by Tate James
The air rushed out of my lungs, and I sagged against the wall of the foyer. I'd text Seph several times since our fight, but she hadn't responded and I hadn't pushed her. Demi had kept me updated that they were all fine in Italy, and I'd left it at that, hoping distance and time would scab over the wound of my shitty actions.
"Of course I am, Seph," I whispered. "I'll always be your sister, even if you don't want me."
She huffed a sound. "Yeah, well... Demi might have had some words with me about... things." She paused, sounding awkward. "Lucas and you. And how I reacted."
"You don't need to apologize, Seph. I never should have lied to you," I told her in a rush, and she barked a laugh.
"I wasn't fucking apologizing, you narcissist." She snapped the words at me, and I grinned. "You're damn right you shouldn't have lied to me; you made me feel like a total idiot! But... a little perspective has made me accept the fact that it wasn't that bad. It's not like Lucas cheated on me; it was just a stupid crush."
I was genuinely surprised at her maturity. "That's what you were calling me to say?"
"No, not entirely," she admitted. "I might have, um, accidentally overheard Demi talking with Archer about you."
Ah, shit. My spine stiffened, and I raked my fingers through my hair.
"What did you hear, Seph?"
"Not much," she admitted, sounding annoyed about that fact, "but I heard them say that the bomb at our building had something to do with Chase."
I had nothing to say to that. I could kill Demi and Archer for being so careless around Seph. I never, ever wanted her to know what I'd gone through while our father was alive—or what she'd very nearly ended up suffering.
She let out another small sigh. "Look, I'm starting to understand that I don't really know what you dealt with back then. But... I know you, Dare. I know how strong you are and how fiercely you protect the new Timberwolves. And I remember how you were back then when you were dating Chase." Her voice was small and quiet, making my eyes heat and my throat thicken. "You weren't you back then. The look in your eyes got hollower, deader every fucking day I saw you, and I knew it was because of him. I used to sneak into your room while you were sleeping just to check your pulse and make sure you hadn't killed yourself when it all got too much." Her voice broke over that confession, and I could hear the tears in her breathing.
Try as I might, I couldn't find the words to reassure her. I couldn't tell her she was wrong, that I hadn't thought about ending it all hundreds of times. But I never did it, because of her. If I was gone, who would save my little sister from the same fate?
Seph sniffed loudly and drew a breath. "But then shit changed. You... did what you did. And even though you withdrew and became all cold and mean, I was relieved because since that day, you’ve never once looked like you were giving up again." Her voice stopped wobbling, and I could practically see her pulling herself together. She was a fucking strong woman in her own right; I just never told her that.
"It's not Chase," I whispered to her, not trusting my voice fully. "I don't think so, anyway. It's... complicated. I guess. But even if it were him, he'd be in for a nasty surprise if he expected to push me around again."
Seph gave a sharp laugh. "No shit. You'd flatten his ass. Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I think this weird cougar thing you've got going with Lucas is good for you. You’ve changed since you met him, and even though I thought it was Zed you'd been fucking, I knew someone was being good to you. Someone had finally been let in and showed you that you were worth loving. 'Cause you are, Dare. I hope you know that."
A hot tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek, rendering me speechless.
"I'm just..." Seph continued, oblivious to the way her words had just struck me dead in the heart. "I was angry at you for Zed and Cass. You were screwing a high school senior while those two gods amongst men have been pining after you for-freaking-ever, and I thought you were making a big mistake. But I dunno. Now I'm choosing to accept anyone who can make you smile like Lucas clearly does."
I gave a harsh chuckle, sniffing back the tears that welled behind my eyeballs. One more heart-felt statement from my bratty little sister and I was likely to dissolve into a puddle of emotions.
"Well, don't write them off yet," I told her with a dry groan. "Things are... complicated."
There was a pause on the phone, then Seph let out a high-pitched squeal of excitement. "Oh my god!" she shrieked. "You're totally fucking all three of them! Ugh, Dare, did I ever tell you you're my idol? Maybe now you'll stop cunt-blocking me so I can get a reverse harem relationship of my own. I'm so left out right now."
I could hear the exaggerated pout in her voice, and I grinned. "Don't count on it, little sister."
She whined a protest, then yawned. "Okay. I need to go to bed; it's like one in the morning here. Demi is taking us into Florence tomorrow to visit the Galleria dell’Accademia and look at some giant stone dude’s tiny dick. Reckon that's okay, or did you want to go threaten the statue of David not to show me his junk?" The sass was back, and my chest flooded with warmth.
"Don't tempt me, brat," I warned her. "Is Archer around somewhere to talk to me?"
She made a grossed-out sound. "Trust me, you do not want me interrupting him and MK right now. I'll tell him to call in the morning."
I snickered again. "Fair enough. I love you, Seph." My voice was hoarse, and as I said it, I realized how painfully infrequently I told her.
Enough that there was a stunned silence before she reciprocated. "I love you too, Dare. Don't die on me, okay? I still need you to teach me how to shoot, and Demi refuses to let me touch her guns."
I rolled my eyes and shook my head, even though she couldn't see my reaction. "Sweet dreams, kid. Send me some pictures from Italy, okay?"
"You got it," she promised, then ended the call.
I sat there in the foyer with my back pressed to the wall for a long time, replaying my conversation with Seph in my head over and over until I decided maybe I didn't need to murder Demi and Archer after all. Despite how bad Seph's eavesdropping could have ended, I couldn't stay mad considering how it'd turned out.
Eventually I pushed back to my feet and made my way through to the living room, where I found Lucas shirtless and grinding the coffee table as music poured from the speakers.
He froze when he spotted me watching, then grinned. "Hey babe," he said, sending me a suggestive look. "Wanna help me work on this combination? I need a focus point."
Seph's words about how Lucas had changed me for the better echoed through my mind again, and as I ran my eyes over him, my whole body seemed suddenly warm and floaty with an emotion I was totally unused to.
"I've got a better idea." I raised the hem of my T-shirt and stripped it off. "Show me that move you were just doing... upstairs."
His eyes widened with eagerness. "Upstairs, huh?"
I nodded, unhooking my bra to toss aside with my shirt. "Yup. So you have a soft landing if you fall."
"Oh," he replied, prowling across to me with a wicked smirk on his full lips. "Well, if it's in the name of safety." He stooped and scooped me up in his arms, drawing a surprised yelp from my throat.
"Lucas!" I objected. "Put me down; you're still healing!"
He just laughed and kissed me as he carried me upstairs. Damn it if his disregard for doctor’s orders wasn't still turning me on. I loved a bad boy, and Lucas was quickly losing his angelic shine.
Every day he spent with me, with Zed and Cass and the Timberwolves, his halo was becoming perfectly tarnished. Perfect for Hades.
30
Lucas was more than happy to show me just how much his range of motion and stamina had returned, fucking me stupid well into the night until we both passed out from sheer exhaustion.
He really was setting the bar high, I had to admit. Cass was going to have his work cut out if he wanted to get back into my panties after this week's strange behavior. And as for Zed... well... I was still too much of a stubborn b
itch to fully consider what it'd be like to fuck Zed for real. I didn't want to get my hopes up, even inside my own mind, only to have him buck the idea of sharing me in real life.
Zed simply didn't play that nicely with others. He was too territorial, despite how cordial he'd been with Lucas and Cass so far.
Unfortunately, no one sent that memo to my subconscious. So later that night I found myself deep in the throes of a sex dream starring me and three to-die-for sexy men, all naked and sweaty and—
A gentle clink of metal jerked me from my delicious fantasy, and my eyes popped open to find a large, shadowed figure looming over the side of the bed. Lucas's arm was still heavy over my waist, his soft breath tickling my back, so I acted on instinct and struck out silently.
My foot shot out of the blankets, catching my surprise visitor square in the crotch. He uttered a quiet oof as he crumpled but still reached out to drag me down with him as he hit the floor. The movement was so quick, so smooth, I slid straight out from under Lucas's arm and tumbled on top of my attacker without a sound. He rolled, locking me under his huge form and clapping a hand over my mouth with an almost silent chuckle.
"Hi, Red," Cass rumbled in my ear. His teeth nipped my lobe, then he suck it into his mouth. "I missed you."
So I could tell. Despite the direct hit his junk had just caught from my foot, he was having no trouble getting it up now that he had me naked and pinned beneath him.
I bucked under him as quietly as I could, trying to dislodge his weight but also not wanting to wake Lucas up. So okay, sure, I wasn't trying that hard. Sue me, I liked having Cass’s body pinning me to the carpet and his lips on my neck.
His kisses trailed down the line of my throat, sucking and biting my skin like he wanted to devour me, but his hand stayed tight over my mouth to prevent me from cursing him out. Smart man, he really did know me well. So surely, he'd have seen it coming when I bit his fingers to make him release me.
He snatched his hand away with a hiss, then bit my shoulder in retaliation. Prick.
"Screw you, Saint," I said in a harsh whisper, shoving at his strongly muscled torso. "You're on my shit list; you don't get to maul me in the middle of the night."
He raised his head up slightly, peering at me in the moonlight leaking through the half-closed windows. "Hmm, I see."
In a smooth motion he rolled off me and surged to his feet, pulled me up along with him.
"Cass—" I started to protest, but he was already pulling me out of the room.
I shot a quick look back at Lucas, but he was still sound asleep and hugging a pillow where I'd just been—proof he’d had a hell of a lot less darkness in his life that he could sleep through the quiet noises Cass and I had just made.
Once we were out of the room, Cass closed the door with a barely audible click, then turned to me with a flash of determination across his face.
"Don't give me that look, Grumpy Cat," I snapped—quietly—and folded my arms under my breasts. The fact that I was totally naked sort of changed the whole tone of that gesture, though, something Cass must have agreed with because a second later I found myself slung over his shoulder as he strode down the hall to the bathroom I'd adopted as my own.
"Cass, put me down," I ordered as he stepped inside and shut the door. He didn't bother turning on any lights, and he didn't really need to. The full moon outside was bright enough that we could still see.
He didn't answer me and didn't put me down. Instead he reached into the shower, cranked the water on, and stuck his hand under the stream to check the temperature. When I struggled against his strong grip around the backs of my thighs, he slapped my ass with a wet hand, and I gave an embarrassingly sexual moan.
Whoops.
He heard it too, if his dark chuckle was any indication. His fingers kneaded my stinging butt cheek, caring but rough as fuck.
Dammit if I wasn't soaking for him, despite my irritation at his absence all week.
"What are we doing, Cass?" I demanded, letting my voice raise slightly louder now that we were away from Lucas's bedroom. "How'd you even get in here? Did Zed bring you home?"
He tested the water again, then turned his face to give my hip a teasing bite. "Nope. Last I saw him, he was still at Anarchy, beating the shit out of some punk-ass kid for being caught with angel dust."
Alarm shuddered through me, and I tried to push out of Cass's grip. "What? Why didn't he call me?"
Cass stepped straight into the shower—still fully dressed—and deposited me under the warm stream of water. "He did. You didn't answer." The water quickly soaked through his T-shirt and jeans, plastering the fabric to his body like papier-mâché, and I was glad for the darkness to hide the way I eye fucked him.
I frowned, wanting to argue his point, but then I realized my phone was downstairs somewhere. I'd left it down there after my call with Seph, then spent the rest of the evening riding Lucas's monster cock like I could fuck away all the potent emotions my sister had stirred up.
"He's got it handled," Cass assured me, grabbing a fluffy sponge and squirting a crapload of body wash onto it. "I might not be the biggest fan of Zayden De Rosa, but he's a fucking solid second."
I scoffed a laugh as he started running the soapy sponge over my skin. "Bullshit. You and Zed are quietly involved in a bromance; don't even try to deny it. All that mutual respect and shit." I tilted my head back, letting the water soak through my hair as Cass paid particular attention to washing my breasts. Especially my nipples. They seemed to need a whole lot of cleaning.
"Mmm," he replied, not agreeing but not disagreeing.
"He'll kill you for breaking into his house, though." I swiped water from my face to give Cass a hard look. "How did you break in?"
The big, tattooed bastard just smirked.
I rolled my eyes and reached out to pluck the saturated fabric of his shirt away from his washboard abs. "So, what are we doing in here, hmm? You've all but ghosted me for the whole week. I'm tempted to kick you out on your ass."
"You won't though," he murmured, dipping his head to kiss me slowly as his soapy sponge trailed lower down my body. His lips moved against mine, his tongue tangling in my mouth and making me temporarily forget my annoyance with him.
"Cass..." I breathed his name as he released my mouth. His sponge had made it between my legs, and I was about three seconds away from grinding against it like I was in heat. "What's going on?"
My hands slipped beneath his wet T-shirt to grip his smooth sides and pull him closer into me. For all the answers I wanted about his behavior, I couldn't fight the physical magnetism between us.
"Right now, Red," he murmured, continuing to scrub every little inch of me with his sponge and totally ignoring his own state of dress. "I need to wash the smell of Lucas from your skin so that when I get you all sweaty and wrapped around my dick, I can pretend you're entirely mine."
Oh yup. Yeah, that was a quick way past my guard.
He dropped the sponge, backing me further into the water as his fingers took over the task of washing me. Or... getting me dirty again, depending on your perspective. His long digits slid inside my still aching pussy, stroking me as I shuddered in his arms.
"Jesus," I hissed when my cunt throbbed in response to his touch.
Cass let out a low, dark chuckle. "Nah, just a Saint."
"Oh my god," I groaned, pushing back from his grip to glare at him. "You did not just dad-joke me while fingering my pussy. Fucking hell, Cass."
His lopsided smirk was way too damn sexy in the low moonlight, and I tugged his wet shirt up. "This needs to come off," I informed him. "Right fucking now."
He quirked a brow at me but did as I asked, stripping the soaked fabric over his head and displaying his fully inked upper body. "Anything else while I'm letting you give the orders?"
I scoffed, reaching for the waistband of his black jeans. It took more effort than usual to unbutton them, given how saturated they were—not to mention the way his erection strained the seams.
"You really love tempting fate, huh? Take the rest off, and I'll think about letting you fuck me tonight." I tilted my chin back, my eyes meeting his with a clear challenge.
Cass gave a slow shake of his head, dragging his thumb slowly over my lower lip like he was giving me an opportunity to dial back the sass. He should have known better, though. I just took it as my chance to double down.
"Or maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just head back and wake Lucas up with my lips around his dick. Maybe I'll let him finish what you've started here... seeing as I'm so damn wet."
Cass's eyes narrowed, and in a lightning fast move he spun me around and slammed me into the shower wall hard enough to knock a little air from my lungs. His hot, hard body blanketed me, his lips against my ear and his hand around my throat.
"You're mine right now, Red," he growled, his jeans rough on the backs of my legs and his chest hot against my shoulders. That was all the warning he gave before he slammed his cock into me from behind, grunting as he slipped inside my wet, throbbing cunt.
The sudden intrusion made me gasp, but I arched my spine and pushed back into him, silently demanding more. My whole body still ached from my extended fuck session with Lucas, but that didn't stop me from melting under Cass's rough touch. He held me firm, one hand around my throat and one hand on my hip as he slammed into me a couple of times. Then he kicked my feet out further, spreading my legs wider as he increased his pace, fucking me until I was a moaning, panting mess against the shower wall.
He released my neck, his hand sliding down my front to play with a nipple as I shuddered and thrashed under his touch. I was so damn close to coming I could barely even form sounds, let alone words.
"Do you think about what I wrote in that letter, Red?" he asked me in a darkly seductive whisper, his short beard scraping over my shoulder as he kissed and bit my neck. "I do. All the time."
I moaned, bucking my hips when his fingers found my clit. "Yes," I panted.
His fingers stilled. As did his hips. Fuck.
