RivenKennedy looks mortified, and I can’t say I blame him. This wasn’t exactly on the menu as his ideal way to handle one of his waifs and strays.But it was the right way to handle her.I’ve no doubt we’ve done the right thing, even if things veered dangerously close to the edge.“She needed that,” I tell him and he nods even though I’m unsure he believes me.“She needs to stay away from Eddie fucking Stevens,” he says and I’ve no argument there.“She will stay away from him. She has us to keep her on the straight and narrow.”He lowers his voice. “By spanking her every time she does something we disagree with?”“By spanking her every time she deserves it.”“It’s wrong,” he says.“No,” I argue. “It worked. How can that be wrong? The girl is crying out for discipline. She’s crying out for people who’ll stand up to her shit and stay firm through it.”“And that’s us, is it? We’re going to be the ones to do this?”I shrug. “Unless you have any better ideas?”He runs his hands through hi
KennedyI walk fast, head down and hands in my pockets, guilt rattling through me at the thought of how badly I’ve desecrated my professional judgement. This should never be. This thing with Anna was bad enough, this craziness with Riven involved is nothing short of criminal.But it’s not criminal.It violates the moral code of my career, but it’s not criminal. Not on paper.She’s of age and willing. Definitely willing.And we mean her no harm, Riven and I. Quite the opposite.But that matters not. I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of what nearly went down in there, and sicker still to know that my cock is still rock fucking hard, no matter how harshly I condemn myself.I could have fucked her then handed her over to Riven to do the same. We could’ve taken turns all night long. I could still be there now, buried deep inside the only girl who’s ever made me lose my fucking mind.Would I have still been hard as I watched him take her? Would I still have wanted her pretty little p
RivenShe’s not quick enough to dart away from view when I head through to the living room with a fresh cold beer from the fridge. Call it instinct, but I used to do it when I was a kid and my parents were arguing – sit myself down on the top stair and hope people would be too caught up in their row to notice me.I prop myself against the bottom bannister and call up to her.“You can come down if you want. Kennedy’s gone.”She pokes her head around the top rail. “I wasn’t–” she begins, but I shake my head.“Don’t even think about lying to me, you’ve been there since we sent you out.”She shrugs. “It’s not eavesdropping if the conversation is about you. It’s called not being a stupid fucking idiot.”“It’s called poking your pixie nose in where it’s not fucking wanted. What Kennedy and I talk about is for our ears and not yours.”She folds her arms as she heads back downstairs. Good manners seem to fade awfully fucking easily with this girl.“Even if the shit you’re talking about revolv
AnnaI can’t get settled in this squeaky bed. My belly is filled up with nerves, and I hate that. I hate the fear of losing people, so I’ve learned that the best way of going through life is not to get attached in the first place. It’s lonely but it’s safe. But this time is different. This time I’m already in deep.I pushed them and they didn’t walk away. I made them mad and they don’t hate me for it. At least I hope they don’t.Finding Kennedy was a lucky break I never thought I’d stumble into. Finding Riven too is more than I ever hoped for. Having both of them in my life is a crazy dream beyond anything I’ve ever dared dream before. Losing them? Well, that would be more than I could bear.I toss and turn until I’m sticky and uncomfortable, thinking about what happened, wondering what happens now.What if Kennedy doesn’t come back? What if he’s really had enough of me now?What if Riven is in the room next door regretting ever offering me a place to stay?I know my heart is playing
AnnaRiven tries to act super normal next morning, even though I wake in his arms with my hair all over his pillow. He gives me a smile and disentangles himself and heads off for a shower like this is just any other day.But it isn’t.Now I’ve slept in his bed I don’t want to sleep alone again.It felt too good to feel someone’s body against mine. It felt too good to have someone hold me for the first proper time in my life.Now I know how it feels to be safe and warm in someone’s arms I can’t let it go, and I won’t.But I can’t choose, either.I can’t choose either man over the other, they both mean too much to me.When I was being passed around foster homes like a bad smell, all I ever wanted was one person to give a shit about me. Now there’s the chance I have two. Two men who care enough to give me a chance. And they love me, he said so, and Riven isn’t the kind to lie.I’m eating a bowl of cereal when he joins me in the kitchen. He pours himself one and takes a seat opposite, sme
KennedyI slept a lousy sleep. It’s my phone that wakes me up, bleeping away on my bedside table.I rub my eyes before I reach for it, and realise the daylight is blazing through the crack in the curtains.“Wake up sleepyhead,” Riven says at the end of the line. “It’s almost midday.”I check my alarm clock. He’s right.That’s what a night pacing around your living room does for you.“Guess I overslept.”“Guess you did. You should’ve stayed over.”I sigh. “I hardly think that would’ve been a good idea.”“She loves you,” he says, just like that, and I sit bolt upright.“What?”“She loves you, she told me so. And she loves me, too.”A mix of relief and nausea floods through me. “She said that? Love?”“Uh huh, yeah. She said it. Love.”I can’t fight the zing of nerves. “And were you… when she said it?”“Was I fucking her?” He sighs. “No, Kennedy, I wasn’t fucking fucking her. How much of a cunt do you take me for?”“I’m sorry,” I say, and I am.“She did sleep in my bed though. But not lik
AnnaI’ve been in Gloucester city centre a thousand times, but never with a hundred quid in my pocket. I feel uneasy to have it there, like someone is going to take it from me. Someone like Margaretha or one of his loser mates.That’s why I didn’t want Riven to bring me here. I didn’t want to risk running into any of them. I didn’t want them to see me with someone. Someone they could speak to, someone they could scare off me.Margaretha is the only family who’s ever stuck by me. He ruined my life, but he came through at the other side, tracking me down when I was fourteen and telling me he was still my brother.He’s never even mentioned what happened all those years ago, and I was always too scared to bring it up in case he dropped me again. Sometimes he’s kind and tells me about my old mum and dad, and sister, too. He says they don’t want to see me and never will, but I still care.I still like hearing about them.I guess he knows it and that’s why he’s always used it to take things
Riven“She’ll be here,” I say, “she said she wouldn’t let us down.”Kennedy is pacing. Nervous as fuck.I’d like to say I’m not, but I’m more tightly wound than I’d like, even if I’m hiding it pretty well.“You gave her a hundred quid, Riven. She could be fucking anywhere right now.”“She won’t be,” I tell him, even though I’m not entirely sure. “We’re having movie night, she’ll be here.”“Or be drunk in an alleyway somewhere.”I sigh. “You’ve got to have some faith in her.”He flashes me a horrible stare. “I’ve got faith in her, Riven, it’s us I’ve got the issue with. Last night we slap her ass, today she’s taken off.”“She’s gone shopping, Kennedy.”“You don’t know that,” he insists, and he’s right. I don’t.I hope my gut is making the right call on this one. Not just on Anna being back in time to spend the evening with us, but on this whole crazy situation we’re involved with. I thought teaching her some discipline was the right call, just as holding her tight in my bed felt the ri