Great! Here's the next section of Chapter 4, unfolding later that same night in Riven's apartment, where the emo
The clock ticked past midnight.
The snacks lay forgotten, half-eaten on the coffee table. Their laughter had softened into quiet hums, their conversations into silence filled with glances. None of them had said anything in the last ten minutes. They didn't need to.
Liora sat curled between Kael and Riven, her legs tucked beneath her, her back gently touching Kael's chest. Riven was across from them, one leg folded, one arm resting on the back of the couch, his fingers lazily twisting a lock of her hair. There was no longer any pretense of studying. No laptops. No papers. Just the three of them, suspended in something soft and electric.
Kael leaned forward slightly, his lips brushing the edge of her shoulder. "Are you sleepy?" he asked.
She turned her head, her voice lower now. "Not really."
Riven's voice was like silk. "You can stay here. No pressure."
Kael's hand found her waist, resting there. "You'll be safe with us."
That word—safe—made her chest ache.
The warmth of them was overwhelming. The weeks of stolen glances, touches under tables, fingers brushing her arms in libraries—all of it had built to this strange, silent bloom inside her. She hadn't planned to feel this much. She hadn't planned on wanting… both.
And yet—here she was. Her pulse humming in her fingertips.
Kael shifted slightly behind her, his hand brushing the hem of her top, grazing the skin just beneath. She inhaled sharply. His breath was at her ear again.
"Still okay?" he whispered.
"Yes," she breathed.
Riven leaned in then, slow and careful, eyes locked to hers. "Can I kiss you?" he asked. No teasing. Just reverence.
She nodded, unable to form words.
The kiss was gentle. Testing. His lips moved against hers with aching patience. She responded, her hand finding his shirt. And then, behind her, Kael's lips found the nape of her neck, brushing it so lightly she shivered.
Liora pulled away slightly, dizzy from the sensation. Her cheeks flushed, eyes wide.
"I've never… done this," she admitted, breathless. "Not like this. With…"
"With two?" Kael offered softly, voice warm.
She nodded.
"You lead," Riven said gently, caressing her cheek. "We follow."
Kael's arms wrapped around her from behind, holding her gently. He kissed her shoulder again. "We want you to feel wanted. Not rushed. Not overwhelmed."
She closed her eyes, breathing them in. The scent of Riven's cologne. The familiar coffee on Kael's skin. Their warmth. Their care.
And still… her thighs tingled where Kael's hand had wandered earlier that week under the library table. Her body remembered. It responded before her mind could catch up.
"Let's go slow," she said, her voice shaking just a little.
Riven smiled, resting his forehead against hers. "That's the only way we want you."
Kael got up first, taking her hand gently and guiding her toward the bedroom.
The room was dim—just a bedside lamp casting gold shadows across the navy comforter. They sat her in the center of the bed. She reached for the edge of her sweater, but Kael stopped her.
"Let us," he said.
Riven sat beside her, helping her out of it with careful hands. She was left in a camisole and soft cotton shorts. Kael's hands trailed lightly down her arms as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her collarbone.
Riven's touch was firmer, grounding. His hand found her thigh, his thumb rubbing slow circles. Kael's palm splayed across her lower back.
Their lips took turns—her neck, her shoulder, her jaw. She melted into them, every nerve alight.
"I feel like I'm dreaming," she whispered.
"You're not," Riven said, his breath against her ear. "You're just… finally home."
Kael's fingers skimmed under the hem of her shorts. "Tell us if it's too much."
"It's not," she whispered. "I want this."
Their touches grew bolder, more reverent than rushed. Kael kissed a trail down her shoulder as Riven pulled her into his lap, her legs straddling him gently. Her hips moved without thought, guided by instinct and heat.
Riven's hands held her like something precious. Kael moved behind her again, pressing a kiss to the curve of her back. His voice was breathy now.
"We could stop here and it would still be perfect."
But no one moved to stop.
The night deepened. Their kisses lengthened. Her skin buzzed. Clothes came off slowly. Hands memorized new maps.
When they finally stilled—her curled between them under the sheets, limbs tangled, breaths steady—it wasn't lust that lingered.
It was belonging.
Riven kissed her forehead. Kael nuzzled her shoulder. She closed her eyes between them, heart full.
They didn't say I love you.
But something in the air whispered it anyway.
-
The room had quieted. Wrapped in the warm hush of night, Liora had fallen asleep nestled between them, her breath slow, her body softened by peace and surrender. Her head rested on Riven's chest, her arm curled over Kael's waist.
The two boys lay still for a moment. Watching her. Listening.
"She's beautiful like this," Kael whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
Riven nodded, his hand resting on Kael's chest. "She trusts us."
There was silence again—only the ticking of the clock and the faint hum of the city outside the window.
And then… Kael turned to face Riven, eyes burning. There was something unspoken between them. Always had been.
They kissed—slow at first, tasting the remnants of emotion left in the room. But it didn't stay gentle for long. It deepened. Grew.
Riven's hands gripped Kael's back, pulling him closer, as Kael pressed him down into the sheets. Their bodies moved with a fierce rhythm, silent gasps and bitten-back moans filling the air.
It wasn't just lust—it was years of tension, nights of holding back, afternoons spent looking and not touching. Now, they were done pretending.
One moved harder, breath ragged, his body trembling as he gave in. The other responded in kind, meeting him with equal fire. Growls. Friction. Heat.
In the low lamplight, they moved like they belonged to each other.
And then—
A shift on the bed.
Liora stirred, blinking sleepily as the sounds found her ears. Her eyes opened slowly, and what she saw made her breath catch.
Kael, tangled in Riven's arms. Their bodies slick with sweat, moving in tandem. The air was heavy, primal, desperate. She froze at first, wide-eyed.
But her shock dissolved—replaced by something else entirely.
She couldn't look away.
Her body responded before her mind did. Heat pulsed between her thighs. Her lips parted. One hand slid down her stomach, unconsciously.
Riven noticed first. His eyes locked with hers.
She looked almost dazed, trembling slightly, her breath shallow.
"Liora—" he breathed, a mix of apology and something more. Something raw.
She swallowed hard. "I… I want it too," she whispered.
Kael stopped. His eyes moved from Riven to her. She looked between them, voice cracking.
"Take me in. Please."
Silence.
Riven reached for her, gently pulling her between them.
"You're sure?" Kael asked, voice husky, but his eyes soft with concern.
She nodded. "I'm already yours. Both of you."
And just like that, the night unfolded again—slower this time, filled with shared heat, whispered names, and the kind of fire only three hearts could build together.
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