“Why don’t you find yourself a nice Irish girl? That’s what you need. Or do what your brother, Dylan, did. You can hardly tell that Angie has Mexican in her.”
Out of the barest respect to her age, Gavin bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from calling her a goddamn racist. And Angie was part Latina. He wasn’t in the mood to give her an Ethnicity 101 lecture on the difference.
He crouched down to meet her eye to eye, so she wouldn’t miss a single word. “Nana, Sienna will soon become my wife.” She jerked her chin up, lips puckered in distaste. “She has accepted me,” he waved out at the parade of overly liquored up people around them, “despite all of this crazy.” Receiving an indignant huff and a harsh look away with arms folded at her chest, Gavin stood up. “Whether you choose to accept that or not is up to you. It won’t change those facts.”
Spotting Caren entering from the hall, he went to her. “Where’s Sienna?”
“I showed her to the bathroom earlier. We took a walk in the greenhouse. On our way back, we spotted Uncle Niall disposing innards over by the shed. She headed back to the bathroom. I’ll give her a few minutes.”
“No, I’ll go. Look, I have to make a run for Pop. I need you to keep an eye on Sienna for me.”
“Pop already put me on entertainment duty before you got here. He figured if you showed, you’d likely have one of your friends, maybe Dax with you, so you would have an excuse to leave. He wanted you to stick around for that meeting.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed. “Of course he did.” It was like their pop, always calculating his opponent’s next move. Even his sister was in on the ruse. They’d all played him.
“We just didn’t expect you’d bring your girlfriend. You’ve never let us meet any of the others before.”
Looking around at the wild bunch, that’s why. “Caren, you know how this party can get. Watch out for Sienna, got it?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep her company. She’s so sweet, Gav. I can’t believe you’re engaged.” She gave him a tight hug.
“Thanks.” It was still shiny brand new to him as well. If only he could take a moment to enjoy the feeling.
Gavin strode off down the hall. Hearing his name called, he turned. Abela was making her way toward him. “Abby, hey.”
“You haven’t called me that in a long time.” She came up and draped her arms around his neck, her hips pressing in.
“Abby . . . Abela . . . ” Her body coaxed him back against the wall.
“Gav, what we did wasn’t wrong.” Delicate fingers snaked in his hair at the nape. “We have history, a good, long history. What you think you have with her doesn’t come close to what we have together.” A seductive grin creased her lips as her hand slid down his chest, skating onward along his stomach to his cock.
Gavin tried to jerk his hips back to escape her determined fingers, but the wall at his back impeded the action. “Abela, stop this.” He reached down and gripped her hand, and the other went up to dislodge her arm secured around his neck.
A few steps down the hall, the bathroom door opened and out stepped Sienna. Her eyelids fluttered for only a moment before setting them fixed as she aimed her footsteps directly in their path.
Gavin quickly came out of Abela’s hold. “Hey, sweetness, I was looking for you.”
“Not very hard, I see.” Her stark gaze shifted to his right. “Abela, will you excuse us.” Her tone was deceptively soft contrary to her dark, laser-lock, no nonsense stare. He knew that look all too well and what it meant. He or Abela, or more likely the both of them, were about to get an ass-kicking.
Abela delivered Sienna a hard study from head to feet, then turned back to him. “Gav, we’ll continue our conversation later.” She delivered an eye roll at Sienna, turned, and strutted off with an exaggerated sway in her red shorts that scarcely covered the rim of her pale ass cheeks.
They remained silent until the hall emptied out.
“You fucked her, didn’t you? And I can see that barely-there tank top and those ass-grabbing shorts she chose to wear today were for you, too.”
She shot him an accusatory look of disgust. When he didn’t answer, a hard shove to his chest with both hands let him know her full irritation.
“Ew, she’s like your sister. That’s just gross. This place is wild. And I thought my family was messed up.” She shook her head, her eyes rolling upward then landing rigidly back on him. “This is next level bat-shit crazy.”
Gavin couldn’t defend himself or his fucked-up family. He only said, “I’d had too much to drink when it happened with Abela. It was only once . . . over a year ago . . . after Dylan’s wedding.”
“Double ew, and she evidently wants to hook up with you again.”
Her look of repulse added to his shame. “It won’t ever happen again, believe that.”
She fisted his polo shirt and jerked him close, pinning narrow eyes upon him. “It fucking better not if you want to keep that exceptional appendage of yours swinging between your legs, got it?”
He could see she meant every word, yet a smile broke across his mouth, unable to help it. He was bordering on masochistic because he found her Amazonian, kick-ass attitude so fucking hot. “You’re vicious, woman.”
“Believe that,” she mocked, her glower finally waning.
Palming her cheeks, he kissed her slowly, then with a sudden eager need to devour her sweet mouth, his tongue snaked within, deepening the kiss. For long minutes, he enjoyed her, while ignoring the occasional intrusion of people traipsing up and down the hall, then drew away from her deliciously soft lips with much effort.
“I swear you get sweeter with each kiss.”
A light brush of her thumb stroked across his moist lips. “You’re pretty yummy yourself.”
“I want to apologize for how I acted earlier. I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you. Being around my family tends to make me agitated.”
“They are a wild bunch, that’s for sure. It’s fine.”
Circling an arm at her waist, holding her close, he wanted to whisk her away from all of this madness. “How’s my fiancée feeling?”
Her lips curved into a dimpling grin. “Your fiancée . . . you like saying that, don’t you?”
“Damn right.” Returning a grin, his joy was near bursting, but then he got serious. “How are you feeling? I heard you encountered Uncle Niall. Can I get you anything?”
“I’m good. Seeing that whole pig out back being gutted, those little beady eyes bucking out, then watching that man pick through the soupy blood and guts, it almost did me in, but I’m better now.”
“Good. There’s something I need to tell you.” Gavin looked from side to side.
“What?” She did the same.
“Not here.” Taking her hand, he led her out of the hall and upstairs.
“Where are we going?”
“To my old bedroom.” They strode down the long corridor, entered the room, closed the door, and he backed her up against it. Dropping to his knees, he slipped his hands beneath her dress and circled to her buttocks, stroking, kneading. Eyes closed, he buried his nose in the V of her mound, inhaling deep, his need spiking in a feral, intoxicating rush. “Damn, I love your scent.” His fingers snaked around the delicate lace of her thong and dragged her panties off her hips and down her long, lean legs.
Her hands gripped his shoulders, prodding him back. “Didn’t you have something you wanted to tell me?”
“Yes.” He peeled her panties off over her sandals, then slid his tongue between the split of her silken-shaven pussy lips, in search of her juicy clit. Her right leg came to rest on his shoulder, spread wide in invitation, aggressive fingers tightly clutching his hair. His tongue laved the sensitive pearl before clamping his mouth on her, sucking hard. Rocking her hips, she tossed her head back, her breath sawing out in quick bursts as she gripped his head, rough and insistent, to keep his mouth pressed against her sex.
Licking, swirling his tongue, and sucking, he kept it up until
her body quivered and she panted heavily through her release. Coming to his feet, he kissed her on their way to the bed. Within mere seconds, they were both naked. He tossed the heavy gray comforter aside, and they settled atop the navy-blue gingham sheets. He got in between the curve of her soft thighs and guided his cock inside her wet heat as his tongue rimmed her right ear and nipped at her lobe. “You’re so beautiful. I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too,” she breathed raggedly. “What was it you wanted to tell me?”
Gavin licked a path along the column of her throat and bowed his back to suck on a pebbled nipple, indulging himself upon her succulent bud, from one to the other.
Her knees came up; fingernails embedded in his ass cheeks. “You started this, now move, baby, fuck me.”
“Oh most definitely.” He brought both her legs up at the bend of his arms and pounded her pussy, thrusting hard and deep, twisting his hips, grinding into her, pelvis to pelvis. Her pants of warm breath at his ear had him surging with such force, completely lost in his need, her body shimmied up the mattress, nearly banging her head on the headboard.
Her nails raked down his back to his buttocks and held tight as she arched up sharply through a long shuddering orgasm, then her rough pants became soft, satiated purrs. He kept thrusting until his entire body locked down tight, and he emptied deep inside her.
Delightfully drained, he collapsed upon her long, exquisite form, aware that she carried his dead weight. He was just too gloriously spent to move but forced himself up on his forearms to bear the bulk.
“That was the best one yet,” he uttered around the silky glide of tongue on tongue.
She reared back. “You’ve been rating our lovemaking?”
“Come on, you don’t think that was damn good?” He grinned, his breathing somewhat labored.
She smiled back. “Okay, that was pretty amazing.”
A knock came at the door before it opened. “Gav—”
“What the fuck, Dylan!” Gavin grabbed the blanket to shield her.
“Oh, sorry.” Dylan promptly closed the door. “I’ve been looking all over for you. We need to get going.”
“Going where?” Sienna looked at him. “What is he talking about?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you, but you distracted me with these pretty, brown tits.” Chuckling, he flicked a finger over an engorged nipple, and she playfully slapped his hand away.
“Dude, come on. We’re already late,” Dylan called from outside the door.
“Give me ten minutes, damn,” Gavin yelled back. His cock slipped free of her warm sheath, and he got up. “I have to do my last assignment.”
“Now?” She followed him into the bathroom en suite. As they washed up, she asked, “Where exactly are you going? Is it safe?”
“I don’t know yet, and you don’t have to worry.” Gavin searched the cabinets and found a basket of unopened toiletries beneath the sink. He took from it a packaged toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. In between brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth, he explained what took place in the meeting.
“You said no, right? You’re not ruling over no southeast.”
“I said no,” he replied to her reflection in the mirror. “But my father doesn’t take too kindly to the word no. He expects me to reconsider, or more like insists on it. No is not an option.”
“Trust me, I got that impression about him.” She sighed long. “I know this is your family, and I would never tell you to stay away from them, but,” she shook her head, “I can’t deal—”
Gavin stepped to her and waved a thumb between them before taking a gentle hold of her shoulders. “You are my family first and foremost, understand?” Getting a weak nod, he brought her chin up with his index finger to hold her gaze. “Sie-Sie, you mean the world to me. I have to protect you by doing whatever that takes.”
Her brows furrowed. “Whatever that takes? What is that supposed to mean?”
“We’ll talk about everything when I get back.”
“When will that be? I can take the car home.”
“No, stay put. There are no lights on that road we turned onto to get here. That’s on purpose.” Getting a feeble nod again, he kissed her forehead and left the bathroom. “I’ll only be gone about two to three hours at most. You can hang out in here if you want. The TV remote is on the desk there.” The sun had almost set, tinging the room with a dusky light. He turned on the desk lamp. “There’s also a study downstairs with lots of books. Caren can show you where it is.” He quickly slipped on his clothes, then turned to her standing at the threshold of the bathroom. His breath caught. Arms loosely folded beneath her perky breasts with a shoulder braced against the doorjamb, she stood leisurely in all her naked splendor. Perfectly sculptured curves and soft angles—beautiful. She was everything he’d imagined he’d never have.
Her brow crinkled. “What?”
Gavin blinked. “What?”
She swirled an index finger in the direction of his face. “You’re looking at me all weird.”
“I’m imagining eating you out again later.”
Smiling, she came forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Are you ever not horny, Mr. Crane?”
“Eh.” A shrug. “Since I met you, I pretty much stay erect.” He stroked the curve of her left ass cheek before delivering a hearty slap. She yelped, then a grin slid across those pouty lips. “Get dressed so I can concentrate.” Scooping her clothes up off the floor, he handed them over. “I’ll have one of the staff bring you up something to eat.”
“No. I’m not helpless. I’ll find something on my own. The last thing I need is for your father to think I expect to be served.”
“He wouldn’t think that.”
She gave him a sideways look, lips pursed. “Umm hmm, right. I didn’t miss the split-second scowl on his face when I stupidly broadcast to the entire room that we are engaged, before he flashed back into Mr. Big, Bad Grizzly.”
“I’m glad you announced it. I shouldn’t have tried to hide it.” Staring at her now dressed in her bra and panties, could she look any hotter? Unable to resist, he came up to her, pushed the lace aside, and suckled on a puckering right nipple.
“Your brother’s waiting.” Slender fingers threaded in his hair and held firm.
“Let him.”
“There has to be a kitchen in this monstrous place somewhere.”
“There are two,” he said as he flicked his tongue back and forth over her stippling bud.
“Two kitchens?”
“The regular one and another smaller one on the basement level.”
“Wow, I guess organized crime has served you all well.”
Gavin’s head came up from her breasts. That’s what it took to get him flaccid. He drew away and took a seat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes.
The way his family earned their wealth had always curled knots in his stomach, mainly because he benefited from many who suffered at the hands of his father. Pushing his guilt back down that mental dark abyss, he stood up. “When you enter the great room, turn left, and go through the double doors. That’ll be the kitchen.”
“Babe, I’m sorry. It was supposed to be a joke. Bailey often says my jokes are for my own amusement.” She brought the fitted dress over her head and shimmied it down her slim hips, then came in close and wrapped comforting arms around his waist. “I’m sorry.”
Gavin released a weary long breath. “What you see here, all of this, it’s not my life. I’d rather have nothing than the burden this shit carries. I want you far away from all of this. But I may not have—”
A pounding blow came against the door. “Gavin, man, let’s go!”
“We’ll talk about this later.” Giving her a quick peck on the lips, he exited.
Chapter Thirty-five
Sienna made her way back downstairs and was nearly run over by a woman that zipped past her, shrieking in laughter as she attempted to escape a man that chased after her with a red feather
boa. Evidently the party hadn’t waned. There seemed to be even more people present. The drinking, dancing, swearing, singing . . . yep, a three-ring circus, that’s what it looked like.
She was startled by an abrupt grab of her right wrist and swirled around into strong arms.
“Aren’t you lovely. I arrive late and find a rare jewel. May I have this dance, my lady?”
“Maybe another time.” Sienna tried to peel out of the embrace of the handsome, drunk, and apparently high young man. His bloodshot blue gaze lulled and roamed over her face before settling on her mouth.
“I could eat you up.” His head lowered; warm liquored breath feathered against the side of her neck.
“Dude.” She shoved hard at the solid wall of his chest. His head lifted and puckered lips came in, aiming for her mouth. She reared back as far as his strangled hold would allow. “I’m pretty sure Gavin would take issue with this.” Pushing at his chest once more to get free only made him tighten his purchase.
A drunk and high as a kite admirer, geez.
She’d offer him one last chance to let her go before seeing no other alternative but to introduce the young man’s nuts to her knee. “Look, you need to back off.”
“Shane, let her go!” Caren rushed forward and pried the man off, unknowingly saving him from an otherwise crippling blow to the balls. “Do you want Gavin to take your stupid head off? Go away before I tell him what you tried to do to his girlfriend . . . fiancée, and then I’ll watch as he kicks your ass. Shoo, damn you.” She shoved him, and he stumbled away. “Sorry about that. Cousin Shane’s really a good guy. He just tends to party a little too hard, is all.”
Sienna straightened her dress and took a breath. “I can see that. Thanks for the rescue.”
“No problem.”
“I was on my way to the kitchen to see if there was anything light I could munch on. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat that poor piggy after seeing his insides spill out of him.” She gulped back the bile at the thought.
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