Chapter 6.

Darcelle's POV:

The storm had faded to a gentle patter on the windows by the time we gathered our scattered clothes from the office floor.

My legs wobbled beneath me, still weak from the intensity of it all, but Noah's strong arm wrapped firmly around my waist held me steady as we stepped into the elevator.

The mirrored walls reflected our disheveled group, hair tousled, clothes hastily pulled on, faces flushed with a shared secret glow.

“My villa’s the closest. Let’s head there,” Steve said, his voice low and decisive, breaking the hazy silence.

Steve slid behind the wheel of his sleek black Range Rover. Lights streaked across the windshield like shooting stars, blurred by rain drop.

No one spoke much. The quiet felt easy, thick with the warm satisfaction of bodies still remembering each touch. Josh sat in the back with me, his hand resting lightly on my knee, a silent anchor. Noah glanced over from the passenger seat now and then, his eyes catching mine in the rearview mirror with a soft, knowing smile.

Steve’s mansion perched on the edge of the hills, a striking blend of modern glass walls and polished steel beams that caught the faint glow of interior lights.

Palm trees swayed gently in the yard, their leaves dripping with rain. We tumbled through the front door, the cool marble floor sending a shiver up my bare feet. Clothes hit the ground in a hurried pile of shirts, pants, underthings scattering like fallen leaves.

The second round unfolded slower, more lazily, as if we had all night to savor it.Steve eased me onto the wide leather sectional in the living room, our bodies aligning face to face, his weight a comforting press.

The leather was cool and smooth against my back, contrasting the heat building between us. Noah and Josh knelt on either side, their lips tracing lazy paths along my neck, my shoulders, the curve of my breasts. Hands roamed everywhere now gentle strokes along my thighs, fingers teasing sensitive skin, palms cupping and caressing with a reverence that made my breath hitch.

Steve moved with deliberate rhythm, deep and unhurried, drawing out every gasp. I shattered twice, the peaks soft and rolling like waves on a calm sea, my body arching into theirs. They followed one by one Noah first, then Josh, then Steve each spilling inside me with low groans, leaving me trembling, full, and completely spent, my skin slick with sweat and theirs.

We didn’t bother hunting for sheets or pajamas. Exhausted and sated, we simply collapsed in a tangled pile on the massive king bed upstairs, limbs intertwined, skin still radiating warmth. The mattress was plush, swallowing us whole.

I drifted off listening to their steady breathing, the faint drip of rain outside.

Sometime before dawn I woke, restless. The air smelled clean after the rain. I slipped out of bed, wrapped myself in one of Steve’s silk robes, and padded barefoot to the balcony.

The city lay quiet below, washed fresh, streetlights reflecting in puddles. A cool breeze lifted my hair and brushed my bare legs. I leaned on the railing, letting the wind carry away the last of the day’s tension.

Footsteps behind me. It was Noah.

He stepped up beside me, shirtless, arms resting on the railing next to mine. For a long moment we just watched the sky lighten from black to deep indigo.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

I nodded. “More than okay. I feel light. Like I can finally breathe again.”

He turned his head to look at me. “You’ve been carrying too much for too long.”

“Yeah.” I smiled a little. “But tonight,I mean last night reminded me I don’t have to. Not alone.”

Noah reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His touch lingered.

“You never were alone, Darcie. Not really. We were just waiting for you to remember.”

I laughed softly. “You make it sound like fate.”

“Maybe it is.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Or maybe it’s just that some people are meant to find each other again. No expiration date on that.”

The breeze picked up, carrying the scent of wet earth and distant pine. I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“I used to think love had to be complicated. Hard. That if it wasn’t a fight, it wasn’t real.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Love doesn’t have to hurt to be deep. Sometimes it’s just steady. Like this.”

I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of him against the cool morning air. “I like steady.”

“Good.” His arm slid around my waist, pulling me closer. “Because we’re not going anywhere.”

We stood like that until the first pink streak of sunrise touched the horizon, two people who’d found each other again in the middle of a storm, choosing quietly, deliberately, to stay.