"I try." I set the knife aside and pried the sides of the box apart. I could have lifted it above the designated junk drawer and poured the contents in. It was going to look like that in a day or two anyway. Instead, I started to arrange the drawer. It might as well be tidy for a little while. "If this is too much, I can finish up."
"I'm good." He flashed me a quick smile. "I like to put things away. I know they're in the right place then. Saves me having to move it later."
"Good point," I said. I didn't much care where things went, as long as I could find them, but I knew it was important to him. Too much clutter, and things misplaced would cause unnecessary stress.
Honestly, I had the feeling it would irritate Storm almost as much. If the seven of us were going to live together, we needed to be mindful of everyone's needs. Whether it was something big like the placement of a couch, or something relatively small like this, it all mattered. Anything that would avoid conflict later.
I wasn't sure we needed three bottle openers, but I placed them side-by-side in the drawer, along with a couple of large spoons and a cheese grater that was still in its packet.
"The place is nicely decorated," I remarked. The kitchen was all white marble, and wood with visible graining. The rest of the house was a lot of off-white with light hardwood floors.
"It's surprisingly neutral." He placed the last of the glasses in the cabinet and started to flatten the box. "I’d have thought Frost would buy somewhere with bright yellow walls or something." He sliced through the tape at the bottom of the box and tossed the knife aside again.
I laughed. "He might have, but Storm would have it painted over the it second he saw it. Or Atlas would."
"Atlas definitely would," Jay agreed. "But he might have had it painted blue."
"Are we talking bright blue or a nice, soft blue?" I finished unpacking the box and handed it to him to flatten.
He grimaced. "Probably both. Soft blue in my room and bright blue everywhere else."
"No offence to the colour blue, but it's probably better that he didn't decorate the house." Although he brought the blue sectional that now occupied one of the living spaces. In there, it was just the right pop of colour.
"What colour would you paint it?" Jay asked.
I leaned a hand on the countertop. "Something very close to this. I like understated. Give me little bits of colour here and there, and I'm happy."
"Me too." He tossed the flat cardboard down on the pile and placed his hands to either side of me, boxing me in. "Especially little bits of pink." He leaned down to capture my mouth with his. He tasted like coffee and the Vegemite sandwich he had for lunch. Warm, salty and delicious.
"I like pink," I said before kissing him back.
He slid his hands down my back and cupped my ass, before picking me up and placing me on the counter. He broke off long enough to whisper in my ear, "Can I be the first to fuck you here?"
For the last week, we'd come and gone, never staying long enough to christen the place. That is to say, the guys ushered me out after we brought boxes here, while my brother and Ramsey went over the security system. It now had several updates, with both men declaring it to be safe here. At least as safe as anywhere could be. If they were confident, I'd try to be.
"Of course you can," I whispered. I was aware of the others moving around the house, also unpacking and joking around.
Atlas was in the nearby living room, placing his books onto shelves. We'd be in full view of him. To confirm that, I glanced to the side to see him watching us. He leaned against the wall, arms and ankles crossed, pants tented. He gave me a smile and a nod to suggest we should keep going.
Knowing we had an audience made my clit throb like crazy. I wanted Atlas to see everything. I looked back to see Jay also checking in with Atlas. Just like they didn't want to think they were going behind my back if they were together, we didn't want to do the same to Atlas.
We turned back to each other and our lips met again before he slid his hands up the back of my shirt and over my skin. He pushed the fabric off over my head before letting it drop aside.
"Cute," he remarked.
I glanced down at my bra, which was covered in tiny little pink hearts. "Sometimes a girl needs to feel extra feminine."
"Do we not make you feel feminine enough?" He pressed a finger under the strap of my bra and ran it up and down my shoulder.
"Of course you do," I said. "This is just an extra touch."
"Hmmm." He pushed the strap off my shoulder and then the other one. "It's sweet but I prefer you without one." He put his arms around me and unhooked my bra, pulling it down so my breasts fell free. "Much better."
He leaned forward to take one of my nipples between his lips and sucked gently. He cupped my other breast with his hand, palming my nipple and squeezing my sensitive flesh.
I grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and pushed it up to expose his abs. He didn't have as many tattoos as the other guys, but his body was just as chiselled, a light dusting of hair on his chest. His belly button protruded slightly, adorably. Like the restof him, his firm skin was a lighter shade of brown, hinting at indigenous heritage.
"You're beautiful," I told him.
