Chapter Ten
“You’re joking right?” Parker looked really pissed.
“It wasn’t like it was on purpose. It was an accident. I was in the moment, and I lost my head,” Rogan said. His brown eyes narrowed in irritation as he faced off with two of his three brothers and explained that he had had sex with Rachel without a condom.
Sawyer threw his hands up, “Dude! Don’t you think we all lose our minds when we’re with her? You can’t make that kind of mistake!”
“I know that, Sawyer. Look, she said she’s on birth control, and I don’t think she was upset about it.” He ran his hand through his hair and plopped down on the couch heavily. Rachel and Hudson were currently in Parker’s bathroom taking a bubble bath in the largest tub in the house. That was Hudson’s way, he was a romantic at heart. All four brothers had just gotten back into the house when she came stumbling into the kitchen looking sleepy and tousled. Rachel didn’t look too distraught when she linked hands with Hudson and disappeared down the hallway, in fact she looked downright excited about the impending pampering.
Rogan couldn’t keep his mind focused while he worked all afternoon. The mental image of her pregnant with his child did crazy things to his brain and body, so he kept having to force his mind away from it. The odds of her getting pregnant from that one incident were very slim with her on birth control, but he couldn’t keep from hoping just a little bit that it would happen. If she got pregnant then maybe she would reconsider the temporary status of their relationship. She didn’t seem like the type to cut and run, and her heart was too big to shut her child’s father out of its life.
“If she’s pregnant we’re moving her in,” Parker said resolutely, and Sawyer barked out a laugh.
“Yeah? You and what army? Rachel doesn’t exactly follow orders well, brother.”
Sawyer was right, but Parker’s Mr. Badass gene was probably going to try to prove he could force her. Rogan turned to Parker, “Sawyer’s right, Parker, we can’t make her do anything. I can’t say I’m completely sorry it happened. I’ve only fu-cked one other woman bareback and that was Theresa McCray my freshman year of high school when I lost my virginity. Being with Rachel was…I don’t know how to describe it. It was just magic.”
“Okay, Casanova, but you might have just screwed this whole thing up for all of us. She’s going to feel forced into a relationship if she’s pregnant. We all agreed to seduce her this weekend, and then let the decision be hers.” Sawyer rested his elbows on the kitchen table and chewed his lip. It was his tell, the only physical manifestation of his anxiety when something had him worried.
“I can’t change it now! What’s done is done,” Rogan responded sharply. Anger and frustration were tinged with just a shade of shame in his gut.
“Yeah, we can’t change it, but if she’s pregnant it won’t just be you tied up in it. It’s just another good reason not to let her go tomorrow,” Parker said, and Rogan rolled his eyes.
“You’re such a douche, Parker. What woman wants to be treated like that? Like she doesn’t have a mind of her own? Do you think Rachel can’t make up her own mind about us?”
Parker stared back at Rogan silently, but his eyes looked shaken. In Parker’s world everything was black and white. When something happened you made the choice you knew was right, and then went on with your life. Unfortunately he was almost too set in his desire to dominate, and Rogan was afraid he would scare Rachel off. He had seen her react submissively to Parker already, but the whole thing was still a novelty. How would she react to it on a day-to-day basis?
“Rogan is right, Parker, you need to ease up,” Sawyer said.
“I know how to deal with Rachel, thank you very much. She and I had an interesting heart to heart in the barn earlier.”
Rogan’s ears perked up and he turned to face Parker, “Really? What about?”
“Did you know her dad had an affair and left her mom for another woman? He has a whole different family now, and he hasn’t even tried to keep in touch with Rachel.”
“Shit. Another fu-cktard that hurt her. We should start a list, because some day we’re going to have to kick these guys' asses,” Sawyer grumbled.
“And she believes she wasn’t good enough for Mitch. That’s why she’s pushing us all away from her. Damn it, she thinks we’re going to hurt her,” Parker said, slamming his hand down on the table.
Rogan leaned forward on his elbows. “So we have to prove to her we aren’t going to betray her trust. I hate to say this, but it means letting her leave tomorrow if that’s what she wants.”
Parker glared back at him, while Sawyer looked a little green around the gills, but neither one argued. The truth sucked, but there it was. Rogan would do anything to keep Rachel with them, but if that wasn’t what made her the happiest, then it wasn’t going to make him happy.
“I’m going to take a shower. When they come out, why don’t we pop some popcorn and watch a movie? Let’s show her we can all four spend time with her without sex too.” Rogan’s eyes skipped back and forth between his two brothers waiting for them to respond.
Sawyer cracked a small smile, “Good idea! I’ll go pick a movie, Parker can make the popcorn.”
“fu-ck,” Parker grumbled, but he stood and headed for the kitchen cabinet looking for their mom’s old air popper. It had been a long time since the four brothers made time to have a movie night, and reinstating their mother’s favorite family pastime with Rachel seemed perfect. Just so long as they didn’t fu-ck it up.
****
Steam wafted up off the water, making the bathroom seem slightly hazy, and seductively intimate. Rachel was braced against Hudson’s broad chest with his arms crossed over her bare breasts, and his fingers laced through hers. She could feel his heart beating through her back, and the coarse hairs on his legs tickling her own. It was peaceful to be sitting in the huge jetted tub that occupied Parker’s bathroom with the baby of the four brothers. Of the four of them, Hudson was by far the quietest about the whole weekend’s events. He seemed content just to enjoy holding her in a tub of bubbles.
“It’s so quiet in here. It’s almost as if no one else exists,” she murmured, sighing and then smiling as her heavy breath sent bubbles skittering across the surface of the water.
“No one else does exist when I’m with you, Rach.”
She giggled, and twisted so she could see his face, “Oh stop it. I don’t need flowery words, Hudson.”
A frown marred his brow and his jaw ticked, “You might not need them, but you deserve them, Rach. I want you to know how good it feels to have you in my arms, that way later, when you’re alone in your own bed, maybe you will dream about me holding you.”
She turned back around quickly to avoid his eyes. His words were intimidating. She didn’t want to hurt any of these guys, but softhearted, sweet Hudson was the most likely victim of the bunch. In her heart she knew she was already attached to these four guys. They intrigued her, seduced her, and made her feel more special than anyone she had ever met, but how long could that last? A few weeks, months, perhaps even a few years, but ultimately the fire and intimacy would fizzle out and instead of being hurt by one man, she would end up hurt by four.
Hudson didn’t let her linger in silence long as he began speaking while resting his chin atop her head. “Do you know the first time I really noticed you were all grown up was at the fundraiser for Millie Creason’s family?”
“You mean the bake sale to replace their roof after the tornado? Really?” She was perplexed as the memories of that day four years ago drifted back to her.
Millie was a longtime resident of the area who was widowed when her husband was in a tragic farming accident. The following summer a nasty storm had blown through town and taken the top part of her home off, leaving her and her three children without shelter temporarily. The whole town had banded together to collect money in various ways and then rebuilt the missing parts of the structure in a matter of weeks.
“Yeah but, honey, you were wearing a pair of lipstick tight jeans that day, and believe me, you had the sweetest buns there.”
Rachel burst out into laughter. “Oh my God. You are such a cheese ball.”
“It’s not cheesy if it’s the truth, and I would never lie to you.” Hudson sounded slightly offended, and she turned around, rising up on her knees to face him. Her breasts lifted out of the water and his gorgeous dark eyes focused on them immediately.
“You wouldn’t huh? Not even a little white lie?” she asked, purposely swaying toward him seductively. His tongue darted out to lick his lips and his breathing grew a little rougher.
“Nope.”
“So what if I asked you if something made my butt look big?”
The astonished look he gave her at her question had her giggling. His eyebrow lifted and his mouth hung open. “You’re joking, right? You’re ass is perfect, honey. Every time I lay eyes on it all I can think about is getting my hands on it.”
Her pu-ssy pulsed at his erotic words, and she suddenly felt overheated. “What if I wanted you to put your hands on it, Hudson.”
A grin spread over his handsome face, “All you have to do is ask.”
Taking that as her cue, she leaned into him, dragging her nipples across the bubbles that dotted his hard chest, and stopping a fraction of a breath away from his lips.
“Please?”
The whispered word barely made it between her lips before Hudson captured them. Instead of the fierce power and nuclear meltdown she seemed to feel when Rogan or Parker took her, she was slowly seduced by Hudson into a puddle of lust. He caressed her lips with his own, changing the pressure and angle every other moment, and taunting her tongue with his.
When she felt like she was ready to burst, she pushed one hand up the back of his neck and dug it into the hair at the base of his head, clutching him to her so he would kiss her long and deep. Instead of pulling away, he cupped both of her breasts in his hands, and teased her nipples with his callused thumbs.
The burning fire that had started in her pu-ssy a moment ago was skittering under her skin now, and she started to feel desperate. Pushing at his knee, which had been resting against the side of the tub, she waited for him to straighten both legs so she could straddle him. Positioned comfortably astride his thighs, she reached for his cock, while he continued to play with her tits. He seemed to know exactly how tight to squeeze them, and how hard to pinch her nipples without hurting her. Now with his dick in her hot little hands, she stroked up and down its length, squeezing him firmly and enjoying the way he thickened against her palms.
She liked having a little control over him, knowing he trusted her enough to let her have her way. He wasn’t resisting her direction, he just continued his slow and steady seduction of her senses, keeping her slightly off balance by occasionally nipping her lip, or tugging at the length of her hair.
Rachel slid a hand down between his legs to cup his large balls, rolling them and enjoying the heavy weight of them. Wondering how much she could push him, she slid a finger toward the base of his sack then closer to his anus. His hiss of breath made her pause and look up at him, but his eyes were closed and his head was thrown back. He still had one hand cupping her breast, but the other was gripping the side of the huge tub as if he was trying to stay grounded in a flood. Encouraged, she ran her fingertip over the tiny pucker, grinning when it clenched under her touch.
Just how far would he let her go?
The tip of her finger pressed into the tight ring of muscles before it pushed her back out denying her entry. Determined and dazed with desire, she pressed forward, this time bending to lick the crown of his cock where it poked out of the water. His pelvis rocked upward, pushing his cock against her lips and relaxing his ass so her finger was able to breach it.
Hudson’s moans of pleasure were making her brain fuzz over. Alternately licking and sucking the inch or so of cock she could reach above the water, she pushed her way deeper into his ass. When she reached the length of her finger, she curled it up finding that hot button she had always been curious about, and wriggling her finger against it.
Just like she had hoped his whole body clenched with pleasure, he hissed out her name, and let go of her breast to wrap his hand in her hand pulling tightly.
“fu-ck! Enough! I’m going to come down your throat if you keep that up, Rach.”
She grinned at him, feeling her chest swell with pride at the dark desire in his eyes. She had done that. Hudson desired her and no one else at this moment. It was a heady feeling, and it made her feel deliciously feminine.
He leaned forward, directing her to move backwards with his hand in her hair. Skillfully reining her with his creative lead, he had her turn around and bend over the side of the tub. With her upper chest braced against the tub rim, and her hands clenching the porcelain edge tightly, she told him what she wanted.
“Hudson, please fu-ck me. I need you!”
“With pleasure, honey.” Completely submerged under the warm water, the bulbous head of his cock pressed against her slick opening finding an easy path into her depths. He was slow and deliberate in the way he fu-cked her, stirring a bonfire in her abdomen that went nuclear when he finally pinched her clit and sent her over the edge of reason.
They rested there panting in unison, his large frame draped over her much smaller one, sheltering and comforting her. The steam seemed to roll off them as the heat from the water paired with the heat of their bodies to create a fog-filled bathroom.
“You are the only person I would ever let do that, Rachel,” he murmured into her ear, making her cunt clench around his still semi-hard cock.
“Mmm…I like the sound of that cowboy, and I definitely liked the end result.” She giggled when he nipped her ear lobe, and shivered as the adrenaline drained out of her.
It was a few moments later when she felt his cum dribbling out of her into the water that she realized they hadn’t used a condom. Once was understandable, but twice in one day was just asking for trouble.
“Hudson?”
“Yeah, honey?” He was still braced over her, with his lips brushing the top her spine and his nose buried in her hair.
“Umm…you didn’t use a condom.”
She felt him tense up behind her, and she waited for him to process it.
“Oh shit. I’m sorry, Rachel. I just didn’t think about it. Are you pissed?” He moved backwards to sit on his heels as she turned to face him.
“I can’t be mad at you. I didn’t remember it either. I’m a little freaked out though.”
He looked horrified, “Why? Rachel, if something happened—”
“No, you don’t understand, Hudson. Earlier today, Rogan and I…well… we kind of had the same accident, which means that I’ve had unprotected sex with both of you in the same day. I’m on birth control, but if something when wrong I wouldn’t know whose baby it was.” Rachel’s stomach twisted into a knot at the thought. This was a huge situation, and it was already too late to fix it. Her heart ached in her chest as she thought about how hurt Sawyer and Parker would be when they found out what she had let happen.
Hudson’s worried expression melted into confusion as he stared at her, “So? Why would it matter?”
“Are you kidding me? Hudson, I just told you that if end up pregnant it may or may not be your brother’s baby!”
He sat silently watching her with his head cocked to the side, and she got the distinct impression he could see into her soul. She only prayed that wasn’t true, because she would die if he knew about the little thrill she got imagining herself carrying his or Rogan’s child.
“You just don’t get it do you, Rachel?”
“What?”
“Rachel, we don’t care. We want you to be free with all four of us, and eventually we want you to carry a child for each of us. It would never matter whose baby you carried, because we would all claim it as our own. That’s what being in a ménage relationship means, honey. It means we’re one unit, not individual couples.”
It settled in her ears, but took longer for her brain to absorb. He wasn’t joking. They wanted a permanent ménage relationship with her. For just a brief moment her heart soared thinking that she could have it all. The four men she was falling in love with, and a half a dozen children to surround herself with so she would always be loved. But her own good sense quickly squashed that fantasy. There was no way that it would work like they wanted it to. How would she be able to keep up with four different relationships and try to blend them into one cohesive unit when she hadn’t been able to make one relationship with one man work. Not to mention it wasn’t exactly a legal sort of arrangement.
“You’re forgetting one thing, Hudson,” she said, taking a deep breath as she stood and stepped out of the tub, “we’re not in a permanent relationship. We’re having a weekend affair. Which means this could turn out to be the worst possible mistake we’ve ever made.”
He was on his feet in front of her gripping her chin in his hand before she could stop him. “Or it could be the best thing to ever happen to us. Rachel, please, just give this a chance. Give us a chance. Stop shutting us out and let us show you that we can make it work.”
“Really? So you’re going to change the views of society all on your own then, Hudson? Or maybe you’re going to change the laws so it’s legal to have more than one significant other? What kind of crap do you want me to believe? David Lassiter can’t even marry the man he loves in this state. A man he’s been with for nearly thirty years, and you’re telling me that somehow the world is just going to accept you, me, and your three brothers?”
As she spoke her voice grew louder and her temper flared. All of her fears and her own anxiety at how this weekend would change her life was coming out of her in one angry blow. Hudson released her chin, and stepped backwards silently. Reaching for a towel he handed it to her and then grabbed another to wrap around his waist before meeting her gaze again.
“Rachel, you’re right. Society as a whole doesn’t get it, but what do you care what people think? You’re a fiercely independent woman who is forging her own way, with a bright career and a solid place in this community. So why would you let anyone dictate who you love?”
She couldn’t answer him. His words stuck in her heart like an assassin’s blade. When her mother told her that her father was leaving them for another woman, and another family, a piece of her heart had died a slow death. There were rumors that kept the gossip hounds circling for months as the divorce was processed through the courts, and alimony and child support checks were argued. The kids at school whispered the things they heard their parents say, and the ladies in town watched her and her mother with pity in their eyes. She had sworn in those days that she would never let other people tell her how to live her life, yet here she was using society’s opinions to dictate her decisions. It was a painful truth, but there it was.
Refusing to let him see how much he had shaken the stability of her arguments, she turned and walked out of the bathroom to the bedroom to redress. No matter what, she was leaving this house tomorrow. She was going back to her life, and she was going to allow herself the time to figure out exactly what she needed. Four possible heartbreaks stood between her and the door, but there was nothing she could do about it. Her mind was made up.
****
A couple of hours later Rachel sat snuggly tucked in between Rogan and Parker on the sofa, while Sawyer sat in front of her with her legs over his shoulders. Hudson was sprawled out in a chair with his long legs propped up on the coffee table, and a bottle of beer in his hand. They were watching X-Men and even though Rachel wasn’t a huge fan of the movie, she was a big fan of the moment. Parker’s fingers were playing with her hair as she rested in the crook of his arm, and Rogan’s thumb was tracing circles in the palm of her hand where he held it in his lap. A big bowl sat on the floor nearby, empty but for a few un-popped kernels of popcorn.
All of this sex was bound to take a toll on her body, and she was definitely tender, but it was the most pleasurable pain she could imagine. Every time she shifted, the material of the t-shirt she snatched from Parker’s dresser rubbed against her bruised lower back, and when she shifted her legs she felt the pull of muscles in her thighs and ass. Excruciatingly sensual, and delightfully decadent. No matter that it was almost over, or that she would never get to experience it again. She just wanted to enjoy every second of it while it lasted.
The credits began to roll and she shifted positions, pressing her head against the solid wall of Parker’s chest and inhaling his scent deep into her lungs. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head surprising her, and she tipped her head to look up into his dark eyes.
“You doing okay, sunshine? Tired?”
His concern for her made her throat tighten, but she forced out a small smile. “I’m good, a little tired, but I could probably handle another movie. I’m not ready to move yet.”
Parker’s grin of pleasure surprised her even more. He was normally such a hard ass, so it was wonderful seeing him act normal. “You got it, Rach. Do you want to pick this time?”
Rachel laughed when all three of his brothers groaned. “Hey! How do you guys know I’ll pick a movie you don’t want to watch?”
“It’s inevitable. You’re female,” Sawyer said despondently, and Rachel smacked the back of his head.
“You weren’t complaining about that this morning now, were you, lover?”
Sawyer flipped on her, knelt between her knees, pressing her back into Parker as he took her mouth in a hot kiss. When they broke apart he winked, “Never, baby. I wouldn’t dare complain about your female parts. Now, pick a movie while I make more popcorn. Hudson can get you another drink.”
Rachel accepted the hand he held out so she could rise from the couch and she headed for the bookshelf full of DVDs. Scanning the titles she could feel Parker and Rogan watching her from behind. Feeling just a twinge of naughty, she rose up on her toes to reach for the highest shelf. The t-shirt she wore rose up, exposing the crease of her ass cheeks, and both men groaned. Giggling as she dropped back flat on the floor, she turned to show them her selection.
“Good choice,” Parker said with a raised eyebrow.
She handed the movie to him with a wink, “I know what my guys like.”
The moment the words left her mouth her stomach dropped to her feet. She had just laid claim. Something she swore not to do, and there was a triumphant look in Parker’s eyes that made her knees wobble. Refusing to confront it, she spun on her heel.
“I need to…um…I’ll be right back.”
Once she was standing in the bathroom with the door locked, she gulped down large breaths of air, and clenched her eyes shut.
You did not just tell them that they were yours!
Her conscience was wavering, because she wanted so badly for her statement to be true. If only it wasn’t all four of them. Why couldn’t she be normal and fall for just one man who alternately loved her and made her crazy?
After using the bathroom, and splashing water on her face, she forced herself to go back into the living room. The four men were talking in hushed tones until she stepped into the room, and then all eyes were on her. It was very disconcerting.
“Did you really pick out Lara Croft Tomb Raider, or is Parker trying to pull a fast one?” Sawyer asked with a grin.
She shook her head and returned the reassuring smile, “Yes, I really picked it out. I like that movie. It has a strong woman who kicks ass in it.”
“Hmmm…you just keep surprising us, Rach,” Hudson said, grabbing her hand to pull her back to her spot in the middle of the couch.
This time Parker and Rogan switched spots, so Rogan’s chest was the one her head rested against, while Parker settled in next to her, hip to hip and thigh to thigh. She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye, because she was afraid he would see her feelings in her gaze. Instead she focused on Sawyer who playfully tickled the arch of her bare foot before kissing her ankle, and settling her legs comfortably over his shoulders again. His brown hair brushed the insides of her knees, and his hands felt hot on her shins where he gripped her.
The bowl of popcorn was passed to her and she took a small handful, mindful of the fact she had already indulged way too much this weekend in junk food. The movie began to roll, but she couldn’t focus on it. Instead the men surrounding her consumed her thoughts, driving her mad with desire and confusion.
“Rach, why are you so tense?” Rogan whispered into her ear, but she knew Sawyer and Parker were at least close enough to hear.
“I’m not. I’m just getting tired I guess.”
“We can shut it off if you want to go to bed,” Hudson said, looking deeply concerned. Ever since she walked out of the bathroom he had remained slightly distant from her, watching and waiting for her next move. It was disconcerting to say the least. The other brothers hadn’t mentioned the argument, although she knew logically they had to have heard it.
She shook her head, “Nah, I’m alright, but if I fall asleep first, you have to promise not to draw a mustache on me, or dip my hand in warm water.”
That got everyone laughing, and she relaxed a little. Parker’s eyes caught hers and held her gaze. He lifted one eyebrow, “You know, sunshine, it seems like you only get uncomfortable when all four of us are here.”
Rogan stiffened underneath her head and she darted a wary glance up at him. Seeing his questioning look, she shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, it’s not every day a girl has a movie night with four men she has slept with.”
“It freaks you out to be with all of us?” Sawyer asked, and she felt guilty for it. There was hurt in his beautiful chocolate eyes, and she reached for him.
“It’s not normal, Sawyer. Brothers don’t usually have a relationship with the same woman. So yes, it freaks me out.” She felt better for saying it, and worse for hurting him as the sparkle in his eyes dimmed further.
“Why did you agree to this weekend, Rach?” Rogan asked, sitting still as stone underneath her.
She let out a heavy sigh, “Honestly? Because you guys have invaded my fantasies on a daily basis for years, and I needed to forget about how much Mitch hurt me.”
“So, we’re your rebound,” Sawyer said, standing abruptly, and then sitting on the coffee table to face her. The movie played on in the background, but all four Brooks brothers were focused on her now.
“No! It’s not like that for me! I mean, well…in a way I guess you are a rebound, but it’s not like I just randomly picked someone. I was going to you know? I was going to have a one-night stand last night with whomever I could pick up, but then you guys showed up, and asked me to walk on the wild side. I couldn’t say no. I wanted you.” She held her head up, meeting each man’s gaze steadily and refusing to cower in shame for what she felt.
“So it meant nothing to you. It’s all just been about trying something new?” Parker snapped, and it tore into her as painfully as if he had shoved a knife in her heart.
“Parker, I have wanted you guys for years. You four walk around this town like you own it, because you know every red-blooded woman within a hundred miles of it wants you. I’m just a woman. I can’t promise you more than this weekend. I told you that.”
“Why are you so afraid of what you want, Rach?” Rogan said. His voice was the voice of reason. His question perfectly logical and calm, there was no anger, or hurt, or disappointment. Just pure curiosity.
“Wouldn’t you be hesitant after someone betrayed you? What if it didn’t work out, how would I ever face you four again? I live here, I work here, and I’m not planning to leave, so I need to keep my reputation clean. This is too far out of the box.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, feeling particularly vulnerable now that she had said her piece.
“Why do you care what the town thinks? There are other people living in poly relationships around here. They just don’t advertise it,” Rogan said, still maintaining that unruffled calm demeanor. It was really starting to tick her off, especially hearing the same words from his mouth that Hudson had used earlier to shake her.
“What the hell is a poly relationship?” she snapped. Tears of guilt were burning behind her eyelids, and her mouth was dry again.
“Polyamorous. It means to have more than one partner. I know it isn’t exactly common, but we’ve talked for years about sharing one woman amongst the four of us. We are all voyeurs, so watching our woman getting fu-cked is a hell of a turn on. Once we started sharing women between us, there was no going back, we just had to find the right woman. One who could appreciate having four very different men in her life.” Rogan spoke, but Rachel’s eyes were once again captured by Parker.
“Can we please go back to the movie. This is too much for me right now,” she whispered, trying to keep the tears of discomfort away. They couldn’t know how much she ached to be able to accept a place in their lives. It would hurt him even more when she left tomorrow.
Parker watched her for another minute, and then stood and held out his hand. She frowned up at him in confusion. “If we only have tonight and tomorrow then, I want to do something more intimate than watch a movie. Come.”
His demand wasn’t unrealistic, and it actually sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. She had spent time with each of the brothers that she considered “safe,” and now it was time for Parker to get some alone time. Parker was darker, more dramatic and dangerous in personality. Something about him told her he would make the night memorable, and that was the reason she stood, following him into his bedroom. He was right, if she only had tonight, she wanted to use it to her full advantage.