Who Falls Hardest (Clearwater University Book 3) Read online

  And I don’t want to hear her say those fucking words. I don’t want to live in the past, where she feared my retribution and reprisal for what I saw as her wrongs.

  I won’t let her live there either.

  The kiss is hotter and more full of fire this time, and when it ends, we’re both breathing harder.

  “I told you, Ems,” I whisper against her lips. “I told you I was done fighting this. I told you I was going to fix it.”

  She’s still gripping me tightly, her small fingers digging into the muscles of my shoulders. “But this is everything you didn’t want. We’re going to be… brother and sister.”

  I jerk my head back. A laugh belts out of me before I can stop it, and without giving her a chance to say anything more, I find her lips again, sliding my tongue inside her mouth and letting it clash with hers. She’s off-balance, taken by surprise, but she still kisses me just like she always does.

  Like she’s hungry.

  Like she’s ravenous.

  Like there’s a fire burning inside her that will never be extinguished.

  Releasing my grip on her chin, I grab her wrists and pull her hands away from my shoulders. I pin them to the door above her head, keeping my leg wedged between hers so that her feet barely even touch the floor anymore.

  She’s wearing a pair of nice black pants and a billowy blouse, and I can see her nipples standing out starkly beneath the thin fabric. I want to latch my mouth around her breasts and suck each one, lap at her and bite her until the soft material is dark and wet.

  Just like her panties must be already.

  She’s quivering against me, her brown eyes wide as deep as pools of melted chocolate as she stares up at me.

  Shifting my grip, I hold both her wrists in one hand as I trail the knuckles of my other hand down the side of her face.

  My best friends and I have fucked her and shared her in some pretty damn creative ways over the past couple weeks, but I think it’s about time she remembered what I can do to her all by myself.

  With two fingers under her chin, I tilt her head up, holding her gaze as I grind against her.

  “You think I’d kiss a sister like this, Holloway?” I murmur.

  My fingers trail downward, tugging sharply at the neckline of her top and sending buttons flying. The two halves of the blouse hang open, revealing her pretty lace bra, and I drag my hand down over the swell of her breast, pinching her nipple between my thumb and forefinger.

  “No.” She laughs softly, but I can tell it’s taking conscious effort for her to speak.

  Good.

  But not good enough.

  I plan to make it impossible in a second.

  “That’s right. I wouldn’t.” My hand moves to her other breast, and I pinch harder this time, rolling the sensitive little bud between my fingers until she gasps, then groans.

  “I know…” Her eyelids flutter, nearly dropping shut when I roll my hips against hers, pressing my cock into her lower belly as her clit rides my thigh. “I know we wouldn’t be actual brother and sister. But what will people think? About us—if our parents are married?”

  I palm her breast and squeeze, massaging away the sting from my harsh treatment of her nipple. Then I drop my head to the crook of her neck, loving the way she squirms against the door when my lips find the spot I know makes her crazy.

  “A very wise, very fucking gorgeous woman once told me not to worry about what other people think,” I whisper, licking and kissing the soft skin of her throat. “Not to let them judge me, no matter how unconventional my choices are.”

  “I know.” She lets out a soft, breathless laugh as she realizes I’m turning her words back on her. “But I still thought you’d be mad. I guess… I guess I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  Fuck.

  Those words freeze all the blood in my veins, settling into my stomach like a slowly hardening block of cement.

  There it is.

  The truth I’ve feared.

  The truth I’ve known all along.

  Emma wants to forgive me. Hell, maybe she even has.

  And she wants to trust me too.

  But how can she when she keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop? She trusted me once, gave me her heart and believed I wouldn’t break it.

  I did though.

  And now, despite all we’ve been through, despite the love I see growing in her eyes when she looks at me, some part of her is still waiting for the moment when it all comes crashing down.

  And why wouldn’t she be?

  If the sky falls once, only a fool thinks it will never happen again.

  For a moment, it feels like all the breath, all the blood, all the life, has fled my body. I feel numb, locked outside of myself.

  Then it all comes rushing back in a torrent. My heart slams hard and fast against my ribs, sending blood pouring through my veins. My cock stiffens as I release Emma’s wrists, grabbing her ass in both hands and hauling her against me, pressing her so tightly to my body that we both groan in pleasure edged with pain.

  “You’re not my fucking sister, Ems. You’re not my enemy. You’re not my vendetta. You’re the love of my goddamn life, and I’m gonna show you exactly what that means.”

  Her eyes widen as she registers my words.

  Love.

  The love of my goddamn life.

  I’ve thought it more times than I can count, and now is probably the completely wrong time to say it, but I’m beyond caring. I need her to understand. I need her to not just know it, but feel it all the way down to her bones.

  This is real.

  It’s permanent.

  It will not be shaken or swayed by anything short of death.

  Hell, not even that.

  She blinks rapidly, her mouth falling open slightly. I don’t think she knows quite what to say, but that doesn’t matter. I’m not done making my fucking point yet.

  Palming the back of her head with one hand, I bring her in for another kiss, pulling her deeper into the room as I do. My other hand stays on her ass, and I half-walk, half-carry her across the room until we reach the foot of my bed. When I set her on her feet, I can feel her legs wobbling.

  She’s not gonna be able to stay upright without help. But I can work with that.

  My cock is hard as steel, pain and guilt and determination mixing inside me to create a heady cocktail of pure need.

  Forcing myself to release her delicious fucking lips, I spin her around so her back is to my chest.

  “Do you want me to show you, Ems? Do you want me to prove it to you? How I feel about you?”

  “Yes.”

  Her voice is low and husky, and I can feel her chest rising and falling hard as she sucks in deep breaths of air.

  My hands drop to the button of her pants as my lips find the shell of her ear. She shivers, and the vibration against my body makes my balls ache.

  “Bend over, then,” I whisper. “Hands on the bed. And don’t you dare fucking move them.”

  Her breath hitches, but she does as I say without a second of hesitation.

  I fucking love that. She may still be struggling to fully trust me, but in moments like these, she gives herself over to me completely. Even when we hated each other, she trusted me in bed.

  And that says something.

  It proves to me that she is capable of trusting me. That somewhere deep down she knows that, even when I was being a fucked up asshole, there were some lines I wouldn’t cross.

  That she could let herself fall with me, and I would catch her.

  “Good girl,” I murmur, and the heat in my voice makes her shift, rubbing her thighs together.

  I like that. I like knowing she’s so desperate for a little bit of relief that she can’t help but try to give it to herself.

  But right now, that’s not her job. It’s mine.

  Flicking open the button on her pants, I slide the zipper down. Then I tug the fabric down her legs, dropping to my knees behind her.
/>   Her flats come off. Then her pants.

  She’s still wearing her panties, and I was right. They’re fucking soaked.

  Her top is still on too, and the billowy fabric hangs down toward the floor. From where I’m kneeling behind her, I can just catch a glimpse of her breasts, still covered by her bra.

  Her palms are planted flat on the mattress, leaving her bent over almost at a right angle. Her ass is perfectly on display for me, as is the damp crotch of her panties.

  Humming in satisfaction, I drag my finger over the wet patch of fabric.

  “Is this for me, Holloway? Is all this for me? You soaked your panties through.”

  “Yes.”

  It’s a groan this time, and I reward her honesty by sliding my finger down to graze her clit.

  She jumps at the contact, her toes curling as her knees bend slightly. She arches her back, pressing her hips toward me as she tries to get more friction.

  My cock is about to punch through the fabric of my jeans. Rising to my feet quickly, I shuck my own pants, kicking off my shoes and pulling my shirt over my head with one hand. When I’m naked, I drape my body over Emma’s from behind, letting her feel every inch of me as I slowly drag the fabric of her top up her body.

  She moans again as my dick slides between her ass cheeks, slipping between her folds and getting slicked with her arousal.

  The shirt goes over her head. With half the buttons gone, there’s not much holding it together anymore. When she moves to lift her hands to slide it off her arms, I grab her hips tightly, pulsing my cock between her thighs.

  “I said don’t move, Holloway. Stay right where you are.”

  She whimpers, dropping her head. But she complies. Her shirt stays pooled on the mattress, the sleeves gathered around her wrists, and all she’s left in is her bra and panties.

  A flick of my fingers releases her bra.

  And when I shred the panties from her body with a quick rip and snap, her yelp makes my cock twitch.

  Tossing the ruined fabric to the floor, I slide my fingers down her slit again. This time, there’s nothing between me and her pussy, and I can’t resist dipping two fingers inside her, feeling her channel tighten around them.

  “I like that,” I murmur. “That’s what you’ll do to my cock, isn’t it? When I’m buried inside you? You’ll squeeze and squeeze, and you’ll moan so loud West and Reese will know I’m fucking you. You’ll grip me so tight it’s like you never want me to leave, huh, baby? Won’t you?”

  “Yes. Fuck, Trent, yes. Please—”

  God, I like hearing her beg.

  But I like giving her what she wants even more.

  Before the plea is even out of her mouth, I thrust my fingers deeper, angling them to hit the exact spot I know she needs.

  She cries out, her fingers clenching the blanket on the bed, fisting it tightly in her hands.

  I pump them hard and fast, mimicking what I want to do with my cock, and she comes just as hard and just as fast, cream spilling over my hand with her release.

  “God… Oh, God,” she whimpers.

  She sounds helpless. Broken.

  And I’m going to put her back together.

  I slowly drag my fingers out of her sopping pussy. I want to fucking lick them clean, but instead, I bring them upward just a few inches and slip one inside her puckered back hole.

  She lets out a choked gasp, rising up onto her tiptoes, and I chuckle, fisting my cock with my other hand. I’m about to explode, but I’m not ready yet.

  “Has anyone ever fucked you here, Ems?”

  I press deeper as I ask the question, demonstrating exactly what I mean with short pulses of my finger.

  She shakes her head, her blonde hair falling around her face like a shimmering, pale curtain.

  “Do you want to be fucked in the ass?”

  I can feel the tight ring of muscles constrict hard around my finger in response, and the shiver I can feel run through her body gives me my answer even before she speaks.

  “Yes.”

  “God, you’re so damn perfect,” I mutter.

  I press my finger in deeper, watching her response, drinking in the sight of her like this. Then I reluctantly withdraw it, stepping over to my nightstand and pulling out a small plug.

  “What… what is that?”

  Emma hasn’t moved, just like I told her not to, but she lifts her head in time to see what I have in my hand.

  “I got it for you, Ems.” My voice is rough as sandpaper, and I stand where I know she can see me. My cock is leaking precum, throbbing with the need for release. But it’s not about me. This is about her. “Do you want this in your ass while I fuck you?”

  Her eyes flare wide, but it’s not fear I see in the chocolate brown depths.

  It’s excitement.

  Need.

  She swallows and nods, and that small gesture snaps the last threads of my self-control. I can see she’s as far gone as I am, as wild with desire. That’s exactly how I wanted her.

  And now I’m gonna take care of her.

  Walking back behind her, I run my hand over the curve of her ass as I drag the plug through her folds, letting her feel the cool, smooth texture. Once it’s thoroughly coated, I begin to work it inside her tight ass, playing with her clit while I do, teasing her, loosening her up, keeping her just on the edge of a second orgasm but never quite letting her have it.

  By the time the plug is all the way inside, she’s shaking from head to toe, moaning incomprehensible words as her hips bump backward toward me in rhythmic motions, like she’ll fuck the air if she can’t have my cock.

  But she can.

  I’m done holding out. Holding back.

  Holding on.

  I line myself up and press inside, groaning out a curse as I feel how tight she is with the plug in her ass.

  This is what it’ll feel like when Reese or West fucks her ass while I fuck her pussy.

  This full.

  This tight.

  This fucking good.

  “Trent. Trent. Trent…”

  That’s all Emma says. All I can make out anyway. Just my name, over and over. Like a prayer. Like a goddamn mantra.

  I pull out and plunge back in, sinking deeper, driving harder this time. She lets out a loud cry and I do it again, thrusting over and over until nothing but the sound of our groans and my hips hitting her ass fill the room.

  My cock is aching, my balls already tightening. I held off for so long, and she feels so fucking good. The plug peeks out from between her ass cheeks, and I grab two solid handfuls of that gorgeous ass, using them to hold her steady as I pound into her.

  There’s a time for gentle.

  There’s a time for sweet.

  This isn’t that time.

  This is the time for me to show her how I feel about her, how desperate and intense and fucking pure my feelings are.

  They are distilled, undiluted by even a shred of doubt. I fucking love this woman. I need her.

  I need her pussy wrapped around my cock.

  I need her bravery, her strength, her goodness.

  I need her heart.

  “Trent!”

  The last time she says my name, it’s a scream. Her back arches, her head tipping up toward the ceiling as her pussy clamps down hard, shortening my thrusts to choppy, shallow movements. She looks wild and feral, covered in a sheen of sweat as she rocks back against me.

  I’ll never want anyone else.

  That’s the thought that sends me over the edge, and I explode inside her, emptying myself completely as jet after jet of cum floods her pussy. With my dick empty and still pulsing softly inside her, I wrap my arms around her waist and drape myself over her, pressing kisses to her shoulder.

  “You can move your hands now, Ems,” I murmur, and she chuckles weakly.

  “Actually, I’m not sure I can.” She laughs breathlessly. “I’m not sure I can move any part of me.”

  With one more kiss, I straighten, sliding out o
f her as I pull her up to stand with me. Turning her in my arms, I press my lips to hers.

  Our fuck was hot and hard, but this kiss is simple. Tender.

  Our fuck was a promise, but this kiss is the seal on that promise.

  She kisses me back, blinking up at me with dazed, sated eyes when we break apart. She’s still got the plug in her ass, and I know she can feel it when she moves. My cock twitches again as she bites her lip, and I scoop her up into my arms, carrying her around the side of the bed and pulling the covers back before laying her on the mattress.

  West, Reese, and I are learning to share her. And I’m happy about that. I’m grateful for it.

  But tonight?

  Well, just for tonight, she’s all mine.

  18

  Emma

  Trent loves me.

  I’ve heard stories of women whose boyfriends blurt out all kinds of lies during sex—I love you, baby; I want to marry you; I want to put a baby in you—only to take it back or deny they even said it later.

  But that’s not what happened last night. For one thing, he told me he loves me before we even started having sex. And for another, Trent’s the kind of guy who becomes more honest during sex, not less.

  And he loves me.

  It shocked the hell out of me when he said it, and I’m glad he kissed me before I had to figure out what to say back. Because if he hadn’t kissed me, I might’ve told him I love him too… and that scares the shit out of me.

  Not in a bad way.

  In a riding-a-roller-coaster-in-the-dark kind of way. The way I’m falling for all three of the Icons is terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

  It’s not new, really. I started falling for them when we were all in high school, barely old enough to really understand what those feelings meant. Everything that happened between us slowed my descent for a while, but now? Now I’m free falling. There’s no bottom to this love that I can see, and it’s overwhelming and shocking to realize the depth of my feelings for these men.

  My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, but I struggle to focus—or at least look like I’m focusing—as I sit through a meeting at work. It’s almost lunchtime, and I had planned to spend the hour working on untangling the mess Leslie has made of my Facebook profile.