Ever After Awaits (Layla) novel Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Layla POV

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I’m standing in the guest bathroom next to the kitchen with the light off, and my hands braced against the counter like I’ve run a marathon I didn’t train for. My skin still hums, my pulse hasn’t slowed, and the ghost of Cade’s fingers between my legs is still singing down my spine, even though I slipped in here at least five minutes ago to try and catch my breath and get my hormones under control.

The house is quiet on the other side of the door, but not in a peaceful or eerie way. But in a way where everything feels on the precipice of something.

The mirror’s just a faint outline in front of me. I can’t see myself in the dark, and maybe

that’s for the better. I don’t know who I’d be looking at anyway. Most likely, whatever version of myself allowed Cade to tear her apart on the couch an hour ago, moaning like

she was begging to be ruined by him.

And then there’s Xavier. God, * Xavier *.

That man stood in the kitchen like he wasn’t even phased, as if he hadn’t just walked in on something primal. And like he hadn’t leaned in sometime during our dinner prep and said, “You look like you’re still trying to remember your name.”

*

Worst of all, the cocky bastard wasn’t wrong, because I was *.

I grip the edge of the sink tightly, my knuckles whitening, because now I’m here, all flushed, completely overwhelmed, so freaking turned on I can barely think straight, and not sure where to go from here. Do I ignore the tension? Do I give in to it?

I can’t stay in this bathroom forever, though, so I straighten my rumpled tee, ignore the tremble that’s still tucked beneath my skin, and step back into the hallway and head to

the kitchen.

The house smells like garlic, spice, and the burnt edge of something Cade tried to salvage. I follow the noise into the kitchen, expecting the same casual chaos, but it’s quiet again–too quiet.

Until the front door opens, and then… everything shifts.

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Chapter 109: Layla POV

AJ walks in first, his hair mussed like he’s been running his hands through it all day. Hunter’s right behind him, broad and steady, with a bag of groceries clutched to his side with one arm, and his gym bag slung over the other shoulder.

AJ’s gaze lands on me instantly, and it’s not just a glance, either. No, it settles on me and lingers for way longer than would be deemed socially acceptable, igniting the sparks I just got under control in the bathroom.

And I forget how to stand properly.

Cade says something from the stove about the garlic bread being ‘edible–adjacent‘, causing the spell to break just long enough for AJ to toss a crooked smirk at him as he passes the dining table. Then he turns his attention back to me, and deadpans, “You look flushed, Cupcake,” with a wicked glint in his eyes.

I almost choke on something non–existent, before I croak, “It’s hot in here.”

Hunter sets the bag of groceries down on the island and crosses to me slowly, his eyes sweeping down and back up like he’s checking for bruises I might not even know I’m wearing. Like he knows something happened, because he *always* does.

“You okay?” he asks softly, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind my ear.

I nod, too fast, making it too obvious that I’m full of shit. At the motion, he smiles like he doesn’t buy it, but then presses a kiss to the top of my head so gently I nearly melt through the floor.

Dinner unfolds around me in pieces of Cade plating the food, Xavier pouring drinks, AJ setting out silverware with a casual, controlled precision that shouldn’t be hot but is, and Hunter, who keeps checking in with me about wanting seconds or my glass needing refilling, like I’m the only one he’s interested in feeding.

We eat around the table like something out of a dream–something normal. But honestly, it’s not.

Because I can feel it now. All of it. AJ’s foot as it nudges mine underneath the table. Hunter’s knee, as it brushes against mine every few minutes, like he needs the contact. Xavier’s fingers, grazing against mine slowly and deliberately, as he hands me the hot

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sauce. And Cade sexily licking sauce off his thumb as he watches me when he thinks I’m

not looking.

Except I am looking. I’m looking at all of them and struggling to breathe as my skin prickles, my legs press tighter together, and my fork trembles in my grip.

“You’re quiet,” Xavier murmurs from across the table.

The only response my body is capable of is a shrug, before I say with feigned nonchalance, “Just thinking.”

AJ leans forward, elbows on the table, and adds, “Dangerous habit, that.”

Hunter hums low, as he again brushes his thigh against mine, saying, “Especially in this

house.”

Cade grins widely and says with innuendo, “I think she might be thinking about what comes after dinner.”

The comment that’s too on the nose has me dropping my fork without aplomb. Luckily, Cade catches it before it hits the floor. And when he sets it back on my plate, his fingers graze my wrist, and I feel it down to my still–needy core.

“You okay, Sunshine?” he asks, low and suggestively.

I nod, but it’s a ringing lie. Because I am not okay. I’m wrecked, unraveled, and hovering on the edge of a cliff with no wind and no reason not to fall.

Xavier searches my face, then reaches over and slides my glass closer. “Drink some

water.”

AJ raises a brow, and with a smirk, adds, “Or don’t.”

Hunter just smirks into his plate like he’s picturing something he’s unwilling to share with the group.

And I sit there, my pulse hammering, and body lit up like I’m being touched in places no one’s even reaching for.

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The air between us crackles like an impending electrical storm, and I swear the floor tilts beneath my chair. And in the middle of it all, I realize I’m not imagining it anymore.

all of them. They want me

–

And I… I want to let them have me, whether one at a time or all at once, as long as it is

forever.

I press my thighs together more tightly underneath the table. And even though no one says a word, I see how Xavier watches the movement, how AJ’s jaw ticks, how Hunter’s knuckles go white around his fork, and how Cade’s grin goes dark.

I might combust, I might scream. Or, I might beg. I do, however, have a sneaking suspicion that if it were up to these boys, I’d do it all.

Instead, I pick up my fork and take another bite. Then I chew slowly and swallow even more slowly, attempting to calm my racing heart somewhat.

“Dinner’s good,” I murmur, trying to divert everyone’s attention, including mine.

Cade is having none of it, though, as he leans back, his eyes locked on mine, and says lasciviously, “Just wait ‘til dessert.”

* Oh shit! *

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