Chapter 158: Mate bond...
Charis
The dorm room felt different in the evening hours.
Softer somehow, more intimate than during the daylight hours when we all maintained our distances and had polite, necessary conversations.
I’d changed into comfortable clothes. A black leggings and an oversized pink sweater that fell off one shoulder—and settled onto the couch to watch my favourite show, a guilty pleasure romantic drama I’d never been able to indulge in as Eamon.
The dorm was quiet except for the low murmur from the television. Kael was in his room, probably on one of his mysterious phone calls. Rhett had disappeared after dinner, mentioning something about reviewing notes.
And Slater had gone for a run. He returned a few minutes ago and disappeared into his room.
But that wasn’t the point; the point was, I had the common area to myself, which was exactly what I needed after the rigours of school today.
I was halfway through an episode when I heard footsteps in the kitchen, followed by the pop of a microwave. A few minutes later, Slater appeared in the living room doorway, carrying a large bowl of freshly made popcorn. The buttery scent filled the air, making my stomach rumble despite having eaten dinner not long ago.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, gesturing to the couch.
I shifted over to make room, hyperaware of how the movement made my sweater slip further down my shoulder. "Of course. What’s in the bowl smells amazing."
"Popcorn. Family recipe," he said with a small smile, settling beside me. "Extra butter, just a hint of parmesan, and a secret spice blend my mother taught me."
He placed the bowl on the cushion between us, and I immediately reached for a handful. The popcorn was perfectly seasoned and warm.
"This is incredible," I murmured, reaching for another handful.
"I’m glad you like it." He sounded pleased. "I wasn’t sure what your tastes were like... as yourself, I mean."
We fell into comfortable silence, both reaching into the bowl periodically as the show played. I was so focused on the drama unfolding on screen that I ignored our movements until our hands collided in the bowl, my fingers sliding across his, sending an unexpected jolt up my arm.
We both froze. His hand was larger than mine, so it swallowed mine completely.
For a moment, neither of us pulled away. I could feel my pulse quickening as his thumb brushed across my knuckles, the touch somehow more intimate than it had any right to be.
"Sorry," I whispered, but I didn’t move my hand.
"It’s fine, don’t be," he replied quietly, his green eyes meeting mine in the flickering light from the television.
The spell was broken when the lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness except for the glow from the TV screen. I heard movement from one of the bedrooms, followed by footsteps in the hallway.
"Power’s out in the whole building," Kael’s voice came from the doorway. "Looks like some kind of grid failure."
He moved across the room in the darkness towards us, and I felt the couch dip as he settled on my other side. The space that had felt comfortably sized for two people suddenly seemed much smaller with three of us occupying it.
"Is the show still working?" Kael asked, his shoulder brushing against mine as he leaned back.
"Battery backup on the TV," Slater explained. "Should last another hour or so."
I was acutely aware of being sandwiched between them—Slater’s warmth on my left, the familiar scent of his cologne mixing with the lingering aroma of popcorn, and Kael on my right, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his skin through his thin t-shirt.
As the show continued, I found myself struggling to concentrate on what I was watching. Every small movement seemed amplified in the darkness. When Slater reached for more popcorn, his arm brushed against my thigh. When Kael shifted to get more comfortable, his knee pressed against mine, sending little sparks of awareness through my body.
Rhyme loved it.
She was prancing around inside me, sending warm waves of arousal all over me. She liked it. I could feel my breathing becoming more shallow and my skin more sensitive to every accidental touch.
On screen, the romantic tension between the main characters was reaching a crescendo. The heroine was backed against a wall, the hero’s hands braced on either side of her head as he leaned closer. The music swelled, and I could practically feel the electricity between them.
"This is intense," Slater murmured, his voice had grown rougher than usual.
"Very," Kael agreed, but when I glanced at him, he wasn’t looking at the screen. His dark eyes were fixed on me, studying my face in the blue-white glow from the television.
The characters on screen were kissing now. They were making out so passionately that as they moved through the room, they kept pushing things out of the way as they desperately clung to each other’s bodies.
The hero was removing the heroine’s clothes now, stopping to suckle her budding nipples before trailing down her abdomen with warm kisses.
I felt heat flood my cheeks. The room seemed to grow warmer and the air thicker. Slater’s breathing had changed, and Kael’s fingers were now resting against my thigh. I could feel my heart pumping faster than usual.
It didn’t help that Rhyme was egging me on. The scent of my arousal was slowly filling the room. Any moment now, and it would be difficult to ignore it. I needed space. I needed to leave these men now.
"I should..." I started to stand, but my legs were wobbly. "I need some water."
I made it halfway across the darkened room before I collided with someone. Strong hands immediately came up to steady me, and I found myself pressed against Rhett’s chest, his arms wrapped around me protectively.
"Careful," he murmured. "Are you hurt? You shouldn’t be moving alone in the dark"
Just as I raised my face to thank him for saving me, the light was restored. The look I saw on Rhett’s face made my breath catch.
His eyes were darkened and filled with lust, plus something was pressing against my stomach. Without thinking, I reached out to touch it and nearly melted when my hand came in contact with Rhett’s hardness.
He groaned with satisfaction while I tried to jump back, but that didn’t work. His hands were holding my waist firmly.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I’m fine," I whispered. "Just thirsty."
"Charis," he murmured my name, cupping my cheeks with his hand as he tilted my face towards his.
The space between us crackled with electricity. I could feel the mate bond tugging within me. His hazel eyes had grown darker still as they moved from my eyes to my lips and back again. He was giving me a chance to pull away, and to maintain the boundaries we’d all been dancing around.
Instead, I rose on my toes, closing the distance between us.
The moment our lips met, everything else disappeared. The room, the forgotten television show, even the awareness that we weren’t alone—none of it mattered compared to the overwhelming rightness of finally, finally kissing Rhett as myself.
His lips were soft, moving against mine with a desperation that matched my own. One of his hands slid up to cup the back of my neck as his fingers tangled in my long hair, while the other pulled me closer against him.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, he rested his forehead against mine.
"I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I realised who you really were," he whispered.
"Only since then?" I asked, surprised by my own boldness.
His laugh was low, rough. "Since long before then. A lot of things just got in the way."
Slater rose from the couch and walked towards us. I didn’t see him until he was standing behind me.
"Sla—" I was about to call out his name when he turned me so I was facing him, and without another word, kissed me.
Slater explored my mouth in a slow, teasing manner. His hands gripped my hips tightly as he claimed me, thrusting his tongue against mine. Kael had long left the couch to join us. When Slater stopped for air, his mouth found me.
His kiss was a mix of both gentle and forceful at once. His lips grazed against mine, pressing firmly into me. His hands roamed across my back and shoulders.
All three boys took turns kissing. Whatever sharing system they were using seemed to be working because, for the first time in a long while, they were in perfect sync.
My heart was racing in excitement as I welcomed the kisses. I pressed my body against Rhett, loving how his hands explored every inch of my skin, while Slater’s tongue was wrapped around mine with passion.
Kael took me from Rhett, pressing me gently to his hardness. I ground against him, hungry for more. My hands slide down to Kael’s hardness and also to Rhett as they were standing closer.
Rhett’s hand had slipped into my womanliness, rubbing the wet patch of want forming there. Slater stroked himself as he watched us, and that turned me on even more.
I break away from Rhett’s kiss, my breathing laboured.
"Guys, please..."
"You want us as much as we want you, Charis," Slater sighed. "We need to complete our mate bond, please."