Page 32 of The Mountain
Liam leans forward in his seat, expression unreadable as he silently observes Eddie, eyes narrowing.
“But you’re dating Lily,” Eddie continues with a frown, lips pursing with confusion. “How does that work? Does it even count?”
Seth stiffens beneath me, his muscles tensing.
“Of course it counts.” To my surprise, it’s Matty who interjects, brow dipping as he shoots Eddie a reprimanding look. “Sex isn’t what makes a relationship. You can love someone without sleeping with them.”
“And you can fuck someone without giving two shits about them,” Liam says slowly, giving Eddie a pointed look. “Like some people we know.”
Eddie’s lips clamp shut, cheeks flushing in an uncharacteristic show of embarrassment. “Yeah. Okay. Point taken,” he mumbles. He gives Seth an apologetic grimace. “Sorry, mate.”
“It’s fine.” Seth gives him a strained smile, then pulls me against him, his face settling against the side of my head again. “I get it.”
Antoine cocks his head to one side, studying Seth with quiet interest. “What were you saying? Before Eddie so rudely interrupted you, I mean. You still like to… what?”
Seth makes a choked sound against the side of my head. “Oh. It’s nothing.” Beneath my thigh, his cock twitches, hard and long and trapped between our two bodies. “It’s not a big deal.”
“You like to watch, don’t you?” Liam’s voice is full of dark amusement, the corners of his eyes turning up as he smiles. “You’re not into having sex, but you’re a voyeur.”
“Ungh.” Seth’s breath is hot against my ear as he hides his face in my hair. “Maybe.” The word is strained, almost a whimper, and he shifts his hips beneath me.
“You like the idea of watching me with Lily. Watching any of us with Lily. Shit…” Liam’s smile falls, replaced by an almost hungry expression as he stares at me and Seth, then glances at Antoine. He takes a shuddering breath, then drags one hand over his face. “I bet you’d love to see Antoine with her, wouldn’t you? That’d be hot. Or maybe both Antoine and Matty—dark and light, with Lily between them.”
“Fuck,” Seth whispers against my hair, and I can feel his body trembling beneath my own. “Liam…”
Matty stares between the three of us, pupils dilated and lips parted. “Is that… is that a thing?”
Liam chuckles, gray eyes meeting mine across the table, full of hunger and dark promise. “Oh yeah, it’s definitely a thing. Some people get off on watching, others on being watched.” He shrugs. “There are all kinds of kinks out there. Everyone’s got some.”
Suddenly, it feels strange to be at the dinner table, our empty plates between us, the lights overhead too bright for this conversation.
“Not me.” Eddie shakes his head vehemently. “Totally kink-free over here.”
Liam gives Eddie a disbelieving look. “Really? You wouldn’t want to watch me go down on Lily? Wouldn’t get off on watchingher come, on seeing her eyes go wide, on hearing her call my name?” He gives a lascivious grin. “Because you know she would.”
Eddie stands up so fast his chair clatters behind him, his face contorting with an almost panicked glower. Liam laughs, a deep laugh that has his teeth flashing and eyes crinkling.
“That’s enough,” Eddie snaps, lifting one finger. His other hand goes to the front of his pants, and I realize with amusement that he’s trying to adjust himself, trying to hide the evidence of his arousal beneath his gray sweatpants. “You know exactly what you’re doing and I’m not having a bar of it.”
Liam shakes his head, unable to stop laughing, reaching up to swipe tears from the corners of his eyes. I press the back of my hand to my mouth, but my own amusement catches in my throat.
“Lily.” Eddie turns to face me, one hand covering his crotch, his eyes blazing with irritation and lust, and not even the faintest trace of embarrassment. “I volunteer as tribute. You need someone to get you off, I’m here for it.” His free hand gives a dismissive wave at Liam and the rest of the guys. “These guys just want to talk about sex, fine, that’s on them. You want someone to actually have sex with, I’m your guy, okay?”
He heads toward the hallway, then pauses, giving me a meaningful look. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go jerk off in the shower, because there’s no fucking way I’m sitting around a table with a bunch of dudes with a hard-on.”
He gives me a cherubic smile, the kind that has him instantly transforming into something dangerously sweet, and my heartstutters. Because now I know him well enough to know what’s behind that smile—all the darkness and sharp edges.
And I like it. I like it a lot.
“Feel free to join me,” he adds. And then he’s darting down the hallway to the bathroom.
Chapter 11
Seth
The silence that follows Eddie’s departure is deafening, full of heated tension that has my blood quickening, roaring in my ears. All the while, my mind is reeling, a thousand different emotions pulling at me like conflicting currents.
Eddie’s quick dismissal of my relationship with Lily, and then his almost instant apology. Matty’s easy acceptance. Liam finding out about my weakness—my ‘kink’ as he’d called it—sniffing it out like some bloodhound. The pressure against my cock as Lily squirmed on my lap, as Liam teasingly painted images of them together in my mind. All the while, Antoine looking at me, his green eyes seeing into the very soul of me.Knowing.
