Heirs: A Contemporary RH New Adult College Dark Romance (The House Series Book 4)

by Rachel Angel

  I blinked. Again, I was referred to as the “key”.

  “Now I’m really curious how this will all work out,” I said.

  “I’m turning the corner on the road and will be at the manor in five minutes,” Sloane said. “Be ready to go on a hunt…”

  Chapter 6

  Kaley

  After talking to Mr. Sloane on the phone, I headed back into the manor.

  “Hey guys,” I called out. “Sloane will be here in 5 minutes.”

  Ash bounded down the staircase, wearing only sweatpants hung low on his waist, giving me a clear view of his tattooed chest, his washboard abs, and defined V lines going down his hips. His hair was wet from getting out of the shower making him hotter than hell.

  The whiff of fresh soap, and warm skin made my mouth watered.

  His beautiful blue eyes were staring into mine, enjoying how I was looking at him. “Like what you see?” he asked coming towards me.

  “When have I not?” I asked, my voice hoarse from wanting him.

  In an instance, his body was pressed against mine as he pushed me towards the edge of the console table behind me. Under the loose fabric of his sweatpants, I could feel his hard-on against my stomach. His mouth came up close to mine, hovering barely over mine.

  “I want to fuck you so badly right now,” Ash said. “I kept picturing you naked and wet with me in the shower as I stroked myself.” He swallowed. “I must have jacked off at least five times in there trying to get wanting to fuck you out of my system. But here I am, still hard as a rock, still wanting to fuck you to the end of days.”

  “Hey Ash, cool it,” Seb’s deep voice came over the top of the stairs. “Remember that provision.”

  Ash moved away from me and ran his fingers through his hair. “Damn it’s hard.”

  “Tell me about it,” Thomas said, coming from the kitchen. He had flour on his nose and cheeks.

  “What have you been doing?” I asked.

  “Baking,” Thomas said. “Making bread. Something to do with my hands. It’s therapeutic,” he said smiling.

  “I love what you can do with your hands,” I said, sniffing the air as the savory smell of fresh bread wafted through. I walked over to him, wiping his nose with my fingers, trying to get the flour off his face.

  “Yeah,” Thomas said, his voice suddenly husky. “I love what I can do with my hands on you,” he whispered to me. “I have to admit, seeing you with Sutton this morning and how he had his hands all over you, when I couldn’t, made me almost lose it. I want you, Kaley. And I want you badly.”

  “Believe me,” I said, “I can’t wait to get through this will, myself. Speaking of which, Sloane should be here right about now.”

  The doorbell rang just as I turned around to face the front door. I couldn’t wait to see Sloane, who was now like a dear friend of mine.

  I walked to the front door in quick strides with a big welcoming smile on my face, ready to greet the fatherly Sloane, before anyone else to get the door.

  When I opened the door wide to say “Hi,” I immediately wished I had checked the peephole or at least the camera before opening it.

  “Hi, Miss,” an old man with pock marks on his face and wearing a suit straight out of a disco-era movie with a giant bald man standing behind him, said. “Mind if we come in? We have business with the Keystones boys.”

  “Shit,” I heard Thomas said a distance away from me.

  Seb was immediately by my side as he pushed me out of the way, standing between the two strangers and me. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it to me here,” he said to them.

  The old man didn’t look bothered at all, but casually said, “Where’s the other son… the smart one who’s going to solve the puzzles?”

  Thomas was already standing next to Seb, having shoved me further back behind them, while Ash grabbed my wrist to pull me away.

  “Come on,” Ash said as he led me towards the kitchen, towards the secret room he had built for himself. “Hide in there until this is over.”

  “Who are they?” I asked. “What do they want?”

  Ash looked pale. “They’re bad news,” he said. “Very bad news. It’s better you don’t get involved. And it’s better they don’t think you are close to us.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Who are they?”

  “They’re bad people,” Ash said. “They think Dad owed them some debt, and they want to collect now, and from us heirs. They think we will have the fortune to pay Dad’s debt to them.”

  It dawned on me who they were now. The mob.

  So Sutton wasn’t lying about that. He was right.

  Immediately, I was worried for Seb and Thomas who were out there talking to them. I pulled out my phone. “I’ve got to let Sutton know,” I said.

  “Wait,” Ash said. “If the police gets involved, I know for sure we’re dead.”

  “But what are we going to do?” I asked. “Hold on… they’re here because you guys already negotiated something with them. That’s why Seb and Thomas acted like they knew who they were and why they were here.” I looked squarely at Ash. “Tell me what they want.”

  Ash said, “The inheritance in the will. That’s what they want.”

  “But we don’t even know what that is,” I said.

  “Precisely, that’s why they’re now interested with what’s going on with the will,” Ash said.

  “Oh…” I said. “So it gets complicated.”

  “Like hell it is,” Ash said.

  “Sloane!” I said. “I have to warn him not to come to the manor or they will see him.”

  I pulled out my phone again to call him, but saw a text flash by from Sutton.

  SUTTON: Guess who I stopped going way pass the speed limit on the road heading to the Keystone’s. Sloane.

  I looked over at Ash. Showing him the text before breathing a sigh of relief.

  KALEY: Where are you two now?

  SUTTON: On a side road away from the manor. I’m writing him a ticket.

  KALEY: You’re kidding. But good. He should learn to keep within the speed limit.

  Secretly I was relieved Sutton was distracting Sloane, even if he didn’t know it. Both of them were away from the manor and safe because of it.

  SUTTON: I missed you already.

  KALEY: It hasn’t been that long since you dropped me off.

  SUTTON: Any time away from you is excruciating. I want to keep holding you in my arms.

  Ash stiffened besides me. His eyes on my phone. “You’re really that close to him?”

  “Ash, I’ll tell you the truth,” I said. “I don’t know about him. I fell for him in the beginning, but then I learned a few things about him that made me distrust him, but then he’s proving to be right again, and…”

  “So you’re using him for his body,” Ash said.

  I smiled. “I guess you’re right,” I said. “How did you guess?”

  “Because it must drive you so wild and crazy to be this close to me, who you know is a Sex God, and not be able to fuck me. So you have to get a surrogate for all that pent up sexual frustration,” Ash said, cozying up to me.

  “Yes, it is so frustrating how I can’t have my way with you,” I said.

  SUTTON: You there, Kaley? Kaley?

  KALEY: Yes. How long are you keeping Sloane?

  SUTTON: He’s filling out paperwork. It usually takes a few minutes, but he’s reading everything through line by line.

  KALEY: That’s what a good lawyer does, Sutton.

  SUTTON: He must be a good one then. He seems to read everything. Nothing will slip by him.

  I turned to Ash, whose eyes were on my phone again. “Should I tell him about those guys? The mob?” I thought about it again, and before Ash could answer, I said, “I should.”

  KALEY: Be careful. The mob is here.

  SUTTON: WHAT???

  KALEY: Right now at the manor.

  SUTTON: Are you alright? I’m heading to the manor now.

  KALEY: Two men.
One older. One big. I’m hiding with Ash. Seb and Thomas are in front talking to them.

  SUTTON: Thx for the stats. On my way.

  Ash looked torn. “I don’t know if that was a good idea to let Sutton know.”

  I looked at Ash and said, “Why not? It was Sutton who told me he thought the mob would hit Keystone Manor. That’s why he took me away from Majestic Café last night. He wanted to keep me from going to Keystone Manor so I would be safe.”

  Ash’s mouth dropped. “Son of a bitch. He knew all that, yet he didn’t try to stop it? Man, if he was doing his job as an officer, we wouldn’t have gone through hell last night.”

  “What?” I asked. “What happened last night?” I asked, my face stricken with worry. “What happened?”

  Ash shook his head. “We were almost killed. Execution-style.” He shuddered. “If it wasn’t for Thomas and Seb being so quick and brave, coming up with something, we would’ve died last night.”

  “What did they come up with?” I asked, my hands reaching out to rub Ash’s shoulders. I pulled him close to me to hold him. I could tell he was really shaken up.

  “They have to solve Dad’s puzzles so we can get the inheritance to pay them back,” Ash said. “We only have less than a week or they will kill all of us.”

  My heart dropped. Not only was Sutton right about all of this, but it did confirm that Mr. Keystone was not who I thought he was.

  “Don’t worry,” I said, soothing Ash. “We’ll solve the will. I’ll do everything I can to help.”

  “That’s the thing, Kaley,” Ash said. “We don’t want you to be seen helping or doing anything with it. They don’t know you’re involved. Only the heirs. They want only us Keystones to pay. If they knew you were involved and what role you played, they’d kill you too, and…” he gulped. “That’s worse than anything they can do to us.”

  “So act like you guys mean nothing to me?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Ash said. “That you’re not our girl…that you’re not the love of our lives, which you have and always will be.”

  “Ash…”

  “No, I mean it, Kaley,” Ash said. “My life flashed before me last night when I thought I was going to die, but all I could think about was how much I loved you and that I wanted to tell you before I die.”

  “Ash…”

  Before we could help ourselves, Ash’s mouth crashed onto mine, and he was already on top of me, removing my top, my bra and my panties. The sweatpants he only wore was already off, and I felt him groan against me, the rumbling of his deep husky voice against my stomach as he made his way towards my core.

  “Ash…”

  “I don’t care what happens, I want you too much,” he groaned, his tongue already licking my folds.

  I moaned and arched my back as his warm mouth covered my core, licking, sucking and eating me like a starved man. “Oh Ash,” I closed my eyes.

  “I can’t get enough of you, Kaley,” he said, pushing his face into my mound. “Your smell,” he paused to let out a howl. “It’s pure sex. You’re pure woman.”

  He plunged his fingers into me as his body slid over mine, heating me with his hot and sweaty skin. My body began shuddering, as his fingers plunged in and out of me.

  “This isn’t enough for me, Kaley,” Ash breathed. “Fingering you won’t satisfy me after this drought of years without you.”

  “Ash… we…” I lost my voice as his thick hard dick pushed into me, rocking me to the rear. “Ohhh,” I moaned as he filled me fully, rocking in and out rhythmically.

  “Fuck,” Ash groaned. “This feels so good…” he pulled out and pushed in again and again until we were crying out. “Kaley, I can’t hold back.”

  Ash exploded onto me, as I climaxed. “Ash,” I sighed. “Oh, Ash,” I felt tears run down my cheeks. “I can’t believe what we just did.”

  Ash kissed me over and over again, saying, “I don’t care. It was worth it. I know what I did, Kaley. I broke the stipulations about having romantic relations with you, Baby. Even if I have to lose my inheritance, having you was worth it.” He kissed me on my mouth, his cheeks rubbing against mine. It felt wet, like mine. He had tears on his cheeks, too. “I would die if I didn’t have you, Kaley. One last time, before I die. The inheritance means nothing to me, if I can’t love you.”

  “I’m sorry, Ash,” I said. “I don’t want you to lose your inheritance. Anything.”

  “It was my choice,” Ash said. “I choose you over everything else, Kaley. You need to know that.”

  “Ash,” I kissed him back fully. “I love you too. So much.”

  “I know, Kaley,” Ash said. “I already know.”

  Ash wiped the tears away from my cheeks and got up. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up.” He led me to the bathroom in the hidden room and started the showers.

  As he washed me from head to toe, he made sweet love to me again. “I’ve already forfeited my fortune for you, Kaley,” he said. “I’m going to make the most of it.”

  “You will, will you?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he nipped at my ear playfully. “Again and again. Every chance I could get.”

  Chapter 7

  Kaley

  By the time we walked out of the hidden room, which I think even Seb and Thomas didn’t know about, freshly washed and dressed as though nothing steamy had happened; we heard voices in the living room. All different voices. Speaking in calm tones.

  “The first puzzle to solve involves one of my favorite childhood memories. I wish for all of you to get a taste of what it is. Solving this first puzzle will bring you to the next.”

  “Now that there was a will, there would be a way. So where would I find the key to a pie that would show me the way to a childhood favorite?”

  “We solved that one,” Thomas’ voice said.

  “What did you find?” an older man’s gentle but authoritative voice asked.

  Sloane.

  He was here. With the next pieces of the puzzles… the next parts of the will.

  I walked in, followed by Ash, who was now wearing a button down shirt and jeans.

  “Kaley!” Mr. Sloane smiled. “We were just starting.” He looked at Ash. “And Ash. Glad you two can join us.”

  Thomas shot Ash an undecipherable look. Did he suspect something?

  “Yes, glad you two are here,” he said.

  Ash looked around. “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Seb said. “We got rid of the traveling salesmen who were here earlier.”

  “Yeah?” Ash asked. “How?”

  “Told them to come back in a few days. We might be in the market for what they’re selling then,” Seb said.

  “Oh,” Ash said. “Good move. They were getting a bit too pushy.”

  “I’ll say,” Thomas said, looking annoyed. “But the date is still the same. One week. Now a day less. So, let’s not waste any more time. Mr. Sloane’s here to get to the next part. Let’s hear what he’s got to say.”

  Sloane, sitting in a leather armchair, took a sip from the coffee cup he had next to him on the side table. He took out his reading glasses from the pocket of his coat. “We were just going through the first clue,” he said.

  “Which we figured out,” Thomas said, anxious to move things along. “Kaley, why don’t you show Mr. Sloane what you found.”

  I walked over to Mr. Sloane, and pulled out the small gold key hanging on a black ribbon around my neck. “This is the key to the pie that was the childhood memory in the first clue,” I said.

  Mr. Sloane looked at the key, which he compared to a photo he pulled out from his briefcase. “This is it,” he said.

  “Good job, Kaley,” Ash said.

  “Thomas and Seb thought of the keylime pie from Majestic Café,” I said.

  “Looks like you all worked together to find the first clue,” Sloane said. “Did that help you work faster?”

  “Yes,” we all said.

  “We didn’t know where to start at first,” I sai
d. “But then when we got together, it all came together faster.”

  “Teamwork,” Sloane said. “More heads are better than just one.”

  “It’s one of the pillars in the Keystone corporate manuals,” Seb said. “Teamwork was important to Dad, especially amongst his people.”