A/N: Yall are some thirsty bitches. We love it. Never change. ;)
Fran betas like the trooper she is. Pearly, Ariel, and Jill preread. Enjoy...
The disorientation that sometimes came with waking in an unfamiliar setting clouded her brain as Bella traveled from the land of dreams to that of the living.
Light was streaming into the room, but the juxtaposition of it was different than it usually was in her bedroom. And Jesus-fucking-Christ, she was hot. Her whole body felt sticky, her hair matted at the nape of her neck from the perspiration. The heat was all around her … wrapped around her, in fact. Under her head, around her shoulders, pressed against her back, her front, her hips, her legs.
What in the actual fuck?
As awareness slowly made its return to her, she registered the sounds around her. A steady beat of rumbling right against her ear, small puffs of breath against her neck, adding to the heat in her body … a heat she was starting to realize was caused by a little more than the temperature in this little cocoon she found herself in.
Something on her hip shifted, moving underneath her shirt. A large hand was making its way across her stomach, her muscles clenching underneath it, a rocking fire lighting it's path between her legs, her thighs clenching with the delicious throbbing. Up, the hand moved, fitting itself momentarily between her breasts, pressed flat against her sternum, then moving to cup one soft mound, long dexterous fingers seeking the metal in her nipple. A soft moan fell from her lips, a low groan reverberated next to her ear …
And suddenly, she was very, very aware of her surroundings.
Emmett was the owner of the chest she had her head on; his arm was wrapped protectively around her shoulders, his hand over hers that was resting right next to her face. Her left leg was cocked up over his massive thigh, her knee, mere inches from the impressive bulge in his pants.
Edward was behind her, his chin resting on top of Emmett's arm. His mouth was next to her ear; every damn inch of his body pressed against her back, all the way down to the hardness pressing between her ass cheeks. One of his legs was tangled with hers that was still lying straight in the blankets.
And his arm … attached to the hand … that was on her tit.
It only took her a few seconds to process this, but that was enough for Edward to take her nipple between his forefinger and thumb and pinch … hard.
"Fuck," she yelped, a mixture of pain and un-fucking-believable pleasure shooting right to her clit. Shit, she could probably come just from that action alone.
Her yelp startled the boys awake, however, and Emmett smiled down at her with a dopey look on his face.
"Morning, beautiful," he breathed, his voice rough and impossibly sexy with sleep.
Behind her, Edward was becoming aware of his position, and honestly, he was losing his shit a little. There was nothing quite like waking up with a boob in your hand, let alone the one that's been taunting you for weeks. Under normal circumstances, he would be thrilled to have his hand under Bella's shirt. But fuck … he was trying to be a gentleman here. Didn't they already decide that her house had just been broken into, and the last thing she needed was either of them pawing at her?
"Fuck, Bella, I'm so sorry," he mumbled, reluctantly removing his hand from under her shirt.
Fucking hell, she was so warm and soft, and she smelled so good. It was truly a feat to convince himself that pulling away was a good idea.
Emmett glanced down just as Edward's hand slipped from underneath her shirt, making him scowl.
"Hey, no fair! If he gets to touch, so do I," he exclaimed, sticking his bottom lip out in an adorable pout.
"Emmett. Fucking asshole. Shut the fuck up; it's too early for your shit," Edward grumbled grumpily.
Bella pushed herself up using Emmett's chest, looking over at the clock on her cable box and smirking.
"It's almost 9 am. What happened to waking up at the ass crack of dawn?" She teased, frantically flailing her legs to get the pile of blankets off.
"Whoa, there, Bee, watch where you're throwing that knee," Emmett exclaimed, reaching down to cup his junk and groaning at the pressure on his swollen cock.
Edward rolled off their little pile of fluff he made last night, scrubbing his hands over his face. "Really, Bella. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to–"
"It's fine, Edward; I know you didn't. Don't worry about it," Bella confirmed. Her eyes looked over her shoulder, connecting with his for a stretch of undetermined time.
To think he thought he was twisted up before now … the past twenty-four hours had flipped his whole damn world upside down. Between the intense need to protect her when Emmett had told him her house had been broken into, and the feeling in his chest when he saw the poor excuse of a man cowering behind Bella's kitchen island. He had wanted to kill the motherfucker that thought it was okay to break into his girl's place. And, of course, she wasn't his, at least not yet. Plus, Edward was always so level-headed in those situations …
It had taken everything in him to hand the man over to the police and let them do their job.
And then, of course, there was that pull between him and Emmett that was getting impossible to ignore. Had they actually almost kissed last night? Had he really wanted it? And why was part of him disappointed when Bella came padding out of her bathroom, effectively killing the mood.
None of it made sense. They had been best friends for nearly two decades, and that had been enough. They had never shown interest in men, as far as he knew, but the strange thing was … he didn't even have the desire to question the attraction beyond the thought of why now?
Emmett being a man wasn't the issue. Ruining their friendship? Was that his hesitation?
His fucking head was spinning. He needed to take a step back and just trust all of this would work itself out.
Finally, he nodded and pushed himself up to stand, reaching over to brush his thumb across Bella's pink-tinged cheek and leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"I'm gonna go make us some breakfast, okay?" He offered quietly.
She smiled at him reassuringly, watching him walk away, her breast still burning with the heated imprint of his hand, her nipple hard, begging for his fingers.
But Emmett quickly had her mind off it, his massive forearm wrapping around her small waist and pulling her back against his chest, sending a new wave of thrill to her stomach.
"Whatya say, baby girl?" He growled in her ear, nipping at her lobe.
"I say you're a pig," Bella said, though her giggles betrayed the venom she intended as she struggled against his colossal form. "Em, it's too hot for all this."
"Yeah, you are," he claimed, snapping his teeth by her ear but finally relenting and letting her go.
Bella scrambled to her feet, running into her room to change out of the sweats she had put on last night. Her intention then had been comfort and modesty, to make herself behave around the two men that tended to melt her panties on sight. But now she was just sweltering since the newly risen sun did very little to battle the air conditioning in her house, not to mention she had earned herself a very healthy boob grope, so clearly, modesty was out the window.
Still, she was so thankful they stayed with her last night. That feeling of intrusion and violation was still there, but she felt a lot better knowing they were around to protect her.
How things had changed in just the matter of a day …
But she couldn't expect them to stay with her indefinitely, though she had the feeling they wouldn't put up much of a fight if she asked. She would have to spend today looking into security measures. Not her ideal Sunday, but it was necessary.
After a quick pass over her body with a cool washrag, Bella pulled out one of her favorite summer dresses, a dusty pink number with a crocheted lace overlay detail on the breasts that fell right to her mid-thigh. She kept her hair down in beachy, messy waves and added a long, gold pendant necklace that fell in her cleavage, a couple of simple gold bands on her fingers, and some tan, strappy, wedge heels that tied around her ankle. It was much too hot out today for a full face of make-up, so she opted for only a passing of mascara on her lashes.
Edward busied his hands by cracking eggs, shredding cheese, and cutting pieces of bacon for the omelets he was preparing in the kitchen. They were itching to get back on that soft as fuck piece of flesh, to roll that metal-laden bud between his fingers again. Maybe to travel lower, slip between her legs to that unbelievable warmth …
Fuck.
He had to grip the edges of the counter to steady himself, feeling himself grow almost impossibly harder in his pants.
"You good over there, Ed?" Emmett inquired, taking in his friend's rigid form as he leaned against the kitchen peninsula, his arms crossed over his chest. He could tell every muscle in Edward's body was coiled tight, begging for some release. And fuck, something in him wanted to give it to him; to walk right over there and run his hands across the planes of his back, turn him around, and finish what was clearly about to happen between them last night.
Edward bowed his head, shaking it back and forth to try and dispel the thoughts that had now morphed to running his hands all over his best friend's rock-hard muscles.
He needed to get fucking laid. That's all this was. He hadn't had any since well before their deployment, and now, here he was, letting Bella tie him up so tight he couldn't even think about the possibility of finding someone else to fuck.
"Yeah, Em. I'm fucking great. Peachy," he growled from between pursed lips.
"Well, peaches, you got a fuck ton more than I did, so maybe you should just be grateful." Emmett stepped over to Edward slowly, plucking the knife from his hands and taking over the task of dicing the bacon. His arm brushed up against Edward's, and normally … normally he wouldn't even notice it. Not a second thought. But all it did now was set his teeth on edge with un-fucking-believable want.
It was a combination of anticipation and awkwardness that settled between the two of them. They worked quietly side by side, no longer saying a word to one another. Yet occasionally, they would catch each other's gaze for just a beat too long, intentionally brush against each other more than necessary, or lean a little closer than they needed to. They always worked well together, anticipating each other's every move, and that hadn't changed. What had changed was the fucking over-powering pull between them.
When Bella walked into the kitchen minutes later, the tension in the air effectively took her breath away. Something wicked was brewing between the three of them—not just her and Edward, or her and Emmett, but Emmett and Edward as well. It was strange, unlike anything she had ever experienced before, yet oddly exhilarating and somehow … right.
Edward caught the sway of her dress from the corner of his eye, and he could feel his magnetic north shifting in his bones to the other side of the kitchen.
She was stunning, not that it came as any sort of surprise to him. The difference was, this time, she looked much more innocent than he had seen her so far in the little pink sundress. And yet, his throat still closed at how easy it would be to skim his hand up her thigh and touch her the way he wanted to since the bachelor party.
Emmett let out a low whistle once he saw her, shaking his head with a devilish smirk on his lips.
"You sure are trying to kill us, huh, Bee?" He mused.
Bella sat on the stool next to the peninsula, crossing her legs and leaning her chin in one hand.
"Not at all, handsome, just trying not to die of heatstroke. If I drive you wild in the process, well … that's just an unforeseen perk I will welcome," she batted her eyelashes exaggeratedly, giggling when she saw them both suck in a deep breath.
Edward reached up to grab some glasses from the cabinet, the talons of the inked eagle on his upper arm peaking out as he did so.
"No fucking way," Bella gasped in incredulity.
Edward darted his eyes to her, raising his brows in question at her sudden outburst.
"You're inked, too? Why didn't you mention that yesterday?"
The corner of Edward's mouth quicker quickly turned up in his signature cocky smirk as he turned his attention back to plating the omelets.
"I've got a few," he shrugged. "I was having more fun watching you squirm over the metal in my cock to mention it."
Bella felt her face flush—actually flush. She wasn't some blushing, bashful girl, but the thought of running her hands over ink and piercings on both men had her thighs clenching with anticipation.
What was the big deal, anyway? They wanted her. She wanted them. She had a perfectly nice king-sized bed down the hall. Hell, for all she cared, they could take her on the makeshift bed they had made in the living room. Or in the fucking road for all to see.
The pulsing, heat, and wetness that had surpassed soaking long ago between her legs was getting to be too much to handle. She needed some fucking relief.
"You wanna see, cupcake?"
When Edward spoke, she realized she was biting down on her lip almost painfully. She wasn't sure if he was talking about his tattoos or the piercing, but she was willing to see whatever he was willing to show.
"And you accused me of chewing her panties off," Emmett scoffed, laughing and shaking his head as he poured them all some apple juice.
Edward looked over at him and winked, causing Emmett's breath to catch in his throat.
"Not trying to chew them off, Em. I'll settle with melting them."
Emmett turned back to his task, mumbling something about 'fine-ass bastard.'
Edward stalked toward Bella, his muscles clenching and shifting with his predatory movements as he reached behind his head and pulled off his shirt.
The eagle's head and body rested on his upper arm, but its wings stretched across his chest and back, taking up almost all his left pec before feathering out over some of his right. It was a mostly traditional design, but the artist had made it a bit more modern with some pointillism and sketch lines thrown in here and there.
Bella's eyes drank him in hungrily, tracing the lines of the bird and the contours of his torso, down to that delicious 'V' of muscles that she now noticed had the words 'Semper Fidelis' in intricate script right along the curve of his hip.
Those two were on the left side of his torso, but running down his right side was a series of Roman numerals.
"What are those for?" She whispered, unable to speak at full volume due to the insane desire licking up her spine, between her legs, incineration every last fucking bit of her.
"It's the date me and Em enlisted. He has the same, but his are on his inner bicep. He didn't want it to get in the way of his precious douchebag tribal he had planned," Edward mentioned, feeling his muscles strain under her scrutiny.
He gave Em hell for his tribal all the time, but truth be told, he could admit it was hot as fuck, especially with how fit Emmett was. It suited his body to a T, and he suddenly had the desire to run his tongue over the dark, thick lines and taste his skin.
Bella saw the electricity lighting up his pistachio eyes, and she could only imagine she had the same look in hers. He looked like he was about two seconds away from eating her alive, and she was fairly sure she didn't have it in her to stop him.
Emmett's booming voice was there to break the spell when he flexed his arm, looking all delicious like he came straight out of a body-building magazine.
"Don't be jealous 'cause it enhances the gun show, baby!"
Bella laughed and shook her head, reluctantly training her eyes on the countertop in front of her. She took a deep breath as Edward stepped away, both missing his proximity and thankful for the space.
"Okay, boys, what are we doing here?" She asked.
"Uh, eating breakfast?" Emmett teased, placing an omelet and a glass of juice in front of her.
"No shit," she rolled her eyes. "I mean this …" she paused to take a bite of the food, moaning and rolling her eyes when it literally melted on her tongue. "Holy fuck, I have to keep you now if you're going to cook like this."
"As if you're getting rid of us at this point," Edward laughed, shoving a slice of bacon I'm his mouth.
Bella looked up at him, then to Emmett, chewing thoughtfully. She'd hit the jackpot here, with two hot as fuck Marines that both wanted her, who came running to protect her without being asked, and who weren't treating her with kid gloves the next day.
And fuck, it had been fucking wonderful waking up between those two.
They ate in silence for a bit, shared heated glances and licking lips, and … Well, it was all starting to ramp up to a whole new level of foreplay, and as badly as Bella just wanted to say fuck it and fuck them, she needed to be smart here. She knew firsthand, from her job, how nasty things could get if proper communication wasn't practiced.
"Okay, I'm going to cut to the chase here because I feel like you both would rather I am blunt and straightforward," she said, pushing her now empty plate aside and folding her hands on the counter. "I really like both of you, and I'm pretty sure it's safe to say you both really like me, yes?"
The boys sat with their eyes wide, looking like a couple of chastised kids. They nodded slowly, unsure where exactly she was going.
"There's no denying the attraction, and I really do sincerely appreciate you coming to my rescue last night and then staying with me. It was … nice to be taken care of like that."
Edward felt his chest tighten, sensing she was about to end whatever this was. And sure, it had only been a couple of weeks; and yeah, it was only yesterday that she started letting them in. But damn, he didn't want it to stop just yet.
"But?" Emmett asked, always being the one to cut the bullshit, even if he knew it was possible he wasn't going to like what was going to come out of her mouth next.
"But, you two are best friends, yes? Bros before hoes?" She stated.
"First of all, I wouldn't call you a hoe," Edward mentioned, pointing his fork at her.
Emmett rolled his eyes, his large hand connecting with Edward's shoulders and shoving him while he laughed. "We get it, dick, you're the ultimate gentleman. Look, Bee," he turned back to her. "We've already talked about it, and it's fine with us."
"You have? It is?" She had to admit she was impressed. They gave off the very epitome of frat guy energy, but it seemed they could also be mature when it was necessary.
"Of course. We're grown-ass men who learned not to fight over our toys a long fucking time ago," Emmett shrugged.
"And you're a grown-ass woman that can make her own decisions without two dudes pissing all over your leg and beating their chests over you," Edward added.
"Okay," Bella scoffed, "then explain all that macho man bullshit you pulled with Damon."
"Cupcake, you were playing games just as much as we were at that point."
Well, he had a point there.
"All right," Bella nodded. "But if it gets weird, you two need to let me know. I won't come between you guys."
"Oh, honey, I'm pretty sure I can speak for the both of us when I say we would love for you to … come between us," Emmett rasped, letting his eyes trace her every curve while he licked his lips.
Despite the fire shooting up her spine, causing her to shiver, Bella stood and started gathering up dishes.
"So we're really going to do this then?" She asked, the dishes clinking together as she set them in the sink.
Both men took their time watching her, her long hair swaying right along with the short ass sundress, her legs seeming to go on for miles, and her sandals adding a couple of inches to her height.
"We're down if you're down, cupcake," Edward agreed, feeling the familiar strain in his pants that always seemed to happen around her.
Bella turned back toward them, leaning against the counter and placing her hands on the ledge beside her hips in a poor attempt to try to resist climbing them like trees.
"Okay then, I'm down. But first, I need to get cameras and shit at the very least." She raked her hand through her hair, gripping the crown of her head in frustration.
"We can come with you. Hang out until you get it all set up," Edward offered.
"No, it's fine," she replied, shaking her head. "I appreciate it, but really, it's going to be so painfully boring."
He was about to push it further, but the look in her eyes told him now wasn't a good time to add pressure. It had been a pretty crazy weekend, and he couldn't really blame her for needing space from them. They needed to let her breathe for a second, think things through.
"Okay but promise you'll call us if anything happens. I mean, even so much as you just feel a little uncomfortable or you hear a noise you're sure is just a tree branch brushing the house. We're not far, and we can be here in no time flat," Emmett added.
Bella nodded, glancing around her little space at all the small things that were still off from the break-in. She would likely be scrubbing the place ceilings to floor so it would feel like hers again. Her eyes fell on the holsters sitting on her end table, reminding her of another question she had but was too stressed to ask last night.
"You guys always have those on you?" She inquired, jerking her chin toward the guns.
The boys followed her gaze and nodded.
"Never leave the house without them. It's an MP thing; even if we're not on duty, we always have to be prepared for shit to hit the fan," Edward explained.
Bella took a deep breath, blowing it out between her lips as she thought of all that could have gone wrong last night. All the ways shit could have hit the fan, but didn't.
"Have you ever handled one before?" Emmett asked.
"A little," she nodded, looking at her feet. "My Dad's a cop, so he taught me safety, and I've been to the range with him a few times. It's been a while, though."
"We can help you pick one out, you know. Teach you how to use it, so you're protected when we can't be around," he offered, walking over to pick up his chosen weapon. With practiced, methodical movements, he removed the clip, ensured the chamber was empty and checked the safety before walking over to her and holding it out. "See how you like the feel of that."
Bella gripped the handle, keeping her finger away from the trigger like her father taught her, weighing the cold, heavy gun in her hand. It was too big for her liking, but she had never been that comfortable with guns. It didn't bother her if others had them, but it was scary to have the power to kill in her hands.
"Thanks, but I'm good for now. This is a safe neighborhood, so I should be fine with the alarm system and cameras. I'll let you know if I change my mind, though," she explained, pushing the weapon back toward him.
"How about a dog?" Edward asked suddenly.
"Um …"
"We could get you a retired K-9. A badass pup that used to sniff for bombs that'll rip anyone's arm off that comes through the door," he was getting excited now, practically bouncing on his toes.
"Guys, it's really cute that you want to make sure I'm protected, but really. I'll be fine. I'm a little shaken up, but I'll get over it. Remember? Cop dad? I know how to keep myself safe."
Edward and Emmett both nodded, the thought crossing both their minds that holy shit, her Dad's a cop? How is he going to feel when he finds out about the both of them chasing her tail?
"So what do you guys have going on this weekend?" Bella asked, attempting to cut the unwelcome sort of tension that had made its presence known in her kitchen.
"Well, we start our new assignment next week, so I guess getting ready for that," Emmett explained.
Bella scowled, annoyed at the thought of them being sent out again when she just met them. Why would they bother flirting with her and asking her out if they were just going to leave her so soon?
Emmett let out a burst of booming laughter when he saw her whole fucking demeanor change. She was certainly a fiery little thing; he had to give her that. "Bee, baby, chill. We're stationed here in Orlando. Nice cushy Monday through Friday patrol job at the Naval Support Activity. We're not going anywhere any time soon."
Edward laughed, standing and walking toward her. "It's cute of you to be worried though, cupcake," he said, poking the tip of her nose with his finger. "Nice to know you want us around as much as we want you around."
She rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smile 'cause, well … hell yeah, she wanted them around. More and more as time went on.
"But I have to go see my parents this week, in Jacksonville. If I don't, Mom will come down and drag me home, never to be seen again. But I need you to listen to me," both his hands cupped her jaw, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. That intensity was back, the one that was so much more than just lust. "Em's still a five-minute drive away, and if anything happens, I will come home. Call him for anything you need, even if you just don't want to eat dinner alone, got it?"
She nodded, and he pressed his lips to her forehead, thankful for the spare toothbrushes he had found for him and Emmett while they took care of their morning business.
"And you better text me, gorgeous. I don't want any more of this radio silence shit from you anymore, got it?" He added, smiling down at her.
"Yes, Dad," she teased, wrapping her arms around his waist. "But in all seriousness, thank you. Both of you."
Edward ran his hand down the back of her head, following her soft, silky hair down to her waist. God, he still wanted his hands buried in there. "No thanks needed, babe. We got you."
As soon as he pulled away from her, Emmett slipped in to pull her into a hug. "True story, baby girl. In fact, I'll be bored as shit without Ed around; I may just have to come bug the shit out of you just for the giggles."
Bella laughed, snuggling into his massive chest. "Careful. You set my alarms off; I'm not responsible for what happens to you."
Emmett chuckled, his hands following a path of their own design down the smooth slope of her back, both of his hands gripping a handful of her round, firm ass.
And Jesus fucking Christ did it feel like heaven in his hands.
Bella whimpered, glaring up at him without the heat of anger but definitely with the heat of need to hop on his dick right this fucking second.
"Emmett, what the fuck!" Edward scolded.
Emmett bounced away from her, practically giggling in his playfulness. "Fuck off, Ed! You grabbed some tit; it was only fair that I got a little ass. See ya, Bee!"
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