Huge House Hates

And she does. She turns Danny into a trembling mess, clutching at the headboard for stability and gripping her hair to stop her from making him come. But it’s impossible for him to last, and he spills down her throat with the longest groan I’ve ever heard him make.

Cora flops forward, bracing herself on her palms as Danny staggers to sit on the edge of the mattress. I smooth my hand over the redness my handprint left on her ass and then swat her again, making her gasp with pain and pleasure.

“You take me so well, don’t you, Cora. Our perfect girl. We own this pussy, don’t we, baby.”

She moans a strangled-sounding yes.

“We own this mouth, don’t we?”

“Yes,” she gasps as I reach around to hook my finger between her lips.

“And what about this?” I say, dragging my thumb over her taint. Her pussy clenches and it’s a very revealing response. She’s sensitive there.

“You made her blush,” River says.

“Too naughty?” I ask Cora. When she hangs her head and pushes back into my thrusts, I think I get my answer. It’s a naughty possibility, but one we’ll need to build up to, to fully appreciate. “I’m getting close, baby. Are you close?”

“Yes,” she gasps.

“You need just a little something extra?”

Before she has a chance to answer, I slick my thumb in my mouth and press against her taint to match the rhythm of my thrusts. “Oh fuck,” she says, turning her head, straining to look at me.

“That feel good?”

“Oh fuck,” she says again, and then her pussy is clenching around my cock, over and over, milking my release as I clutch onto her, staying deep through the most intense pleasure of my life.

After, we push the beds together, and all get under the covers. Alden pulls the snacks from his bag, and Danny finds an eighties college movie that we all watch with fascination.

Cora snuggles against my chest, and I stroke her soft wavy hair, relishing every moment.

“I’m so glad you came back,” I say. “I know it must have been hard for you to deal with what happened.”

“It was,” she says, linking her hands with mine. “But then this box arrived filled with the most beautiful pots and some almost-legible letters, and I was totally convinced to come back.”

“Almost legible,” Alden scoffs. “I’ll have you know I went over mine with a fine-tooth comb.”

“Must have been Danny’s,” Tobias says.

Danny grabs a pillow and tosses it at Tobias’s head. “Just because I’m a model doesn’t mean I’m an airhead.”

“I was only joking,” Cora laughs. “They were very special letters, and I really appreciated everything you said.”

“We love you. You know that, right?” I say softly, bringing her hand to my lips so I can kiss it gently. “No matter what our dad says about things fizzling out, we’re in this for the long haul. Whatever happens, we’re going to make it work, and that means facing up to our issues. It means having the fights face to face and working through them. It means asking difficult questions and listening to the answers. You can’t run away like that again, baby.”

“I know,” she says, turning to face me. “I just…I’m not good at confronting people when I’m hurt. I’m used to burying my feelings and pretending they don’t exist. I’m not good at coming to terms with being hurt, either. It feels like something I shouldn’t allow to happen to me, but it’s impossible to avoid altogether. I promise I’ll try.”

“And we will, too,” Danny says. “This isn’t just about you. We need to get better at handling our own insecurities and negative traits. With six of us in this relationship, we have to be willing to get called out on stuff we’re doing wrong and do what we can to fix it.”

“Exactly,” I say, so proud of my brother.

“I love you guys too,” Cora says quietly, her eyes fixed on the comforter in front of her. It’s the first time she’s said the words, and they’re delivered with so much vulnerability that I get a lump in my throat. It’s a touching moment for a second, and then River pounces from the right, pinning Cora and peppering her face with kisses like an over-enthusiastic mutt. Then Tobias joins in, and Alden isn’t far behind, and I catch eyes with Danny, who shrugs. And suddenly, the covers are flying, and everyone’s laughing, and I feel fit to burst with happiness.

This girl came into our lives like a whirlwind, and we responded like a storm. But now we’re together, and everything is sunny. No matter what life throws at us, I know we’re going to be able to get through it together.

EPILOGUE

CORA

“This place looks absolutely amazing,” Molly says as she bends to sweep up the last of the dust pile. For the first time, I take a moment to pivot on my heel, spinning to look at the stark white exhibition space that displays my ceramics to perfection.