by Webster, K
Who are we without her?
I don’t fucking know anymore.
It’s been too long. Everything, for the past six years, has revolved around her. She started as a job, but from the first tear I swiped from her apple red cheek, she ensnared us all. Enchanted us with her need for our protection. She needed us more than anyone ever has, and in more ways than we’ve ever allowed ourselves to admit. We belong to her and she to us.
“What’s the plan?” Zac asks, distracting me from imagining all the ways I’m going to skin Ford alive. I want to be the one caressing her thigh or at least be close enough to watch her chest rise and fall as he does it.
I twist back in my seat and stare ahead at the lonely black highway. “Just get us there alive. Secure the property. Keep her safe.”
“And then?”
“Then we wait. You know the drill.”
“For how long?”
“As long as it takes.”
I must have faded out and fallen asleep because I wake to someone carrying me in the dark. At first, I panic until I realize it’s Leo carrying me from the Tahoe into a small cabin-like house. Everything is pitch-black aside from the moon shining through the thick trees, so it’s hard to make it out properly.
“It’s secure,” Ford says. “Place is fucking small as hell, though.”
Leo walks past him and up a set of rickety steps that creak under our weight. His feet thud against wood as we enter a darker space. It smells musty and old. Nothing like my expensive home back in the city.
“One bedroom with a bed and a sofa in the corner of the room in there,” Zac grunts from already inside in a dark corner, gesturing toward an open door. “Not much else. Tomorrow, we can make a list of supplies. Tonight we make do.”
Leo walks me into the bedroom and sets me down on a lumpy bed. It feels good to stretch out, though. I’m covered with a soft blanket I recognize the feel of from home. It’s chilly in the house. I grumble at the unfairness as I was dying of heat just this morning. With it being October, the days still get hot, but the nights cool off really quick.
“I’m fucking beat,” Ford gripes. “Some of us didn’t sleep on the way here.”
“Fuck off,” Leo bites back.
Sheesh, tempers are flaring.
“There’s room if you want to lie down,” I offer. “I don’t bite.”
Seb growls from somewhere else in the dark room, reminding me that maybe he does bite. I shiver again.
“We’ll take shifts. Two in here with her at all times,” Seb agrees. “Zac, you take the sofa and Ford can sleep on the floor next to Clo. Leo and I will keep watch in the front room. At daybreak, we’ll switch off.”
The men shuffle around and then someone curses. Then, the bed sinks down and Ford’s familiar scent envelops me.
“I don’t sleep on floors,” he tells me, his voice playful.
I bite back a laugh as he settles beside me. I’m cold and heat seems to radiate from him. Selfishly, I scoot closer to steal his warmth. He’s stiff at first when I slide my leg over his thigh and curl against him, but he eventually relaxes. I rest my palm on his hard stomach before letting out a sigh.
The couch squeaks as Zac sits on it and shuffling feet can be heard as the other two men step out of the room. My mind flits back to this morning when someone tried to mow me down. Just thinking about it causes me to shudder.
“You okay?” Ford asks.
“Yep,” I rasp out.
“Good. Sleep, babe.”
I quiver at the sentiment but try to obey. It takes a while and I finally start to drift off.
I try to climb over Ford, but he senses my movements just as I have one leg over his waist and my butt skimming over his groin. His hands grip hold of my arms and he tenses. The blue hue of the moonlight shining in on us from a small window in the room lights his face and the look in his eyes steals my breath.
“What are you doing?” he croaks, his voice strained.
“I need…”
“You need what?” he almost pleads, his grip tightening on my arms. I can’t help it. The sensations pooling in my gut have my ass dropping down on him. His growing erection sits in the crease of my ass cheeks and we both gasp at the contact.
“Lucky,” he grunts, his brows furling and jaw tightening. “What are you doing?”
“She needs to pee,” Zac suddenly snaps from beside the bed. I look up into his glare and shame washes over me. I’m acting whorish and reckless. These are the same men I’ve been around for years. As much as I want them to be my guys, in reality, they’re employees of my father. And men, real men. They’re not the soft, passive Williams of the world. They are fiery and masculine and feral. And way out of my league. I need to control myself.
“Come,” Zac barks.
Oh God. “What?” I almost salivate.
“Come on. I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”
Oh, of course that’s what he meant.
I slip my hand into one of his he’s offering and he steadies me as I climb over Ford, who hisses when my foot grazes his hard-on as I slide from the bed. Quickly, I slide on my shoes.
The floor thuds under our feet as we leave the room, coming into a small living space where Sebastian and Leo are sitting at a four-chair dining table.
“What’s going on?” Sebastian asks, rising to his feet, his piercing blue eyes alert and wary.
“She needs to pee,” Zac answers for me.
Leo flinches and scratches at his neck. “Yeah, about that…”
“What? There is a bathroom, right?” I jest, rolling my eyes.
Seb and Leo exchange looks before Leo stands. He pulls open the blinds covering a window.
“The woods?” I gape.
“No.” Sebastian tries to hide the amusement in his tone but fails. “But it is outside.”
“Why the fuck is it outside?” Zac demands.
“Because this place is old as shit, and all places up here were built with outhouses.”
I shift from foot to foot to try and alleviate the need to empty my bladder, but it just makes me need it more.
“Come on, I’ll take you,” Leo offers.
I look up at Zac and he shrugs. “I’ll piss in a bush.”
Leo takes my hand and leads me outside. The cold chill rips over my skin, chasing a shiver through my blood. “Want my jacket?”
“No, it’s fine,” I tell him with confidence and assurance. But it’s not fine. I’m outside to pee. I’m not a diva type, but I’m also not used to the great outdoors living aspect of being out here in the woods.
We round the small building and come to a tiny wooden shack-like structure. Leo pushes the door open and gestures with his hand at the toilet inside. It’s like a stall you’d see in a public bathroom, but way creepier and old. “No way.” I shake my head vehemently, snatching my hand from his and folding my arms over my chest.
“Just don’t think about it.” He shrugs.
My mouth drops open. “There’s no light. It’s like an upright coffin. I can’t go inside there,” I protest.
“It’s either in there or out there.” He nods to the tree line where Zac is perched up against a tree relieving himself.
Dammit.
“I’m not closing the door,” I grumble.
Leo chuckles and holds up his hands. “That’s fine. Leave it open. I’ll turn around so you keep your dignity.” He smirks as I squint my eyes at him.
Taking a couple of steps inside, I cringe at the dark space. I can’t see the condition of the seat in this light, but I’m betting it’s as run-down as the house. I turn to see Leo watching me.
“Ready?” he asks with a smile in his tone.
“I guess I have to be.” Lifting my skirt, I shimmy my panties down and try to hover over the seat without touching the walls with my hands or seat with my butt. I should do my squats because this is hard work.
“I don’t hear anything,” Leo calls out.
“It’s being stubborn.”
>
His frame shakes a little and then I watch his head dip before hearing the distinct sound of a zipper opening. Two seconds later, the sound of him relieving his bladder coaxes my own to relax. A sigh passes my lips as I relax. Just as I’m finishing, something drops on the top of my head. It’s big and moving.
A scream rips from my lungs as I bolt forward, my hands swatting at my hair. My panties are still at my knees and restrict my movements, causing me to tumble forward and hit the ground.
Leo is on me in seconds, trying to calm me down and assess the situation. In a flash, Zac is by his side, his features contorted with worry. “What happened?” he rushes out, looking all around me.
“Something was on me!” I cry out.
Heavy footfalls pound the ground until Ford and Sebastian are standing around me also, all four men looking down at me, scanning my body.
“There!” Ford shouts, pointing to something near my head. His foot lifts and comes down. “Spider.” He grins.
Yuck. A spider?
“Good job, hero.” Sebastian rolls his eyes at Ford in mockery.
I barely suppress a shudder just thinking about that thing crawling in my hair.
“Can you help me up?” I croak, my cheeks burning with humiliation.
Leo reaches down and gets me to my feet. My panties drop to my ankles and all four sets of eyes follow their trail.
Perfect.
I lift my foot to slip out of them because I’m pretty sure I peed on them and myself in my escape from the predator in the toilet. Before I can lean down and pick them up Zac does.
Oh my God.
“They’re wet,” he announces like it’s normal for this to happen. This is so far from normal. I’m about to combust as my entire body goes into a hot ball of mortification. And did Sebastian just groan?
“I got scared and ran,” I snap, defending the cause of the wetness. It’s the pee. I’m sticking with that.
“Fell,” Leo corrects. I hit my fist into his arm and he chuckles.
I hold my hand out to Zac, but instead of handing me back my panties, he walks off with them still clutched in his hand.
Erm…
“Where the fuck you going with those?” Seb barks, asking the question I couldn’t.
“Wouldn’t be the first pair of hers he’s stolen,” Ford jests.
My eyes widen. “What?”
“Nothing,” Seb growls. “He’s joking.”
Ford snorts, making me squirm. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and look at the ground because this is information I would have never expected of Zac. Was it a joke? It had to be a joke. Why would he want my panties? I’ve seen the women fawn over him in the past. He could have anyone’s panties.
“Let’s get inside,” Seb orders. “Dawn’s breaking and Leo and I need some shut-eye.”
We go inside and Ford groans from beside me as we pass the front door. I follow his line of sight to my panties hung over the fireplace being dried by the fire.
“I’m going to need some clothes. You didn’t even let me pack a bag,” I point out with a frown.
Leo strokes his hand down my back to comfort me. “We needed to get you out of town as soon as possible. We don’t know how big this threat is.”
Sebastian yanks off the shirt he’s wearing and tosses it on one of the chairs. My eyes greedily skim over taut skin and ripped muscles. I gulp as I follow the trail of dark hair disappearing into the slacks he’s unbuttoning.
Yummy.
“You hungry?” Seb asks me and I quickly swipe at my mouth to make sure I’m not dribbling.
“She looks it.” Ford grins.
“There’re some cans in the cupboard,” Seb says. “Zac, can you warm something up?”
Oh God. I can’t breathe right. It’s labored and rough. Do they hear it too?
“What are we going to do about clothes?” I ask again, all too aware that I’m without panties and wearing a skirt.
“We can get some things in a few days,” Seb assures me.
A few days are too many. I need new underwear. Now.
Leo disappears with Sebastian in the bedroom and closes the door, ignoring my utter mortification of Sebastian’s parting words.
They’re serious. A few days. This is going to be torture.
How can someone look ridiculous and fucking cute at the same time?
Wearing my oversized shirt and Ford’s boxer briefs folded a few times to keep them from falling down, Clove moves her knight to take out my queen. She jumps with a victorious squeal and I watch as her tits bounce with the movement.
Fuck. Being cooped up in here with her for four days has been a test for us all. Clove has grown irresistible over the last few years. She’s evolved into this woman who lures you in with her innocent personality and nearly kills you with those fucking curves of hers. A wet fucking dream for all of us. We’d all be lying if we said we haven’t thought about fucking her, enlightening her to what her body is capable of. I know I certainly have. And Seb, with a few beers in him, is all too quick to tell me every vivid detail of what he’d love to do to her.
“He lets you win,” Ford snorts.
Seb rolls his eyes and paces the perimeter of the small space.
“You got ants in your pants?” I growl to him.
“You don’t let me win, do you?” Clove asks, her jaw open and brown eyes wide.
“No, brat,” I say with a devilish wink. Of course I let her win. I get off from the elation on her sweet fucking lips.
“We should go to the grocery store today,” Seb says. “It’s almost two hours from here, so we’ll probably get back late. And then I can get online and check my emails. I put out the feelers before we left, so we should have some answers by now.”
Ford gets to his feet and stretches. “I’m down for that. I can’t eat another can of baked beans if my life depended on it.”
Clove practically runs to the bedroom and comes back a minute later wearing her skirt and shoes. “Let’s go.” She beams.
“When the sun sets,” Sebastian stalls, making her deflate.
“It’s only another hour,” I say to soften the sad look on her face. “Come on. I’ll try and beat you this time.”
We stop for a piss break somewhere around three in the morning. Seb says we’re about an hour away from being back at the small hunting cabin. We spent more time at the store than we planned with Seb having emails informing us that William was clean and that Ren character was spotted on CCTV elsewhere at the time of the attempted hit and run. As much as we wanted to make either of them responsible for being behind this, neither of them checked out. Unfortunately. I’d love nothing more than to put my fist through William’s prissy boy face. The plates on the car were fake so not traced back to anyone. Jack has been making appearances and doing interviews on the incident, even going as far as leaving a tearful plea to leave his daughter alone. The police are involved but have no leads either. It’s a stalemate. We need to keep her away until we discover who tried to ram her down. Perhaps it was just an accident, wrong place, wrong time, but the shady plates and them fleeing points to something more sinister.
My neck is killing me from being cramped in the back. I’m supposed to be watching Clove while they’re outside pissing. Now would be the time to switch up the seating arrangement. Ford or Sebastian can climb their big asses in the back. I’m done.
I unbuckle and maneuver to the middle bench seat where Clove sleeps. She trembles and it’s enough to have me removing her seat belt and pulling her slight frame into my lap. Once her head is resting on my chest, I drag the belt over us and snap it in. We’ve all been overstepping these last few days. Things are tense, or intense is a better word for it. Clove is like a ticking time bomb with her subtle looks. The way she squeezes her thighs together whenever she’s watching one of us shows how fucking ripe and horny she is. Pure little Clove has a hunger inside her that no punk like William Warner could satisfy.
I rub my big hands on every inch of her
in an attempt to warm her back up. She moans in appreciation, burrowing her face against my jacket. Once she seems more relaxed and is no longer shaking, I settle. My gaze drifts to the front of the tree line where Ford stands watching the road while Seb and Zac are locked in conversation.
With her hair right under my nose, I quickly grow intoxicated by her scent. The urge to touch her everywhere is intense. It’s always so fucking difficult to stay away from Clove Sterling. Hard as hell to remain professional when all I want to do is rip her clothes off with my teeth and fuck her senseless.
Possessiveness washes over me. I know I’m not the only one who salivates over our sweet girl. Seb practically growls like a goddamn caveman when she’s near. Ford blatantly checks out her tits and ass, all the while shamelessly flirting with her. And Zac, despite acting like he’s the professional of the bunch, eyefucks her so hard I nearly get pregnant just from watching.
It’s a problem.
Four men, hard as fuck all the time over one woman.
A woman none of us can have.
Fuck, being responsible sucks sometimes.
I can tell the moment she wakes because her breathing is slightly off. I wait for her to slide out of my lap or speak, but she remains still. My greedy hands rub her as though she’s still cold, lingering on her ass. Without thought, I kiss the top of her head.
Fuck.
The side door opens and I jerk my head to meet the agitated glare of Ford. I shoot him a You snooze, you fucking lose smirk that has him hopping in the front seat. Zac joins him up front, leaving me to deal with Seb.
“That’s not safe,” he hisses.
“She’s always safe with me,” I grind out.
Again, I wait for her to move, but she pretends to sleep. Good girl. I’ll keep you safe and warm.
