much a purr, my lioness riding me hard to claim all these hearts. And I don’t mean that in an edible way, for the record.
Cory places a tentative hand on my back in safe territory, and I preen under the way their soft hand feels against my skin. “We want to try and see if we can make you happy,” they say a little shakily. “I w-want Adam to explore things with you while I get t-to know you better, and I w-want to…be someone that gets to hold your hand and hold you and…maybe do other things eventually.”
I drop my head at Cory’s admission, knowing I can’t turn that down. It’s a golden fucking offer. I look to Adam, wanting to know what he wants out of this.
“I…” I can see the warring thoughts through his eyes, feel how badly he wants to look at my bare body, and I actually think that it might be beneficial for me in this moment to wrap a blanket around myself and hide my skin a little bit. Woe is me, I’m an adult after all.
I pull the throw blanket by his hip down and wrap it towel style around me, tucking it in so my arms are free. I kneel in front of Adam and rest my hands on either side of his hips, staring him down because I know he won’t be able to ignore me if I hold eye contact. It’s a technique that’s worked hundreds of times in the past.
“Just fucking get over here and kiss me already.”
There he is.
I’m not sure if I can fully accept his courting request yet because I’m not entirely sure I trust that he really means this, but I can absolutely kiss him and hold him like I’ve always wanted to.
Cory is still sitting on the couch next to Adam and I use that to my advantage. I sit between them and put my back to Cory’s front, pulling Adam into me so he’s forced to crawl on top of me when he kisses me. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy threesomes?
“You’re shaking,” I tell Adam between kisses.
“I’m kissing you, of course I’m shaking. This is…in some ways it feels really fucking wrong but in all the other ways it feels really fucking right.”
I hook my arm around his neck and shiver when Cory starts brushing his nose against the side of my neck, kissing it softly as their hand traces the line of my hip.
“I should inform you that I’m a bit dick drunk right now, and I don’t trust myself not to outright claim you both when you feel so like mine; so we probably shouldn’t let this go too far…but fuck you feel good between my legs.”
Even with the semi-itchy blanket blocking him from my skin, it’s the shape and width of Adam’s hips that are destroying me right now.
“I should inform you that I know that mark on your arm is mine and I’m going to keep proving myself until I’ve earned the right to call you my mate. I heard that Cory is your mate, too.”
I pull back, because no. Who the hell is gossiping? “Cory is my mate? Says who?”
My arm starts to burn, and I realize that Adam just tricked me into saying that phrase out loud so that we’d know for sure. I don’t think the goddess cares if it was stated in question form or not; the point is I said out loud that Cory is my mate and now… my arm is burning with the new mark making its way onto my skin for them. “Motherfucker! How the hell did that count?”
Adam is smiling and trying not to laugh, but there’s also something deeper there, something that tells me this is a big deal to him. “Were you worried I’d try and separate you two?”
Cory reaches around me and lifts my forearm, holding it up so they can see it better. “I wasn’t. I figured things would work out eventually, but seeing this, I don’t know what this feeling inside of me is.”
“And then there were six,” Jackson says as he comes to squat in front of the three of us. “Did you actually know that mark was yours, Adam, or were you just being chicken shit and trying to find out without actually asking?”
He grins. “Does it matter? I got the intended results.”
“You want this, Delaney?” Cory sounds sincere, checking in on me because Adam’s too busy being smug to do so.
My head is still spinning from cum, my emotions all over the place from all the rising and falling scenarios, and nobody has bent me over in the past few hours. There’s been teasing and non-reciprocation; I definitely want something. So I sit there floundering, trying to decide amidst all the cranial confusion how I feel. Unclear.
“Shove a dick in her mouth again, she’ll be alright.”
I whip my head toward August, ready to say something caustic, but he knows exactly how to handle me.
“Look at me, Laney.”
It’s actually impossible not to look at Adam with him this close to me, his heaving chest just inches above mine. “Since the time we were little kids, it’s been you and me on all these stupid made up adventures that entertained us for hours, us against all the other adults around that always had something to do, and you know I’ve always been between you and everybody that didn’t understand you.
“I thought that was my role and I was good with it. I thought that if I could be important to you and keep you happy and still have something that was just mine next to all that, then my life would be perfect.
“But what good is a perfect life when I could have something extraordinary? How can I live with settling for being your friend when all I’ve ever wanted to do is claim the fuck out of you and kiss every inch of you? I’ve lied to myself for so long that it’s hard for me to believe that this is really happening, but now that I’ve let that part of me come to the surface and I know how it feels to kiss you, and what if feels like when you look at me with need, there’s no moving past this. I need to drown in it, need to absorb every part of you I can and suffocate myself on how goddessdamned perfect you feel in my arms. I want to see you lying beside Cory and kissing them, want to hear you whine in desire as you touch each other and explore, and then I want to touch both of you and see how fucking high we can fly together.”
Cory pulls Adam down and kisses him over my shoulder, smushing the three of us together even tighter. I think we’re abusing the capacity of this couch. “This is cute and all…is anyone opposed to moving to my bed? I’ll even throw in a bonus t-shirt to cover up the nips.”
Adam growls. “Don’t you dare put anything on.”
“Ooh, I get to see a woman’s vagina up close? This will be fun!” Cory practically sprints off the couch, throwing their shirt off to the side as they go, kicking their shoes off haphazardly.
“I want you on that bed next to Cory, and I’m going to explore every damn inch of what’s mine.” I’ve never heard Adam growl before, and I’m thinking that’s a good thing because now that I have, I might be looking for any chance I can take to push him into doing it again.
“Wow. Boner central over there,” August says as he gets up and stretches. “You guys need some snacks?”
Jackson laughs. “It’s kind of weird to be the two that have her on lockdown and watch the new partners squirm. Who do you think is going to come first?”
They walk off to the bedroom with their arms all buddy-buddy on each other’s shoulders as they head to my bedroom, and I feel like this situation is getting out of hand, but fuck am I really damned turned on.
Chapter Three
Adam
I try and control my movements as much as possible, wanting to appear like I’m completely in control. It couldn’t be further from the truth, but I’d still like to project that.
Cory is bouncing up and down like a horny puppy, and I think we’re going to start there.
I’ve never had the chance to dig into the urges I get because when it’s just me and Cory it’s a little tricky to balance them out with how sweet they are, how utterly soft and perfect even while they’re choking on my dick, but now that Delaney is going to play with us I think it’s time to see what fun I can stir up.
“Cory, I want you kneeling on the bed. Unbutton your pants but don’t take them off yet. I want you facing me and leaving enough room for Delaney to kneel beside you.”
I watch as Cory’s eyes light up at my bossy tone, and I find myself wishing I had a button up shirt on so I could undo it slowly for dramatic effect. “Delaney, are you comfortable without the blanket?”
“Why do I keep needing to remind people that I’m a bodysmith? I would be a nudist 100% of the time if it wasn’t illegal. Clothes suck.”
She drops the throw blanket and tosses it onto Jackson, who is…sitting on August’s lap. “Okay, what the fuck is this?”
I watch as August’s hands run up and down Jackson’s thighs, on the outside at least, and Jackson is just completely relaxed and leaning against his chest. “What is what?” Jackson asks with a smirk.
“Oh my gods, I just had the best idea. What if you two sat like that naked and I could have a double decker dick sandwich?” You’d think Delaney just got a million dollar idea based on how excited she looks.
“Yes, yes, you enjoy them very much; going to need you to focus that energy on what I’m trying to do, though. Delaney, get your ass on the bed.”
She salutes me as she releases the ponytail her hair’s been slowly falling out of, completely confident in her incredible curvy body.
She immediately turns Cory’s face to her so they can kiss, and I think all of us are holding our breath, listening for the sound of the wet smacking that happens every time they part a few millimeters. Cory is adorable and seems completely unsure where to put their hands, so Delaney takes charge, pushing them down until they’re on their back and she’s hovering over them, all without breaking the kiss.
“She’s such a fucking pro,” August whines.
Fuck. I was supposed to be bossing them around. “Straddle their legs, Delaney. I want to see that ass up in the air.”
Does she listen? Nope. She flips me off and pulls the shirt I discard over her head before it hits the bed. I imagine it’s still warm from my body and I’m suddenly jealous of the fabric. Then she pulls the collar up and sniffs it, inhaling deeply. “This feels like a covered titty occasion after all,” she says, and I think she’s doing it to help Cory feel more comfortable. I know she wasn’t lying about her comfort being naked, and I know she’d prefer that, but I also can see that Cory is trying their best not to get too overwhelmed and having a completely naked Delaney all up in them seems to be sending them into a panic-induced spiral.
The t-shirt does jack shit to cover her ass because she’s so damn tall, but it’s sexy as hell to see her ass peeking out underneath it.
I can’t say I’ve never seen her naked before because we’ve hung out a lot, but I doubt she knows I’ve seen her naked.
Fucking art form.
Once Cory is on top, I get on the bed and kick off my pants, not even caring if we take it further, just wanting to be close to my people and hold them without all the clothing barriers in the way.
I push them to their sides and plank above their bodies, my necklace dangling and kind of getting in the way, but I can’t take it off.
“What is that?” Delaney breaks her kiss with Cory when my necklace hits her arm and she reaches up to inspect it, gasping when it clicks for her. “You kept the friendship necklace I gave you when we were eight? I don’t think I even had boobs when I bought that. I’m actually impressed it’s still intact.”
“I might have gotten it enchanted to stay strong,” I admit.
“But…do you always wear it?”
Moment of truth. “Remember that denial I was talking about? I haven’t taken it off since you gave it to me. I just bought a longer chain so I could hide it. I like having it next to me, especially when I moved to campus and you couldn’t be here.”
“Come here.”
I lean forward, studying her facial expression and desperate to know the thoughts that are weighing on her mind.
Just when I think she’s going to be romantic and tame and do something that will ensure I know she’s feeling as sappy as I am, she leans a bit closer and flicks me in the middle of my forehead. “You’re so damn stupid! Are you kidding me right now?”
Fuck. She’s climbing out of bed, and I hate it.
“How many fucking signs do you need before you understand how fucking obsessed with me you are?”
I rub my face, a smile threatening to escape. “I knew I was obsessed with you; I just didn’t want to believe it was in a way that meant I wanted to play with your titties.”
She fakes a gag. “Gross. Why the fuck did you say it like that? I’m putting pants on. Cory, let’s figure out dinner. I think we have something we can put together. No other dicks allowed out there. I need peace.”
I look down at Cory, all splayed out and ready to go, completely sexually frustrated, then at my own body that’s ready to go as well and hate the way this is playing out. I can’t even say she’s wrong though, because she’s not. At all. “I’ll get you off later,” I whisper to Cory before they follow Delaney out to the kitchen.
“You’re a dumbass,” August casually says to me as Jackson stands and stretches, seeming to regretfully leave his brother’s lap.
“You guys are fucking weird.”
“We don’t kink shame in this household!” Delaney yells from the closet.
I look at the bed longingly as I stumble out of it, resigned to walking around half naked since she stole my shirt. When she comes out of the closet, she’s got it tied above her belly button, and I realize for the first time that there’s a tattoo on her hip I had no knowledge of.
“What the fuck is that ugly thing?”
“Dude,” Cory reprimands. “You’re really bad at this ‘being Delaney’s boyfriend’ thing.”
I feel a happy grin on my face. “Is that what I am?” I wrap my arms around Delaney’s bare waist and bury my face in her hair. “Am I your boyfriend?”
“Don’t make me gag again. You’re being mean.”
The twins look too happy though. “Come here, babe. We've got to show them what it looks like when all our cute matching tattoos are in order.”
“What the fuck? You guys got matching tattoos?”
“They’re definitely not matching. We just had a wild date night a few months ago and thought it was a great idea in our inebriated state to break out Jackson’s tattoo gun. Look at my masterpiece!”
She pulls up the shirts on the twins, exposing ‘Free’ and ‘Willy’ with fucked up letters.
“How does that have anything to do with yours?” I get closer, inspecting the planet with two moons orbiting around it. She bats her eyelashes and looks at her mates. “I’m their planet. The moons are them.”
“Whatever. I could do better.”
“I’m not taking that bait. You’re not getting anywhere near my tattoo gun,” Jackson declares as he pulls Delaney in for a kiss, shoving her between him and his brother. Do they even know how to show her affection singularly, or do they do everything together?
“Love you, baby. Don’t listen to that tool. The tattoos you gave us are perfect, even if it’s going to make things weird when your friend Wil sees them. He might think it’s odd I have his name on my hip.”
“At least somebody appreciates my art. You want to help me with dinner, Cory?”
“How come you’re sweet with Cory?” I ask, a little irritated I keep getting sassy Delaney. Maybe she just needs a good spanking.
“They didn’t suppress their emotions for so long that it led to stunted emotional intelligence. You’ve been in love with me for years and instead of allowing it to happen, you’ve shoved it deep down and convinced yourself that we could only be friends. I’m allowed to be salty. Just because I’m getting on board with the whole ‘I want to play naked games with you’ thing, doesn’t mean our history isn’t going to come into play. Especially when we’re in the middle of horning me up and you do something that reminds me of something stupid you’ve done. Cory and I don’t have this big messy thing from our past to deal with, and they’re sweet. So, they get sweet Delaney. Simple. And my tattoo isn’t ugly, it’s perfect, you ass.”
I give them a few minutes to start pulling shit out of the cabinets and fridge before I deem enough time has passed and need to be around them again. August and Jackson can go suck each other’s dicks for all I care, I just want Delaney and Cory.
Besides, there’s something about earlier that is still bugging me, and I need to know if I missed anything. So I wander out to the main living area and watch Delaney dance around the kitchen as her and Cory start to chop things, not even caring what they’re making because I can’t get over how adorable they are together. If I can just understand that I need to be good to Delaney like I’m good to Cory, maybe I can stop putting my foot in my mouth. Easier said than done though when we’ve been best friends so long.
“So, Delaney, while we were out in the courtyard, I saw something strange. Any idea why the headmaster was staring through the window like a creep, focused on you?”
She freezes and drops the pan she was about to set down on the stovetop. Then she moves a bit too carefully, clearly deciding on what she should say. Eventually she shrugs and waves herself off. “I accidentally sucked him off. If he was acting weird, it was probably because of that.”
“Fucking excuse me?” I stalk towards her, whipping my head towards the twins when they just start cracking up. “You had somebody in your mouth that wasn’t one of us?”
