Oak, Sophie - Siren Reborn [Texas Sirens 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 33
Mason reached around her, putting his hands on Cole’s hips as he thrust up, completing the circle between them. They were together and whole and safe and Kitten let go.
The orgasm took her like a storm, bashing against her and rolling like an inevitable wave of pure sensation. She cried out again and again as the pleasure took her.
Mason stiffened under her, flooding her pussy with his cum as he pumped into her.
Cole thrust in one last time, giving her everything he had as he went deep. He collapsed on top of her, sending her sprawling on top of Mason.
As the afterglow set in she realized this was where she’d always wanted to be, between her men, warm and safe and happy.
Epilogue
One Week Later
The door to the bride’s room opened and Kitten turned, happy to see the man she’d asked to see. Julian was resplendent in his tuxedo, but then he always looked perfect to her. They were all waiting in the chapel, her whole family. Dani was sitting in the pews holding Chloe with Finn at her side. The Barnes-Fleetwood family had come along. Lexi and Aidan and Lucas had driven up from the country. Leo had hugged her, wishing her well before he joined Shelley and Wolf. Georgia had flown in from New York with her husbands, Seth and Logan. Even the Bliss crowd had stayed an extra week. Callie had said she never missed a wedding.
Her bridesmaids were waiting—Tara, Marcy, Haven, and Nat. They were standing outside, waiting for the ceremony to begin, but she had one last thing to do before she became their wife.
A bride always needed one last talk with her father, after all.
“You look beautiful, dear.” Julian sighed as he stared down at her.
She felt beautiful. She felt like she glowed from the inside out. In a single week, she’d managed to plan a wedding and enroll in college and find volunteer work that served her soul. “I started training with a local women’s shelter.”
“What are you going to do for them?”
“I’m going to be a rape crisis counselor. I’m going to be on call so I can advocate for women when they’re brought in to hospitals and I can follow up and help them through. Do you know why I’m doing it?”
Julian gently brushed back a stray piece of hair. “You want to give back.”
“I do. I want to be there for someone else because I had so many people there for me. I shouldn’t have, you know. I didn’t really have many friends. My parents thought I’d done it to myself. I should have been alone, but I wasn’t. I realized something, Sir. I realized that even though I was given a hard lot in life, I was also sent everything I needed to survive it. I was given a father who didn’t really love me.”
Julian sighed. “Your father had many problems, sweetheart. You can’t take his bitterness in the world as a reflection on yourself.”
She shook her head. “I don’t because I realized that when the family we’re given doesn’t work, we can find a new one. I was given a father who couldn’t love me, but I found one who could. Julian, I know I acted out and even told you I hated you once.”
It had been right after Chase had turned her down that terrible night when she’d just wanted someone to hurt her. She’d been so desperate. Julian had taken her into his office and explained her restrictions. She’d had her one and only real fit and told him she hated him and that he was just as bad as the man who had taken her. He’d been calm and patient and taken a firm stand.
Julian Lodge was the reason she’d been able to go to Cole and Mason with a whole heart.
“I knew you didn’t mean it.” He took her hand.
“You knew I didn’t hate you, but you have to know how much I love you.” Tears welled in her eyes. “You gave me a place to find myself and time to figure out what I needed. You gave me a family. I love you, Julian. I will always consider you to be my father.”
“Everyone seeks to make me feel old.” But he tugged her into his arms, hugging her gently. “I love you, too, Kitten. Watching you bloom has been a true joy for me. And if those men of yours ever step out of line, you know who to call. You always have a home with me and Finn and Dani.”
“Julian, I’ve been thinking.” She’d talked about it with Cole and Mason, but she’d only this morning made the decision. She’d stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself in a white gown with lace and pearls and knew she was a different person than she’d been before.
It was time.
“About?”
“I was Katherine before. My parents liked the formality of the name. They never used nicknames or shortened it. I was Katherine Taylor. And then I was Kitten and nothing else.” Sometimes her captivity seemed so far away and others it was like yesterday and she sought out her Masters’ warm arms to keep the memories at bay. “I think I need to be Kate now. I think I need to be Kate Roberts forever. Do you think they’ll like it?”
Kate. It was somewhere between Katherine and Kitten, a mix of her past and future. A woman was a mixture of all the things she’d learned and the good and bad that had happened to her. Kate was the woman who had come through the fire and found the beauty on the other side. Kate was the one who had found love.
“I think Kate is a lovely name.” Julian leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “They will love Kate.”
The door opened and Nat poked her head in. “It’s time, hon.”
Kate nodded. “I’m ready.”
Julian stepped to the side and held out his arm for her to take. “If I’m your father, then I claim the right to walk you down the aisle.”
She threaded her arm through his. It was more than she could have hoped for. “I would love that.”
The music began as Julian escorted her out. She came to the aisle and looked down. Cole and Mason were waiting for her.
“Shall we?” Julian nodded, and the quartet Mason had hired began the march.
Kate nodded, too full of emotion to speak. She walked down the aisle, toward her future.
THE END
WWW.SOPHIEOAK.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A lifetime devotee to the written word, Sophie published her first novel in 2010. Prior to becoming a novelist, she worked in theater and comic books. Sophie is known primarily for her Texas Sirens series and Bliss, Colorado series. A lifelong Texan, she lives in Fort Worth with her husband and three precocious children, who wonder when mom is going to write a book they will be allowed to read. Her answer: probably never. Her books have won or placed in numerous writing contests including The Lories, the Passionate Plume, Heart of Excellence, and Aspen Gold. Her novel Bound: A Faery Story won Fantasy Romance of the year from EPIC. Sophie believes in happy endings for everyone, no matter how extreme the story. Her stories may feature some of the fringe elements of sexuality, but at heart they are always about love.
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