Tori
I stared at the laptop screen on the desk in front of us, reading through Kyle’s final draft. He had his arm around me as we sat side by side. I glanced at him out of my peripheral vision.
“You’re supposed to be looking at the essay, not me,” I said.
“I already know what the essay says. I wrote it.”
“But you also know what I look like.”
His trademark smirk settled on his face. “I know what every inch of you looks like.”
That made my skin heat in a pleasurable way, but we had work to do. The paper had to be uploaded by midnight. “I think this part needs a citation.”
Kyle leaned forward, squinting at the screen. “No, it doesn’t. We already talked about that.”
It was a judgment call, but it was his to make. “Oh, and here—this is a run-on sentence.”
He grumbled, putting his fingers on the keyboard. “I can’t believe I actually know what that means. And how to fix it.”
I shrugged, biting back a giggle. “You have a good teacher.”
“Hell yeah, I do.”
The fall semester was only half over, but this was the last paper before midterm grades, and I was really hoping Kyle would get a B or higher. At the beginning of the semester when I’d first met him, I didn’t think that was possible. But I did now.
We went through the rest of the paper line by line, arguing a little, but by now he was used to meeting my high standards—both in and out of the bedroom.
And then it was done. “Time to submit it,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Kyle suddenly sounded worried. “Should we read through it one more time or, I don’t know, run spell check again?”
I smiled at his concern and started spell check. No spelling errors, just three grammar ones. We went through each.
“That’s an optional comma,” I said.
“What if I fail the whole class because I should have included it?”
“Then we’ll fail together,” I said with a shrug. “And think of how much more time we can spend in bed when we’re not writing these damn papers.”
Kyle’s jaw dropped. “I never thought I’d hear that from a future English teacher.”
I grinned. “I never thought I’d meet someone who can make me moan as much as you do.”
Kyle looked pleased, but we both knew that I’d met three men like that. The fact that they were all somehow okay with it still blew my mind.
“All right, I guess I’ll submit it.”
I nodded encouragingly. It was endearing to see the strong, confident, cocky baseball player be so hesitant. But then he clicked the button, and the paper was uploaded.
He stared at the screen as the confirmation page popped up. “I can’t believe I got it in early.”
I laughed. “It’s 9 p.m. That’s only three hours early.”
“That still counts.” He closed the laptop and turned to me. “You really are a good teacher. Someday I need to give you a whole apple. Not just half of one.”
I smiled, remembering that first time I met him. “I’d settle for a kiss.”
“That works.” He put his arms around me and claimed my mouth in a slow, thorough way I was more used to from Lucas.
By the time he pulled back, I was breathless and wanting more—but I knew where to get it.
“If you really wanted me to thank you, maybe take me downstairs, and we can see if anyone else is around who wants to play with us?” I gave him a hopeful look.
“You mean who wants to play with you—and any man would.” He got to his feet and pulled me to mine.
We went down to the basement. Jayden’s bed was empty, and no one was near the pool table.
“I guess they’re not here.” Kyle frowned. “Even though the lights are on.”
I bit back a smile. “Let’s check the back room.”
He nodded, and we walked toward the room that had been used as storage. In recent weeks, we’d all worked to get the clutter out and had made it into a study room. Without admitting it, we’d kind of set it up like the one in the basement of the library. A large table with chairs around it and some bookcases along the wall. And just like the one in the library, we’d already used it for both legitimate and less-than-legitimate purposes.
I stepped back and let Kyle go in first.
He took two steps in and stopped dead, looking at the table and our roommates.
“Congratulations!” Jayden said.
“Good job, man,” Lucas added. He and I had been the ones to arrange this. He’d told me that he felt guilty for all the times he’d put down Kyle’s intelligence over the years.
I pushed Kyle in, laughing at his surprise. There were snacks on the table and a couple of balloons I’d blown up earlier. Jayden and Lucas were already seated.
I clapped Kyle on the back. “You’ve done really well this semester.”
“Thanks.” He sounded genuinely pleased and a little puzzled. “Who knew that when you actually try in a class, you actually learn something?”
“All of us knew that,” Jayden said. “But glad you’re with the program now.”
“We’ve got champagne,” Lucas said, jerking his chin toward the ancient refrigerator in the corner. “Or we can do shots.”
“Shots,” Kyle said immediately, as I’d known he would.
Jayden had known, too. He had a bottle of vodka and shot glasses ready. I nudged Kyle forward, and he sat down at the table.
In the only remaining chair.
“The writing tutor doesn’t get to sit?” I protested.
Jayden grinned. “She gets to sit on the lap of her choosing.”
I scrunched up my nose, feeling torn. They’d done things like this before, and sitting on the lap of a hot-as-hell man often led to very fun times. But they knew I hated it when they made me choose—even for something simple like this.
Kyle rolled his eyes. “It’s not that hard. We’re the guests of honor here.” He grabbed my hand and tugged until I was between his legs. I perched on his powerful thigh, and his hand wrapped around my hips.
Jayden raised an eyebrow. “Interesting choice considering he just said, ‘It’s not that hard.’”
Kyle flipped him off, and I laughed. “Shut up and pour the shots.”
Conversation flowed easily, especially after my second shot—for that one, I’d been on Lucas’s lap.
Now I was on Jayden’s, the third shot glass sat in front of me. He was on his fourth. “I’ve been thinking about Thanksgiving break,” he said.
“Dude, we’ve been through this. We can’t understand you when your mouth is buried in her hair,” Lucas said.
I laughed and leaned away so he wouldn’t be tempted. “What about Thanksgiving?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to see your mom on the drive down?” he asked, and I went still. Jayden and I were driving to Tallahassee. He was going to help his brother paint and prep the nursery for the baby. I was going as his girlfriend, since obviously they didn’t know about our situation. It was both daunting and exciting.
“It’s too soon,” I said after a pause. “Maybe at Christmas.”
I spoke with my mom by phone or text about once a week, but we mostly didn’t mention Doug, her new husband. Still, I was glad we were in contact—and grateful to Lucas for convincing me to go to the wedding. I think it would’ve burned too big a bridge if I hadn’t.
“All right,” Jayden said, letting it go. He squeezed my waist—and buried his nose in my hair again. Predictable.
“I hate that you two don’t have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving dinner,” I said to Lucas and Kyle.
Kyle shrugged, as if it didn’t matter, but Lucas lit up. “I’ve been researching how to cook a turkey. I think we could manage a ten-pounder. I can do that if Kyle makes the sides.”
My jaw dropped as I looked between them. Sure, they were getting along better, but I couldn’t imagine them spending half the day cooking and eating together. Especially not with carving knives around. “Really?” I asked.
Kyle scoffed. “No, not really. Tell her the real idea you had.”
I looked at Lucas, who was chuckling.
“Well, you two are driving down on Monday and staying through Thanksgiving, right?”
“Yes,” Jayden said, and I nodded.
“So maybe we could drive down Thursday, get a hotel on the beach somewhere, and you two could join us for the rest of the week.”
My heart leaped. “You’d do that?”
“Absolutely,” Kyle said, then turned to his stepbrother. “You forgot the most important part of the plan.”
Lucas looked puzzled. “What’s that?”
“Tori in a bikini.” He winked at me.
“I love this plan,” Jayden said, pulling me closer, but my jaw dropped.
“In November?” That was only part of the issue. The other part was that I’d never worn a bikini in my life. Then again, I’d done a lot of things recently I’d never done before moving into this house.
“It’s Florida,” Lucas pointed out. “Besides, who says you have to wear it on the beach? You could wear it in the room for us.”
Kyle nodded approval of that. “Works for me as long as I get to pull one of the strings when it’s time to take it off you.”
That thought made me squirm on Jayden’s lap. He pulled me closer, and I could feel his cock twitch. “I’ll drink to that.”
We all picked up our shots. I threw back my head and downed mine, nearly hitting Jayden.
“You sure you two will be okay driving all the way down there?” I asked.
Lucas scoffed. “Seriously? You’re the one who drives so rarely I doubt you remember the make and model of your car.”
I giggled. “I just meant it’s a long way for a stepbrother road trip.”
“She’s asking if you’ll kill each other on the drive,” Jayden said.
Kyle smirked at me. “Not if we know we get to have a lot of sex with a hot brunette once we get to the hotel.”
The look he gave me—plus Jayden’s hands on me—made heat bloom in my core. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good.” Kyle glanced at Lucas. “The only violence might happen if we stop in Macon.”
To my surprise, Lucas was on board with the threat. “Yeah, I still remember where your mom’s house is. We could go have a chat with Doug.”
“The same kind we did with Todd,” Kyle growled.
“Let’s not talk about them,” I said. Not when it was more fun to think about a hotel getaway. And I was also looking forward to meeting Jayden’s family
“Let’s play a game instead,” Kyle proposed. “Since this is a celebration.”
My thighs clenched at that. Kyle was pretty damn good at coming up with naughty games—or adding an adult element to regular ones.
Jayden groaned. “What this time, hopscotch?”
I laughed. “Probably he wants to do strip hopscotch. Or strip hide-and-go-seek.” I knew how Kyle’s mind worked. But then he surprised me.
“Blind Man’s Bluff.”
A shiver went through me, even though I couldn’t quite remember what the game consisted of.
“Isn’t it Blind Man’s Buff?” Jayden asked, stroking his thumb along my thigh.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Buff is an old term for a small push,” Lucas said. “I think the game can be called either.”
“No, I mean what happens in the game?” I asked Kyle. My body was already responding to the thought of playing—even though I didn’t understand the rules yet.
“We blindfold you. You wander around, and when you find one of us, if you can tell who it is, we’ll take off a piece of clothing. If you can’t, you take one off.” He smirked. “I already know you look good in a blindfold.”
I shushed him but couldn’t help smiling.
“We’ve cleared a lot of the crap down here, but it’s still not safe,” Jayden said. “There are columns, sharp corners, and the hard concrete floor.”
“That’s why we’ll do it out back.”
“Outside?” I protested. “But it’s dark!”
Lucas laughed. “And how does that matter if you’re blindfolded?” The gleam in his eyes pleased me. In the last few months, I’d learned a lot about accessing my sexual side—and so had he. He was much more into doing things for pleasure now, not just slow, romantic encounters—though I liked those too.
Jayden slid his hand up and cupped my breast through my clothes. “I think you’ll like it. And we’ll keep you safe. We’re not letting you run into a tree or get dragged off by a bear.”
I giggled. “I wasn’t even worried about that last one until you mentioned it.” But I squirmed on his lap in anticipation. These guys knew how to make things exciting.
“Are you in or out, Victoria?” Kyle asked.
It wasn’t a hard decision. “I’m in.”
* * *
With my hands out in front of me, I took a few tentative steps across the soft grass. Thanks to the blindfold—a new one, Kyle had assured me with a wink—I couldn’t see anything. But I knew they could—there was a half moon out.
I heard a sound and froze. Then a sharp sting on my butt. “Ouch! Do bears know how to pinch?”
No one answered, but I heard a male voice chuckle. I set off toward it. A closer sound made me whirl around. Nothing rustled and no one touched me… until a hand slid up the back of my sweatshirt, grabbed the band of my bra, and pulled.
I shrieked and reached out, but whoever it was had already gone. “Really? Snapping my bra? So mature.”
Switching directions, I staggered forward. At this rate, I’d never catch any of them. “Why is it always three against one?”
“Because you love it when we gang up on you.” Kyle’s voice was close, and I lunged.
I crashed into a hard male body and managed to grab his wrist. “Kyle!” I said triumphantly.
“Nope.” Lucas planted a kiss at the corner of my mouth.
Wow, they were tricky. And now I had to take off my shirt. My heart pounded faster.
“Lift your arms,” Lucas said, and I gulped but obeyed. He pulled my sweatshirt off, then cupped my breasts, rubbing his thumbs over my hard nipples before retreating.
Crap. There weren’t any nearby neighbors, but still—it felt strange to be out here in just my bra and leggings. The night air was chilly—or at least, that’s what I told myself was the reason my nipples were so hard.
I felt a presence on my left, then a quick spank on my ass. Instead of pouncing that way, I went the other and grabbed someone’s T-shirt. “Jayden!”
“Yep.” Fabric brushed my arm as he pulled off his shirt.
I placed my hand on his hard abs. “Should’ve changed your cologne, dude,” I teased, imitating his voice.
“Next time, I will.” He lifted my hand and kissed it, then smacked my ass again before darting off.
Silence fell across the yard. I kept moving, senses on high alert. It felt like someone was in front of me, but when I reached out—nothing. So I kept going.
Then strong hands landed on my shoulders. Before I could guess, Kyle whispered in my ear, “You’re about to run into a tree. Go that way.” He turned me around and gave me a small shove.
Okay, I guessed that didn’t count. Then I heard someone jog past me. Was that Kyle? Someone else followed. Were they circling me? “You guys are evil.”
No one responded, but I could feel their smirks. Then someone stepped behind me, grasping my ponytail. Before I could turn, he brought my hair to his face and breathed in deeply.
“Jayden!”
A chuckle from behind me—one that definitely wasn’t Jayden’s. And no cologne, either. Damnit.
“Wrong answer, Tori,” Lucas whispered in my ear and let go of my hair. Shivers ran up and down my spine.
Were they really going to make me take my leggings off out here? But then that became the least of my worries. Someone crouched, grabbed my legs, and stood, slinging me over his shoulder. I shrieked and tried to squirm away, but Kyle just laughed as he carried me across the yard.
I beat at his back as my face burned. I could only imagine the view Lucas and Jayden were getting of my ass up in the air.
He set me on the hammock. I threw my hands out for balance, but the rough rope didn’t twist.
I pulled off the blindfold just in time to see Jayden climbing on next to me. Lucas and Kyle held the hammock steady until he was stretched out beside me.
Then Kyle loomed over me. “Looks like you lost. And now you’re going to lose your pants. Know what happens then?”
I shook my head, my breath coming out in shuddery gasps.
He leaned down, grabbing my hair and holding my head steady, his warm breath in my ear. “You’re going to have six hands on you. Right now. And you’re going to like it.” His voice lowered. “So either use your safeword—or lay back and enjoy it, you naughty girl.”
Jayden’s hand fell to my stomach, sliding down. Kyle slid my bra strap off my shoulder. And Lucas’s hand settled on my thigh, his fingers curling inward.
Soon, my shrieks, gasps, and moans filled the night air.
* * *
Much later, back in his bedroom, Kyle rolled off me. I’d chosen to stay with him tonight since we were still celebrating. I couldn’t wait for him to get his midterm grades—I had a feeling we’d be celebrating again.
“Shit, that was good,” he murmured as we struggled to catch our breath.
He was right—it had been wonderful. The whole evening had been one steamy moment after another. And to think I used to waste most nights in the world’s stuffiest library.
Finding his hand, I squeezed it. “Yes, it was,” I said, my throat raspy. “I need some water.”
He chuckled. “You always want water afterwards. Did you know they’ve invented a special container that lets you carry water around with you?”
“It tastes better all cool and fresh from the kitchen.” I slid my toe along his calf. “Will you get me a glass?” I batted my lashes, which was probably a wasted effort in the dark.
Kyle squeezed my fingers before letting go. “Not this time. You wore me out, baby.”
I laughed softly and climbed out of bed. Instead of a robe, I put on the shirt he’d worn earlier. It smelled good, like him.
In the kitchen, I grabbed a glass and filled it at the sink. Then I spotted something on the counter—a folded piece of paper. On the front, someone had handwritten Victoria.
Puzzled, I turned it over and unfolded the top, seeing a typewritten paragraph. For some reason, I was smiling before I even read a word.
This is a first draft, so it’s pretty rough, but I wanted to use my new writing skills to give it a shot.
Thank you, Tori. For your patience when tutoring me. For sticking up for me when I was accused of cheating. And, of course, for the really hot sex. You were right. I did sometimes show people my worst side—or at least the side I thought they were expecting. You’re the only one who’s ever called me out on it.
I don’t know what the next few years hold, but you showed me I might have more to offer than just my skills on the field (and really hot sex).
Somehow, I got the best tutor and sexiest roommate all at once, and for that I say again, thank you.
His words touched my heart, and I set the paper down, my eyes misting over. When I first met Kyle, he’d been overconfident in many areas—his looks, his baseball playing, anything physical—but under-confident about everything else. I wanted to think I’d helped him, but the truth was, he’d done the work. The man he was now was even hotter because he let people see more than one side of him.
As I sipped my water, my thoughts drifted to Lucas. He’d changed too. At first, I think he wanted the kind of relationship he’d had with Natalie. He tried to cast me as the sweet, nurturing, devoted girlfriend of his dreams. But now, I think he saw me for who I actually was—and realized that relationships work best when they’re built on reality, not one person being hopelessly devoted to the other.
And Jayden… I didn’t even know where to start. He’d been the least messed up of the three when we met. He had a way of making me feel better and helping me work through my feelings. But lately, it felt like we’d gone deeper. On our rides to and from campus, I’d finally learned more about his passions. His interests. His concerns. I was really looking forward to spending time one-on-one with him over Thanksgiving week. And I was also glad that Lucas and Kyle would join us after.
I set my glass down on the counter and read Kyle’s sweet note again. Then I realized I hadn’t unfolded the paper all the way before. This time I did—and saw two postscripts.
PS1 No AI was used to write this.
PS2 Come back to bed. I sleep better next to you.
Smiling, I padded back to the bedroom and into the arms of one of the men I loved.
(c) Stephanie Brother 2025
