Finding Nora: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Searchers Book 2) Read online

  “Don’t leave me again.” He pulled away from her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Talk to me first. Please don’t leave like that, without saying a word.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, one hand coming up to hold him in place while the other rubbed along his back. “I won’t.”

  “Ack! Gah!” a surprised voice said.

  Startled, she jerked away from Apollo. Tyler, one of Cai’s clients from the youth center where he worked, shielded his eyes. “I thought you were Cai’s girlfriend! What the fuck?” He walked toward the coffee maker Apollo had turned on, still covering his eyes. Apparently he wasn’t shocked enough to not need coffee.

  “She is.” Cai followed him into the kitchen, walking right over to her and bending down to kiss her cheek while she still stood in the circle of Apollo’s embrace.

  “Oh really?” He pulled his mug from beneath the coffee maker and took a sip. “Interesting. Do tell.” He glanced around the kitchen. “Why the hell don’t you have a table? Where am I supposed to sit?”

  When she would have shifted away from Apollo, he held her in place, dropping a kiss on her head before allowing her to leave. She reached for her shake with nervous hands.

  “You don’t have to explain it to me,” Tyler chuckled. “But Dr. Murray is going to love it. I wish I could see his face when you explain you have two boyfriends.”

  “She doesn’t have to tell him anything.” Apollo stand up straighter.

  Tyler put his mug on the counter and held his hands out. “No need to Hulk out, Dr. Banner.” He peered at her, chagrined. “It is part of your first interview. He’s going to ask a lot of intrusive questions, and I believe you’ve agreed to answer them.”

  She had.

  He had introduced her to Dr. Daniel Murray, a psychologist at Brownington College, who ran a long-term experimental study. She agreed to participate in his study in exchange for room and board and free tuition at the college. At the time, she had nowhere to go. Matisse, Apollo, Seok, Cai, and Ryan realized they all had feelings for her and struggled to decide what to do next.

  Feeling guilty after hearing them argue, she took off. Dr. Murray seemed kind, but demanding. In his eyes, his study took precedence over everything else.

  If she could see the study through, she’d get an amazing deal out of her agreement with him. Never had she believed she’d get to college on her own.

  It wasn’t a free ride; she had to give something up, too. She’d have to spill all of her secrets, tell him all about her past, and answer any question he might ask.

  She’d be emotionally laid bare, and the vulnerability terrified her.

  Apollo watched Tyler with an expression she’d never seen on him before.

  “It’s okay,” she soothed. “I’m okay.” She focused her attention on Tyler. “I remember.”

  Worried Cai was also upset, she glanced at him. “It’s confidential, but I never thought.” She cleared her throat, and he waited for her patiently. “It’s your life, too.”

  She could see he understood what she meant. It was one thing for her to share her secrets and personal life, but she’d be sharing a piece of the guys and they hadn’t signed Dr. Murray’s contract.

  He stepped closer, one hand running down her arm to entwine his fingers with hers. “I won’t hide. I’m not ashamed.”

  “No way,” Tyler interrupted. Did this kid never shut up? “That’s all kinds of cool. Two guys and one girl?”

  Glancing his way, he had a smug smile. As if he was waiting to catch her eye, he tapped two fingers on each hand together. “Hashtag ‘why choose?’ ”

  Cai rolled his eyes, and made the same gesture. “Hashtag, ‘shut up.’ Hashtag, ‘none of your business.’ Hashtag, ‘don’t make me regret this.’ ”

  Tyler laughed before sighing and getting serious. “No. Thank you, Cai. I mean it. I couldn’t have handled anything after yesterday. Watching Tilly…” He trailed off.

  “That was her name?” sbe asked. She was glad to finally know, to make her real.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “I didn’t know her well. Participants don’t interact with each other much, but I had seen her around. Crossed paths when we’d shown up for our interviews, or whatever. She was having a hard time, since…” He shook his head. “Nevermind.”

  “Bonjour!” Matisse bounded into the kitchen, ignoring the tension and swooping toward Nora. He gave her a little tug and then dipped her, just enough to be romantic, and not make her gasp in pain. “Good morning, ma belle.”

  She giggled. “You’ve become a lot more French lately.”

  He righted her and stepped away. “I’ve always been French,” he scoffed Frenchly. “But perhaps being in love has made it come out more.”

  She didn’t have time to process what he’d said because Seok and Ryan entered behind him, and each of them kissed her heatedly. Seok wrapped his arms around her, turning her toward the other guys and nuzzling into her neck. “Good morning,” he whispered.

  Her eyes opened and she met Tyler’s slack-mouthed gaze. He took a sip of his coffee to hide his discomfort and began to choke. Cai grabbed the mug out of his hand and pounded him on the back.

  He held up a hand when he got himself together. “I’m good. I’m good.” Smiling at her, he made a motion to do the stupid hashtag thing again, but Cai knocked his hands apart.

  “Enough, Tyler.”

  He laughed, but his eyes didn’t leave Nora’s. “I don’t know the meaning of the word, ‘enough.’ “ Squinting, he peered at her a little bit closer. “Is that a zit?”

  Scents

  They ate breakfast in the living room and then laid out plans for the day. Tyler needed to meet with Dr. Murray and Nora had to outfit her dorm room and move in for real. The guys were unhappy when she talked about it. The looks they exchanged amongst the five of them made her think they were formulating a plan, and she’d hear their arguments later.

  After she finished her smoothie, she went upstairs to shower and dress while Tyler made a call to Dr. Murray. She ran the shower, waiting for it to reach the right temperature before jumping in. She had her pick of manly scented body washes to choose from.

  If she wanted her own soap, she needed to get a job. She’d talk with Matisse later to see if she could write a resume on his computer, and then she’d chat with Cai. He might know of some employment agencies. She remembered the bag full of brochures she’d gotten at the homeless shelter, where she’d had no choice but to stay after running from the guys the day before, and resolved to read them.

  She let the hot water run over her face and saturate her hair. She opened each bottle of body wash, sniffing them to see if she could match them with each guy. She couldn’t help smiling as she uncapped each bottle. A knock on the bathroom door had her fumbling and then dropping the bottle on her foot.

  “Ow! Shit! Sorry! Fuck! Come in!” She didn’t know who she was apologizing to: the bottle? Her foot?

  The door opened and Cai’s voice carried to her over the water. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, sticking her head out of the curtain and blinking at the water running into her eyes “What’s up?”

  She was suddenly very aware of her nakedness. Cai seemed to realize the same thing because he looked everywhere but at her. He started to speak, but she only caught every other word with the sound of the shower and the distance between her and the door.

  “Just come in. I can’t hear you.”

  Stepping inside, he shut the door behind him. “Tyler spoke to Dr. Murray and he’d like you to go in with him. He wants speak with you today, instead of Monday.”

  Her stomach cramped with nervousness. “Oh. Okay.”

  “You don’t have to do it today, Nora. I’ll call him and talk to him.”

  She shook her head, wapping herself in the face with a dreaded lock of wet hair. “No. It’s okay. It’s part of my contract. I’ll go in.”

  He nodded, but turned his head, his jaw clenching. A tell-tale sig
n of stress. She reached out a hand, dripping water all over the floor, but couldn’t quite reach him. “It’s okay, Cai. It’ll be awkward, but I’ll be fine.”

  He nodded. When he glanced back at her, and saw her outstretched hand, he came closer. He was so tall she had to crane her head back to see his face. “I thought Apollo was the tallest.”

  His face relaxed into a grin. “He’s not.” Quickly, his face got serious again. “I’m going to kiss you,” he said it like a warning.

  She bit her lip. The ability to speak left her and she could only nod her head. He leaned down slowly, giving her every opportunity to stop him, and then he kissed her. All the while, she held tightly to his hand.

  He didn’t try to deepen the kiss, seemingly satisfied with keeping it chaste. At least, until she lost her footing and pulled at the shower curtain.

  He caught her before she could rip it down. His arms wrapped around her naked back. She soaked his t-shirt, and he let out a sudden groan. He stepped into the shower, uncaring he was drenching his jeans and shirt.

  In all honesty, Nora didn’t care either. She loved the feel of his wet shirt against her breasts and the way she could trace the muscles in his back, feeling each outline through the wet material.

  But it wasn’t enough. She wanted to feel his skin under her fingers.

  Cai’s hands traveled along her back, careful of the scrapes along her skin, until he could cup her bottom in his hands. She stood on her tip toes, trying to get closer to him, mashing her chest into his and arching her hips forward. She could feel the outline of his erection through the denim. She turned her hand to trace it and he ripped his mouth from hers to take in an audible breath.

  She opened her eyes, watching him, begging for his permission. He knew what she wanted and he nodded, ripping his shirt off so it landed in the tub with a slap.

  She struggled to undo the button and tug the jeans down his legs. It was nearly impossible and finally he wrestled himself out. She giggled, watching him wiggle his hips to push the material over his thighs. He smiled at her, and her heart soared.

  Cai! This was Cai! And in a moment she would get to taste him. As soon as he managed to step out of his jeans, she stood on tip toe to kiss him again. He threaded his hands through her hair, holding the wet strands away from her face and neck so he could lick and suck a path to her collar bone. He stayed a moment at the dip below her chin, licking the droplets of water pooling there.

  His hands shook as they skimmed up and down her arms before slowly palming one of her breasts. His thumb rubbed against the tight nub of her nipple, circling around and around. She groaned, pressing her body tighter against his. She loved the feel of his skin against hers, and must have said so because he whispered in response, “I love the way you feel.”

  His erection pressed against her stomach and gathering her courage, she let her hand encircle him. She stepped back, just a fraction of an inch, so she could see him.

  She wanted to memorize every plane and angle of his body. She loved the way his skin contrasted hers, a gold to her light brown. He was strong; she could see it in the way his muscles were carved. His chest was covered in a light dusting of hair forming an upside-down triangle, going from nipple to nipple and then traveling down the center of his stomach before turning gold and springy at his groin. She moved her hand to the base of his erection, and then trailed her fingers through the curls and then lower, so she could cup the heavy sac between his thighs.

  Cai groaned, low and quiet, as if aware anyone could hear them. Nora blinked through the water into his face. His eyes were tightly closed, his head tipped back, and the muscles in his neck stood out as he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

  He was a man who didn’t like to lose control. Somehow, what she was doing made him skate close to the edge. She stood on tiptoe again, her hand massaging and lightly pulling on his balls, and let her teeth graze the line of his jaw, her tongue sneaking out to capture the water and feel the dark stubble on his skin.

  His hand shot out, grabbing the balance bar while his other hand pressed into her lower back, urging her closer. She licked down the cord in his neck until she came to his shoulder, and then collar bone, sternum, and across to his nipple. She fixed her mouth on it, flicking her tongue along the tip, and then bit down a little.

  His entire body flinched, and then, to her utter delight, he lost control. He caught her proud smile. The one he gave her in return was tight and held the weight of retribution. “My turn,” he growled.

  But she had a strategy, and dropped to her knees, quickly taking his length in her mouth.

  “Nora…” he warned.

  She made a humming noise, a taunt or a promise, she wasn’t sure because as soon as his taste hit her tongue, she blissed out. She loved the way his sac tightened, coming up close to his body. She massaged him with her hand while grasping his base with the other. She couldn’t fit him entirely in her mouth, but went about licking and sucking. She let her tongue rest under the mushroomed head, licking it with short, strong strokes before pushing him as far back into her throat as she could.

  “Baby,” he groaned, but he didn’t pull away. He moved her hair out of her face and as she drew back to his tip, she peered up at him. He was serious, but his golden eyes blazed. If they’d been in the dark, they’d glow, there was so much heat there.

  She closed her eyes, pushing down with both her mouth and her hand, taking him as far back as she could before swallowing around him. She gagged a little, and he tried to pull back, but she took both her hands away from his center and grasped his hips, holding him in place. She drew back slowly and then pushed down again, her hands moving around his hips until she held onto his butt. His muscles flexed, clenched, and released as he moved his hips in time with her mouth. She could almost see them in her mind. His golden skin dripping with water, and her on her knees, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close while she bobbed up and down on his length.

  His hand clenched in her hair. “Come here,” he moaned, and pulled her off, lifting her to her feet before slamming his mouth down on hers. “Together.” He stopped kissing her for a moment. “Our first time. We come together.”

  She nodded, not trusting her voice. His hand went straight to her core, and he pushed a finger deep inside her, curling and tapping, while his palm pressed and rubbed against her clit.

  She struggled not to lose her own rhythm. His hips flexed into her hand and she knew she was doing the same. She wanted to get closer and closer, and then, he whispered. “Now, Nora.”

  She was right there, right with him on the precipice. Her body responded to him, tightening and clenching around his finger. He pulsed in her hand, growing harder. His rhythm stuttered and then she felt the hot jet of his release against her stomach.

  Reluctantly, his hand left her body. He dragged his fingers slowly out of her, tracing her slit and then grasping her hand. He twined their fingers together, but he didn’t stop kissing her. Stepping back with her until the cool porcelain of the shower touched her back.

  “Baby,” he whispered against her lips, taking his hands from hers and wrapping them around her back so he could embrace her, and bury his face in her neck. He inhaled deeply, and then again.

  “You know what?”

  She shook her head against his chest. She couldn’t formulate a thought, let alone a word at the moment.

  “We need to buy you your own soap. You smell like Apollo.”

  Shea giggled, pulling away from him. He was completely at ease now, relaxed in a way she hadn’t seen before.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  He smiled, nodding, and leaned down to kiss her again.

  Meeting

  When Nora walked downstairs with Cai, ready to meet Dr. Murray, the boys were watching a movie. They were all exhausted. Apollo slept, his mouth hanging open, and his glasses perched low on his nose. Matisse watched the tv with bleary-eyed boredom, but when he caught her stare, he winked, patting the space next to h
im.

  “I can’t,” she whispered, pointing toward the door. “I have to go.”

  He made a move to stand, but Ryan beat him to it, waving him back down.

  Cai wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. “I’ll see you when you get back.” He walked around her to the couch, taking Ryan’s spot.

  “I got this.” Seok walked out from the dining room, and grabbed his keys.

  “Thank Christ,” Ryan sighed when he saw Seok. “I’m a little afraid I’ll fall asleep if I drive, but I still look better than those guys.” He gestured over his shoulder at the other four boys before leaning down to kiss Nora’s cheek. He squeezed her arm with one hand before going back to the living room.

  “You suck,” she heard him groan at Cai.

  “Sit with Matisse,” Cai answered. “He wanted company.”

  “Not his!”

  Seok smiled at her “They’ll be fine,” he reassured her.

  “Call us!” Cai called out.

  “What the fuck, dude?!” He must have woken up Apollo.

  “We need to go before it gets ugly.” Seok took her hand. He led her out the door and down the steps, walking past the cars and down the driveway. “Mind walking?”

  She shook her head. Dr. Murray wanted to meet on campus, but not at Converse Hall, thank God. She didn’t think she would be able to walk into the building today without staring at the spot Tilly died. They headed in the direction of the counseling center, located way at the other end of campus.

  “Is Tyler meeting us there?” she asked after they crossed the street.

  “He had to go earlier,” he answered, squinting against the sunshine. “He might be there when we get there. I’m not sure.”

  They walked across the campus green, past the fountain where Matisse and she were cornered by a reporter, and Ethan Allen Chapel where they’d literally run for sanctuary.

  Content with their silence, Nora realized she never thought she and Seok would be doing this. When she’d run away the other night, it’d been partly because of him. He made her head spin. He could be cold and dismissive and then in the next moment, passionate and caring.