Echoes of Three Souls

Chapter 6: Shadows of Desires

Reese POV

Laying in bed that night with boxes half unpacked from the move my mind was in a state of confusion. I couldn't get her out of my head—her small frame, barely a shadow in the evening light, still managed to leave a mark on me. I wasn't one to dwell on things, not anymore. I knew better. Letting my mind run like that only invited the old ghosts to creep back in—the darkness of my childhood, the fights, the loneliness. The years of therapy had drilled into me the importance of not getting stuck in the past, of keeping my thoughts controlled. But there I was, unable to shake her from my mind. Maeve.

I could feel her eyes on me that night, even though she was barely more than a blur at the edge of my vision. It wasn't unusual for people to stare—I've gotten used to it by now. Standing at 6'4" and built like a tank after years of training, I knew I had a way of drawing attention whether I wanted it or not. Most people didn't bother me though; they'd take one look at me and steer clear, which suited me just fine. I'd spent too many years as a scrawny, broken kid in the foster system, getting knocked around, used. I swore I'd never be that vulnerable again. Intimidation was my shield now, a way to make sure nobody messed with me—or the people I cared about.

But with her, it wasn't about power or protecting myself. It was different. There was something about Maeve that pulled at me, something I hadn't felt since Scarlett.

When Devin and James introduced her to us, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Maeve. There was something irresistibly captivating about the way she looked up at us, her cheeks flushing that soft pink when she said hello, like she was a bit shy but too sweet to hide it. Her voice—it had this softness to it, a kind of innocence that seeped into my skin. I hadn't expected to be affected like that, and it unsettled me. I tried to shake the thoughts as I lay in bed with Scarlett, her head resting on my chest, her brunette hair spilling across my skin and her nimble fingers scratching the expanse of my chest. I shouldn't have been thinking about anyone else. Not with her next to me.

Lettie and I had always been open with each other not hiding feelings or thoughts. We'd had our flings, explored things together with other women, and occasionally brought someone else into our bed. We liked the control, both of us drawn to that dominating energy. The threesomes were always just that—sex. Fun. An escape. We'd even talked about it more seriously once, the idea of adding a third, but that's all it had ever been. No one had ever come close to what Scarlett and I shared. She was my anchor, my equal, the one I wanted and needed in every way. No one had ever made me second-guess that. Until now.

But Maeve... she caught me off guard. It wasn't like the other women we'd brought in. This was something else, something I couldn't just shake off or explain away as lust. There was something about her that reached deeper, even if I didn't fully understand it yet. And that terrified me.

Scarlett's voice cut through the fog in my mind. "What... What did you think of Maeve?"

I blinked, momentarily startled by the crack in her voice. I'd known Lettie for fourteen years, and in all that time, I had never heard her stutter. She was always so self-assured, so composed—graceful but fierce. Her stutter sent a jolt through me, and I could feel my heart rate quicken. She had me pegged before I even opened my mouth.

She smirked, catching my reaction. That sharp, knowing look she always gave when she was a step ahead of me. Scarlett didn't need me to say a word; she could already see the answer in the tension in my body, the way I had avoided meeting her eyes since Maeve's name came up.

"Yeah, I felt it too," she said softly, her voice steady now, like she'd made peace with something I hadn't yet. I exhaled slowly, like I'd been holding my breath too long.

I shifted, trying to find my words, but nothing came. I glanced down at her, studying her face, wondering what was going through her mind. The way her luscious lips curved just slightly made me nervous—Lettie didn't say things lightly, not when it came to us.

She shifted beside me, her fingers trailing absentmindedly across my chest. "It's different with her, isn't it?"

I swallowed hard, trying to gauge where this conversation was headed. "Yeah," I admitted finally, my voice low, rough. "It is."

She sat up a little, her eyes meeting mine, intense but not angry trying to read me. Scarlett didn't do jealousy, not like most people. She was possessive, sure, but she was confident in us. Still, the way she was looking at me now—it felt like she was assessing something bigger, something deeper than either of us had expected. I saw the way she looked at Maeve, the slight lust mixed with captivation and curiosity. I knew she was just as attracted and inquisitive about her as I was.

"So... what do we do about it?" Her question hung in the air. The question hit me like a weight, settling into the space between us. It wasn't simple. We both knew this wasn't just about whether or not Maeve was attractive or if we were interested in adding someone to our lives for a while or maybe forever. There was something deeper at play, something neither of us fully understood yet.

"I don't know," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "I didn't expect this... any of this."

Scarlett leaned back slightly, her eyes still searching mine. "Neither did I," she repeated softly. "But we can't ignore it."

I nodded slowly, trying to sort through the confusion in my head. "It feels different with her," I finally said, my voice low. "Like there's more to it."

Scarlett's lips curved into a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah," she murmured, her voice soft. "I felt it too. There's something different about her, Reese. She has this... ethereal energy, an innocence that's rare. But beneath that, there's a depth, an insecurity. Like she's been hurt in ways she hasn't fully healed from."

I stared at her, amazed. Lettie always had a way of reading people, cutting through their defenses like they were made of paper. It was effortless for her, this natural gift for seeing through the layers people tried to hide behind. She could crack the hardest of shells without so much as blinking—a quality that never ceased to astound me.

"What?" she asked, catching my look.

"You never cease to amaze me, Scarlett Monroe." My voice was a mixture of admiration and awe.

She smirked up at me, her fingers tracing a light path across my cheek before she leaned in to kiss me, soft but purposeful. "Hmm, I know," she whispered against my lips, her tone teasing. "But if we're serious about pursuing her, we need to be careful. Delicate. We'll have to move at her pace, on her terms."

I nodded, knowing she was right. Maeve was different, and that meant this couldn't be approached the same way as our past experiences. "I agree. It's always about consent," I said, my voice firm.

"Exactly, darling," Scarlett whispered, brushing her lips against mine again, a fleeting kiss that held promise. "We take it slow, make sure she feels safe."

"Talk more in the morning?" I asked, feeling the weight of the conversation settling over us, the complexity of what lay ahead.

"Yeah," she nodded, her eyes meeting mine with that familiar warmth. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," I replied, pulling her close, savoring the comfort of her body against mine.

With one last lingering kiss, we shifted back into the quiet intimacy of the night. Scarlett rested her head against my chest again, her breath steadying, and I found myself staring at the ceiling, the thought of Maeve lingering in the back of my mind. Whatever path we chose, it was going to change everything, and I wasn't sure what that meant for us. But for now, wrapped in the warmth of Scarlett's embrace, I let the moment settle, knowing tomorrow would bring new questions and answers.

For now, we rested.