Who Falls Hardest (Clearwater University Book 3) Read online

“No, Ems.” He shakes his head emphatically. “No. She didn’t get what she wanted. I fell for her bullshit, yes. I was an idiot and an asshole, and I fucked you over in ways I’ll never forgive myself for. But if she was hoping she’d get a chance with me by betraying you, she was wrong.”

  His blue eyes glint like the sharpest steel as he rises up on his knees, bringing our faces even closer together.

  “It’s always been you, Emma. Always. No one else. Even when I hated you, I couldn’t look away from you. I never stopped thinking of you. You consumed me. You still fucking do.”

  My throat tightens, and I draw in a shuddery breath. I don’t even know how to process his words. He’s told me before that he’s sorry. That he wants to fix things. But this is different. The emotions infusing his words are powerful and raw—he’s laying his soul bare for me and both of his friends to see. He’s playing every card in his hand, showing me everything he’s been holding on to for the past several years.

  And I have no idea what to do with it.

  My heart is beating hard and fast in my chest, and unconsciously, my hands grip his back just as hard as he’s holding me.

  Maybe he can see the mix of emotions on my face, the panic blended with hope, because Trent pulls me a little closer to him.

  “I fucked up, Ems. I can never ask for your forgiveness for that, because I’ll never forgive myself. I ruined everything. I didn’t believe you when I should have, and I fucked everything up. But I want to fix it, and I promise you, I will never let anyone come between us again. I’ll be on your side, always.”

  His vow strikes a chord in me, sending a ripple through my entire body. He’s the last of these three men to tell me he wants to fix things, and maybe it makes me foolish or insane, but I do believe him.

  Not just because of his words, but because of the actions that came before them. He’s done everything he can to show me he’s different now. That things between us are different now.

  Acutely aware of West and Reese watching the two of us, I nod once.

  “I believe you, Trent. I do.” My gaze flits to Reese, finding a pair of intense green eyes watching me. “And I believe you.” I shift my gaze to West. He’s silent, watching me almost like a predator. “I believe you too. I know you all want to make up for what you did.”

  My heart is still thrumming in my chest, and the next words sit on my tongue for a half-second before I gather the courage to speak them.

  “But… it’s not enough.”

  Trent closes his eyes, his shoulders slumping a little. West’s jaw clenches, and I see a pained expression pass over Reese’s face.

  “What happened in high school did fuck everything up,” I go on, working hard to keep my voice steady. “But even if it hadn’t happened, we would’ve fallen apart at some point anyway. We could never go on forever the way things were.”

  “Yes, we could’ve, Ems.” Reese turns on the couch to face me more fully. “We could have.”

  “No.” I shake my head. “It wouldn’t have lasted. Things would’ve fallen apart eventually. Because I cared about you all. I wanted you. I still do. But I don’t know how to choose between you. And I refuse to destroy your friendship.”

  5

  Reese

  Holy. Fucking. Shit.

  Okay, unless I’m totally fucking insane, Emma just admitted that she’s had feelings for us since high school. That she’s wanted us since then.

  But that she doesn’t know how to choose which one of us she wants most.

  I have no idea how to handle that. And judging by the looks on West and Trent’s faces, they don’t either. They both look torn between celebrating and fighting each other, and I admit I sort of feel the same way.

  Fucking hell. I mean, it’s been amazing having Emma in the house with us all. It’s felt like the best times of high school again with the four of us all together.

  But at the end of the day, I want her to be mine.

  I want her to choose me.

  I want to prove to her that I’ll take the best care of her.

  Trent clenches his jaw, then releases Emma’s hands and stands, walking halfway across the room before turning back around. He’s got a look on his face that I recognize, and I know he’s holding his shit together by a thin thread.

  He’s probably worried that if it comes down to it, Emma won’t choose him. He was the one who started all this bullshit, after all. West and I went along with it, and it’s not like the two of us aren’t guilty of being assholes too. But if we ask Emma to choose, how could she possibly pick Trent? The man who’s hurt her the most?

  For a moment, I feel a wave of sadness for my friend, for the fact that his younger, stupider self fucked things up this badly for him.

  But then my focus shifts back to Emma, and everything else seems to fade away.

  Cupping her cheek with one hand, I turn her head to face me. Her eyes bounce between mine, and she watches me closely as I move a little closer to her on the couch. Her skin is warm and soft beneath my palm, just like Emma herself. So warm and soft, but strong and resilient beneath it all.

  She’s beautiful.

  Perfect.

  Mine.

  “I’ll prove I’m the best one for you, Ems,” I tell her quietly. “That I’m the one who can love you best. Take care of you best.”

  Her breath hitches, and her gorgeous breasts heave a little with the movement. Heat blazes through my body, and I run a thumb softly over her cheek.

  “It’s your choice. And I don’t want you to feel like you can’t choose because you’re worried it will drive the three of us apart. That’s for us to deal with. All you have to do is take what you want. You have to know by now that we all want you too.”

  West makes a low noise of agreement in his throat at that, and Trent steps a little closer, nodding.

  Emma’s gaze is trapped by mine as she nods once, and I grin at her, unable to help myself.

  “Look, I’m not gonna stop you from exploring your feelings for West or for Trent. I’m also not gonna stop trying to prove myself to you or stop trying to win you over. Because when you do choose, I want you to be sure. I don’t want you to have any doubts.” I lean closer, my gaze dropping to her lips as her breath ghosts over my face. “Not about your feelings or mine.”

  I swear I can feel her heart pounding in her chest as she gazes at me, feel the vibrations of it through the contact of our skin. I lift my other hand, clasping her face, and drop my head to press my lips to hers.

  She jerks slightly in surprise, but then her body responds to me like it always does, melting into my touch, becoming soft and pliable for me.

  Like she can’t help herself, like she’s been waiting for this for days, she kisses me back, leaning up into it as her lips move against mine. A tiny noise comes from the back of her throat, and it makes my cock jerk.

  God, I want her so fucking much.

  Every time I touch her, it just makes me want her more, a craving that grows stronger each time I give in to it.

  Part of me wants to see how far she’ll let me take it. If she’ll let me lay her back on the couch and settle between her legs. If she’ll let me palm her perfect, firm breasts or run my hand over the flat plane of her stomach. Would she let me slip my hand between her legs, let me feel the slick wetness I know is there?

  More blood rushes to my cock at the idea of that. Of running a finger through her drenched folds while Trent and West watch, knowing I’m the one who turned her on like this. Knowing every drop of her arousal is for me.

  Fuck, Reese. Get ahold of yourself.

  I’m supposed to be proving to Emma I can take care of her best. And trying to get her to put on some kind of show for the other two guys just to make them jealous probably isn’t the best way to do that.

  But that doesn’t stop me from sliding my tongue between her lips and taking the kiss deeper, tasting her sweetness as my tongue tangles with hers.

  A noise like a growl comes from beside us, and I sm
ile into the kiss as I hear Trent’s footsteps approach. Emma must hear it too, because I feel her body stiffen slightly, as if she just realized the two of us are making out in front of two other men.

  Good. That means I’m doing something right.

  “Oh. Um…” Emma clears her throat, blushing a little as she pulls away from me.

  I chuckle, and to my surprise, so does Trent. I find out why a second later when he pulls Emma up from the couch and wraps his arms around her. Pushing a lock of light blonde hair behind her ear, he claims her lips in a hard kiss, as if he’s trying to erase every trace of me from her memory.

  Possessive jealousy rises in me, but I just gave Ems my word I wouldn’t interfere if she wants to explore her feelings for my friends. So instead of tearing Trent away from her like I want to, I just clench my hands into fists and watch, torturing myself by keeping my gaze locked on the two of them as their kiss deepens and intensifies.

  Her body molds to his as his arm comes around her waist, his hand splaying across her lower back and hiking her closer to him.

  My cock pulses as I watch them, fierce desire burning through my veins. I meet West’s gaze, and for a second, we’re completely on the same team, both of us itching to tear Trent away from the woman we want to claim.

  When Trent and Emma finally separate, she’s breathing harder, and she shoots me an almost questioning gaze, as if she can’t believe I’m not objecting to this.

  Believe me, Ems. I want to.

  I don’t have to work hard to guess what comes next. But West, the cocky bastard, doesn’t pull Emma from Trent’s hold. He waits for her to turn to face him, and when she does, he holds out his hand.

  There’s a small tremor in hers as she takes it, and the flush staining her cheeks is fucking gorgeous. She steps toward him, and he pulls her down onto his lap, settling her over one leg as he sits up straighter.

  I can’t help myself. I stand, joining Trent as we watch West kiss Emma. He threads his hand through her hair and tightens his grip, and she moans softly into his mouth.

  Fucking hell.

  I’m fully hard by now, my cock pressing painfully against the confines of my pants, and I shift a little, adjusting myself as Emma strains against West’s grip on her hair to kiss him harder.

  Shit. Did she kiss me like that? Did she lose herself that completely while my lips were devouring hers?

  Their kiss goes on long enough that I start to lose the last grip on my self-control, and I’m pretty sure Trent is about a second and a half away from throwing Ems over his shoulder and hauling her back to his room like a caveman.

  Actually, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

  When Emma comes up for air from her kiss with West, I swear I can practically smell her arousal, and I’m positive if I slipped my hand between her legs now, I’d find her absolutely soaked.

  She blinks up at me and Trent, biting her swollen bottom lip. We’re all quiet for a moment, then she stands, accepting West’s offered hand as she does. Her knees wobble a little, and I take some pride in that. The others may have contributed, but I had something to do with that too. Between the three of us, we’ve left her hot and needy, so worked up she can barely keep her legs under her.

  Fuck, I like that.

  Emma takes a step away from West, as if she needs distance from all three of us to clear her thoughts.

  “And you’re… you’re all okay with this?” she asks, shifting her gaze to Trent and then West. “With me exploring my feelings for each of you?”

  Trent nods, his expression grim and determined.

  West stands too, his movements deliberate. “Yeah. I’m okay with it. Whatever helps you choose.”

  She looks a little shell-shocked, like she never in a million years expected this to happen. Something else passes over her face at West’s last words, and it looks almost like disappointment. But it’s gone before I can really be sure I saw it, and then Emma gives a little nod.

  “All right. I’m going to go to bed. We should all get some sleep, it was a long, crazy day.”

  Yeah, tell me about it. And that’s not even counting the insane shit with Leslie and getting hauled in to the police station.

  “Yeah. We should all get some rest,” I say pointedly, shifting my focus to my two best friends.

  They bristle right back at me as I usher Ems toward my bedroom, where she’s been staying since she came to live with us. I don’t say anything to either of them, but my body language says plenty.

  We might’ve agreed that we’ll each pursue Emma and let her decide who she wants, but I’m not letting one of these fuckers sneak into her room tonight. I know she’s slept with each of them, and now that we’ve made our agreement, there’s a decent chance she will again. And I need to be okay with that.

  But for tonight? I’d fight either one of these dudes if they try anything.

  Emma stops at the doorway to my room and sweeps her gaze over all of us, her expression softening. With her blonde hair slightly mussed and her cheeks still flushed a gorgeous pink, she looks like a damn angel.

  “Thank you.” Her blush deepens, and she shakes her head, gesturing over to the couch where we were sitting a minute ago. “Uh, not for that. But for… for being on my side. It’s still hard to believe that Leslie is doing all of this, but it really helps to know I’ve got people in my corner.”

  “Always, Ems.” I grin at her. “No matter what.”

  She smiles and closes the door softly behind her. West, Trent, and I all exchange looks, but there’s no point in hashing this all out tonight. There’s not a lot to say anyway. Like we all agreed, it’s Emma’s choice now. All each of us can do is try to convince her to pick us.

  They both disappear into their bedrooms, but I know there’s no fucking way I’ll be able to sleep yet. Instead of crashing on the couch, I head to the bathroom and turn on the shower. My cock is still hard as hell, and as I step under the spray, I wrap my fist around myself.

  My hand is nowhere near as good as Emma’s sweet pussy would be, but it’s some relief, at least. I tug in harsh, hard strokes as I lose myself in memories of fucking her. Of the sounds she made and the way her body came apart beneath me, the way her walls gripped me hard as she came.

  “Oh, fuck…”

  With a deep, guttural grunt, I slap my free hand against the tiles of the shower as ropes of cum spill over my fingers, sliding down to wash away down the drain.

  I jerk off once more before turning off the shower and heading into the living room to crash on the couch.

  But it barely makes a difference.

  I still fall asleep thinking of nothing but Emma.

  6

  Emma

  Three male bodies surround the bed, one on each side and one at the foot.

  Three pairs of eyes gaze at me with burning intensity, the heat in them making my skin prickle with a delicious awareness.

  West, Trent, and Reese.

  They’re all here, and they’re all looking at me like they want to devour me.

  I want them to.

  I want to be consumed by these three men, taken apart by them and put back together as a new version of myself.

  When we got back from the police station, I finally admitted to them that I can’t choose between them. That I don’t know how to begin picking one of them over the others.

  I open my mouth to tell them again, but before I can say anything, all three of them move.

  West and Trent crawl onto the bed on either side of me while Reese climbs onto the mattress near my feet. I’m sprawled out on top of the covers, and his hands slide over my legs, the slight roughness of his palms grazing the skin of my calves and ankles.

  I shiver, my toes curling involuntarily as my hips shift on the bed, and he grins at me—that devilish, slightly crooked grin I’m coming to recognize.

  The one I’m starting to love.

  He lifts one leg slightly, dipping his head to graze his lips over my flesh, and a small sound of appr
eciation falls from my mouth.

  “I think she likes that.” Trent smiles, kneeling beside me and cocking his head as he takes me in.

  He’s hard, just like he was in the living room, and as I watch, he palms his cock through his jeans, rubbing his hand up and down the thick bulge as if he just needs to take the edge off a little.

  “Then she’ll love this.”

  There’s a challenge in West’s words, and the next thing I know, large hands are tugging my tank top off over my head, leaving my breasts and stomach completely bare. My nipples peak in the cool air of the dark bedroom, and when West’s mouth closes over one breast, the wet heat makes my back bow off the bed.

  “Oh, fuck. Yes!”

  My cry is breathy and desperate, and West chuckles. I feel the vibrations of it against my skin, and the sensation makes me gasp. Before I can draw in a full breath of air, Trent kisses me, his mouth sealing over mine with fierce hunger.

  Holy fuck. It’s so much. Too much.

  Sensations are coming from so many different parts of my body that my brain can barely register all of them. Reese’s mouth is still working its way up my leg, his lips and teeth brushing my thigh, and West’s hand massages my other breast as Trent slides his tongue into my mouth, devouring my sounds of pleasure as if they’re his last meal.

  My body writhes softly on the blankets, my hands moving restlessly as I grope and stroke every part of the men I can reach. They work together to pull my shorts and panties off, leaving me completely naked.

  Bared to them.

  “You’re so damn beautiful like this, Ems,” Reese whispers against my skin.

  His lips trail upward over my inner thigh, so close to where I need him most. My clit is throbbing, desperate for attention, and I can feel slick wetness gathering in my pussy, dripping from my slit.

  “You want this, Emma?” West’s voice is slightly muffled as he licks a trail between my breasts. He moves up to my mouth just as Trent breaks our kiss, and my response is hardly more than a gasp.