Lines We Cross

Chapter Five

Eli couldn’t move.

Lila was sprawled on top of him, her soft body still sticky from the night they’d just shared, grinding lazily on his half-hard c**k. Jess was behind her, bare breasts pressed to Lila’s back, arms wrapped around her like a protective coil. The air in the room was thick s*x and sweat and something deeper, something dangerous. Something binding.

Eli stared at them, one hand tangled in Jess’s hair, the other trailing along Lila’s thigh. His heart thudded a steady rhythm of certainty.

He’d never let them go. Ever.

Lila moaned softly, arching her back, her soaked p***y lips rubbing over the growing length between her thighs.

Jess leaned in, biting Lila’s shoulder just enough to make her gasp. “Someone’s greedy this morning.”

Eli chuckled, but his voice came out gravel. “Let her be. She’s earned it.”

Lila gave a sleepy grin, pressing a kiss to his chest. “Both of you are mine now.”

“You think you’ve claimed us?” Jess purred. “That’s cute.”

Before Lila could fire back, the doorbell rang.

Three heads snapped toward the sound.

Jess straightened. “Who the hell is that?”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” Eli said, slipping from under Lila and grabbing his joggers. Lila pulled on one of his oversized shirts, Jess tugging on her robe with swift, suspicious movements.

The doorbell rang again. A third time.

Lila froze, color draining from her face. “No. No, no, no it can’t be.”

Jess grabbed her wrist. “Who?”

“It’s Marcus,” she whispered. “My ex.”

Eli’s face darkened. “He doesn’t know where you live.”

“I forgot he had my phone location.”

Jess was already crossing the room. “I’ll handle this.”

“No,” Eli said, firm. “I will.”

He opened the door just a crack and there he was.

Marcus looked like a storm. Leather jacket, clenched fists, jaw tight. His eyes flicked past Eli immediately, scanning the room.

“Where is she?” he barked.

Eli’s entire body tensed. “She doesn’t want to see you.”

“I don’t give a f**k. She ghosted me for two days, and now I find her holed up with you? Her best friend’s brother?” He leaned closer. “You think I’m just gonna let that go?”

“You don’t have a choice.”

Marcus shoved the door, but Eli didn’t budge.

“I swear to God,” Marcus hissed, “if you don’t move, I’ll"

“She said she’s done with you,” Jess snapped, stepping into view beside Eli, her robe tied haphazardly, a bruise forming on her collarbone. One look at her and Marcus’s face contorted with fury.

His gaze landed on Lila behind them, wearing Eli’s shirt, hair a mess, skin glowing.

“You slut,” he spat.

Jess lunged, but Eli held her back.

Marcus pointed at Lila. “You’re throwing everything away for a threesome fantasy? This is sick. You need help.”

“No,” Lila said, stepping forward, voice shaking. “What I needed was love. What I needed was to feel free. You never gave me that.”

“I gave you everything!” he roared. “And you gave it away for a bed and a warm d**k!”

Eli’s fists clenched. “Leave. Now.”

“Or what?”

Eli stepped out fully, jaw tight. “Try me.”

Marcus scoffed, stepping back. “Fine. But don’t think this is over.”

He turned, stalking off down the hall.

Lila collapsed onto the couch the second the door shut. Jess ran to her, wrapping arms around her. Eli followed, kneeling in front of them both.

“I’m sorry,” Lila whispered. “I didn’t think he’d ever”

“Don’t,” Jess cut in. “None of this is your fault.”

“I feel like I just dragged a storm in here. You two don’t need my drama.”

Eli cupped her face. “We want all of you. Even the storms.”

Jess looked over his shoulder toward the door. “He won’t stay gone. I know guys like him.”

“I can make a call,” Eli said. “Lock this place down. Change your number. Whatever you need.”

But Lila’s eyes were distant, haunted.

“He’s not gonna just disappear,” she said. “Marcus is obsessed. And when he’s angry, he gets smart. Calculated.”

Jess’s voice was low. “What are you saying?”

“I think he already knew,” Lila whispered. “About us.”

The room went cold.

“Wait,” Eli said. “You think he planned that visit?”

Lila nodded slowly. “He’s been following me. Watching. He mentioned things locations, outfits, times that I never told him.”

Jess swore under her breath.

“We need to figure out what he knows,” Eli said, standing. “And fast. If he’s watching, if he’s got something on us…”

Jess’s face turned to steel. “Then we end this. Before he can use it.”

Lila looked between them. “You two would really do that for me?”

Jess leaned in, pressing her lips to Lila’s. “For us, baby. This is war now.”

And just like that, the air between them shifted. It wasn’t just s*x anymore. It was survival.

A hum buzzed from Lila’s phone.

A message.

She picked it up and gasped.

Jess leaned over her shoulder to read the screen. Her eyes went wide.

Eli came closer.

There it was, staring back at them:

“Cute little love triangle. Does your brother know she moans both your names when she comes?”

📸 [1 Attachment]

Eli’s blood turned to ice.

He snatched the phone and opened the photo.

It was them.

In bed.

Lila between them.

Exposed. Marked. Vulnerable.

The timestamp was last night.

Taken from outside the window.

Jess’s breath hitched. “He was here.”

Lila dropped the phone.

Eli stared out the window, fists clenching.

Lila’s hand trembled as she picked the phone back up. The image still sat there on the screen, bold and intimate, timestamped only hours ago. Her breath hitched as realization settled into her chest like lead.

He had been there. Watching. Possibly all night.

Jess stood, pacing the living room like a predator. “How the f**k did he even get close enough to take this? We’re three floors up.”

“He’s ex-military,” Lila said softly. “Ranger school. He’s… trained for this kind of shit.”

Eli swore under his breath and grabbed his phone. “We need to get security cameras installed. Windows sealed. Curtains always closed.”

Lila wrapped her arms around herself, curling into the couch like she was trying to disappear.

Jess knelt in front of her. “Don’t do that.”

Lila looked up, eyes glassy.

“Don’t fold up. Don’t vanish,” Jess said, voice raw. “You survived him before, didn’t you? You got out. You chose us.”

“I didn’t know it would cost this much,” Lila whispered.

Eli joined them, sitting beside Lila and placing his hand on her thigh. “It hasn’t cost us anything yet. But it will… if we don’t act fast.”

Jess stood again, her jaw locked. “We need to know what he wants. This wasn’t just a threat he’s got a plan. He wants to humiliate her… maybe all of us.”

Lila’s voice cracked. “You think he’ll leak it?”

“Only if he thinks it’ll hurt you more than keep you scared,” Eli said. “But we don’t let him get that far.”

Jess crossed her arms. “You have any idea where he might be staying?”

Lila shook her head. “He moves around. Never the same apartment more than a few months. Keeps things off the radar. He used to brag about it how no one could track him if he didn’t want them to.”

Eli’s phone buzzed.

Another text.

From an unknown number.

“Try to keep the windows shut next time. She’s loud. 😘”

Attached: a zoomed-in photo. Lila’s head thrown back. Jess’s hand on her hip. Eli’s mouth on her breast.

It was like the air had been sucked from the room.

Jess snatched the phone and slammed it on the coffee table.

“f**k. This,” she hissed. “We go to the police.”

“They won’t do anything without a break-in or a physical threat,” Eli said bitterly. “And even then, it’s our word against his. If he’s smart, he’ll cover his tracks.”

Lila’s eyes were wide. “He always said he’d make me pay if I ever left him for someone else. Said he’d burn my life down.”

Jess grabbed Lila’s hands, fierce. “Then let him try. I’ll burn him first.”

Eli nodded. “We’re not scared of him, Lila. He wants control. We’re not giving it.”

“What do we do?” Lila asked, voice barely above a whisper.