He crosses the room, slides his hand up to Roman’s jaw, and buries his face in the curve of his neck. He inhales, breathing him in like he’s chasing a high.
“Pretty sure the day you finally let me sink my cock in you, that’ll be my favorite look.” Roman’s whole body tightens, pupils blown, and his gaze is pure heat as it lands on Jasper. “You like that idea? Me getting you out of this suit and fucking you full for the first time?” His hand catches Jasper’s and presses it to the thick line of his cock.
“What do you think?” he rasps, ghosting his lips over Jasper’s like he’s about to lose control.
Jasper smirks, his hand still flexing possessively over him. “One of these days, I’m gonna watch you dripping my cum, baby.”
I barely manage to catch my breath before I clear my throat and try to sound like I’ve got my shit together.
“Okay, guests have started arriving. I saw them coming up the drive, so you two need to shut your boys down. Tell them they’ll get to play later, but right now, we have to go.”
“Like you’re not desperate to fuck him too,” Jasper fires back, and the rumble of laughter from all three of us fills the room.
We head out, making the short walk from the cabin to the main house, where the celebration’s already in full swing.
“What’s the plan with Addie tonight? We’re leaving tomorrow, and we have to figure shit out,” Jasper says as we walk through the snow.
“Neither of you is to try and talk her into anything,” Roman warns, glancing between us. “Tell her how you feel, fine, but she’s got to want you enough on her own.” Jasper pauses, slowing his pace, and exhales hard. “You know what I mean. Whatever happens between me and her… it’s gonna take time.”
“We’ve all felt it, Rome,” I say, jamming my hands into my pockets. “This isn’t just screwing around. I know she scares you, but she loves you. She might not have said it, but she loves all of us.”
Jasper’s grin breaks out wide. “She does, doesn’t she?” he says, almost in awe, and just like that, the heaviness lifts. The tension eases, and we keep walking toward the party with just a little more hope.
The place looks incredible—silver and black everywhere, winter-themed, and sparkling like fresh snow. It’s elegant, festive, and exactly what you'd expect a week before Christmas. But none of it really registers when Addison is the only thing I’m looking for.
“Do you see her?” Roman asks, his eyes scanning the room, and I can tell he’s restless.
“No, but if she’s coming with her parents, I bet they’ll wait until most people arrive. Tonight’s all about her dad, after all.”
“I can’t wait to tell him I’m going to steal his daughter,” Jasper mutters, “which I’ll do in front of everyone if that prick even breathes near her.”
I follow his gaze and spot Mikey King pushing through the crowd, still wearing that smug grin and that same overinflated ego, like time hasn’t touched him at all.
“Play nice,” Roman says under his breath. “I don’t want to ruin the night for Coach and his family.”
“I’m always nice, Captain.”
“You’re also a sarcastic ass,” I shoot back, grazing my fingertips along the back of Jasper’s hand. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”
We’ve spent the past twenty minutes mingling—close, but never too close. There’s a careful rhythm to the way we move around each other. We’re always within reach but never quite touching.
We’ve been catching up with people we haven’t seen in years, nodding along to old stories and smiling through polite conversations, when my body lights up without warning. I turn, mid-sentence, no longer hearing a word coming out of Grant Baxter’s mouth as he drones on about his brother’s messy divorce. I leave him mid-ramble, already forgotten, because standing at the entrance is Addison Hope.
I’m met with deep-blue eyes, a vision I wasn’t even remotely prepared for. My gaze flits left and finds Roman and Jasper across the room. They’ve gone still, staring at Addie the exact same way I am, like they’ve just seen something holy.
She’s wearing a dark-blue gown that clings to her body like it was sewn onto her skin, hugging every curve, the color a perfectmatch for her eyes. The fabric slides down her body and pools at her feet, elegant and tempting all at once. The ruched neckline hides those perfect breasts I’ve spent the last few days worshipping, and her hair’s pulled back, with a few loose blonde strands framing her face, making her look even more devastatingly beautiful.
She’s on her dad’s arm, who looks exactly like he did five years ago. Her mom and sister walk beside them, but all I see is Addie. My focus zeroes in on her, and everything else becomes background noise.
She belongs to us.
I want to cross the room, pull her into my arms, and show her how much she means to me in front of everyone. But until we’ve all figured out what this is and what we’re doing, it wouldn’t be fair to her or any of us. So I stay rooted to the spot, my hands clenched at my sides.
Mikey King is on her like a fly on shit, and despite the way she clings harder onto her dad’s arm, Coach doesn’t tell him to back off, which blows my fucking mind. If I ever have a daughter, and some asshole who cheated on her had the balls to show up smiling like nothing happened, I’d be the first one dragging him out by the throat.
I turn to the left and catch Roman’s eyes across the room. He tilts his chin subtly toward Jasper, who’s standing rigid, looking the way he does right before he forgets to hold back. I shake my head once. It’s not a warning, just a reminder that you don’t leash Jasper. You don’t cage that kind of fire. You just make sure he knows he’s not alone, and he’ll find his ground. He’s got more restraint than anyone gives him credit for, but we know the signs. We know when that control starts to splinter.
So I go. I move through the crowd, my eyes focused on the family, who are now surrounded by well-wishers and old friends.My body slots in behind Addison, close enough to touch but not enough to draw attention.
