Protector (The Brannock Siblings Book 4)

by Jessica Wilde

  "I don't know where to start. I want to be everywhere all at once." He lowered his head to her breast and muttered, "Beautiful."

  Isabelle shuddered at the first touch of his lips on her sensitive skin.

  "So soft," he whispered and wrapped his lips around her hardened nipple.

  The feel of his touch was too much and not enough. She buried her hands in his hair and pulled him against her. He lavished her breast with wet kisses, sucking and biting until she writhed beneath him. Then he moved on to the other.

  She clawed at his shirt, needing to feel his hot flesh against hers. In seconds, he removed his shirt and dropped his pants to the floor. When he slid back over her, they both groaned as their skin finally touched. The pleasure took her breath away.

  "Liam..."

  He glided his fingers down over her ribs and back to her hip, holding her against him. Two pieces of clothing was all that separated them.

  "Isabelle, you feel so..."

  "Please, Liam."

  He lifted off of her, their harsh breaths the only sound in the room as he curled his fingers under the band of her panties and drew them down her legs.

  "Lord, help me," he growled.

  Izzy felt a blush rise in her cheeks as he raked his eyes down her body.

  Another rumble sounded in his chest. "Ye've no idea how many times I've wondered if that scarlet color covered yer entire body. Now that I know it does, I'll never be able to stop thinking about this."

  She looked away, her bottom lip tucking under her teeth again.

  He brushed his fingers over her chin and gently tilted her head back toward him. His thumb tugged her lip away from her teeth as he said, "Having the image of you in my mind, your soft skin flushing that beautiful red just from my touch; I could die a happy man right now."

  The corners of her mouth turned up.

  "But not yet," he added with that crooked smile.

  He kissed her wildly and slid his arms beneath her. She didn't know when he'd taken off his underwear, but she was grateful he had. She couldn't stand another second of separation.

  They moved against each other in a tangle of limbs. He slid his hand between her legs, cupping her and pressing his fingers against her sensitive flesh. When Izzy thought she would finally burst, he pushed a finger inside of her and lights flashed in front of her eyes.

  Her muscles clenched and released over and over and a cry tore from her lips. Liam held her tightly as she trembled, patiently waiting for her to come back to earth.

  "That was... I don't know what that was," she said lazily.

  "That was only the beginning, love."

  She felt him, hot and hard, sliding over her until he shifted and pressed inside. She stretched uncomfortably the deeper he went, but he whispered soft words of reassurance every time her body stiffened. With a final push, he was seated fully inside of her and the pain she'd been expecting was trivial compared to the feel of him making them one.

  "Yes," Izzy breathed.

  "You're mine, Isabelle. I'm not letting you go."

  He started to move, sending her back into a frenzy. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on for dear life.

  Never let me go.

  Their skin glistened with sweat and their moans and cries drowned out everything else as they lost themselves in each other.

  Izzy felt the pleasure climb higher and higher, taking Liam with her. Then she fell over the edge and he was there to catch her.

  "God, Isabelle!" Liam called out.

  There was no pause, no worry of what might happen when they came together. Just a feeling that they were now whole.

  And when their hearts finally slowed and their eyes started to close, the only thoughts running through Izzy's mind, were of Liam.

  Her other half. Her protector.

  Chapter 10

  Liam

  Present day...

  Liam didn't realize until that first night with Isabelle that she was the missing piece to everything in his life. He'd had the plans, the dreams, but she brought it all together.

  She didn't care about money and she didn't care about things. She just wanted happiness and he spent the rest of their years together making sure that's what she got. She did the same for him.

  Sure, there were bumps along the way, but nothing they didn't face together.

  That next week with Isabelle was like a dream. One that was forever ingrained in his memory. He spent the nights with her, making love to her, exploring her body and soul, and soaking in every possible moment.

  They forgot everything else. Even the fact that she hadn't called Christopher to check in. A part of him had worried that their time would be cut short, but it stayed in the back of his mind.

  His family welcomed her with open arms and Liam had never been more grateful for meddling parents. They both did everything they could to suggest that she stay with them, especially after Liam's conversation with his father. They knew the general situation and neither one of them was prepared to let Isabelle face it alone.

  Liam just didn't realize the lengths the man would go to have her and if it wasn't for his family, he would have lost her.

  It wasn't often that Liam thought about Christopher Hampton these days. He hated the man, but that was all. He and Izzy spent their years together with no thought to him except when it was necessary. It was a promise they made to each other and one he would continue to keep.

  He had more important things to think about. Like the family he and Izzy had made together and the life they both wanted for Conall, Fergus, and Aislinn.

  The stain the man tried to put on their lives was just that. A spot in time. A scary spot, but a spot all the same.

  The anniversary of Isabelle's passing was only weeks away and his children would need him now more than ever before. Especially Aislinn, who was due any day to give birth.

  "Do you think Shady will collapse in the delivery room?" Gus asked Conall when Liam walked into the living room.

  Conall shrugged with a smile. "Who knows? He seems like he could hold on for a while. I don't even want to think about what it will be like when Emily goes through that."

  The boys both looked toward Liam.

  "Don't even ask," he insisted with a shake of his head. "I'm not helping you with this part of your lives. Not after the headache you two have been since Ash has been pregnant."

  They both laughed and started betting on which of them would give up the fastest during labor.

  Liam watched his boys banter back and forth, seeing so much of Isabelle in both of them. She may have been raised not understanding what a man should be like, but she'd been a pro at teaching her boys the right way. They were loving and compassionate, but fierce. Liam was proud of them and watching the tender way they each treated the women in their lives was something he wished Izzy could see with her own eyes.

  He heard the front door open and glanced over just as Aislinn waddled through. Her belly was big and round and Liam worried that if anyone bumped into her too hard, she would pop. She was two days past her due date and the weariness showed on her face. Luke walked in right behind her with a gentle hand on the small of her back. He looked just as weary.

  "Hi, Daddy," Ash smiled.

  Liam stood and wrapped her in his arms. "Hello, my beauty. How are you feeling today?"

  Ash chuckled against his chest and pulled back. "Like I've got a watermelon in my belly that's ruthlessly pressing against my bladder every minute of the day. It's like she's already testing my patience."

  He smiled down at her and put a hand on her rounded belly. "Well, if she is anything like her mother, she'll keep testing you for the rest of your life."

  Ash playfully smacked his shoulder then rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Then I'm screwed."

  He laughed and shook his head at her as his hand landed on her swollen belly once more. Ash was screwed. This baby had Isabelle written all over her and not only in name. He felt a kick against the palm of his hand
and a lump formed in his throat. These were the moments he cherished with his Izzy.

  Ash sighed and touched her side. "She is trying to break my ribs, I just know it."

  Liam greeted Luke while Fergus and Conall took their turns hugging their sister and teasing her about how big she was. Liam almost took back the pride he had felt in his sons when they didn't stop poking Ash in the belly. She looked about ready to rip their throats out until Aiden and Emily finally pulled her away from them and helped her into the kitchen.

  Luke smacked both Gus and Con on the back of the head.

  "Seriously? I should just let her kill the two of you."

  Conall gripped his own chest, feigning hurt. "You wouldn't dare."

  "I would, but then you wouldn't experience what I'm going through, so I'll make sure you live. Watching the two of you suffer through a pregnancy is going to be much more satisfying."

  Luke followed the women into the kitchen while Gus and Con grumbled about pregnancy being a piece of cake. They would learn soon enough.

  Luke returned to the living room a few moments later with a bag of chips in his hand and sat on the couch next to Gus. Gus helped himself without asking and Luke shook his head.

  "Ugh! What are these?" Gus exclaimed, spitting the chip out into a napkin.

  Luke smirked, "They're chips."

  "No they aren't."

  "Yes they are."

  "Chips don't taste like that, Shady."

  "Like what?"

  Gus looked offended, "Like cardboard sprinkled with stale salt."

  "These do," Luke stated, popping another one into his mouth and chewing slowly.

  Gus snatched the bag away from him and studied the front of it, then looked at Luke like the man had just grown a second head. "Reduced fat?"

  Luke rolled his eyes and took the bag of chips back. Conall and Liam just watched with grins on their faces.

  "Ash is trying to be healthy, especially since the baby will be here any day now. She's trying to get into a habit."

  "And you?" Gus asked. "Why are you eating cardboard, too?"

  Luke ate another chip and shrugged, "I'm supporting her."

  Liam could tell that he hated the chips, but he hid it well from the others.

  "But they're diet chips," Gus argued.

  "So?"

  Gus just stared at Luke in shock while Conall shook his head at the both of them, then glanced toward Liam who just shrugged.

  Gus continued to stare at Luke, brows furrowed in disappointment.

  Luke just rolled his eyes. "What?"

  Gus shrugged and raked a hand through his hair. "Diet chips. Never thought I'd see the day."

  "Come on, they aren't that bad."

  Gus went back to staring at Luke, making him squirm in his seat. Luke ate another chip before shoving Gus away and scowling at him. "What the hell are you looking at?"

  "Nothing," Gus answered with another shrug. "I'm just waiting for you to sell me some Girl Scout Cookies. I could really go for some Do-Si-Dohs about now."

  Conall covered his smile, but Liam could see his shoulders bouncing up and down with laughter. Luke didn't think it was funny at all and threw the bag of chips down on the coffee table before tackling Gus and smacking him on the back of the head several times.

  "Get off me!" Gus shouted, laughing hysterically while attempting to fight off Luke. They were both strong, but Luke was stronger and always had been, making Liam wonder why Gus enjoyed pushing his buttons so often. He was so much like Colin, most of the time.

  "I'm sorry! Okay, I'm sorry," Gus yelled and covered his head with his arms.

  Luke gave him one last shove and returned to his spot on the couch, picking up the bag of chips on the way. Gus and Conall were still laughing and Luke was obviously fighting a grin.

  "I'm supporting your sister. This isn't my choice. When Aiden gets pregnant, I guarantee you will do whatever the hell she says." Luke glanced over at the kitchen doorway, making sure the girls were out of earshot before he quietly said, "Your sister is terrifying. Pregnancy is making her crazy and I'm not about to piss her off over a stupid bag of chips."

  Gus nodded in agreement and schooled his expression. He looked serious, all laughter gone, as he leaned in towards Luke and clapped him on the shoulder. "I get it, man. I do."

  Luke sighed, "Thank you."

  Gus leaned back and looked at Conall with a wink before turning back to Luke. Liam almost stopped him, but then, how would the boy ever learn if his father kept trying to save him?

  "So," Gus said casually. "Where is the catalogue then?"

  Luke's brows drew together, "What?"

  Gus cleared his throat and shifted away from Luke, readying himself to make a run for it before the words even left his mouth. "The Avon book. You aren't selling cookies, but I bet you're making a killing with the nail polish."

  Conall burst out laughing and Liam couldn't hold it in any longer. Luke was still trying to process what Gus had said, but they all saw the moment the meaning sank in and his entire body clenched, ready to pounce on his friend and beat the shit out of him.

  Before anything could happen, Ash shouted from the kitchen.

  "Holy shit!"

  The men froze, each of their ears straining to hear what had happened.

  They all turned as Ash quickly waddled out of the kitchen with Aiden and Emily at her sides. "Ummm, Lucas?"

  Luke practically leapt over the couch to get to her, the diet chips and Avon comments forgotten. "Are you okay? What happened?"

  Ash smiled at him but it quickly disappeared when she bent over and her face scrunched up with pain.

  "She started having contractions," Emily said while she held Aislinn's hand. "A big one just hit."

  Luke pulled Ash into his arms and rubbed her back while she breathed through the contraction. Gus and Con were right behind him, ready to do whatever was ordered, but they both looked nervous. Luke carefully lead Ash toward the front door and Liam found his keys on the hook by the kitchen. They would need to get to the hospital fast if she had another contraction in the next few minutes.

  "Alright, Baby. Just breathe. How far apart are they?" Luke asked gently and continued to rub her back.

  Ash looked up at him, her gaze distant as she tried to calculate the time between contractions. The sound of liquid splashing made every pair of eyes drop down to the area of wood floor beneath Ash.

  Gus and Con practically jumped away, clinging to each other with expressions of horror on their faces.

  "Umm, Ash. You just peed," Gus pointed out, looking pale and terrified. Liam wanted to smack him in the back of the head like everyone else had over the years.

  "It's not pee, you moron!" Ash shouted. "My water just broke."

  The next five minutes were a flurry of activity and by the time they got Aislinn in the car, Liam was sure his boys would be unconscious when their children came into the world and not because they would pass out from the anxiety, but because their wives would knock them out in a heartbeat.

  They had crowded around Aislinn and Luke, trying to help where they could. It was Aislinn who screamed at them to get the hell away from her and they finally did.

  They looked worried about their sister, but Emily and Aiden stood beside them muttering the reassuring words they needed to hear.

  The drive to the hospital seemed like a lifetime and Luke spent the entire time coaching Aislinn with her breathing, adjusting her in the back seat to a more comfortable position and making sure the doctor knew they were on their way.

  He did better than Liam ever had and he would have to remember to tell Aislinn when she wasn't in the middle of bringing a new person into the world.

  Liam dropped both of them off at the emergency entrance and took only a moment to park the car. By the time he got inside, they were wheeling Aislinn down a long hallway.

  She waved back at him, her eyes bugging out with fear. "Go to labor and delivery, Daddy. They're taking me up there now."

 
; He gave her a reassuring smile and pulled out his cell phone to let his boys know where to go. Then he prepared himself for a long night of waiting.

  ***

  "She's here! She's finally here!"

  Liam looked up from a magazine to see Luke jogging toward them.

  Con, Emily, Gus, and Aiden all arrived shortly after Aislinn was set up in a delivery room. They had been waiting for several hours already with consistent word from Luke on her progress.

  "How much does she weigh?"

  "How long is she?"

  "Why the hell aren't you in there with my sister, asshat?"

  The questions all flew at Luke, but it was that last one from Gus that made him pause.

  "I thought you'd all want to know that-"

  "Yeah, we did, but for the love of God, what if one of the doctor's makes a move on her? She's got her legs wide open, who's to say they wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability?"

  "Gus, I think-"

  "I don't care what you think. Get your shady ass back in that room and keep those vultures away from my little sister!"

  Liam held back the laughter while Emily and Aiden both rolled their eyes and sighed. Luke just looked like he was really confused.

  That is, until Conall spoke up. "He's right, man. I saw the way that doctor looked at Ash." He shrugged and added, "He may not be taking advantage of her now, but he might be writing her phone number down and her husband is no where around to stop him."

  The matter of fact way Conall spoke made Liam even wonder what was going on back there. Luke's eyes bugged out and his face reddened before he spun around and sprinted back down the hall.

  "You both are so mean," Aiden sniggered.

  "It's good for him," Gus replied and winked her way.

  Those two just loved to cause trouble.

  Emily looked at Liam and shook her head. "They're hopeless."

  "Thank God your doctor is a woman," Conall said to Emily, kissing her on the forehead.

  Twenty minutes later, a nurse walked into the waiting room and informed them that Mrs. Shade wanted all of them to come meet her daughter. Gus smirked when Con asked the nurse why Mr. Shade didn't just come tell them himself.