Sully: An Irish Mafia Romance (The Brotherhood Book 3)

by Penelope Black

  “You’re going to make me come if you keep that up—” His words end on another moan as I roll my hips again and again. He tenses for a moment, and then I feel his hot cum inside me.

  He rests his forehead against my chest, his hair tickling my skin and his hot breaths fanning my pebbled nipple. “Goddamn, princess. That was fucking incredible.” He tips his head up, and that stupid-hot, charming grin covers his face.

  There’s something so disarming about his grin—probably because he so rarely uses it—but it melts my heart even further.

  “That was incredible.” I lick my lips, a flicker of worry creeping in on my post-orgasm bliss. “That was okay, right? You’re not hurt . . . or regretting it?”

  Sully places a soft kiss against my lips and slides my hair behind my ear. “It was perfect—you were perfect.”

  I grin and slide off of him with a small wince. “I’m going to go clean up. You stay here and rest, okay?”

  The way he looks at me, with love shining in his eyes, steals my breath for a moment. I haven’t seen that look in two long years. I spin on my heel and walk into the bathroom with a small smile on my face. It feels good to be his again.

  It feels good to be all of theirs.

  Twenty minutes and another shower later, I open the bathroom door, letting the steam pour into the bedroom again. I spy Sully’s naked sleeping form on the bed, and I decide to let him rest.

  I slip on a clean shirt from the top of his dresser and make my way toward the kitchen. I’m parched, and a milkshake would taste so delicious right about now. I doubt I’ll find a milkshake in their kitchen, but I’d settle for any kind of ice cream.

  I pause in the doorway to the kitchen when I see Rush and Wolf sitting at the table, each with a drink in front of them.

  Wolf swirls his glass tumbler around, so the ice cubes clink together before he takes a healthy swallow of the amber liquid. “You’re loud, baby girl.”

  Warmth rolls through my body, settling in my cheeks as I meet his gaze head-on. I’m not embarrassed, not really, but I’m still getting used to the idea of having all three of them. And I think they are too.

  “I’m not sorry,” I tell him with a halfhearted shrug.

  “Nothing to be sorry for, birdie. He’s just a little jealous.”

  I stare at Wolf, blinking a few times. “You are?”

  “Hell yes, I’m fucking jealous. But not like you think, so just relax that furrowed brow, baby girl. I’m just dying to get my hands on you again. What can I say? I’m fucking greedy.” He flashes a Cheshire-cat grin that’s a little too feral to be considered charming.

  “Well, okay then . . .” I trail off as I beeline for the freezer.

  “What’re you looking for?” Rush asks from behind me.

  “Ice cream? I was thinking of making myself a milkshake,” I tell him with my head inside their freezer. A tan, tattooed hand reaches past my face and pulls out a pint of strawberry ice cream. “My favorite,” I murmur.

  “I know,” Rush whispers, his breath stirring the damp hair next to my ear.

  A smile twists up my lips, and together, we gather everything we’ll need for strawberry milkshakes. By the time I make enough for the four of us and pour them out, Sully wanders into the room.

  “Ah, Sleeping Beauty is awake!” Wolf crows with a grin.

  “Fuck off, Wolf.” He doesn’t even look his way, his gaze is locked on me—more specifically, my bare legs underneath his shirt.

  I slide a milkshake across the island, and he snags it before it hits him in the chest. With Rush and I on one side, and Wolf and Sully across from me, I let the feeling of home settle into my bones.

  It feels amazing.

  And the urge that’s been riding me for a couple of days, the one that’s pushing me to protect this feeling, has me opening my mouth.

  “I’m ready to see my aunt, and then—then I think I’ll have to deal with Gallagher Industries.”

  “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together, birdie.”

  “Aye, as a family,” Wolf vows.

  “A family,” Sully says with a nod.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alaina

  I move the side of my Jurassic Park shirt, adjusting the strategic rips in the sleeveless shirt made to look like dinosaur claw marks. Taking Back Sunday's “MakeDamnSure” plays through the speakers from Sully's playlist, and I smile.

  Thinking about his specific song choice back at the cabin has me wondering if this song is intentional too. That man is like an onion, and all his layers are hard and thick.

  That's not the only thing that's hard and thick . . .

  I startle myself and a giggle slips past my lips before I can stop it. Jesus, I don't know what the hell has gotten into me. I'm on the way to see my aunt about my dead mother's last words, and I'm fantasizing about Sully's dick and giggling? What the hell is going on with me?

  Well, it is an impressive dick. I roll my eyes at my inner monologue, which still sounds suspiciously like Maddie.

  I sigh and stare out of the window. I'm sure I'm in some sort of denial, but I've always been able to compartmentalize. I'm a multitasker.

  We stopped at a boutique a few blocks away from their apartment so I could grab some clothes. We're going to swing by my dorm room after we visit Aunt Sloane, but for now, the artfully ripped shirt and light jean shorts will do.

  My toes tap along with the beat as they sing about making sure someone can’t leave, and my shoes catch my attention. Something shifts uncomfortably in my chest at the sight of the dirty shoes—is that a bloodstain? I tilt my head for a better look, and my chest eases when I see it's just dried mud.

  My all-white Vans are looking a little worse for wear, but they'll be just like new after I wash them. Another reason I love my Vans? They go with just about everything.

  I hadn’t given much thought to my outfit when I bought it, but it just occurs to me that I’m meeting one of my mother’s last living relatives—her twin sister—to discuss her funeral arrangements in a shirt designed to look like a raptor ripped it.

  My mother, who was so concerned with appearances, dressing to impress, and acting however she deemed appropriate. She’d be incensed if she could see me now.

  A chuckle escapes me, the idea so amusing in an ironic sort of way.

  Wolf slides his hand across the space between us in the backseat. It settles against my thigh, his warm palm squeezes once. I look to him, humor dancing across my lips. His brow creases with concern.

  “You okay, Alaina?” Rush asks from the driver’s seat as we pull into the valet line in front of my aunt’s building.

  “Yeah,” I sigh out the word. “It’s just . . . ironic.”

  I meet Rush’s gaze in the rearview mirror, his eyes narrowed, and I wonder if he thinks this is where I lose it. I bet they’re all just waiting for me to break.

  I wouldn’t be surprised. I mean, that’s what I’m kind of waiting for too. It’s a weird notion, waiting for yourself to have an emotional breakdown. One caused by the death of your mother and the confirmed death of your father.

  “Fuck. I’m an orphan.” The words are pulled from my soul before I even have conscious thought to let them.

  Heaviness settles on my shoulders and grief weighs me down. My eyes unexpectedly well with tears, and I chuckle, this disbelieving noise that sounds harsh to my ears.

  I flick the tears off my face, and I look between these three men. Rush and Sully are twisted around to face me and Wolf has turned his whole body to face mine. Emily James sings a haunting melody in the background.

  “I don’t even know why I’m crying. It’s just so . . . unexpected, ya know?” I blow out a breath and stare at the car’s ceiling to stop the tears from sliding down my cheeks. “Orphan. I’m an orphan.” The words are low in the quiet of the car. They taste foreign on my tongue.

  “You make your own family, princess.”

  My breath hitches as I stare at my first love. His face is open—
his whole demeanor has softened toward me. I think we turned a corner last night, him and I. A gift in the middle of such chaos.

  Wolf squeezes my thigh once and steals my attention. His teeth dig into his bottom lip. “Mary and Maddie. Your aunt. Us.”

  “We’re your family now, baby.” Rush’s voice is firm, that goddamn commanding quality I love coating every syllable.

  “And you’re not alone.” Those four words feel like a promise from Sully’s lips.

  I meet each of their gazes and nod. Two tears roll down my cheeks with the movement.

  A knock on the window pops the tension swelling in the car, and as one, we all turn to look at the valet standing next to Rush’s door.

  Rush holds up a finger to the man and looks over his shoulder at me. “Ready, baby?”

  I inhale and blow out a breath as I meet his gaze. “Let’s go.”

  Rush stares at me for a moment before turning back to the valet and opening his door.

  “We’re here, Red, yeah? We’re right here, and if it’s too much or you’ve had enough, you give me the signal, and we’re outta there. No questions.”

  I unbuckle my seat belt, lean over the middle seat and press my lips against Wolf’s in a quick kiss. I pull back a little, my lips brushing against his as I tell him, “I don’t know what I did to deserve you guys. Thank you.”

  Wolf curls an arm around my lower back and sweeps me into his body. He rests his forehead against mine. “It’s us who are undeserving, baby girl. But we’re also selfish assholes, and I’m hoping that by the time you realize that, you’ll already be so in love with us that you won’t even think about leaving.”

  I smile, a small laugh bubbling up at his ridiculous words. I pull back, and my smile freezes when I see his expression. I expected a teasing smirk or a cocky smile, but there’s neither. His plush lips are in a straight line, his eye contact unwavering.

  I trace my finger over his cheekbone and down to his bottom lip. “You’re serious.” It’s not a question but a realization.

  Wolf parts his lips and scrapes his teeth over the pad of my finger before releasing it. I let my hand drop, marveling at the ease in which we touch one another. The physical act of touch is something I didn’t know I was missing until Wolf came into my life. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  The door opens behind Wolf, and I hear Rush’s voice. “As a heart attack, Alaina.”

  “I don’t like that phrase,” I say, but I’m distracted by this revelation. I mean, I knew they were into me. Exchanging hushed declarations of love in the heat of the moment is one thing. But this feels like more than that. This feels like they’re teasing me with the promise of forever.

  “Noted,” Rush says as he opens the door wider. Wolf slowly lets go of me before he turns to get out of the car. I follow behind him, squinting as the summer sun beats down on us.

  I follow Wolf and Rush around the car to find Sully talking to the doorman. They shake hands and he opens the door for all of us.

  “Ms. McElroy, nice to see you again.”

  I nod and offer him a small smile. “Thank you, Cliff. It’s nice to see you too.”

  The air conditioning chills the lobby of my aunt’s apartment building, a stark contrast to the weather outside. Goosebumps trail down my arms as I approach the desk.

  “Hey, Cheryl. Is my aunt in? I guess I should’ve called ahead.”

  “No problem, Ms. McElroy. Let me just ring her and see if she’s available,” Cheryl says with a smile.

  The thought of correcting her crosses my mind. I’m not a McElroy, not really. But I guess it doesn’t really matter right now, so I let it go.

  I look over my shoulder at the three men at my back while we wait. Dressed in jeans and tees, they could be mistaken for your average all-American boys.

  Until you saw the tattoos snaking out from underneath their sleeves and collars. The cloud of danger that hangs around them, the matching scowls, and the aura of power that seeps from their pores.

  Then your instincts kick in, and you know better. I’m not sure what that says about my instincts if they’re beating down my door, telling me to run to them. Not away from them.

  I let the smirk tip up my lips as I take them in together like this. Almost as if they can hear what I’m thinking, all three of them fold their arms across their wide chests and smirk.

  “Ms. McElroy? She’s ready for you,” Cheryl says, stealing my attention from my three dark gods at my back.

  I offer her a smile that doesn’t feel as forced as it did earlier. “Thank you.”

  We walk to the elevator at the back of the lobby, and the doors open immediately. All four of us step on, and Rush leans over and presses the twenty-three button.

  I quirk a brow. “I’m not sure that I should be surprised that you know what floor she lives on, but I am.”

  Rush’s grin is his only response. Wolf laces his fingers with mine, and in an unexpected move, Sully slides his palm against my other hand. I look down at our hands as he slides his fingers in between mine. His grip on my hand is firm, and affection surrounds me. It feels like sunshine on a cool spring day, warming me from the inside out.

  I tilt my head to look at Sully, expecting to see his eyes on me, but he’s staring resolutely ahead. His gaze never strays from the closed elevator doors in front of us.

  I bite my lip and look back at our joined hands. I remember the first time he held my hand.

  “I made a playlist for you.”

  The elevator slows and dings as the door opens, bringing me out of my memory. Both of them let go of my hands as I stride out of the elevator first.

  Squaring my shoulders, I walk to Aunt Sloan’s apartment door. Just as I bring my hand up to knock, the door opens.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alaina

  My aunt stands in front of me in leggings and a baggy sweatshirt, face makeup-free and splotchy, hair in a haphazard ponytail. Even though she was never as intense about appearances as my mother was, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like this before.

  “Oh Alaina!” she cries before a sob breaks free. She throws her arms around me, pulling me into her apartment.

  Tears spring to my eyes as I wrap my arms around her middle, squeezing her tight. In some regards, Aunt Sloane was more of a mother figure than my actual mother was.

  And while my heart hurts for me, it’s a different kind of hurt for her. She lost her twin sister, and I can’t imagine the kind of pain she’s in. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Maddie or Mary. I don’t even want to entertain that depressing thought.

  She pulls back and cups my face. “Oh, sweet girl. It’s alright. We’ll be alright.” She places a kiss on my forehead and runs her hands over my shoulders and down to clasp my hands.

  “I’m sorry, Aunt Sloane,” I murmur, squeezing her hands back.

  She pulls back, her gaze straying over my shoulder. I don’t need to look to know what kind of picture the three of them make standing side by side. I can feel them at my back, their presence rolling over me like a wave—a powerful and comforting wave.

  “And who do we have here?” Aunt Sloane pulls back and lets go of my hands. She sweeps her palms over her hair, smoothing any flyaways and stray locks back. Her shoulders straighten and she fiddles with the collar of her oversized sweatshirt. “Well, if I’d known you were bringing company, I’d have dressed for the occasion.”

  “What happened to Alejandro?” I ask with a raised brow and a smirk. I’m not surprised she’s checking them out—I mean, she has eyes. Plus, she’s known for her taste in younger men. She’s mostly harmless.

  Aunt Sloane stops adjusting her sweatshirt and looks at me without a lick of embarrassment? “What?” she asks with a shrug. “I’m still a woman, Lainey.”

  I roll my eyes. “Right, well, these are my—” I cut myself off and glance to the side. Labels are such a funny thing. A few years ago, calling someone my boyfriend suddenly meant something more than just a guy who was my f
riend. It meant there were feelings and emotional connection.

  But what do you call what the four of us have?

  What do you call an emotional connection that binds you to three different men equally?

  Mine.

  I look at Aunt Sloane, holding her gaze and say, “Mine. These guys are mine. Wolf, Rush, and Sully.”

  Her lips twist to the side, and she regards me with a twinkle in her eye. “Well then. Just give me a moment to freshen up, and I’ll have Alejandro grab us some coffee from that cafe down the block. He’s currently . . . resting . . . but I think he’ll be up soon anyway. Make yourselves at home.” She calls the last line over her shoulder as she walks through the sunken-in living room and down the hallway toward her bedroom.

  Mary and Maddie have rooms down the same hallway too, but they rarely stay here. Most of the year is spent at school with me, and they usually travel during the summer with their mom.

  As soon as she’s out of sight, I feel them close in on me. Rush steps into my back, his body pressing against me from my thighs to my neck. I shiver as he snakes his hand in front of me, sliding it up my stomach and between my tits, resting against the hollow of my throat.

  I grin and tip my head back before he asks me. He rewards me with a low growl against my neck, his lips vibrating against the sensitive skin behind my ear. He slides his lips up to my ear and whispers, “Yours, baby?”

  I turn my head toward him, his stubble scraping against my cheek. Arching my back, I press my ass against him and feel his cock lengthen in response. “Yes, you’re mine.” The words come out as a hiss against his skin, and his fingers flex in response.

  “You’re playing with fire, baby girl.” Desire coats Wolf’s words.

  Arousal floods my veins, and I twist to look at him. Wolf and Sully stand next to each other to my left, and the matching looks of hunger on their faces steal my breath for a moment. We’re walking a fine line, the four of us. One day, something—or someone—is going to snap, and the three of them will pounce on me together.