Resisting Them: A Stepbrother Reverse Harem Romance
Date: 2018-09-27 01:48:46+00:00
Keywords: Contemporary Romance; Contemporary; Romance; Reverse Harem; Menage
Description: What do you say when your mother calls from her holiday abroad to say she married a millionaire she just met?Elsie just decides to put it on her long, mental list of irresponsible things her mother has done and carry on with her normal life. Only that doesn't last long when Elsie's mother demands for her to come and stay for the Christmas break with the new family. Elsie knows she doesn't have any other choice but to go and get meeting the new family out of the way. Except her mother didn't mention her three new stepbrothers, or the fact that they all look like hot models in expensive suits wi
Publisher: Independently Published

Resisting Them

A Stepbrother Reverse Harem Romance

G. Bailey

Contents

Copyright

Description

Quote

1. Elsie

2. Elsie

3. Elsie

4. Elsie

5. Elsie

6. Elsie

7. Ezra

8. Elsie

9. Elsie

10. Flynn

11. Elsie

12. Elsie

13. Max

14. Elsie

Epilogue

Afterword

Links

Also by G. Bailey

Excerpt of Wings of Ice-

-

Resisting Them © Copyright 2018 by G. Bailey.

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or stores referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Previously published in the Snow and Seduction Anthology.

What do you say when your mother calls from her holiday abroad to say she married a millionaire she just met?

Elsie just decides to put it on her long, mental list of irresponsible things her mother has done and carry on with her normal life.

Only that doesn’t last long when Elsie’s mother demands for her to come and stay for the Christmas break with the new family.

Elsie knows she doesn't have any other choice but to go and get meeting the new family out of the way.

Except her mother didn't mention her three new stepbrothers, or the fact that they all look like hot models in expensive suits with killer smiles.

Christmas break was meant to be snow, fun and presents. Instead, Elsie finds herself spending every day avoiding her attraction to not one, but three of her new stepbrothers.

18+ **Reverse Harem**

Quote

“Snow falling soundlessly in the middle of the night will always fill my heart with sweet clarity.”

-Novala Takemoto

1

Elsie

“No, Jesus Christ tell me you’re kidding?” I ask my mum as she rambles on about the hot millionaire she just married. It shouldn’t surprise me, but it does.

“We had this amazing night, it was so special,” she says, which is code for ‘I fucked this random guy I met, and he happened to be rich’. I lie back on my bed, looking up at the badly painted ceiling and wishing she wouldn’t be this much of a mess up. I don’t get why she married him, it’s not like she doesn’t have her own money from her ex-boyfriends and modelling jobs.

“Anyway, we will be going to his house for Christmas next week, and I want you to come,” she says, and the only thought I have is that’s not how I wanted to spend Christmas this year. Unfortunately, I did say I would spend it with her, but I wonder if I can get out of it.

“No,” I reply, as I try to think of a reason quickly, and she laughs, her voice high-pitched and annoying as hell as it’s not her real laugh.

“Don’t be silly, Elsie. I will email you the address, and John has already said he is going to get someone to get you from the airport,” she says, thinking I’m joking when, truthfully, I can’t think of anything worse than spending two weeks with her and my new fucking stepdad.

“Mum, I’m being serious–” I get out before she interrupts.

“Wait for me, John, I’m just saying goodbye to Elsie.”

“I can’t come, mum, I have university work to do,” I try to tell her.

But I know she didn’t listen to a word when she speaks next, “I have to go, but I will see you soon, and I’ll email you the plane tickets and details now. I miss you, my little Elsie bear,” she says and then puts the phone down before I can even reply to her.

“What did she want?” Kay, my university roommate, asks as I sit up and look over at her. Kay is a strange one, with her long, blonde hair in dreadlocks and a serious expression. She’s covered in tattoos and piercings. I wouldn’t say we were friends, more just two people who happen to share a room and try not to kill each other. I can’t say I haven’t thought about strangling her a few times over the last two years when she was being a bitch or copying my university course work. I have no clue why she wants to be a teacher, like I do, when she doesn’t have a nice bone in her body.

“Nothing. Just the usual shit,” I say, and she nods, going back to whatever, she’s doing on her laptop. I get up and walk out of our room, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it as I scroll through my phone contacts. I need someone to talk to. I stop at my ex’s name, wanting to call him and knowing I can’t. We broke up a month ago, and it’s still strange not to talk to him every day. We were friends for five years before we made the stupid decision to date, and it ruined what we had. I know we are better apart, considering he told me he didn’t love me anymore and then dumped me. The sad part was that I lost him completely as a friend, too, when I heard about him and one of my friends sleeping together a week later. Well, I have two ex-friends now. Seven months of dating, five years of friendship, and he has so little respect for me that he sleeps with one of my close friends a week later. That just about sums up my love life, it’s shit. I still hover my finger over his name and don’t have a clue why.

“Elsie,” I hear my name being called and look up to see my friend, Dane, walking over. Dane is the perfect guy, with soft-brown hair, a cute, baby face, and an amazing body. There’s only one issue, he doesn’t swing my way and is madly in love with his long-term boyfriend. They are cute together. Dane met him last year, and they haven’t been apart since.

“Just who I needed to see,” I smile, and he chuckles, pulling me into a hug and looking down at my phone in my hand.

“If you were even thinking of calling that asshole, then something must have upset you. Was Kay being a bitch?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me and taking my phone off me. Dane is like the brother I never had and is super protective of me.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter if she was. I’m deleting this asshole’s number, and if you want a guy, we will find you one. You’re a knock out and don’t need shit like this,” he says deleting the contact and handing me back my phone, as I smile a little. I know he’s right.

“No. My mother got married, in Greece, to a millionaire,” I tell him, and he steps back, with wide eyes. I don’t think he was expecting me to say that.

“Fucking hell. That’s got be on top of the list of irresponsible things she has done. I thought the time she got arrested for having a three way on a beach was bad, and the fact that you had to go to Spain to bail her out,” he says, reminding me of what she did just last year. I’m always bailing her out of stuff like this, but that was one of the worst ones. One I never seem to be able to burn out of my mind, was when she called me to pick her up from a garage in the middle of nowhere. I drove for an hour, and she was naked when I got there. She just got in the car, completely naked and asked me to never speak of it again. My mum is completely bonkers. I can’t ever remember her not being like that. My dad used to have me on the weekends, and that left my mum time to go wild when I was little.

“Tell me about it,” I laugh, and he puts an arm around my shoulder, leading me down the hallway.

“Why don’t we go to the café, and I’ll buy you a vanilla iced tea and a chocolate chip cookie?” he asks me, and I stare up at him.

“Oh man, I need to find a man like you who likes girls,” I say, and he chuckles. He knows I have a sweet tooth for chocolate and anything with vanilla in it.

“Yep, you do. Did your mum say anything else?” he asks as he lets me go to open the door, and we go outside. The cold air blows against my face, making my cheeks burn, and I pull my jacket closer around me. The café is a two-minute walk from the student dorms and most of the students practically live in it for its wonderful drinks. Well, everything is a two-minute walk in London or a tube journey away. The university is surrounded by places to eat or buy things, which never helps my budget. I need to find a new part time job since my last place closed down, and I will soon run out of spare money. My student allowance only just covers my expensive rent and food.

“Yep. She invited me to come and spend Christmas at the new stepdad’s place,” I reply, and he whistles as we wait to cross the busy road. That’s the downside to living in London, the terrible traffic and the heavy prices to travel anywhere. The rent is awful here, and that’s why I’m stuck living with my bitchy roommate.

“I bet it’s nice, with that kind of money. Did she say where it is?”

“Nope, she’s emailing me,” I say and pull out my phone as we get into the café. I know I’ll have to go shopping now before I leave, to get a present for my new stepdad. I don’t even want to tell my dad about this, he hates any mention of my mum. I don’t look a bit like my mum, with my dark-brown hair and tanned skin. My mum has dyed blonde hair and is pale no matter where she travels. I got everything it seems from my dad’s side, including my blue eyes. Those two hate each other with a strange passion. I spend one Christmas with Dad and one with Mum. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember.

“I’ll get the food and drinks, go sit,” Dane tells me.

“Here,” I say, going to get my card out of my jacket.

“It’s on me,” he says, and I nod, walking over to an empty booth and sliding in as I open up my emails on my phone. I’m not surprised to see my mum already sent an email with an attached first class ticket from London to Edinburgh airport. There’s an address at the bottom and a note reminding me to bring warm clothes. I google search the location, seeing that it is some small-town miles outside of the main city, and it looks like it only has one or two houses dotted around. The houses look small on the map, but I bet they aren’t. I google the weather for the town, and it says snow. Storms and snow, just great.

“So, where is it?” Dane asks when he comes back ten minutes later and slides a plate with a cookie on it over to me, and hands me a drink. He sips his coffee as I chew on the cookie and answer.

“In the middle of bloody, cold Scotland,” I say, and he laughs, looking outside the window at the snow starting to fall. If it’s snowing a little in London, I dread to know how bad the weather is going to be up there and the dreaded realisation hits me that I might be stuck in a house with my mother and the fool she has convinced to marry her.

For two whole weeks.

2

Elsie

“Can I get you a drink, madam?” the air hostess asks as she stops near my chair.

“No, the champagne is fine,” I say, pointing at the bottle she already brought over and told me that it was paid for already. I’m not a big drinker and feel guilty that I’ve only had one glass when it looks expensive. I would offer it to someone else, but there is only an old woman in first class with me, and she has been asleep the whole time I’ve been here. I’ve never been in first class before, and it’s crazy nice. The chair has its own private screen and lays back. The flight is only two hours, so there isn’t much time to relax and enjoy the comfort of it.

“Okay. Well, if you have anything else you need, please let me know,” she says and walks off, her heels clicking against the floor. I look down at my skinny jeans and red tank top, and finally down to my leather boots that make me look out of place here. When I look up and see the air hostess still watching me with a creepy smile, I look away quickly. I have a feeling she is being paid well to look after me, considering the ten or so times she has walked over to me on this flight. I lay my head back, looking out the window at the passing clouds and hear the pilot of the plane announce we are landing and need to put our seatbelts on. The plane shakes as it lands, and as I look out the window, all I can see is snow. They have been having snow storms for the last week. I was surprised they didn’t cancel my flight. I had been hoping.

“I hope you had a lovely flight,” the air hostess says as I pass her, and I smile tightly. I sure did, but I doubt the next few weeks are going to be fun. I try to remember what Dane said about trying to enjoy the trip, and I’m likely going to get some nice, expensive presents from the new family. It takes me less than ten minutes to get my suitcase and wheel it out through the security checks, with all the smiling staff being more than helpful. I’ve never seen an airport as big as this one, and as I stand in the waiting area, I put a scarf on because it’s freezing even indoors. I’m glad I put my trench coat on, but it’s not going to do much against the snow outside. At least, it’s not actually snowing. I look around the busy airport, seeing some people holding up signs with names on them, but none of them are mine. I move closer to the windows, looking out at the snow-covered car park and the people running around.

“Miss Knott?”

I follow the voice saying my name gently and look over at the very sexy man standing behind me. The man’s lips turn up into a slow smile that’s stunning and hard to look away from. Holy crap, where do they hide guys like this. The man has a slight Scottish accent, a clean-shaved jaw, and a playful look in his hazel eyes. He’s a little taller than me, so I have to look up to speak to him.

“As much as I like you staring at me like this, I’m afraid we have to go as my car is parked out front,” he says, and I mentally slap myself out of my ogling.

“I wasn’t staring . . . I was just wondering who you are,” I say, and he laughs slightly as he tilts his head to the side and slowly lets his eyes dip down my body.

“Miss Knot, if your cheeks weren’t flushed and lips weren’t parted like you want me to kiss you, then I might have believed that,” he says.

“Just who in the hell are you?” I ask, and he offers me a hand.

“I’m Flynn Xander, your stepbrother,” he says, lowering his hand when he realises I’m not going to shake it.

Holy crap my new stepbrother is hot.

* * *

“Does it always snow here?” I ask Flynn as he drives us to his house, or his father’s house rather. The massive Land Rover he drives is having no problem cutting through the snow on the way, and the stormy clouds above suggest there is going to be more snow later. There isn’t much to see now that we’ve left the main city and hit the countryside. There’s just trees and snow, and more damn snow.

“No, not really. This is a cold month,” he answers. My new stepbrother hasn’t said much to me in the two hours we have been driving, and I can’t stop sneaking glances at him and then mentally reminding myself that he is my stepbrother. Plus, he is way out of my league, anyway. I can tell from the perfectly pressed suit he has on, the soft-styled hair, and the very simple way he flirted with me earlier that he knows exactly what he was doing. I bet he has had his fair share of women, with a body and a voice like his.

“What’s your name?” he asks me when we stop at some lights in the middle of nowhere. There are no other cars and nothing but icy roads that make it difficult for him to drive.

“Elsie,” I reply, and he chuckles.

“What?” I ask finally.

“Nothing.”

“Clearly wasn’t nothing. Come on tell me,” I say.

“Fine. Your name makes you sound all innocent and sweet. I’m hoping you’re not like that,” he tells me.

“Why are you hoping?” I ask.

He chuckles a little before replying,

“You don’t want to know, darling,”

“What if I do?” I say, making him smile seductively at me, before looking back at the road as he turns into another lane.

“It’s not likely you’re all sweet and innocent.”

“What makes you think I’m not?” I ask, flirting with him a little, and he looks over at me for a second before focusing on the road as the light goes.

“Well, I’ve spent two days getting to know your mother. Let’s just say that I bet the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he says, and I glare at him as his words piss me off. Just when I was starting to like the hot idiot.

“The fucking apple fell far from the slutty pain in the ass tree.” I snap, not believing he’s comparing me to my mum.

“The fucking apple huh? With language like that, the innocent vibe isn’t working, darling,” he laughs.

“You know what, why don’t you drive and shut up?” I say, and he laughs loudly.

“Elsie, you certainly have a way with words,” he says. I don’t reply, letting him drive us further into the countryside.

When Flynn takes a right into a long snow-covered driveway, I finally ask him, “Let me guess, you live in a big-ass house in the middle of nowhere?”

“Yes. What’s wrong with that?” he replies with a questioning look.

“It’s just antisocial, that’s all,” I say, thinking about all the rich people that always live in big houses away from everyone else.

“I guess it is. I never thought about it,” he comments and the big-ass house I thought of appears at the end of the private road. The house is made of brown stone and has big windows at the front and a giant door. There’s a garage extension at the side. I can’t see much else due the snow covering everything, and it’s so bright to look at.

“I’ll get your bags,” Flynn offers, and I look over, catching his hazel eyes as he watches me. I don’t know what he is thinking as I can’t read him, and it annoys me. I can usually tell what people are like, but as I look at Flynn’s perfect suit, his styled hair, and the way he looks at me, I’m confused by him.

“Thanks,” I say and get out of the car, feeling him still watching me. My boots sink into the snow, and I know I should have bought ones that were more expensive when I feel my socks getting wet. Damn it.

I walk towards the house, dragging my feet through the deep snow and trying not to slip and fall. I go to knock on the door when it’s opened. The man who opened it looks in his fifties with dark-grey hair and a matching grey beard. He’s dressed casually in a polo shirt and dark chinos. He’s handsome and reminds me of Flynn straight away, just an older version.

“You must be Elsie. Wow, you look like a lot like your mother, she didn’t tell me that. She simply said you follow your father’s side,” the man says with a medium Scottish accent, rambling a little and giving me a worried smile before offering me his hand to shake. “I’m John Xander, and it’s nice to meet you,” he says when I stand there quietly for a second and don’t reply.

I feel bad for him, marrying my mum when he seems really nice. I’m actually surprised she went after him at all, he isn’t her usual type. Well, the money side of things likely helped, but she usually goes for guys that look like models and spoil her. This guy is attractive but so normal. Normal is not something I’ve ever seen her go after before.

“I’m Elsie, but you know that. Thank you for inviting me here for Christmas,” I reply, and he holds the door open for me to walk in. I walk in, rubbing my boots on the welcome mat and seeing all the snow falling off them.

“You’re always welcome here. It’s your home now, too,” he says, and I silently nod, deciding not to comment on that statement at all. I wouldn’t call it home. I happily take my coat off when I feel how warm it is in here, and John takes it off me, hanging it on a hook by the door next to some others. The foyer of the house is massive and open plan, so you can see a lot of the rooms. There’s a lounge to the side of the massive staircase in the middle and a study on the other side. There is a row of doors behind the stairs and everything seems wooden in here. The wooden floors match the wooden staircase and the cabinets that look full of expensive statues. There’s three massive, dark-grey sofas in the lounge and a giant television next to a large speaker. I step on to the red rug in front of the staircase just as Flynn comes in with my suitcase and drops it near the door.

“What have you got in there? Rocks?” he asks, standing up straight and letting his dad shut the door behind him.

“Books.”

“Remind me to buy you a kindle, much lighter,” he says as he pulls his jacket off and hangs it on the hook. His white shirt sticks to his chest, making me stare far longer than I should at the impressive sight. I really need to get laid.

“No. They’re study books, not personal,” I tell him and John interrupts before Flynn can say anything.

“Let’s go and see your mother, she’s in the kitchen making cookies for you,” John says as he walks over, and I swear my jaw drops open.

“She’s cooking?” I say slowly, and he nods, giving me a strange look and walking towards the furthest door to the left behind the stairs. I follow him into the surprisingly small kitchen, seeing my mother fanning a tray of chocolate cookies with her hand. She turns and smiles widely when she sees me, running over and throwing her arms around me.

“Elsie, I missed you,” she says, squeezing me tighter and letting go. I have to admit that my mother looks happy, and the only times I remember seeing her like that was when she is drunk. Her light-blonde hair is up in a messy bun, and she is still as pale as ever which makes her red lipstick stand out as well as the rest of the makeup she has on. I’m surprised how casual she looks, dressed in black leggings and a long, black shirt. I can’t remember seeing my mum dress this causal in years, it was always dresses or short skirts. She wouldn’t leave her room in the morning unless she had her makeup done to perfection and a nice outfit to match.

“Nice to see you too, mum,” I comment, not knowing what else to say in my shock. The last time I saw my mum, a few months ago, she was drunk in a bar. I had to drag her out after she started dancing on the table and the owners threatened to call the police. That was not a good night.

“So, you met John and Flynn,” she says, walking back over to the tray of cookies and sliding them onto a plate. The sight is surreal to me, as my mum doesn’t cook. I’m honestly surprised how edible the cookies look.

“Yes. I didn’t realise I had a new stepbrother,” I say, and she nods, bringing the plate of cookies over to me.

“You have three, actually,” John tells me, and I shake my head when my mum offers me a cookie and I mentally groan. Let’s hope they aren’t all assholes like Flynn. Or sexy.

“Wow, that’s nice. Look, I’ve had a long day, can I go and rest?” I ask, desperate to get out of this room. My mum frowns at me but quickly hides it when John puts an arm around her and pulls her to his side.

“Of course, you must be tired. Flynn, can you show Elsie to her room?” John asks, and I look over to see Flynn staring at me from behind, well at my ass. He raises his eyes to meet mine and smirks, not caring one bit that I caught him staring.

“Come on then, Elsie,” he says and walks out of the room, not waiting for me. I wave goodbye to my mum and John before walking out, seeing Flynn walking up the stairs carrying my suitcase. I laugh a little when I see how annoyed he is having to carry it up. I walk to the stairs and follow him up, still chuckling a little. He puts the suitcase down at the top of the stairs and walks to the left, wheeling it behind him. The upstairs is just as nice as downstairs, but there are photo frames all over the walls. They are nearly all of John and a dark-haired woman. I’m surprised my mum would be okay with that. Then there are photos of little children, who all look very similar to Flynn. I stop when I see a photo of three babies on a bed together. All of them are the same age and look similar. My stepbrothers must all be triplets or very close in age by the look of the photo. I can’t even tell which one is Flynn as they all look similar with their dark hair and cute matching outfits.

“Elsie, this is your room,” Flynn says distracting me from the photo. I look over to see him holding a door open for me, and I walk in, seeing that he has left my suitcase by the door. The room is lovely, with a big bed and floral sheets that match the curtains. There’s a wardrobe in here but nothing else.

“The bathroom is the next door to the left and all yours. I’m across the hall and my brothers’ rooms are the two next to it. My dad and your mum have the upstairs attic conversion to themselves,” he tells me, leaning against the door, and I turn to smile at him.

“Thank you,” I say, and he goes to leave, then stops, looking back at me.

“My door is always open to you, if you get cold at night,” he says with a wink and then leaves without my answer, shutting the door. Did my new stepbrother just hit on me?

3

Elsie

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” I blurt out when I open the bathroom and the first thing I see is a naked man in the shower. The glass shower door is doing little to hide his amazing body; the toned, muscular build he has and the long, wavy, black hair that covers his eyes. My eyes drop to the impressive cock he has and then back up his body, as I’m unable to pull my eyes away. The man turns to look at me, as I stand shell-shocked by the perfection in front of me.

He shocks me again with his words, “You could join me.”

The man’s voice could make any woman turned on, and I do the only thing I can think of, I turn around and walk back into the corridor, pulling the door closed behind me. The room must have thick walls as I never heard the shower, and I can’t believe that’s how I’ve likely just met another one of my stepbrothers.

“Who are you?” a deep voice says next to me. The voice is slightly gentle, and I turn to see a man walking down the corridor towards me, stopping close and tilting his head. What is with all the handsome guys around here?

“Elsie,” I murmur out, as I look up at him. He has a nice suit on, with a red tie and a red handkerchief in his suit pocket. The man looks just like Flynn, but a little different. He has glasses on, that shape his handsome face and short, dark-brown hair.

“Oh, you’re the new step sister. I guess it’s nice to meet you, but why are you standing outside Ezra’s bathroom?” he asks with a chuckle as I feel my cheeks burning red. I’m not admitting to seeing his brother naked.

“Flynn told me this is my bathroom while I’m here,” I respond, and he laughs a little, making him even cuter. Wait not cute, he is my stepbrother for goodness sake.

“Erm, no. This is yours,” he points to the door to the right of my room. I bet the jerk did that on purpose.

“Well thanks, you are?” I ask, and he offers me his hand to shake. I slip my hand into his, and he lifts it to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles that makes me blush.

“Max,” he says and lets my hand go as I clear my throat.

“I should shower and come downstairs for breakfast,” I say way too quickly, taking a step back, and he nods. Then he steps away a little, and I finally feel like I can breathe. Man, this guy is hot and nice, a bad combination for someone I can’t touch.

“See you downstairs,” he says and turns, walking away. I don’t move for a while, watching him until he gets to the top of the stairs, and he looks back, with a cheeky smile before disappearing out of my sight. I open the door to my bathroom and walk in, seeing it’s exactly the same as the other one. It has a large bath and a walk-in shower. There’s a sink and two cabinets, and nearly everything is white and looks brand new. This a big step up from my university bathroom I share, that has a broken sink and dodgy shower that likes to switch between hot and cold all the time. I take a long shower, washing my long, blonde hair with my shampoo. Thankfully, I had that full body wax before coming here. I hate shaving, and I don’t know why I do it when I’m not with anyone at the moment. My mind flashes back to the man in the shower, then to Max, and finally back to Flynn. My hand slides around my body, and I have to mentally shake myself when I realise that the thoughts of them are turning me on, and it’s just not a good idea. I bet they don’t even like me that way. I quickly finish showering and get out, drying myself off before plaiting my sort of dry hair. I pull my jeans and jumper on before wiping the steamy mirror and staring at my blue eyes in the reflection. It’s just two weeks with three sexy guys I can’t have, I can do this.

I fold my clothes and leave them on the side, checking my phone and seeing a message from Dane checking up. There’s a missed call from my dad, and I quickly call him back.

“Hey, Elsie, how’s the trip?” he asks straight away.

“All good. I haven’t really seen much of mum yet as I only got here last night, Dad,” I tell him, and I hear him moving around the room he’s in.

“The new husband?” he asks me.

“Seems nice,” I reply dryly, tired of being used to find information out about my mum. I listen to my dad go on and on for ages about how reckless my mum is before I tell him I have to go, and I put the phone down. My dad never moved on from my mum, not really. He dated sometimes but never put any effort in. He loves his work too much to really spend much effort on another woman, and unfortunately that means he has lots of time to wonder about what could have been between him and mum. I leave my phone on the side and walk out of the bathroom, towards the stairs when I hear the loud talking. I get to the top of the stairs and see John, Flynn, and Max staring at the door frame. The door is open but there’s so much snow outside that it fills half the doorway.

“Did all that fall last night?” I ask, walking down, and they all look over at me.

“Yes. I think we are stuck here until the storm passes,” John says and shuts the door. I walk over to the window, which is also half-filled with snow, and there’s a massive snow storm outside. Its falling heavily, and you can’t see anything other than white and dark clouds.

“So, a week stuck inside, sounds fun,” the sexy voice of the shower guy drifts over as I see him come out of the kitchen and my mum following behind him, holding a cup of something hot. He looks just as hot with clothes on. I think back to Max’s words and remember his name is Ezra. Ezra has a suit on this time, a black, tight one that shows off his big build, and his messy hair is styled out of his face. His dark-hazel eyes meet mine, so very much like his brother’s but darker. There’s a scar on his eyebrow and something about him is so much darker than I expected him to be. Ezra slowly looks me up and down as he comes over and surprises me when he stops in front of me and holds a hand out. I shake his hand as he speaks.

“Lovely to meet you. I’m Ezra” he says, pretending like I didn’t just see him naked. Two can play at that game.

“Ezra, it’s nice to meet you, too. I’m Elsie,” I say and drop his hand. I look between all the brothers, seeing them all watching me.

“Are you triplets?” I ask, looking between them and back at Ezra, who grins.

“Yes. I’m the oldest by two minutes, then Flynn, and Max is the baby,” he says and Max replies.

“Fuck off I am. There’s only a minute between Flynn and me,” before walking over to me.

“We are going to go and rest. Feel free to have some breakfast and relax, Elsie,” John says, walking up the stairs with my mum. I’m surprised she didn’t say a word to me, despite how much she claimed to have missed me. She does look down at me as they get to the top of the stairs and gives me a fake-looking smile as she looks at the brothers standing close to me and then finally looks away.

“So, we won’t see them for the rest of the day. What should we do with you, sexy Elsie?” Ezra asks, stepping closer, and I take another step back, my lower back hitting the window, and I force myself to look up and keep eye contact with him.

“It’s cold, and we’re trapped in here. We should really get to know each other,” he says leaning even closer and making my breath hitch. I pull my gaze away to see both Max and Flynn watching us closely, and when I look back at Ezra, he simply grins as he leans away.

“Why don’t we feed you first and then play a get to know you game?” he asks me but doesn’t wait for my reply as he walks away.

4

Elsie

“Any more?” Flynn asks as I finish my bacon sandwich and pick up my orange juice, drinking a little. They all seem to be waiting on me, as they didn’t eat much, and I’m getting nervous about this getting to know each other game they have planned. I watch how they all move around each other, they are clearly close. I wonder why they still live here, or if they do.

“Yes. Also, I have a question, do you all live here?”

“Most of the time. We all have apartments in New York, France, and London,” Flynn answers me, as he finishes washing up the plates from breakfast.

“Must be nice to have so many places to live,” I say and stand up off the kitchen stool.

“Let’s go to the living room,” Flynn suggests, walking over to me and placing his hand on my lower back as he leads us out of the room. His hand on my back is all I can focus on as we walk out of the kitchen.

“What kind of game did you have in mind?” I ask Flynn, but it’s Ezra that answers as he walks past us with a bottle of vodka in his hand.

“Truth or dare,” he says, placing the bottle on the large coffee table that’s between the sofas.

“You answer the truth or do the dare, or have a shot,” he tells me.

I raise my eyebrows as I say, “It’s ten in the morning. Isn’t that a little early for drinking?”

“What are you scared of?” he dares me, smirking a little as I shake my head and sit on the sofa. Max sits on one side of me and Flynn the other, while Ezra sits on the coffee table and turns the TV on with a remote. Once he finds a music channel, he puts the remote down and pulls his phone out. I watch as he puts the phone in the middle of the coffee table and leans over it.

“It’s a spin the bottle app, makes it easier,” he tells me, and I look over to see my name as the dare and Max as the person who gets to ask. Max looks and sits back in his seat looking at me before smiling. I can’t help but think how almost sweet his smile is.

“Okay . . . I want a truth,” he says.

“I might not answer but go on.”

“Are you single?” he asks me, and I’m surprised at how much of an easy question it is.

“Yes, I am,” I reply, and he nods with a happy smile. The guys seem to look at each other before Ezra presses the spin button again. It lands on Ezra and Max this time, with Ezra being the one to choose.

“I choose a dare. I want you to kiss Elsie,” he says. My eyes widen when Max leans closer and brushes his warm lips against my cheek. The kiss is soft, and I have to resist the urge to close my eyes and move my face a little so his lips touch my own. God, it’s getting hot in here.

“That’s not a real kiss,” Ezra says, his voice a little huskier than it was before.

“You never said where I should kiss her . . .,” Max laughs, and Ezra only grins as he presses the button again. It lands on me and Flynn this time, with me being able to choose.

“Okay, I want a truth. What’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever done?” I ask, and he smirks as he leans across the table and opens the bottle, before taking a long drink.

“It would have to be that time with those four girls–” Max starts saying, and Flynn leans his arm around me and whacks him on the arm to stop that sentence.

“You’ve been with more than one girl at a time?” I ask, guessing the rest of Max’s sentence.

“We all have shared more than one girl at a time, darling,” Ezra says, my eyes drifting to him as my mouth suddenly feels dry. I look away and take the bottle off Flynn, downing a few mouthfuls of vodka and feeling them burning my throat. None of them comment on my drinking as Max takes the bottle off me and drinks some, too. Ezra presses the button and it lands on me and the other one is blank.

“It crashes sometimes,” Ezra explains.

“Maybe it just means that I have to come up with a truth or dare for all of you?” I remark.

“Go on then,” Ezra says, leaning back.

“I want you to show me your cocks, like in a circle at the same time,” I say, mentally laughing as I know they won’t do that.

“Okay,” Ezra says shocking me into silence and all three of them move so they are stood around me, before undoing their trousers.

“This isn’t exactly a circle, but I don’t think there is enough of us to do that,” Flynn laughs as he pulls his huge cock out his boxers. Max and Ezra do the same, so I’m stood looking at three perfect cocks for a moment before they put them away and we carry on with the game like nothing happened.

“Who’s next?” I ask, and Ezra presses the button. It lands on Ezra and me, with him choosing.

“I have a dare, but I bet you won’t do it. I have a feeling you’re too innocent for it,” he says, with a small smirk.

“What is it?” I ask, and he stands up, walking to me and offering me a hand. I slide my hand into his, and he helps me up, tugging me close to him. I place my hands on his chest to stop myself from falling, and he only smiles down at me like he planned that. He is really bloody handsome up close, with his dark eyes watching me for any sign of pulling away from him. When I don’t move, his lips turn up with a naughty grin before he slides his hand up my back, and moves his head next to mine.

“I want you to kiss me and then my brothers,” he says as his lips brush against my ear. I tilt my head, looking up at him and move my lips seconds away from his, barely brushing my lips against his and then move away. I’m going to give them all ghosts of kisses and still do that dare. Ezra laughs, letting me go when he realises what I’m going to do.

I look over to see Flynn and Max watching us from the sofa, both of them look a little shocked, but there’s something more in their gazes. I decide its best to kiss Max first, so I lean over the sofa and gently brush my lips against his, hearing his breath hitch, and then move away.

“I hope you’re not forgetting me,” Flynn says, his voice sending shivers through me as I stand up and walk over to him. Flynn surprises me when I go to lean over him, by grabbing my hips and pulling me onto his lap, placing his head near mine. I don’t pause as I kiss him, the kiss going from the gentle brush of my lips against his to him taking over, sliding his hand into my hair and kissing me in a way I know I’ll never forget. When he pulls me that little bit closer, I can feel how turned on he is as he presses against me.

“Elsie,” my mum’s voice shouts through the house, and I jump off Flynn’s lap, just as my mum gets to the bottom of the stairs and smiles as she walks over to me.

“I thought we should catch up as John is sleeping,” she says, and I see her eyes wander around the group of us, the vodka, and most likely my flushed cheeks before blanking her expression.

“Sure, mum,” I say walking over to her and trying to erase the fact I just kissed three guys, let alone the fact that they are my stepbrothers.

5

Elsie

“So, how have you been?” my mum asks as she sits down next to me at the kitchen’s small table. She is still dressed casually and looks even more relaxed than the last time I saw her.

“Fine. I’ve been busy doing my usual university work. I got a part time job at a bar, but it closed down a month ago, and I haven’t found any work since then,” I say, and she nods, looking at me with a strange smile.

“I can help you with money, and I’m sure your father would if you asked,” she tells me.

“You know I like to do things my own way, and that includes working for my money.”

“Fine, fine but you know I’m there for you,” she says, still smiling.

“Right, cut the crap, what’s with the ‘happy wife’ routine you’re doing?” I ask, and she frowns.

“It’s not a routine, I really like John. I love him, and he makes me happy,” she says.

“Sure, so you’re finally settling down?” I ask her, not believing one bit of it.

“Yes, and I want you to accept that. I’m not as young as I used to be, and I feel like I need more now. I want a husband who is my friend also, and that’s what John is.”

“Right,” I reply dryly, but she doesn’t notice as she leans over and holds my hand.

“Are you dating anyone?” she asks.

“No, but thanks for the fake concern,” I say and pull my hand away.

“Elsie, I know I’ve been a terrible mother to you. I was stupid to have never realised how difficult it must be when your mother is partying all the time and calling her daughter to save her,” she says, shocking me a little.

“Not terrible but selfish,” I tell her, and she nods.

“I’m trying to change. Can you give me this Christmas break to change?” she asks me, and I lean back in my chair sighing.

“I guess,” I reply, and she smiles.

“Be careful around your stepbrothers. I can see how handsome they are and how they look at you,” she warns me.

“I don’t need a lesson in men from you, Mum,” I say and she nods.

“Right, I’m going to sleep for a bit, but perhaps you should get to know your new stepbrothers a little better,” she says, and I mentally groan as I nod. I know them well enough, I know how they taste, and I want to be as close as physically possible to them, but I doubt that’s what she means.

I watch her walk out of the kitchen before placing my head in my hands, and then hearing the door open again. I look over as Flynn locks the kitchen door and walks over to me. He stops next to me, pulling a seat out and looking over at me.

“What did she want to talk about?” he asks me, his voice drawing me in once again.

“Why did you lock the door?” I ask, avoiding his question all together. He smirks, leaning back in his chair and watching me.

“I want to kiss you again and not be interrupted,” he tells me, not sugar-coating what he wants, and some dark part of me likes it. I know this is a once in a lifetime chance, a chance to have some pleasure. I’ve been wanting a distraction for a while, a quick release without the stress of a relationship and that’s exactly what he could be. We could never be something serious, just some fun. Why the hell shouldn’t I enjoy myself?

“What are you waiting for then?” I ask him, making his smile widen as he stands up off his chair, and I do the same. Flynn pulls me into his arms, kissing me like a starving man, and I run my fingers into his hair as he lifts me up. I hook my legs around his waist, letting him slide me onto the table before moving his hands down to the bottom of my jumper and starts pulling it up. I break away from the kiss to let him take it off me, and he throws it on the floor as he kisses me again. I moan as he pulls my bra down, unclipping it with his other hand and rubbing a finger over my hard nipples the moment they are free.

“Lie back for me,” he whispers as he slowly kisses down my neck, and I lean back on my hands as he slowly licks a circle around one of my nipples. Flynn teases me slowly as he uses his hands to pull my leggings and underwear down my legs as I lift a little to help him.

“Flynn,” I moan when he runs a finger across me and then slowly rubs circles around my clit.

“Are you on protection, Elsie?” he asks me, pulling me up to look at him and kissing me gently as I nod. “Do you trust me?” he asks, pulling his finger away, and I answer by moving my hands and undoing his trousers, letting them fall to the ground and happily seeing that he has no underwear on. I take his thick length into my hand, slowly rubbing up and down him, enjoying his muttered curses before he kisses me. Flynn moves my hand away, grabbing my hips to move me closer to the edge of the table. He doesn’t wait as he thrusts into me and at the same time I swing my head back and moan as he pulls me closer, moving harder and faster inside me.

“Fuck, you feel amazing,” he groans, holding my hips and looking down at me, before he reaches down and runs his tongue around my nipple and making me orgasm.

“Flynn,” I moan and he picks up the pace, pounding into me before he bites gently down on my shoulder as I feel him finish inside of me. We don’t move for a long time, both of us breathing heavily, and he gently kisses me.

“Same time tomorrow, Elsie, there is no way we aren’t doing that again,” he says and pulls out of me, pulling his trousers up. I chuckle a little as I step off the table. I pull my underwear and leggings on, and walk across the room to grab my jumper.

“No offence, but as much as that was a good fuck, it was just a onetime thing, Flynn. To get rid of some of the tension,” I tell him and pull my jumper on as he gives me a surprised look.

“I don’t think any woman has ever turned me down for seconds before.”

“First time for everything, then,” I laugh as I walk to the door, unlocking it and walking out. Once is perfectly acceptable to get rid of the tension, but if I let myself keep sleeping with him, I don’t think I’m going to want to stop.

6

Elsie

“Can I join?” I hear as I raise my head above the water and rub the water out my eyes as I look over at Max standing near the edge of the pool in only his swimming trunks. Max has his glasses off, and I try to keep my attention on his eyes and not the v dip on his stomach and the rest of the amazing body I can see he has.

“Sure,” I say, my voice squeaking, and I mentally cringe when he smiles and lifts his arms, before diving in the pool. I hold my hands up to protect my eyes as the water splashes me, and Max comes up from the water a few inches away from me.

“I thought swimming in the middle of the night was my thing,” he says with a small laugh, wiping his face.

“I wanted to come when I was sure no one was around.”

“Or you’re avoiding us, which I get it if you are.”

“Not avoiding but–”

“I know,” he chuckles.

“Why don’t we race?” he asks me, nodding to the end of the pool.

“I’m fast,” I warn as we swim to the edge, and I place my feet against the wall, just as Max leans closer.

“And, I like to play dirty,” he says and shoots off into the water, splashing me, so I can’t see.

“Cheat,” I shout and then start swimming after him and to the other side, I quickly turn at the end and swim back to where we started, but I was way behind Max who is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and wearing an amused expression.

“That wasn’t fair,” I say as I stop in front of him, and he tilts his head to the side.

“I could say that it’s not fair that the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is my stepsister and off limits. Life isn’t fair,” he tells me, the conversation switching from playful to serious as I move closer.

“You think I’m beautiful?” I ask gently, placing my hand on his chest.

“Very, Elsie,” he tells me, mimicking my soft tone. I move my hand a little and feel a scar raised over his chest. It’s a long line that stretches up to his neck.

“How did you do this?” I ask him, breathing slowly as he places one of his hands on my hip.

“It was . . . well, it happened the day my mum died. There was a car accident, I was driving and needed surgery to fix this,” he tells me.

“I’m sorry, Max,” I tell him, thinking of the photo I saw in the hallway of the dark-haired woman.

“A stupid man who was too drunk to drive, slammed into the back of our car, and we went off a hill. I don’t remember much, only little bits, but the doctors reckon that mum would have died instantly and not felt anything.”

“Was he charged?” I ask.

“No, he was released with only a warning because he had no previous incidents. So, Ezra found him and beat the crap out of him for it. Then he was arrested and charged to a year in prison.”

“That’s not right. They shouldn’t have let the drunk man go and done that to Ezra,”

“Ezra nearly killed him, and would have if Dad and Flynn hadn’t found him and stopped him,” he tells me.

“Ezra seems dark and troubled. It makes sense now.”

“You’re too good and sweet to be around us, Elsie, if you knew what we wanted with you.”

“What do you want?” I ask him, moving my body closer so it brushes up against his, and he closes his eyes, and then moving us so my back is against the wall. I wrap my legs around his hips.

“I want take that tiny bikini off and fuck you in this pool. Then take you back to my room and fuck you again,” he tells me, pressing himself into me and moving his lips close to mine.

“I’m not stopping you,” I whisper against his lips, and then he kisses me, wrapping his hands around my back and pulling me closer. I almost whimper when he pulls away and lets me go. He places a finger against my lips, and I hear the door to the room being opened.

“Max, are you in here?” I hear John shout, and I duck under the water a little as Max swims around me and pulls himself out of the pool.

“Yeah what’s up?” he asks.

“The wi-fi isn’t working, and the electric is playing up. I think it’s the storm. Can you come and have a look?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll be right up,” he says.

“I can wait, here’s your towel” I hear John reply, and I wait until I hear them both leave the room before resting my head back against the wall of the pool and look out the window at the falling snow, with thoughts of Max and his kisses keeping me warm.

7

Ezra

“What are you doing in here?” my dad asks as I stand in my mother’s and his old bedroom. The room hasn’t changed much in the five years she has been gone. It’s on the second level, and I’m more than thankful that Dad chose to have him and his new wife move into the rooms upstairs. I run my hand over one of her scarves that’s hung on a chair next to the dressing table.

“I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. I think seeing my dad move on is making me miss her more than I usually do.

“I miss her every day, too,” he says, coming into the room and walking over to a shelf near the bed. I watch as he pulls the jewellery box off the shelf and sits on the bed.

“Come here,” he tells me, and I walk over and sit next to him. He opens the jewellery box and pulls out a red, crystal necklace that I saw my mum wear sometimes.

“Why don’t you and your brothers give this to Elsie?” he says and places the necklace in my hand.

“If you want us to.”

“Yes, son,” he says as he stands up and puts the jewellery box away. I wonder if he has noticed how much we like Elsie and not as a sister. My dad isn’t stupid. He never has been, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he knew. I was surprised that Elsie was so okay with being shared between us. We’ve shared women for a night, or sometimes a little longer, but usually they take a little persuading to be okay with more than one of us. Most woman like to have one of us to themselves, or at least that’s how it’s been.

“Elsie was looking for you,” he tells me, and I nod, slipping the necklace into my pocket and walking out of the room, leaving my dad standing looking around. I rub my hands down my face when I get outside the room and pull the door shut behind me. It takes me a second to walk away, like I know I need to as my mum wouldn’t want me being sad over her not being here. I glance at the photo on the wall of her, with her big, kind smile and the loving glance she gave my dad. She was so in love with him and he with her. I never knew what it was like to feel something more for a woman, not just sex. That’s how it’s been with every woman I can remember being with and none of them lasted more than a week. Then there’s Elsie, and I don’t want her to walk out of my life like the others I pushed away. I want her to stay, and it’s messing with my head because I don’t think she has any plans to stay. She has to go back to her life at some point.

“Hey Elsie, is making gingerbread, and then we are attempting to make a house with it. Want to help?” Max asks as he walks towards the stairs and spots me. I nod and follow him down to the kitchen, where Elsie is fanning two trays full of gingerbread.

“Why?” I ask, and she laughs. I watch as she tucks a little piece of her soft-brown hair behind her ear, and her blue eyes look over the counter at me.

“Tradition. Or at least it was for me. I’ve never been any good at getting the gingerbread to stick together,” she says.

“I’ll make the icing,” Max says, and Flynn helps him find the icing sugar as I walk over to Elsie. I love how her breath hitches when I place a hand on her lower back and lean over the gingerbread.

“Smells amazing,” I say, and she nods, looking flustered and cute. I chuckle as I lean over and kiss her cheek.

“Can I try some?” I whisper to her, watching as she nods and parts her lips ever so slightly. I wonder if she is thinking about more than just food like I am. I chuckle a little as I look down at the gingerbread and break a tiny bit off the end. I try it, and it’s delicious.

“What do you think?” she asks, breaking a little bit off for herself and eating it.

“I’m really impressed. I didn’t know you could cook,” I comment, and she nods.

“I like cooking, and my ex used to say I made lovely food,” she says. I try to ignore the sharp pang of jealousy I feel when she mentions her ex-boyfriend. I know she has dated before, but it doesn’t change the feeling of wanting to hunt them all down and kick their asses for touching her.

“How long were you with him?” I ask her, watching as both Max and Flynn listen closely to the conversation as they mix the icing sugar, butter, and a little water. I’m sure they want to know about her past as much as I do. We don’t know a whole lot about her past life, and it doesn’t matter, but I want to know.

“We were friends first and then dated for seven months. I don’t really get what happened between us, but I have the feeling he just didn’t want to settle down. The sad thing was, we lost the friendship we had,” she says. I’ve never had a girl that was a friend, especially not one as hot as Elsie. I bet the fucker wanted more than a friendship. I bet that was all he wanted but wouldn’t tell her that. Some of my mates have tried being friends with girls they like and hope that it becomes more. Most just get friend-zoned and then have to move on.

“Well, I’m glad he was an idiot and let you go,” I tell her honestly. I think even if she turned up here still dating someone, there would be no way I could ignore what I feel for her or how hot she is. This snow storm was the best thing that’s happened in a long time because I think if we weren’t all trapped together, she would have avoided us as much as possible.

“Why?”

“Because you’re ours now, Elsie,” I tell her, and she smiles a little. Max winks at me as he brings the icing over, and we cut the gingerbread as it’s cold enough. It takes a while, but we kind of make a house.

“It looks like it’s a derelict building that’s about to collapse,” I laugh, and Elsie puts her hand in the icing sugar and throws a bit at me.

“Shh, you. It’s not that bad, I mean we can add sweets to make it look nicer,” she comments, and I look down at the house and back up at Max who widens his eyes. If we add sweets to it, it’s just going to collapse. I pick up some icing sugar, and she steps away. Best to distract her.

“Oh, you’re not going to do that,” she says, holding her hands up.

“I am,” I chuckle and throw some at her, before stepping closer and pulling her into my arms. I kiss her, loving how sweet she tastes and how she lets herself sink into the kiss with me.

“Sweet Elsie,” I whisper as she looks up at me. I don’t remember ever being this playful around a girl or wanting to be. Elsie makes me want to be with her. Not just sex, no, actually spending time with her even if it’s making silly, gingerbread houses.

I want her.

8

Elsie

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” my mum says loudly as I walk into the lounge and look over at the fake white Christmas tree that has appeared overnight and the dozens of presents that are underneath it.

“I forgot to bring your gifts down, I’ll go and get them,” I say as I turn around, and my mum laughs.

“No need. You can give them to us later,” she says, waving a hand at me.

“Morning,” I say to the guys when Ezra pats the empty seat between him and Flynn. I sit down, watching as John gives my mum a present, and another, and another. I think I spend at least half an hour watching her open a selection of expensive presents before John hands one to me.

“This is for you, from me and your mum,” he says offering me a small, blue box. I untie the ribbon and open the box, seeing a door key in the middle.

“A key?” I ask.

Mum replies, “To a new apartment in London. It’s lovely and close to your university,”

“I can’t accept this, it’s way too much. I mean, I bought you socks,” I say, closing the box and trying to hand the key back. John simply shakes his head.

“No, I own the building, and that apartment has been empty for years. You would be doing me a favour by taking it, Elsie. It’s a nice building,” he tells me, being all reasonable when the apartment he is giving me must cost a fortune. Anything in London does, let alone an apartment so close to the centre.

“I have to pay you rent then, or something.”

“We will discuss that later, if you wish,” John says and gives my mum a smile.

“This is for you,” Mum hands me another box, this time it’s larger and white. I open it up to see an expensive-looking handbag that’s bright-red and Gucci by the looks of it.

“It’s exclusive, so only you will have one.”

“Err, thanks,” I smile, wanting to be grateful but knowing the bag is so expensive that I’d be worried about taking it out around London. I’m more of a hoodie pockets kind of girl anyway, or at least that’s where I store the stuff I need to take outside.

“These are for you,” my mum says as she gets three blue boxes out from the tree and hands them to the guys. I watch them open the new iPad she has bought them, and then the clothes and gift cards from their dad.

“We all got Elsie something, but it’s upstairs, why don’t we take her to get it?” Max asks my mum, who sips on her wine and nods.

“Okay, go and have fun, but dinner will be ready at five.”

“I’ll bring my presents down for you then.”

“Sure,” she waves me off, and John turns the television on as we all leave the room. I feel Ezra place his hand on my back as we walk up and then take a right down the corridor, stopping at the room opposite mine. Flynn opens the door, letting me in. The room is the same as mine but clearly a guy’s room with the black sheets, huge bed, and dark-blue curtains. There’s two wardrobes, a bookcase, and a large TV opposite the bed.

“Whose room is this?” I ask.

“Mine,” Flynn replies as Max closes the door behind us. I watch as Flynn picks up a box off the side and brings it over to me.

“I didn’t expect you to get me anything, considering we have been trapped in here for the last week,” I say, making them chuckle a little. I pull the ribbon off and open it up, seeing a beautiful, red, crystal necklace. It’s on a silver chain, and it’s shaped like a heart.

“It was our mother’s, and we want you to have it.”

“Guys this is–”

“Yours,” Flynn interrupts and takes the necklace out of the box with my help. I turn around and lift my hair, watching Max as Flynn puts the necklace on me and slides his hands down my arms.

“We have another gift,” Flynn whispers, and Max walks to the door, flipping the lock.

“Do you?” I ask, with a slight moan as Flynn moves his body behind mine and slides his hands down my body.

“Yes,” Max says as he comes over and kisses me. Max kisses me slowly, while Flynn slowly undoes the zip on the back of my dress. When Max pulls away, my dress falls to the floor, and I step out of it, standing in front of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen in just my underwear and heels.

“On the bed,” Ezra commands me, his tone husky and deep, sending shivers through me. I nod and walk over to the bed, kicking my heels off and lying down. Ezra kneels between my legs as I watch Flynn and Max start taking off their clothes, as Ezra presses his clothed body over mine and kisses me. Ezra’s kisses are demanding and seductive, with every brush of his lips against mine, making me want more. I slide my hands down his body, feeling his hard cock under his jeans, and he grabs my hands, pinning them above my head.

“Not yet,” he whispers, his gaze dropping down my body before I see Max climb onto the bed, his hard cock standing out and he smiles seductively as I glance to my right and see Flynn getting on the bed too.

“You have too many clothes on for what we have planned, Elsie,” Flynn comments.

“Why don’t I help?” Ezra replies.

My breath hitches as he reaches around me and undoes my bra, and then kisses his way down my body. I feel Ezra removing my thong slowly, as Flynn starts kissing one of my breasts, just as Max moves close enough for me to be able to take him in my mouth. I suck the tip of Max into my mouth, just as I moan when Ezra’s tongue runs a slow circle around my clit. The overwhelming sensation of Ezra and Flynn as they control my body, makes my first orgasm come quickly, and I moan out all their names as pleasure floods my body. I feel Ezra pull away, only to look down to see Flynn move between my open legs and lining himself up with me. I move my head faster over Max’s cock as Flynn rams into me, making me moan as he thrusts deeper inside of me. I feel Max about to come and suck him harder, as my hand finds Ezra’s large cock as he moves onto the bed and kneels next to me. Max moves away and grins down at me. He lies down next to me, his one hand playing with my nipple as his other slides between me and Flynn, rubbing my clit. I stroke Ezra faster as I orgasm again, feeling Flynn picking up speed just before he finishes, and I feel Ezra finish all over my chest a moment later.

“God, you’re amazing,” Flynn says, sliding off me and Max gets up off the bed as I calm down. I feel sleepy but in the best way. Max comes back with a towel and helps me clean up, as do the others before we all pull our clothes on and lie together on the bed. My head is lying on Max’s stomach, and Ezra and Flynn are lying at my side.

“I don’t know what you’re doing to us. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“I like you all, too, but this can’t be more than this.”

“Why not?” Max asks me.

“Because it can’t. You all have lives, and our parents are married. They would lose it if we said we were all sleeping together.”

“It’s nothing to do with them, it’s only about us, Elsie. And, I’ve known you for a week, and don’t want you to leave.”

“I’m the same, but it doesn’t change the fact I leave soon,” I say, and none of them respond. There’s just silence as we hold each other close.

9

Elsie

“What are you doing?” Max’s voice drifts over as I sit in my room, studying my university text books.

“Studying,” I reply, wondering why he knocked on my door. I look over as Max walks into the room followed by Ezra who shuts the door behind him. I haven’t left my room for more than food and drinks since our awkward conversation about me leaving soon. I don’t want to admit how I’m feeling for them all, how I like them all. Maybe even love.

“Why are you hiding? Were we all that bad in bed? I mean you sounded like you enjoyed it as much as that time with Flynn,” Ezra asks, moving to sit on my bed, and Max sits on the end, closing my study book.

“Did he tell you?” I ask, avoiding the question as it’s the opposite to what I felt, and Ezra laughs.

“No, you forget that Max and I were in the lounge, we heard darling,” he says, and my cheeks seem to be burning.

“So, you’re studying to be a teacher?” Max asks, changing the subject, and I give him a thankful smile as Ezra moves closer, pressing the side of his body into mine as he lies back.

“You’d make a good teacher,” Max nods, and I frown at him.

“How would you know? I mean we have known each other for a short amount of time,” I say and simply smile.

“You have that caring, but strict, vibe about you,” he tells me.

“So, if you’re sleeping with Flynn and that time with us all, I’m taking it you don’t have a problem with sleeping with your stepbrothers?” Ezra asks, his mind only on one thing.

“It was a one-time thing, to get rid of some tension.”

“Did you like being with us all, Elsie?” Max asks me, shocking me a little as he takes his glasses off and places them on the side.

“Yes,” I whisper, but my eyes travel all over Max’s strong body and back up to his eyes, they are a lovely hazel much like Flynn’s.

“The offer is there for a replay. We are all stuck here for the rest of the holidays, and I want you. So, does Max,” Ezra whispers in my ear, his teeth grazing the top of my ear.

“I don’t think,” I start to say, turning my head towards Ezra, and he kisses me, a deep kiss that makes me gasp as he leans into me. I feel hands sliding up my bare legs, and I pull away from the kiss just in time to see Max lift one of my legs and kiss my ankle.

“Your choice,” Max says, kissing down my leg slowly, making his way towards me, and every part of me wants to accept it. Just this once, just one more time.

“Okay,” I say, and Ezra groans quietly before he lifts my oversized jumper over my head, throwing it on the floor. He smirks when he sees I don’t have a bra on. Ezra gently pushes me back on the bed, and follows me down with a deep kiss. I moan as I feel Max kiss all the way to my inner thighs and then press a gentle kiss on my core over my lacy underwear. Max pulls my underwear down, as Ezra kisses his way down my body and stops at my breasts. I cry out in pleasure as Max slides his tongue around my clit, just as Ezra kisses one of my nipples as he rubs the other one.

“Max,” I moan as he pulls away at the same time Ezra does, and I watch as he lifts his shirt over his head and undoes his jeans. Ezra also starts taking his clothes off as Max smirks before flipping me over on my knees and pulling my ass towards his hips. I feel his large cock pressing against my ass. My eyes widen as Ezra kneels in front of me, giving me a cheeky smirk just as I feel Max pressing inside me. I suck the tip of Ezra’s cock into my mouth, enjoying the feeling of having them both inside of me. Max pushes all the way in as Ezra slides his hand into my hair and starts controlling the blow job. I’m lucky I don’t choke as he thrusts harder, while Max picks up his pace, moving his hand around my hip and rubbing my clit. My orgasm builds, and I move my hand to replace Max’s, which only makes him fuck me harder. The minute my orgasm hits, I feel Max finish with me. I moan around Ezra’s cock, which makes him come too. I swallow all of him before Max slides out, and I lie down on the bed, with Max sliding next to me on one side and Ezra on the other.

“That was amazing,” Ezra comments after a long silence, and moves to push a little, stray piece of hair out of my face. I smile up at him, looking at the mark on his eyebrow, and I run my finger over it.

“How did you do this?” I ask, and he chuckles.

“When I was about seventeen, I had a thing for motorbikes and testing the limits. I crashed it, and this was a result of that. So were the two broken wrists,” he tells me.

“Ouch, that must have hurt,” I reply.

“Tell me something about you,” I turn to Max and ask, feeling him running his hand over my hip.

“I design apps for a living,” he tells me, and I pull my phone out from under my pillow and unlock it.

“Show me what’s yours,” I say, and he nods, opening up the app store and showing me a bunch of game apps. Most are about robots and look cool.

“I’m seriously impressed. Handsome, great in bed, and smart,” I comment, and he laughs with Ezra as I download the games he has made.

“What about you?” I ask, turning to Ezra who grins.

“I own a motorcycle shop in town. We mainly deal with custom orders, so the shop is for show, but if I can’t drive them, then I will sell them,” he tells me and I smile, liking the idea. I lay my head down and close my eyes as I yawn, feeling perfectly sated.

10

Flynn

I watch as Elsie laughs at the lame joke my dad just told her and then continues to eat her food. It’s been three days since I’ve been with her, and it’s killing me that she won’t give in and sleep with me again. I felt something for her, all my brothers did. I glance at Max and Ezra who are sitting next to her, staring at her like I am and I know they want her again too. They told me she did the same thing as she did to me, but the next morning for them, she said it was only once. It’s confusing.

“So, Elsie do you like your new stepbrothers?” my dad asks, and I watch as she nearly chokes on her chicken before recovering, as Max pats her on the back, and answers.

“Yes, they are all lovely.”

“That’s good to hear,” her mum says, looking over at us all with clear suspicion before smiling at my dad. I want to hate the annoying, blonde woman, but she is making him happy, and it’s his choice at the end of the day. I may dislike her mum, but she brought Elsie into our lives, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

“So, Elsie, how is your teaching course going?” my dad asks her.

“Good. I have one year left, and I’m enjoying the course. I hope to get offered a job at the local school I volunteer at,” she says, and we all carry on eating.

“Why don’t I show you my painting room, Elsie?” I ask as she finishes her food.

“I don’t think that’s a great idea, I’m pretty tired,” she says, trying to avoid me again. That’s all she has done all week.

“You must see it; the paintings are something else. Flynn sells them and makes a fortune,” my dad says, smiling at me.

“Come on, Elsie,” I say standing up, and she briefly glares at me and then looks away.

“Let’s go, then,” she says, and I see Ezra smirk at me as I stand up and walk out with her. She doesn’t say a word to me as we walk towards the art studio at the back of the house. When we get outside the room, I unlock the door and lean in, switching the lights on. The art room is inside the conservatory and used to be my mother’s room. It’s still full of paintings she did over time, but now there are mine, too.

“Oh my god, they are amazing. Where did you learn this?” she asks, walking over to a painting of a little girl sitting in a park. The little girl is my cousin, and I see her every summer when my aunt flies over from America.

“My mother taught me,” I tell her, and she runs her finger over the painting before moving onto the next one, which is of a ship at sea.

“They are lovely. I’m sorry for your loss,” she tells me, and I nod, walking over to her.

“Thank you. When she was alive she used to tell me that I was very good at painting, and I used to ignore her, too busy chasing girls and spending my parents’ money. The week after we lost her I picked up a paintbrush she had left in some water and finished this painting for her,” I tell her and point to the painting of a young doe in the forest that’s hanging on the wall near the door.

“She would be proud that you did that,” she says gently, placing her hand on my arm.

“Why are you avoiding me?” I ask her, gentling my tone because I don’t want to come across as demanding an answer from her. I knew when I first met her that I couldn’t demand anything from her, she has to come to me.

“I don’t know. I guess it’s because I know this can’t go anywhere, and if I let myself keep being with you . . . well, I would want more because I feel something,” she tells me, moving her hand away and trying to walk away. I grab her hand, pulling her closer and sliding my hands up her arms.

“I felt something, too, but it’s your choice. I know it’s complicated because of our parents and my brothers, but I want to spend the next week worshipping every part of you,”

“Same here, but then what happens at the next family meeting? It’s bad enough I’ve had sex with you all and can’t stop thinking about you but–”

“Relax, Elsie. You know where I am if you want me,” I tell her and step away. It has to be her choice and not mine. She smiles tightly before walking out of the room, and I run my hands through my hair, turning around and picking up a paint brush. I spend the next few hours painting in silence before I hear the door open, and I look around, seeing Max coming in with Ezra following.

“Any luck?” he asks, referring to Elsie, and I shake my head.

“No. We have to let her come to us. I like her, but she is that kind of woman who does whatever she wants,” I say.

“Yeah well, I hope doing me is what she wants. I can’t stop thinking about her,” Ezra mumbles, annoyance all over his face. I almost want to laugh that a girl has finally caught his undivided attention if it wasn’t for the fact that she has caught all of our attentions. It’s been a week and a half, and it looks like we are all hooked on Elsie.

“I’m with you on that,” I reply, the silence from my brothers is the only response I need to know that all of us are all in with her. I glance back at the painting I’ve started of a girl with long, dark hair, bright-red lips, and blue eyes that draw you in like a flame.

I’m hooked on Elsie.

11

Elsie

“What are you making?” I ask as I follow the melted chocolate smell into the kitchen but seeing it empty with just a plate of brownies on the side. I wonder if my mum made them, but I’m sure she won’t mind if I have a couple. I eat two of the brownies and place three more on a plate, walking into the lounge and turning on the TV. I can be greedy this week, as it’s Christmas break, and spend all next week in the gym suffering for it. It’s New Year’s Eve and we have hours to go until midnight. John said the next-door neighbours always do a massive fireworks show and that we should watch later. I wonder if they are still going to do it with the snow. At least, the storm has passed, but the snow hasn’t melted, instead turning icier.

“Where did you get these from?” Ezra asks as he sits next to me and helps himself to the strange-tasting brownies. They’re nice but a little strange.

“I found them on the kitchen side, no idea who cooked them,” I tell him, and he chuckles as he finishes his brownie off and picks the last one up.

“Erm, no. That’s mine,” I hold a hand out, and he grins over at me.

“Why don’t you come and get it?” he chuckles, and I smile, sliding off my seat and moving to stand in front of him. I reach for the brownie, and he holds it higher, out of my reach.

“That’s not fair,” I laugh, and he holds it higher in the air away from me.

“Give me it!” I say, kneeling on the sofa between his legs and reaching for the brownie, giggling when puts it into his mouth and eats it, as he pins me to the sofa, moving his body over mine.

“I can’t believe you just ate that.”

“There are other things I want to eat too,” he says, meaning something completely different as I feel how hard he is as he is pressed up against me.

“Ezra, we can’t here,” I moan as he slides his hand down my stomach, his fingers grazing the top of my underwear under my jeans.

“We can’t?” he asks me, kissing me gently, and I moan as he slides a finger lower, brushing against me softly.

“Ezra,” I moan, and he chuckles before he kisses me. The kiss is hard and fast, before he moves to kiss down my neck and slides down my body. I don’t stop him as he pulls my jeans and underwear down, and slides them off my legs. Ezra watches me as he pushes a finger inside me, and uses his thumb to drive me insane with every stroke.

“So, sexy Elsie. I’m never going to let you go at this rate,” Ezra says quietly. As I get close to coming, he pulls his hand away and undoes his jeans, sliding his large cock out and sitting up.

“Come here,” he says, wanting me to be on top. I crawl over and hold myself above him as he grabs my hips, and I slowly take him inside me. I move up and down slowly, as he grabs the back of my head and we kiss.

“Elsie,” he groans as I pick up speed, moving quicker and feeling myself getting close. Ezra takes control and slides me onto my back on the sofa and starts thrusting into me harder. He kisses me as I finish, and he finishes with me only seconds later.

“Elsie, don’t leave,” he begs me, his words only a whisper next to my ear.

“How can I stay?” I ask him, and he leans back, looking down at me.

“How can you leave?” he asks.

I don’t have an answer for him.

* * *

“The fireworks are starting,” John says, making me jump off Ezra’s lap where I must have fallen asleep and seeing there’s a blanket covering us up. John stops when he sees me and Ezra, half clothed on the sofa and looks away.

“Come on outside,” he says and walks away as I give Ezra a worried glance. He only shakes his head and places a finger on his lips before getting up. I hear the bangs of the fireworks as I pull my jeans on without my underwear as I can’t see them. I laugh when I finally see my red lacy underwear in the side pocket of Ezra’s jeans as he pulls them on and walks off.

“Do I get my underwear back?” I ask quietly when I see the front door open.

“No,” Ezra replies, pushing them further into his pocket as he hands me my coat. I laugh and pull my coat on and then my boots.

“Sexy Elsie, I haven’t seen you today,” Max says as he comes down the stairs with Flynn by his side.

“Shh!” I whisper.

“They can’t hear you over the fireworks,” Flynn says as he grabs his coat and hands Max his.

“Your dad found me and Ezra . . .,” I say, and Ezra laughs.

“Well, he knows now. Only your mum to go.”

“No, we can’t tell her,” I say, and Flynn wraps an arm around me.

“Whatever happens, you have me Elsie,” Flynn says and kisses my cheek before he walks out the door. Max comes over next pulling me into a hug,

“I love you, Elsie, don’t say it back, but it’s true. I don’t care who knows about us but don’t leave,” he says close to my ear and doesn’t give me a chance to respond as he walks out. Ezra doesn’t say a word, he just walks over and pulls me into a deep kiss that leaves me breathless, and he walks us out the door. I clear my throat, feeling so many emotions for them all and not knowing how to deal with it. When did Christmas fun become serious? I walk outside, pulling the door shut and looking up at two fireworks blasts in the sky, mixing silver and pink as they sparkle. I look over to see my guys all looking up at the fireworks, and they seem to notice me watching them, as they all turn to look at me. Flynn holds a hand out for me, and I walk over, letting him pull me in front of them. The fireworks are amazing, and we watch them fill the sky for what seems like ages before they finally stop, and John’s watch starts beeping.

“Happy new year,” he says and kisses my mum. I don’t move as Flynn kisses me gently on the cheek and lets go, then Max kisses me in the same place, and then Ezra does the same.

“Happy new year,” I whisper to them.

“That’s enough of the kisses. Come on,” my mum says, walking over and putting an arm around me as John meets my eyes. He smiles a little, but it’s clear he isn’t going to say anything to my mum which I’m thankful for.

12

Elsie

“Elsie, you shouldn’t wear red, it’s far too sexy on you,” Ezra says as he walks down the corridor, stopping next to me as I look at the photo of all of them together that I’ve just seen. Their mum is with them in this, and their dad is holding an arm around her waist. I wanted to look at the photos once before I have to leave tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s tomorrow already, and every little part of me wants to stay here.

“I was just looking at your mother. She was very beautiful,” I comment. Beautiful is an understatement for the lovely woman in the photo with her long, brown hair and hazel eyes that remind me of her sons. Their mum looks the very opposite of my mum, they couldn’t be any more different.

“She was and kind, too.”

“It must have been difficult to lose her,” I reply, and he nods sliding his hand into mine and squeezes as he looks at the photo.

“What about your dad?” he asks me.

“They split when I was ten, and my dad still claims he loves my mum when he doesn’t. He just can’t get over that she left him, I guess,” I tell him. I still haven’t called my dad back after our last conversation, and I don’t think I will. I will just wait for him to call me again and hope he is interested a little in my life.

“I was angry when my dad came back saying he married a woman he met abroad.”

“I bet,” I reply.

“But then, he seems happy, for the first time in five years he was smiling and laughing when he got out of the taxi. I don’t know a thing about your mum, but if she makes him happy, well everyone should get a little bit of that,” he says, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets and shrugging.

“What do you think I should do on my last day?” I ask with a laugh when he raises his eyebrows. I want to be doing that too, but I can’t, not again. Every time I’m with them, I fall a little more, and I don’t want it to hurt any more than it’s going to already when I leave.

“I’ll get the guys, and you go put a coat and wellies on.”

“I don’t have any wellies.”

“Your boots will do,” he laughs and leaves me in the corridor. I walk down the stairs, spotting my mum’s wellies by the door and decide they are better than my boots. After I put them on, I put my coat on and wait for the guys to come downstairs. I watch them all walk down the stairs a few minutes later, looking ridiculously attractive in their coats and boots. Flynn walks over to me, kissing me on the cheek quickly as he places his scarf around my neck.

“It’s cold out,”

“We are going outside?” I say with fake horror, and they laugh as I pull on my gloves from my pockets.

“Come on hermit, we are going to make a snowman and have a snow ball fight. The normal things people do with snow.”

“Okay,” I laugh and follow them out. The snow stopped falling two days ago, but the roads haven’t been cleared. John said they are clearing them later tonight, so I shouldn’t miss my flight. Ezra and Flynn hold my hands as we walk around the house and towards the side where there is a field of untouched snow. We spend ages rolling snowballs big enough for the base of the snowman and then the top. Thank God, the guys are strong as they made it a lot easier. Max puts his hat on the snow man as I find some stones for the eyes and mouth. Flynn gets some twigs and makes the arms.

“It’s missing a carrot nose.”

“I’ll go and get one,” Max chuckles and runs back to the house. I lean down and roll a ball of snow up, lifting it and throwing it at Flynn. It hits the side of his face, and he laughs, rubbing the snow away and looks over at me.

“You’d best run,” he says, and I watch as Ezra picks up a snow ball and throws it at Flynn. Using the distraction he gave me, I run into the woods and hide behind a large tree. I roll myself another snow ball and keep an eye out in the direction they last were. I scream when a snow ball hits my side, and I look over to see Flynn laughing. I throw my snow ball at him, but he knocks it away with his hand and comes over to me, pressing my back into the tree as he looks down at me.

“Cheeky Elsie,” he says and then kisses me. I let him push me further into the tree as the kiss deepens.

“What the hell is going on here?” my mother’s voice shouts through the woods to my right, and I look over to see her walking towards us, with John at her side. Flynn moves away slightly as we turn to face them, but he slides his hand into mine linking our fingers, and I know he isn’t going to leave me alone to face this.

“Mum, it’s not–” I start to say and then stop when she glares at me.

“Are you two sleeping together?” she asks me bluntly as we stare at each other. She doesn’t look disgusted as I expected her to. No, she looks upset, and I’m not entirely sure why.

“Yes,” Flynn answers for me when I don’t respond.

“Lynn, perhaps we should step indoors and think about this before anything is said that might be regretted when we have calmed down,” John says gently, and she shakes his hand off her arm.

“It’s wrong. He’s your stepbrother,” she says to me.

“Who I’ve known for two weeks, so it’s not like we are really siblings. It’s not wrong, I–”

“You might as well be honest, Elsie. We have all been sleeping with you,” Ezra says coming out of the forest with Max at his side. They both give me comforting nods as they stop next to us.

“Three? You’ve been sleeping with three men who are your stepbrothers?” she asks, going a deathly white colour. I don’t want to lie to her, and I don’t see why I should have to. It’s too late to go back, and I don’t regret anything that happened between us all. I glance between all the guys, knowing that they likely don’t regret anything, and they are at my side, dealing with this with me and not running away.

“Yes,” I reply.

“I can’t believe you would do that,” she says, taking a step back in shock.

“Really, mum? Where did you think I learnt my loose morals from? Wait, don’t answer that. It’s nothing to do with you,” I snap.

“Perhaps you should go and pack, Elsie,” John suggests, and I ignore the pain I feel when he said that.

“No,” Flynn says firmly, moving to my other side and resting his hand on my back. I look at my mum as she bursts into tears and John pulls her into his arms, I know I should leave. I’m just causing trouble here.

“He is right. I don’t want to cause any more trouble, and I’m leaving tomorrow anyway.”

“Don’t run, Elsie,”

“What did you expect to happen? That we could live together? That you wouldn’t get bored with sharing me?” I ask, feeling frustrated. I know it isn’t anything to do with how I feel about them and more to do with the fact I kept hoping this was more.

“Are you just going to walk away?” Max asks me, as I step away from them all.

“What else can I do? If I stay, I’m going to get my heart broken and then what? This is just a Christmas break, and I will always remember you, but I can’t stay,” I say quietly.

“Elsie, I can drive you,” John says behind me, and I turn to see my mum walking towards the house, and John waiting nearby, watching us all.

“Thank you “I say walking over to him, feeling pain shoot through my heart as I walk away from them all and knowing I can’t come back to see them. I don’t look back once because I know I’ll just run into their arms.

13

Max

“Are we just going to let her leave?” I ask my brothers as we all watch her walk to the car from my bedroom window. She looks up for a second, and I almost think she might be able to see us, but she can’t. As I watch her get in the car and shut the door, every part of me wants to go after her and stop her from leaving.

“What should we do?” Flynn asks me, groaning as he rubs his face and moving to sit in the chair in the room. Ezra smacks a hand against the wall by the window, leaning down and not saying a word.

“I love her,” I tell them. There’s silence in the room before I see both Ezra and Flynn nod. They love her, too.

“I’ve been with plenty of women, but I’ve never felt anything like what I feel for her. Let’s go after her,” Ezra says walking towards the door, and I grab his arm, stopping him.

“We need to prove we are serious about her before we do that,” I say, letting go.

“What do you have in mind?” Ezra asks.

“The apartment she’s going to be living in, I think we should buy the other two off dad.”

“Then move in?” Flynn asks, nodding.

“Yes, and then we can see if she wants to be with us. No one, including our dad, is going to be okay with this or get it.”

“I don’t care,” Flynn comments, glancing back at the window once more.

“Me neither, but if we are going to do this, share her, we need to be open with everyone in our family,” I say, and he nods.

“Can I come in?” Elsie’s mum, Lynn, asks as she opens the door and pops her head around.

“Sure,” I say, and she comes in, shutting the door behind her. I watch as she stands awkwardly for a long time. I glance at Ezra and Flynn, who shrug.

“I love my daughter, and I want to know if it’s just sex you are using her for.”

“We aren’t using her for anything,” Ezra snaps, and I walk over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“We love her. I want to be honest with you and say that the moment I saw her, I felt something. I don’t know why she has to be our stepsister in this fucked-up world, but it’s not going to stop me from going after her. It’s not going to stop any of us.”

“You can’t have a relationship together, all four of you,” she shakes her head.

“Why not? It’s called Polyandry, and it’s practised a lot more than people talk about,” Flynn says, and she still shakes her head.

“At the end of the day, it’s up to Elsie, and I don’t mean to be rude when I say this, but you don’t have the best relationship with her,”

“No, I don’t. I’ve not been a great mum. I let my life distract me from my daughter until it was too late.”

“Then, perhaps a good way to move past that, is to accept her new life. I don’t know if she is going to say yes to us, but maybe you should call her and be honest. I have a feeling she wants her mum in her life,” I tell her, and she nods looking down at the ground.

“I need some time to come to terms with this, but I suspect you’re right,” she says and walks out, shutting the door behind her.

“So, time to plan and get our Elsie,” Flynn says, standing up with a grin. He walks to the laptop in the room and turns it on. We spend the next few hours sorting out our business and planning a big move to London. When we are done, we go downstairs and find our dad in the kitchen, holding a glass of whisky. I guess he must have taken Elsie to the airport okay, if he hasn’t said anything.

“So, when are you moving?” he asks.

“How did you guess?” I ask, getting some glasses out of the cupboard and pouring us all a drink.

“The way you look at Elsie, is the way I looked at your mum,” he tells us, and I nod, downing my drink.

“We want to buy the building in London off of you, we have enough money between us,”

“It’s yours, but I’m not taking your money. You can consider it an early inheritance,” he replies.

“Thanks, Dad,” Ezra pats him on the shoulder and finishes his drink.

“I’m going to miss having you boys around.”

“We will come back for Christmas and throughout the year, hopefully with Elsie at our side,” I say, and my dad pours another drink for us all.

“Your mum would have been proud of you all,” he says, his eyes watching me closely as I nod, and look down.

“Stay and have some drinks with your old dad, and then I’ll help you pack,” he tell us.

I drink my whiskey and hold out the glass, “Let’s drink,” I say, and he pours me another.

14

Elsie

“Have a good year, and I hope you like the apartment. The directions and everything you need are in here,” John says as he gives me an envelope, and I nod, taking it and sliding it into my bag. John waited for me to pack my bags after I walked away from the guys. Luckily, the snow had been cleared. I didn’t see any of them before I left, even though I wanted to. My mum wouldn’t look at me as she sat on the sofa with her glass of wine and watched TV as I left. I don’t even want to think about her lack of caring that I was leaving. My heart already feels like it’s breaking with every step I take away from my guys. I love them, and I walked away.

“Are you sure you still want me to live there?” I ask John, trying to distract myself.

“Yes. One more thing, Elsie,” he asks me as I start to walk away, and I look back at him. “My sons, do you love them?”

“It’s only been two weeks,” I mumble, not even believing my own words when I know they are a lie.

“When I met Darcie, my sons’ mother, I knew I loved her from one glance. Then, we spent a week together every day, and I knew my thoughts about her weren’t wrong. Love happens when you least expect it and usually at the wrong time and place,” he says, my mind picturing the guys one-by-one. Max, who is cheeky but in a way that makes you want to laugh with him as he takes your heart. Then, there is Flynn who is flirty but has a passionate way about him that draws you in. And, finally Ezra, the dark prince who does little, but every little thing means more. Every touch, every kiss is burnt into my memory, and I hate that it’s only ever going to be that; a memory.

“Did you feel that way about my mum?” I ask him. He smiles as he puts his hands into his pockets.

“No, I met your mum and met someone just as broken up by her past as I am. Your mum has secrets and a past she wants to forget, but it haunts her no matter how much she runs. We have that in common. I do care about your mum and will look after her, but I loved Darcie. I know how my sons feel about you, and I hope they are smart enough to follow you.”

“It wouldn’t work, no matter what I feel,” I tell him, and he goes to respond when the overhead speaker calls for my plane’s passengers to check in for take-off.

“Go, and I will speak to your mum. She didn’t mean to be cold with you,” he tells me. I don’t reply to his statement as I have a feeling she won’t speak to me after this. I turn and pull out the present in my pocket.

“John, wait,” I call him, and he looks back,

“This is from me to my mum. Can you give it her?” I offer him the present, and he accepts it.

“What is it? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, a dreamcatcher I had made for her. She told me she had bad dreams once, and I saw this cool man who makes them outside some shops in London. I don’t have a lot of money, and I know she might hate it but yeah–” I stop talking when he shakes his head.

“She will love it, and I promise to give her it,” he tells me and I turn, walking away. I get on the plane, hoping to move on with my life but knowing I’m leaving something important behind, my heart.

* * *

“This place is amazing. Can I move in?” Dane asks me as he carries the last box of my things into my new apartment. It’s a second-floor, four-bedroom apartment that is modern and far more secure than my last place. I love the white sofas, the large, fake fireplace, and big TV above it in the lounge. The bedrooms have double beds and large wardrobes. The kitchen is all black cabinets and new appliances, and the bedrooms each have their own bathrooms. I didn’t expect it to be this nice, but I can see myself living my life here, it feels like home.

“And, where would your boyfriend live?” I ask and laugh. I lean against the counter and look around the kitchen, my hand holding my necklace. It’s been two weeks since I got back to London, and I haven’t heard anything from the guys or my mum; both of which hurt my heart.

“What happened on Christmas break?” Dane asks.

“Nothing much other than a foursome with my hot stepbrothers, and I think I’m in love with them,” I blurt out, and Dane coughs on air as he stares at me.

“What?” he asks.

“I’m in love with my stepbrothers, and my mum isn’t speaking to me. I messed up,” I say, breaking down and holding my hands over my face as I cry. Dane comes over and hugs me, both of us silent for a while as I calm down.

“If any one of them is smart, they will be here before you know it. I want all the details soon, when you want to tell me,” he says, not judging me, and I’m thankful for that.

“Your mum will come around. I mean I’m sure she has done worse before,” he laughs, and I agree. I expected him to run out the door like most people would do, but, instead, he does what a real friend should do, he hugs me and offers advice. Dane looks down at me, seeing my hand holding the necklace.

“It’s pretty,” he says holding it, and I smile.

“My stepbrothers gave it to me,” I say, and he doesn’t need me to say anything else.

“I have to get to class, but I’ll come around later if you want?”

“Yeah, please. With wine,” I add, and he laughs, pulling me into a hug before leaving. I sit down on my sofa, just as my phone rings. I reach for it quickly, hoping it’s one of the guys, but it’s my mum, and I answer.

“Hey, Mum,” I say quietly,

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for being a shit again. It’s like I can’t help but mess up with you,” she says, sobbing a little.

“I get it. It must have been a shock,” I reply, and I really do understand her reaction on some level.

“Thank you for my Christmas present. It’s in my window of my room, and I love it. I didn’t realise you listened when I told you about my dreams,” she says, her voice quiet with an almost nervous tone.

“Of course, I listened, Mum, but you never told me what they were about,” I tell her.

“Yes, but I think it’s time we have a talk.”

“About?” I reply.

“Before I met your dad, I was madly in love with a man called Harry,” she says, and I don’t know what to say to that. I guessed mum must have dated someone before she met my dad at twenty but nothing serious as she never spoke of it.

“I didn’t know that,” I tell her, leaning back on the sofa.

“I was in law school, and we were doing our final year together when he had a sudden heart attack and died. I loved Harry since we were both fifteen, and we planned our whole life together.”

“Mum, I–”

“Let me carry on and try to explain this. I haven’t said Harry’s name in over twenty years, but I need to tell you this,” she says, and I stay quiet to listen to her.

“Harry was sweet, funny, and very handsome. We just worked together, and we were each other’s first everything.” She takes a deep breath before she carries on speaking, “When he died, I dropped out of school and gave up.”

“Then you met Dad?” I ask quietly.

“Yes, and for a while I tried to be in love with him. I tried to pretend and have the happy family I felt cheated out of when Harry died, but your dad wasn’t Harry to me. He wasn’t even close, and in some ways, I felt I had betrayed Harry by moving on,” she tells me.

“I don’t think Harry or anyone would have felt that way, Mum. You couldn’t have been expected to mourn him forever.”

“But, I did. I still do, and I will always love him, despite knowing he isn’t here. Do you understand that? The kind of love that will always stick with you?” She says.

“Yes, Mum,” I say, wanting to ask about the guys but knowing I can’t. They haven’t followed me or contacted me, so they must not care. I was just some holiday fun to them, and I fell in love with them. I rub my chest as I feel a sharp pain shoot through my heart, and try to change the subject.

“So, you went off the rails?” I ask her.

“Yes. It’s not an excuse for how I was with you because I should have been there. Instead, I used alcohol and men to forget my past,” she tells me.

“I wish you had told me this sooner. Why now?” I ask her.

“Because, when I saw you laughing and kissing Flynn, you looked as happy as I used to remember being, and I freaked out,” she tells me with a small, sad laugh.

“That’s why you went mad?” I ask.

“Well, that and the shock that my lovely, little daughter is sleeping with three men. Three men that are her stepbrothers, but you know what they say about things that are off-limits,” she chuckles, and I laugh a little with her. “John makes me happy for the first time in a long time, and I think it’s because we have both lost someone we love,” she tells me when we have both been silent on the phone for a while.

“I want to see you more, Mum, and I’m glad you finally found the strength to talk to me and that you have found John. I don’t know what it’s like to lose someone you love like that, but I don’t want to lose you. I want us to be friends, or at least try,” I add in.

“I would like that, too,” she says, sobbing a bit more. My doorbell rings once, and then someone knocks on the door three times.

“I have to go, but can we meet up soon?” I ask her.

“Yes, I will come to you. Bye, Elsie, and I love you.”

“Me too, Mum,” I say, and say ‘bye’ before putting the phone down as I walk to the door. I open the door, and the sight of my three stepbrothers standing in the hallway shocks me enough to drop my phone.

“What . . . what are you doing here?” I ask, and Flynn steps forward, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips.

“We came to get our woman because we love her,” he says as he kisses my hand and pulls me closer to him. I look over at Ezra and Max, who step closer, and then I move away, holding the door with my hand.

“I love you all, too, but how do I know this is going to work?” I reply.

“It’s going to be difficult between us all, but we all want to be here,” Ezra says.

“Not everyone is going to accept us,” I say, holding onto the door tightly, using it to hold myself up as all I want to do is throw myself at them and tell them I want them.

“And, we don’t care. If you say yes, then it’s us. All that matters is us,” Max says gently, and I let go of the door as I speak, knowing I don’t need to think about my answer.

“Yes.”

Epilogue

Elsie

Five years later . . .

“Merry Christmas and happy fourth birthday,” I say to the twins, watching as they jump out of bed and run past me out the door. They run so fast that all I get to see is a glimpse of dark-brown hair running past me. I shut the door to their bedroom, smiling as I remember how excited they were when we turned up here two days ago to spend Christmas with the family. It hasn’t been easy, over the years, with my dad refusing to speak to me after we had a fake wedding ceremony, and I declared my love for all of them. I was heartbroken when he wouldn’t come, but John offered to walk me down the aisle, and he has stepped into the place my dad has left. I hoped he would come around one day, but he hasn’t. Dane, or “Uncle Dane,” as my kids call him, is still my best friend and is now friends with the guys, too.

“Whoa, slow down,” I hear Max say, coming out of the room to see him picking Jack up and tickling him as he tries to escape. Jack looks just like Max with his dark-brown hair and the glasses he has to wear. Max laughs as Jack tries to escape again.

“Dad, let me go,” he says wriggling.

Max replies, “Are you going to slow down and not run?”

“But, it’s Christmas, Dad,” Jack laughs as Max tickles him more, and I watch with a big smile.

“Let’s go, Santa has been here, and there’s birthday presents, too!” Emily shouts from the top of the stairs, jumping up and down like an excited bunny. I smile at her as I feel Flynn wrap an arm around my waist, and Ezra walks past us and over to Emily. He picks Emily up and looks back at us.

“We have to wait for Grandpa and Grandma,” he tells her, and she pouts, in a way that usually gets her whatever she wants.

“Well, they best hurry, Daddy,” she says, crossing her arms, and I hold in a chuckle.

“You sneaked out of our bed this morning.”

“I had to pee,” I whisper back, remembering the long night we had all together. Despite being together so long, nothing has changed between us, and I love them all still. We just work together, and the twins make us even closer as a family. I turn when I hear the floor creak, and I see John and my mum walking towards us. We always spend Christmas at our parents, as it was the place we met and the place we all fell in love. We all live in a large apartment in London as I work as a teacher at the local school where the twins are starting this year. The twins were a welcome surprise, but we aren’t sure who’s they actually are. At the end of the day, it’s not really been an issue for us.

“Come on, then,” my mum says walking over, and we all walk down the stairs. I glance over at my mum, seeing her smile at me and loving how I can actually call her a friend now. Since we spoke about Harry and her past, she has been better. Once a year, I go with her to Harry’s grave and wait as she spends some time talking to him. John always kisses her forehead, and she smiles up at him, and I know she loves him in her own way, just like he loves her the same.

“You look beautiful, today,” Flynn says, distracting me, and I look up at him, seeing his slight beard he has been growing and how it suits him. Flynn and all the guys haven’t changed in looks much over the years. If anything they have gotten better looking.

“Compliments for the pregnant woman do work,” I say, and he kisses me, rubbing his hand over my large baby bump. This one was a surprise, too, but I’m excited to meet him or her. At least, this one won’t be born on Christmas day like the twins were. They came four weeks early, and we just about made it to the hospital before Emily came out screaming. I wasn’t shocked to learn I was pregnant with twins when one of the dads is a triplet. Thankfully, this time there is only one baby, and I think this one will be our last.

“Presents!” Jack shouts, wriggling out of Max’s arms and running over to the tree with Emily following. I watch as my mum and John follow them over and try to keep the madness of them ripping all the presents open in some kind of order. It’s really pointless, but funny, to watch. Flynn keeps an arm around me as Ezra walks over, sliding his hand into mine. I lean up and kiss his cheek.

“Merry Christmas,” Max says as he stops in front of me and kisses me gently, holding my head in his hands.

“Merry Christmas,” I reply, watching as my guys walk over to our family, and I know this is perfect.

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Also by G. Bailey

The King Brothers Series-

Izzy’s Beginning (Book one)

Sebastian’s Chance (Book two)

Elliot’s Secret (Book three)

Harley’s Fall (Book Four)

Luke’s Revenge (Coming soon)

Her Guardians Series (Complete)-

Winter’s Guardian (Book one)

Winter’s Kiss (Book two)

Winter’s Promise (Book three)

Winter’s War (Book Four)

Her Fate Series-

(Her Guardians Series spinoff)

Adelaide’s Fate (Coming soon)

Saved by Pirates Series (Complete)-

Escape the sea (Book One)

Love the sea (Book Two)

Save the Sea (Book Three)

One Night series-

Strip for me (Book one)

Live for Me (Coming soon)

The Marked Series (Co-written with Cece Rose)-

Marked by Power (Book one)

Marked by Pain (Book two)

Marked by Destruction (Book Three)

The Forest Pack series-

Run Little Wolf- (Book One)

Run Little Bear- (Book Two)

Protected by Dragons series-

Wings of Ice- (Book One)

Wings of Fire (Book Two)

Wings of Spirit (Book Three)

Wings of Fate (Coming soon)

Excerpt of Wings of Ice-

Everything inside me screams as I run through the doors of the castle, seeing the dead dragons lining the floors, the view making me sick to my stomach. I try not to look at the spears in their stomachs, the dragonglass that is rare in this world. Where did they get it? The more and more bodies I pass, who are both dragon and guards, the less hope I have that my father is okay. No, I can’t be too late, I can’t lose him too. The once grand doors to the throne room are smashed into pieces of stone, in a pile on the floor, and only the hinges to the door still hang on the walls. I run straight over, climbing over the rocks and broken stone. The sight in front of me makes me stop, not believing what I’m seeing but I know it’s true.

“Father…” I plead quietly, knowing he won’t reply to me. My father is sat on his throne, a sword through his stomach, and a wide mouthed expression on his face. His blood drips down onto the gold floors of the throne room, and snow falls from the broken ceiling onto his face. There’s no ice in here, no sign he even tried to fight before he was killed. He must have never saw this coming; he trusted whoever killed him.

“No,” is all I can think to say as I fall to my knees, bending my head and looking down at the ground instead of the body of my father. I couldn’t stop this, even after he warned me and risked everything. I hear footsteps in front of me as I watch my tears drip onto the ground, but I don’t look up. I know who it is. I know from the way they smell, my dragon whispers to me their name, but I can’t even think it.

“Why?” I ask, even as everything clicks into place. I should have known; I should have never had trusted him.

“Because the curse has to end. Because he was no good for Dragca. Our city needs a true heir, me. I’m the heir of fire and ice, the one the prophecy speaks of, and it’s finally time I took what is mine,” he says and every word seems to cut straight through my heart. I trusted him.

“The curse hasn’t ended, I’m still here,” I whisper to the dragon in front of me, but I know he could hear my words, as if I had just spoke them into his ear.

“Not for long, not even for a moment longer actually. Your dragon guard will only thank me when you are gone. I didn’t want to do this to you, not in the end, but you are too powerful. You are of no use to me anymore, not unless you’re gone,” he says. I look down at the ground as his words run around my head, and I don’t know what to do. I feel lost, powerless and broken in every way possible. There’s a piece of the door in front of me that catches my attention, a part with the royal crest on it. The dragon in a circle, a proud, strong dragon. My father’s words come back to me, and I know they are all I need to say.

“There’s a reason ice dragons hold the throne and have for centuries. There is a reason the royal name Dragice is feared,” I say and stand up slowly, wiping my tears away.

“We don’t give up and we bow to no one. I’m Isola Dragice, and you will pay for what you have done,” I tell him as finally meet his now cruel eyes, before calling my dragon and feeling her take over.

-

“Isola!” I hear shouted from the stairs, but I keep my headphones on as I stare at my laptop, and pretend I didn’t hear her shout my name for the tenth time. The music blasts around my head as I try to focus on the history paper that is due in tomorrow.

“Isola, will you take those things out and listen to me?” Jules shouts at me again, and I pop one of my headphones out as I look up at her. She stands at the end of my bed, her hands on her hips and her glasses branched on the end of her nose. Her long grey hair is up in a tight bun, and she has an old styled dress that looks like flowers threw up on. Jules is my house sitter, or babysitter as I like to call her. I don't think I need a baby sitter at seventeen, not when I'm eighteen in two days anyway, and can look after myself.

"Both headphones out, I want them both out while you listen to me," she says. I knew this was coming. I pull the headphones out and pause the music on my phone.

"I did try to clean up after the party, I swear," I say and she raises her eyebrows.

"How many teenagers did you have in here? Ten? A hundred?" she says and I shrug my shoulders as I sit up on the bed and cross my legs.

"I don't know, it’s all a little fuzzy," I reply honestly. My head is still pounding; it was probably the wine, or maybe the tequila shots. Who knows? I look up again as she shakes her head at me, speaking a sentence in Spanish that she knows I can't understand, but I doubt it’s nice. I don’t think I want to hear what she has to say about the party I threw last night anyway. I look around my simple room, seeing the dressing table, the wardrobe, the bed I’m sitting on. There isn’t much in here that is personal, no photos or anything that means anything to me.

"Miss Jules, looking as beautiful as always," Jace says, in an overly sweet tone as he walks into my bedroom. He walks straight over to Jules and kisses her cheek, making her giggle. Jace is that typical hot guy, with his white blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. Even my sixty year old house sitter can't be mad at him for long, he can charm just about anyone.

"Don’t start with that pouty cute face," she tuts at him and he widens his arms, pretending to be shocked.

"What face? I always look like this," he says and she laughs, any anger she had disappearing.

"I’m going to clean up this state of a house and you should leave, you're going to be late for school. I don't want to have to tell your father that as well, when I tell him about the party," she says, pointing a finger at me, and I have to hold in the urge to laugh. She emails my father all the time about everything I do, but he never responds. He just pays her to keep the house running, and to make sure I don't get into too much trouble. If he hasn’t had the time to talk to me in the last ten years, I doubt he’s going to have the time to email a human he hired. Jules walks out of the room and Jace leans against the wall, tucking his hands into his pockets. I run my eyes over his tight jeans, his white shirt that has ridden up a little to show his toned stomach and finally to his handsome face that is smirking at me. He knows exactly what he does to me.

"You look too sexy when you do that," I comment and he grins.

"Isn't that the point? Now come and give your boyfriend a kiss," he teases, and I fake a sigh before getting up and walking over to him. I lean up, brushing my lips against his cold ones and he smiles, kissing me back just as gently.

"We should go, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mountains this weekend and try some flying?" he asks. I blank my expression before walking away from him and towards the mirror hanging on the wall near the door. I smooth my wavy, shoulder length blonde hair down and it just bounces back up, ignoring me. My blue eyes stare back at me, bright and crystal clear. Jace says it’s like looking into a mirror when he looks into my eyes, they are so clear. I check out my jeans and tank top, and grab my leather coat from where it hangs on the back of the door before answering Jace.

"I’ve got a lot of homework to do-" I say and he shakes his head as he cuts me off.

"-Issy, when was the last time you let her out? It’s been, what, months?" he asks and I turn away, walking out my bedroom door and hearing him sigh behind me.

"Issy, we can't avoid this forever. Not when we have to go back in two weeks," he reminds me and I stop, leaning my head back against the plain white walls of the corridor.

"I know we have to go back. We have to train to rule a race we know nothing about, just because of who our parents are. Don’t you ever want to run away, hide in the human world we have been left in all these years?" I ask, feeling a grumble of anger from my dragon inside my mind. I quickly slam down the barrier between me and my dragon in my head, stopping her from contacting me, no matter how much it hurts me to do so. I can’t let her control me.

“Issy, we were left here so we would be safe. We are the last ice dragons, and our parents had no choice. Plus… being a dragon around humans is a nightmare, you know that,” he says, stepping closer to me.

“I don’t want to rule; I don’t want anything to do with Dragca,” I say, looking away.

"I guess it’s lucky we have each other, ruling on our own would have been a disaster," he says, stepping in front of me so I can’t move and gently kissing my forehead.

"I know. I just don't want to go back, to see my father and everything that has to come with it," I say, and he steps back to tilt my head up to look at him.

"You're the heir to the throne of the dragons. You’re the princess of Dragca. Your life was never meant to be lived here, with the humans," he says and I move away from him, not replying because I know he sees it differently than I do. He is the ice prince, and his parents call him every week. I haven't spoken to any of my family in ten years and I have never stepped back into Dragca since then. It’s the only thing we disagree on, our future.

"Issy, let’s just have a good day and then maybe I could get you that peanut bacon sandwich you love from the deli?" he suggests, running to catch up with me on the stairs.

"Now you're talking," I grin at him as he hooks an arm around my waist, and leans down to whisper in my ear,

“And maybe later, I could do that thing with my tongue that you–“ he gets cut off when Jules opens the door in front of us, clearing her throat and ushering us out as we laugh.