Passion, Victoria 8: Hidden Emotions (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

  He was still worried sick about her health but since Ryan had explained everything, he felt a little easier about it. He and his brothers would make sure she got plenty of rest, took her medication, ate regularly, and didn’t consume any caffeine or alcohol. Maybe they should get rid of all the beer in the fridge. He and his brothers couldn’t very well go drinking around her if she wasn’t allowed to have it. He would have to suggest that later to them when they were alone.

  “I don’t know…” Sapphira drew in a ragged breath.

  “Talk to us, baby,” Kael demanded. “We can’t help you unless you tell us what you’re thinking.”

  “What am I going to do for work? How am I going to work if I’m going to fall asleep at the drop of a hat? I was on my way to Castlemaine to apply for a job and I don’t even remember pulling over to the side of the road or falling asleep.” Once Sapphira started talking, it seemed that she couldn’t stop. Kadan and his brothers listened as she told them about losing her parents at a young age and then living with her grandmother and then her death four years ago.

  When Kadan realized she was only twenty-four, he began to feel like a bit of a cradle snatcher, but Sapphira was very mature for her age. Maybe that was because she had been through so much already and was now having to deal with her sleep disorder. Whatever it was, he wasn’t willing to give her up, and from the look on his brothers’ faces as she talked, they weren’t either.

  Kadan had never felt this way before. He felt more lighthearted than he had in such a long time. Serving in the Army had made him into a hard, cold killing machine just like Kael and Kai. Kai dealt with his issues behind humor, which seemed to work well for him, but he and Kael had become so jaded he didn’t think he had any emotions left inside.

  But then Sapphira had come along and his life had changed instantly, and not just for him either. Kael had actually laughed and smiled, and it had been so long since Kadan had seen his older brother by ten minutes do that, he’d nearly fallen over.

  “And how does one woman keep four men satisfied?”

  Sapphira’s last question drew him back to the present. He had to bite his tongue to hold in a chuckle when he saw how red her face was.

  “Baby, you don’t need to worry about that.” Kael rubbed her arm. “It’s our job to satisfy you, not the other way around.”

  “But…”

  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, sweetie,” Kai brushed a strand of hair back off her face.

  “Kai’s right, honey.” Ryan squeezed her hand. “If you decide to be with us and only want to do that one on one, then that’s okay.”

  “If you want to be with two or more at once then that’s what we’ll do,” Kael said.

  “How…” Sapphira gulped.

  “How what, legs?” Kadan asked, but he had a feeling he knew what she was about to ask.

  “If I do this”—she gasped for a breath—“and I want to be with all of you. H–how is that even possible?”

  Kadan decided that Kael had had their woman long enough. He needed to feel close to her, too. He nudged Kael’s arms away, placed his hands on her waist, and lifted her over onto his lap.

  God, she feels so right in my arms. I never want to let her go.

  “You’ve had sex before, right?” Kadan asked and looked up to see his three brothers watching Sapphira avidly.

  “Umm, yeah.” She answered but Kadan heard the uncertainty in her voice and wondered what was going on. Surely she knew whether she’d had sex before.

  “Sapphira, have you had sexual intercourse with a man, before?”

  “Yes,” she sighed.

  Kadan was still confused over her first response but he would come back to that. “Okay, then. Have you ever had anal sex?”

  “No,” she gasped and her face turned a bright red hue.

  “Relax, legs, we would never force you to do something you didn’t want to. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she sighed and relaxed again.

  “A woman has three holes, right?” Kadan knew he was being a little crass and abrupt but that was the sort of man he was.

  “Jesus, Kadan, can’t you…” Ryan said.

  Kael interrupted Ryan. “Ryan, let him explain. You know what we’re like and we can’t and won’t change for anyone.”

  Kadan didn’t know how to use flowery words or euphemisms. He said what he thought and even though he wanted to use softer words for her, he wasn’t sure he knew how. Plus, it was best that Sapphira got used to his brashness and understood him from the first. He didn’t say things to make her mad or uncomfortable, he just wasn’t used to tempering his words and he wasn’t about to start now. She either liked him the way he was or this was never going to work.

  “Y–yes.”

  “Right. So if you agree to be with us and want us all to make love with you, then one of us would fuck your cunt, the other would be in your arse, another in your mouth, and maybe you could use your hand to jack the other off. But if one of us came too soon, whoever you held in your hand could take their place.”

  “Or if you want you can be with two at a time,” Kai interjected, gave her a lascivious grin, waggled his eyebrows, and winked at her.

  Sapphira opened her mouth then snapped it shut again.

  “You don’t need to make a decision now, honey.”

  “Ry’s right, baby.” Kael rubbed a hand over her head. “Think about it for a few days and if you decide to stay, well, just know that I think you can make us all very happy, and we’ll do our damnedest to make you happy, too.”

  * * * *

  She was beginning to feel sleepy but she was also anxious. She had no idea what to make of what Kadan had told her, but she wanted to be with them more than anything. But before she agreed, she needed more time to think things over. And there was the matter of her finding a job. She wasn’t about to let this narcolepsy and cataplexy rule her life. Sapphira was used to working and earning her keep and she wasn’t about to change that. She needed to pull her weight and contribute to the household. Especially if she decided to stay. Lucky for her, she’d ended the lease on her apartment in Melbourne and put what little furniture she had into storage. She’d never had many clothes and was able to fit all of it into two suitcases, along with a few personal effects. Even though her luggage was in the guest bedroom, she hadn’t even bothered to unpack it, since she hadn’t expected to be staying.

  “I’m hungry and getting tired.”

  “We need to get to the diner so we can feed our girl.” Ryan smiled and helped her to her feet. “When we’ve had some food, how about I take you back home so you can take a nap?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Kadan stood up, taking her with him, and then he lowered her feet to the floor. Once she was steady, he glided a hand down her arm and held her hand. He led her out of the office and Sapphira saw one of the construction workers looking at her funny. She glanced away quickly, not sure if she was imagining things or not. He had been looking at her like he knew her or something, but that wasn’t possible. She’d never even met the man.

  When they entered the diner and sat down, Sapphira noticed that there were quite a few tables with one woman and two or more men. Seeing the other ménage couples was comforting and made her feel a little less conspicuous. After they had finished eating and Kael paid the bill, they all walked her and Ryan back to his SUV. Kael helped her into the car and put her safety belt on. And then he kissed her long and deep before stepping back for Kadan. Kadan’s kiss was a lot wilder than Kael’s and by the time he lifted his mouth from hers, she was so damn horny it was a wonder she didn’t come there and then.

  Kai pushed Kadan aside and then he, too, planted his mouth over hers. His kiss wasn’t as wild or hungry as his brothers had been. It was soft and tender and loving but no less arousing. When he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, she could see his desire for her but there was so much more in that look, too. Before she could decipher it, he closed the car door and step
ped back. Ryan reversed from the car park and began to drive them home.

  * * * *

  Sapphira opened her eyes and realized she was lying on the bed with a light blanket over her. She must have fallen asleep again, because she couldn’t remember anything beyond Ryan pulling out of the parking lot. She had no idea how much time had passed but by the look of the sun, it had been a few hours. She cursed the sleep disorder that kept interrupting her life because she had planned on talking with Ryan about finding work. But who in the hell would employ her if she kept falling asleep on the job?

  Just as she flung the covers aside the bedroom door opened and Ryan came in.

  “Hi, honey. How are you feeling?”

  “Good. Ryan, I’m sorry…”

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Ryan placed a glass of water and her medication on the bedside table and sat down beside her, his hip touching hers. “Sapphira, you need to stop being so hard on yourself. You can’t help falling asleep.” He brushed the hair back off her forehead. “I would have woken you earlier but I figured after such a stressful morning, you needed to wake up on your own.”

  “Are you sure that you’re okay with this, Ry?”

  “If the ‘this’ you’re talking about is sharing you with my brothers then yes. I’m more than okay with it.”

  She reached out and gripped his hand. “I just don’t see how I can be enough…”

  “Honey, I know you don’t know us very well, but believe me, you’ve already worked miracles with my brothers.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Ryan scooped her up off the mattress and onto his lap and into his arms. She loved it when he or his brothers held her like this. She felt like…she belonged somehow. As if she was where she was meant to be. It was like she was home. But what worried her most was that she was already beginning to fall for the four Sinclair brothers, and if things didn’t work out she would end up with a broken heart. What hurt more though was the thought of never experiencing their loving touches. Sapphira already knew she was going to consent to be with them but first she needed to establish herself. She needed to find a job and hopefully after she explained her sleep disorder to whoever she was going to work for, they wouldn’t look at her like she was an alien or something.

  “My brothers have only been out of the service for a few months and I was so happy that they wanted to move here. I missed them and worried that they would end up hurt or even dead while serving our country. They were lucky enough to come home unscathed, at least physically, but they are a lot harder and colder than I ever remember them being. War does things to a man’s mind and emotions. God only knows what they saw or had to do to survive but none of them are the same.

  “Kadan and Kai have always been very blunt and a little crass but Kai’s worse than ever. He uses humor to cover up what he’s really feeling. Kael was always more serious than the other two but he was never cold and used to smile often. The only time I’ve seen him smile let alone laugh was the other night with you. And Kadan was always a mix of Kai and Kael. He had his moments when he laughed and was serious and he was a really ladies’ man and he used to love to socialize, but he’s closed himself off. He’s been more animated since I brought you home.”

  “Have they seen someone to help them deal with what they saw while in the Army?”

  “I don’t think so, and I thought of suggesting they go to counseling but I knew I’d be wasting my breath. You’ve been good for them, honey. They’re slowly getting back to the way they used to be. I’m not naïve enough to think they’ll ever be the same but you’ve made such a huge difference. I don’t know what would happen to them if you decided to leave.”

  Sapphira hugged him tight, buried her head into his neck, and nuzzled his skin with her nose. “I don’t want to leave.”

  Ryan’s arms tightened around her and then he threaded his fingers into her hair and tilted her head back. “You don’t?”

  She looked deeply into his eyes and saw hope there. Sapphira’s breath hitched in her throat and she was about to kiss him, but he placed a finger over her lips.

  “You need to take your medication, honey.”

  She was glad that he had stopped her because if she had started kissing him she wouldn’t have wanted to stop at just a kiss, and she wasn’t sure starting anything without the triplets present was the right thing to do. Ryan slid her back onto the mattress, reached over for her tablets and water and passed them to her. After taking her pill, she followed him out to the kitchen.

  “I need to find a job.”

  “You don’t have to work if you don’t want to, Sapph. We have enough money to be able to support you.”

  “I want to work, Ryan, but I’m not sure anyone would want to employ me now.”

  “What was the job you were going to apply for?”

  “A receptionist in a vet clinic.”

  “Did you want to work there because you want to be near animals?”

  “No, although I love animals. I got fed up living in the city and decided to make a move to the country. I put what little furniture I had into storage packed my clothes and headed out. The rest you know.”

  “The triplets will be opening their office soon. Although they’ve already got clients and do most of their work online. When the office is open they’ll probably need someone to answer their phones and help out with the paperwork. I’d love to be able to offer you a job, honey, but the lady I employ has two kids and her husband hurt himself on the job and can’t work anymore. She needs to be able to pay the bills and feed her kids.”

  “I don’t expect you to put someone out of work just to employ me, Ry.”

  “I know that, sorry, I’m just so used to explaining every little thing. Must go hand in hand with being a doctor.” Ryan began to rummage in the freezer. “What do you think about steaks cooked on the barbie for dinner and salad?”

  “Sounds wonderful. Do you want me to make the salads?”

  “If you feel up to it, but I want you to eat something first.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  Ryan gave her a stern look and then handed her an apple. Even though she wasn’t hungry, she knew she needed to eat regularly so she wouldn’t get too tired and fall asleep. So she bit into it and glared back at him. Ryan just smirked and then put the steak in the microwave to defrost.

  After she’d finished her apple, she got out some new potatoes, washed them, and cut them up into large chunks and put them in a saucepan, covered them with water, and put them on the stove.

  “What are you doing?” Ryan asked as she got out some eggs and put them on to boil.

  “Making potato salad.”

  “Oh boy, we love potato salad. You’d better make a big batch because I can guarantee we’ll be going back for seconds.”

  Sapphira had already cut more than enough potatoes so she just smiled. When she was finished, she’d made a potato salad, a tossed salad, and coleslaw. She and Ryan had moved around the kitchen and each other as if they had been doing it for years.

  By the time the triplets arrived home, all that was left to be done for dinner was to grill the steaks. Kael, Kadan, and Kai greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and then Kai grabbed four beers from the fridge. When he saw her watching him he grimaced and then began to put the bottles back. Sapphira knew straight away why he was doing that and stopped him.

  “Kai, it doesn’t bother me to see you and your brothers drinking beer or any other alcohol for that matter. As long as none of you drink to excess I don’t have a problem with it.”

  “It’s not fair on you,” Kai said.

  “Why?”

  “Because you can’t drink and we’ll be drinking in front of you.”

  Sapphira got off her stool, walked around the counter, and hugged him around the waist. “I’ve never touched alcohol and don’t intend to start, but that doesn’t mean you guys can’t enjoy a drink after work.”

  “Never?” Kadan asked as he came up behind her, t
he front of his body pressed against her back. Goose bumps rose up on her skin, her insides did a little dance, and her pussy clenched and dripped cream.

  “Never,” she said and cleared her throat when it sounded a little hoarse.

  “Are you sure it won’t bother you, baby?” Kael asked as he moved to her side.

  A shudder ran through her body and she couldn’t contain it. She knew that they’d noticed because Kadan’s arm held her tighter and Kai drew in a deep breath.

  Ryan moved in close on her other side and she was effectively surrounded by hard male bodies. Her breasts swelled, her nipples hardened, her womb quivered, and more juices leaked out onto her panties.

  “Sapphira wants to find a job.”

  Chapter Six

  “Where?” Kai snapped out his question. His heart stuttered in his chest and his muscles grew taut with tension.

  When she pushed out of his arms and walked back around the counter, he wanted to haul her back and hold her tight against him. After being in the Army and working in the Middle East and seeing death and destruction everywhere, having Sapphira in his arms was like coming home. She was soft and feminine, beautiful and sexy, but she was also home and hearth. The thought of her leaving to go look for a job had his guts in knots and pain piercing his heart.

  “She…” Ryan began.

  “I can speak for myself, Ryan. I’m not an invalid,” Sapphira snapped.

  Ryan looked at her sheepishly. “Sorry, honey.”

  Sapphira nodded and smiled at him before looking back at Kai. He looked like he was ready to punch something and she began to get anxious. She’d never seen him act that way before and was a little taken aback but also a little frightened, but then she remembered what Ryan had told her about his brothers and wondered why he was afraid. But when she recalled she hadn’t told any of them that she wanted to stay, wanted to try a relationship with them, she knew why he was acting the way he was. He was uncertain about her. Uncertain that she wanted to stay. She looked over at Kadan and then Kael and noticed they looked just as tense. Ryan was the only one still relaxed and he smiled at her encouragingly. She’d already told him that she was going to stay when she said she wanted to find work. To know that these three big, brawny, dominant men were uptight because of their uncertainties toward her made her fall a little more for them. And she decided that she couldn’t keep them in suspense another moment.