"You know what you're talking about, right?" Hikaru stammered out softly, his eyes darting about nervously.
They were seated on her new bed in a circle of seven. Amber was the only one completely relaxed, sprawled over the fluffy sheets, with a pillow under her chest as she lazily shuffled the cards. Her soulmates on the other hand, sat awkwardly on the bed; some cross-legged, others perched on their knees as if they were at some stupidly elaborate tea party. The formality was cute but not exactly what Amber was aiming for.
She wanted to see their need for her, not the wall that they had created to keep her away.
Amber simply raised a brow at Hikaru's question, giving him a small smile as she cut the deck calmly. If she wanted this then she couldn't chicken out, she needed to stay calm. She recited to herself in her head, praying that they wouldn't catch the tremble of her fingers. She needed to do this at least until they got the idea, at least until they fully understand that she wanted this as much as they did. That sex with them was no longer a demeaning act, no longer something that would solidify her status as a slut…But rather a final act of love.
Amber contemplated the option of being blunt about it. Technically, she could just shoot them the question. I'm horny as fuck, will you help me? Or as Miri had put it…I'm going to die from Soul Yearning if I don't get to ride your dick. She eyed her soulmates, her gaze dancing over each soulmate. Nah, she made a face as she continued shuffling the cards, they wouldn't go all the way with her with just that.
Her men were too matured and gentlemanly to do that, their chivalry would hold them back from doing what they truly wanted to do with her. It was their own unspoken promise, a pact that they made to ensure that she would never be hurt by their hands ever again. It was sweet of them to do so, but it made things a little difficult for Amber. She swallowed, biting on her bottom lip. It meant that she had to take the reins in the relationship, it meant that she had to be boss. And being boss was a little scary, it made her heart pound and her stomach squeeze and churn.
Ezra was the one with the biggest balls in the relationship and he had yet to fulfil his promise to her of 'cumming in her pussy'. She bit her lips to stop the snort that threatened to escape. She knew they wanted her more than anything. If the lust hidden within the darkness in their eyes wasn't obvious, then soulmate science would tell her that they were desperate from years and years of unresolved Soul Yearning.
She hadn't waited as long as they had and even then, the arousal that coiled deep in her belly was sometimes even painful. A gut-wrenching sort of need that turned her into a mess with an accelerated heartbeat, an aching clit and burning hot cheeks. How much worst must it be for them then? She wondered, her mind drawing to those needy wet dreams that once inflicted her mind before her soul bond had been torn apart.
Did they dream of her every night? She mixed the deck again. Even if they did end up touching her, even if they did end up making love with her, they would hold back. She knew they would. Because of their history together, they were horribly afraid of fucking up. They were afraid of hurting her, afraid of going too fast because they treasured her. Her heart pounded harder, beating faster as her chest filled with warmth.
And this was why Amber had to take charge.
"I know what I'm doing," Amber hummed, dropping the stack of cards on the bed. "Everyone knows how to play, right?" There was a pause in the air and Amber knew that they were exchanging glances, speaking to one another with their eyes. And she pretended that she didn't notice. Let them stew in their confusion, maybe it'll tug them in the right direction.
"It's our thing to gamble for fun on candy and chips during the New Year." MinJae explained, flopping down onto the bed to snuggle into a pillow. "So we know the rules and the winning hands." He seemed to have given up on trying to read her as he relaxed, the tension in his muscles slack and eased. Amber met his gaze noting the curious glint in his eyes and the soft sheen of excitement. Or maybe he did know what she wanted… He raised both of his brows at her, tapping his bottom lip with ring adorned fingers and she averted her gaze from his eyes.
He was on to her.
"But clothes…You do know what strip poker is right?" Oliver repeated, looking at her as if he questioned her understanding of the Korean language. She snorted, propping her body up and fibbing a look of confidence.
"Of course, I do." Amber continued on in English to prove that she did. "Losers strip to their birthday suits, winners get to keep their clothes on."
"Birthday suits?" Ezra raised a brow, narrowing his eyes at her with his confusion. His face scrunched into one of absolute confusion, with his mouth agape. "You want us to wear suits?"
"No, she meant nudity. It's an idiom," Casper explained and soft hums of understanding spilled across the room as her men nodded to themselves. Amber let out a breathy laugh, amused by their confusion. "You've played this game before?" Casper asked, squeezing her hand gently.
"Poker, yes. Strip poker? Once or twice."
Casper's eyes grew steely and hard with his displeasure, tugging his lower lip with his teeth as his grip on her hand grew tighter. Shit, he was jealous. Amber bit back a grin. They all were, their eyes burning holes into her skin. The answering growl of frustration that slipped from the lips of her soulmates pushed her to clarify her words.
"I never lose!" She explained quickly raising her palm. "It was always just a continuation bet for the people who've lost all their cash and we've never taken it that far. So stripping, is a first for me." Amber grinned naughtily, then she let her face fall on purpose, let the muscles in her jaw relax and her eyes go round with disappointment. Perfect. "Or are you all afraid of seeing each other's bodies?" The panic that lighted in their eyes was hilarious, as they stumbled about in their attempts to please her, shifting uneasily on the bed. Shit, she really had them wrapped around her pinkie finger.
"Nope, we shower together sometimes," Casper answered quickly, maybe even too quickly as he stared at her carefully. She could hear his voice in her head, hear him in the gentle caresses of his fingers on her skin. What are you thinking of love? He asked. Do you really want to play such a dangerous game?
"We don't mind seeing each other's dicks," Sieon nodded frantically, maybe a little too eagerly. "Made a pact about it when we first started accidentally stumbling into the bathrooms." They shared an odd look and Amber raised a brow, wondering what the hell had happened. "And we agreed…That we would not care about these things when it came to you."
So they did talk about sex, she pursed her lips together. And now she was curious on what they had discussed. Did they agree on who would go first? Talk about how they would approach her with the topic? Had they planned for her first time to be in the view of all her soulmates so that it would be fair? Or was it all about her decisions? Her rules? Her needs? She'll find out tonight, tease them out of their shells with a little game to get them to loosen up.
"Then what's with the tension in the air? Why is everyone so damn stiff?" Amber asked taking the cards into her hands to feign nonchalance. She needed to push them to do it, press all their buttons until liquid courage flowed through their veins and they forgot their gallantry. "Do we need alcohol? Is that what will get you all started? I'm pretty sure I want to be sober if I get to see everyone nake—"
"No alcohol," Oliver stated clearly, a pout on his lips as he shook his head firmly. "You're not healthy enough for that." Always the mother bird, her Oliver. Always so kind, so gentle and so sweet. What would it take to get him to push all that aside and show her the fantasies in his head, the ones that made his eyes dilate? The ones that made the darkness consume the gold in those orbs?
"And oh, you are so going down!" Sieon glared, taking the card to shuffle them himself as if to check if she were cheating. "I am fantastic at strip poker!" Amber grinned, flopping down onto the bed. With Sieon in, it would be easy to get the rest into the game. They each had a competitive streak after all. And…It seemed that he had caught on to her intentions. For despite the childish quirk of his lips, his eyes were sex incarnate. A shiver of anticipation danced across her spine like a teasing finger against her skin from the heat in his eyes.
Vixen, his voice echoed in her head, buttery and deep. And she wondered what it would take to pull that bass into a mellowed moan reserved for lullabies and love songs, one that she knew she could twist out as long as she dragged her hands down to the flesh between his thighs. Her Sieon's sounds were always the sweetest of honey even if his natural voice was that of an incubus'.
"You're…Sure?" Hikaru echoed, breathless, lost, giddy. Shy. So, so shy.
"What is with you all?" Amber huffed, brushing her hands through her hair to flip it sassily. "I am going to win." She stuck her tongue out for them, a habit she'd gotten from Sieon and MinJae excessive love for their tongues. She smiled sweetly, shooting them her best I-am-innocent-and-this-is-just-a-stupid-game grin. And the action seemed to harden their resolve because they settled back into the bed, determination in their eyes.
"We'll see," MinJae hummed. Interest sparked in his eyes, kindled and fanned with her growing smile. "I've yet to lose this game."
Hook, line and sinker.