My cock throbs instantly.
I glance down, bite back a groan. Jesus fucking Christ. I type back to her with one hand:
When I see you tonight, you better have them on. And they better be full of my cum, future wife.
I hit send, then type out another message.
I miss you.
My finger hovers over the delete button.
She’s just going along with the sexual stuff because she needs me. Because she’s curious. Because I ruined every date she ever could’ve had, and now I’m her only option.
I suck in a sharp breath.
Then I send it anyway.
Because fuck it.
I’m in too deep and I’m never letting her go.
And I do fucking miss her, so much it hurts. Now that I’ve had a taste of Lilac, nothing will ever be enough.
I’ll always crave her, and no matter how much she gives me, I’ll want more.
LILAC
The first thing I notice when we walk in the house is the utter chaos.
Not bad chaos. More like... loud laughter and bodies draped over furniture and the distinct smell of something sweet coming from the kitchen. The kind of chaos that feels like a real home, even if it’s not mine.
Madison is at the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, laughing as she brushes pink frosting off her cheek with the back of her hand. There’s a smudge on her nose too, and her big blue eyes crinkle when she smiles. She’s wearing a light pink henley top, light wash jeans, and a matching pink bow in her golden hair.
Hayden appears behind her, crowding her space like he owns it. I suppose he does, because his arms loop around her waist, lips brushing her shoulder and then her cheek as he helps her put on a pink apron that has tiny white and pale yellow daisies dotted on it. “You taste like frosting,” he mutters, loud enough for all of us to hear. She tries to bat him away with a laugh, but he only pulls her tighter against his chest.
She looks over at me. “Hey! I was hoping you’d be here tonight.”
“You were?,” I ask, smiling and then looking up at Callum who is beaming. I’ve seen the way he interacts with Madi and Winter. He treats them like sisters, like I wish Adam had treated me growing up.
Winter waves to me from the couch, perched on Tristan’s lap like it’s her natural place in the world. She’s wearing one of his hoodies and it swallows her whole. She paired it with tall pink leg warmers that stretch up to her thighs, leaving only a sliver of skin at the top. Her long black hair is braided to the side, tied off with a tiny pink bow that matches Madison’s.
“Are you two part of a pink bow club or something?” I feel comfortable enough to tease them.
Winter giggles and nods toward Madison. “Hayden bought a thousand pink bows because she pinned one on Pinterest. There’s a whole box upstairs if you want one.”
Hayden groans. “I thought it said one bow, not one box.”
Everyone laughs, and Madison rises on her toes to kiss his cheek. “It’s the thought that counts. I love my thousand bows.”
She tries to talk to me more, asking about skating, but Hayden is relentless. He kisses her shoulder again, then her temple. His hand slips under her shirt, resting just beneath her breasts. Protective. Possessive. Totally unconcerned with anyone else in the room.
They’re kind of intimidating and kind of perfect.
Winter and Madison are genuinely sweet. Warm and welcoming. I’ve met them before, but I’ve never been inside this world they share. I want to be. They’re so different from the figure skaters on my team. There’s a softness here without competition. A loyalty I don’t know how to be a part of yet, but I want to.
Winter leans forward slightly, looking concerned. “Are you okay? Tristan told me about your teammate… being found.”
“Yeah,” I say softly. It’s kind that she didn’t say the words killed or murdered. “I’m just a little shaken up.”
