“Ahhh… but you look so adorable, naked on your bunny rug.” Ben goaded.
“Just like the one of you having your first bath, peeing on your mother. Yeah, fucking fantastic.” Steve rolled his eyes making Arial giggle.
“Prepare for the stories, baby, don’t believe a word any of them say, we were perfect angels growing up.”
“Even I don’t believe that.” Arial giggled again, loving how she could join in the teasing.
“I’m sure I can sue someone for slander, somewhere,” Steve muttered in good humour, as they resumed their walk down the path to the front door. The door swung open before Steve raised his hand to knock.
A tall, curvy woman, with bright hazel eyes stood before them, her rich auburn hair hung around her shoulders, she didn’t look much older than Arial—early thirties at a guess—impeccably dressed in a pencil skirt and a pale blue, satin blouse.
“You know better than to knock young man; this is still your home, even if you’ve decided to live in that lofty tower of yours!”
“Hello, mum.” Ben moved in to hug the woman while Arial fought not to let her jaw drop. His mother pulled back from hugging her son.
“Mum, this is Arial, Arial my mother Payton McCallun.
“Oh, my boys, she’s absolutely beautiful, just like you said. You’ve done well for yourselves! Welcome Arial, welcome to our family.”
Suddenly, Arial was pulled into Ben’s mother’s arms and squeezed like she was the main course for a boa constrictor.
“Ease up, mum.” Ben chuckled. “She needs to breathe, you know.”
“Oh, sorry.” Air rushed back into Arial’s lugs as the woman pulled back, but grabbed her hands and pulled her inside the massive mansion. “They’re here, they’re here!” She sing-songed through the huge lobby and into a large sitting room with people milling around. Wide smiles greeted her, another woman bounded towards her, half a foot shorter than Arial, her sandy brown hair cut in a stylish bob around her face, and pixy like features with bright brown eyes.
“Oh Payton, she’s adorable! We have a daughter at last!” Her eyes sparkled in clear excitement.
“Arial, this is my mother, Serena Alzera.” Steve introduced.
“Nice to meet you.” Arial smiled at the woman.
“Oh, none of that formal stuff, you’re a part of our family now.” Serena pulled her into a tight hug. “Welcome, my dear.”
Heat infused her cheeks. “Um, thank you.”
Ben and Steve moved to pry her away from their mothers. “Let’s introduce you to our dads.” Ben bent down to whisper in her ear. “Things will make more sense now.”
She glanced up at him puzzled by his words until she came face to face with not two, but four strikingly handsome men.
“Arial, these are my two dads. Peter Macintyre and William Callun.”
Two? Macintyer and Callun, McCallun. Her eyes widened as the reality sank in, glancing between the two men.
“Welcome, love,” Peter said first.
“I guess from the look on her face, the boys didn’t explain things properly.” William chuckled. “It’s an honour to welcome you into our fold; I hope you feel happy and safe with us sweetheart.”
“She’s been though a lot; we didn’t want her to worry.” Ben Shrugged.
“I, uh, um, thank you.” She shook off her shock long enough to offer her hands, but like Ben and Steve’s mothers, she was pulled into hugs.
Steve tugged her away to turn her to meet his fathers. “These are my two dads, Hans Allen and Gene Hazera.”
“Alzera.” Arial glanced at Steve.
“Melded names are a part of our family’s history and tradition.” Gene explained. “You’re looking much better from the first time I saw you darlin’, you’re flushed with colour. I’m glad these two are taking proper care of you.”
Arial was confused by his words. “Sorry, I don’t remember meeting you.”
“My dad is a doctor. When you passed out that first night, I called him to check on you.”
“Oh, well thank you, I feel very well. Your, uh, son is a wonderful man.”
“Glad to hear it, love.”
“We’re all happy they finally found their one.” Allen smiled, drawing her into another hug.
“We have brothers as well; they’re away on business at the moment.”
“It’s a lot to take in at first,” Payton claimed Arial’s arm drawing her away from the men. “Having two husbands rather than the traditional one, but you quickly get used to having them following you around like lost puppies.”
Male groans sounded from behind her. “Gods, woman, you make us sound like a pair of whipped dogs.”
Arial nodded, she had never met such warm, genuinely welcoming people beyond her two men. Everything around her started making a lot more sense.
“Ignore them sweetheart, we’ll let the men catch up; we can have our talk in the kitchen, no doubt you’ve got a lot of questions.”
“Oh, yes.” In fact, her mind swirled with so many questions; she didn’t know where to start.
They passed down a long hallway, on the walls hung photos of the two families, always two men with one woman. She spied pictures of Ben and Steve and their brothers.
She spotted older black and white pictures, with a similar theme. Payton paused, her smile kind and caring as she stood with Arial.
“It’s a Gryphon family tradition, more like a calling for the men to share one wife. To them it’s as natural as breathing. Although it takes us a little while to bend our minds from how we were raised to accept a singular relationship, I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re lucky women to have the love and devotion of two men, not only one.”
“You don’t get frowned upon, shunned?”
“There are those who will always do that, but why should we sacrifice our happiness for a few stuck up noses?” Payton winked. Arial smiled. Payton and Serena really did glow with contented happiness.”
“I noticed no daughters? All boys?”
“You’re a sharp one.” Serena said, pointing to a photo of her with her men and her sons. “I don’t want to worry you honey, but it’s another family DNA thing. Girls are never born within the Gryphon families. When you three settle down and start with a family, you’ll have twin boys. Mark and Thomas are overseas on business. We miss them terribly, but they should be home soon enough.”
Clearly, Steve’s and Ben’s family assumed she would marry their sons, settle down and raise a family. As nice as it was to belong in a family, it was a heck of a lot of assuming.
The women sensed her unease and patted her hand, at the same time drawing her into the kitchen. “Let’s not worry about it; we’re so thrilled you’re here. Sit down and relax, give us someone else to gossip to while we get things ready.”
“I’ll help—”
“No, no, you’re our guest, guests don’t lift a finger, we insist.” Payton smiled, as she fussed over bubbling pots on the stove.
Serena pulled out a few beef roasts, and started carving while telling stories of what the boys were like at school. Between the two of them, they prepared a large feast laid out on the huge dining room table, immediately beyond the kitchen.
“What did I say, sweetheart?” Steve wandered into the kitchen, followed by Ben; he stopped where she was seated to drop a kiss on the top of her head.
“All lies.” Ben finished, moving in on her other side, leaning further down, to kiss her cheek.
“Hush now, boys, take her into the dining room, we’re almost ready here.” Payton waved a spatula at them.
“So, what are you thinking?” Ben asked in a hushed tone, once they’d gotten her alone in the dining room, worry in his gaze.
She smiled up at him, swinging her gaze over to Steve. “I really like your parents, all of them.”
“But you’ve got questions?” Steve said.
“I’m getting this whole two for one deal, now, but it still feels strange.”
“There’s s
till a lot we haven’t explained, and we will, but like everything we’ve done, it’s a gradual introduction.”
“Oh,” She has already been introduced to a world where it was common for two men to share one wife, or with her one girlfriend. This she could accept, but what else was there? The way her men’s mothers said she would only ever have boys and twins.
“I won’t freak out. I’m stronger now, so why don’t you just tell me what else there is to know?”
Ben and Steve shared one of their ‘looks,’ doing their silent communication thing.
“There’s a reason behind everything we’ve done, sweetheart. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but can you trust us to always take care of you, and know what’s best?”
She frowned. “The asshole was nice at the start, too, and then things started to change. I’ve got no reason not to trust you, but if you’re still holding onto secrets when you know everything about me…”
During the past three weeks, she told them about her mother, who raised her without a father. He abandoned them while Arial’s mother was pregnant before she was born.
She grew up in a loving home, and her mother sacrificed so much to see her put through school, and worked hard always to have food on the table and clothes on their backs.
When her mother became ill, Arial left college to become her full time caretaker. It was at the hospital where she met Carl, whose girlfriend died on the same day her mother passed. Grieving and venerable, he took her under his wing, and for the first few weeks was kind and caring. By then, it was too late, Carl took control, taking what was left of her money, over and over telling her no one but he would ever take care of her. She found herself trapped with him, believing his lies there was no way out.
“We love knowing you’re so much stronger now, and can kick our arse anytime you like. If we’re being dicks we expect you to tell us.” Steve chuckled.
“Today, tomorrow or fifty years from now, our love and respect for you will only ever grow stronger.” Ben’s words made her eyes widen.
‘Love and respect’ Fresh emotions assaulted her, swirling like a hurricane in her head.
“You can’t love me.” Her whisper was low and fierce. She clenched her hands, trying to stop them from trembling.
Because I’m not worth loving. The words screamed in her head. Reject them, those feelings are false.
“Why can’t we? You wanted us to be open and honest, share secrets with you, sweetheart. Even if it’s no big secret we’re head over heels in love with you.” Ben placed his hand over her shaking ones.
“Little mermaid, from the first moment I saw you standing in front of the elevator, wide blue eyes and such red hair atop of your head, I took in your beautiful pale face and I fell in love with you. I knew you were the one for us.”
“I was so shocked when I first saw you sitting at the table, I was lost for words. We meant every word when we said we’ve been searching a long time for our special one,” Ben said.
“We don’t ever want to let you go. You’re smart, sexy, and have I mentioned how much I love your killer curves.” Steve stroked a finger over the side of her face. “I can’t wait to glide my hands over your soft skin.”
Hot tears blurred her vision while they spilled down her cheeks. The look of adoration on Ben and Steve’s faces made her heart brim and overflow with the same emotions.
“Is love a fact or a feeling?” The tremble in her voice made her wince. Arial realised she has never been in love, so didn’t know how she felt towards her men, other than misery if she lost either one of them.
Ben wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Without a doubt, fact. From our head to our hearts. We know without a doubt, you belong with us.”
“Forever.” Steve added, scooping her from her chair and into his lap, hugging her tight and rocking her against his chest. “It’s okay; you don’t have to say anything. Just know you’ve got us wrapped around your little finger.”
“Yup, totally screwed and loving it.” Ben chuckled.
She wiped the tears away with her hand and a smile tipped up the corner of her lips. “Wrapped around my little finger?” She held up her free hand and wiggling her pinkie.
“Gods, we’ve created a monster.” Ben’s wide, sexy grin pushed back her sadness and negative feelings. This here, between her men was fact, they haven’t let her down yet…fact. She felt safe and protected…fact. Something the asshole never made her feel. Fact.
“Thank you.” She pulled forward throwing her arms around Ben. He hugged her tight.
“Now, little mermaid, as much as we love you, we’re also hungry men, and our parents are waiting, no doubt listening at the door.” Steve’s tone was filled with amusement.
“Oh, god, I didn’t’ mean to hold everyone up.” She tried to scramble off Steve’s lap, but he held her fast.
“Easy, everything’s fine and they don’t care.”
“You can come in now,” Ben called.
Serena and Payton almost tumbled into the dining room with bright smiles on their faces, followed by all four men. Arial’s face flushed lava red—the proud smiles on Ben and Steve’s parents eased her embarrassment. Her new family all took their seats and filled their plates with food. Comradery of a loving family abounded with jokes, stories and teasing. No one batted an eye as she remained on Steve’s lap, and Ben fed her from his plate throughout the meal.
Her world felt right, here between her two men, deep down she knew nothing could change this.
Chapter Six
She grew more radiant each day—smart, sassy and oh, so sexy, but, living in a constant state of hardness around her was killing him and Ben.
He sighed and glanced at the clock. So he would die of blue balls, but if this is the way he must go, then so be it.
Another glance of the clock showed him only a few seconds passed since his last glance.
This was Arial’s first outing without either him or Ben by her side. Their mothers took her shopping.
He was thrilled their mothers and Arial were getting on so well. They have been thick as thieves since their first dinner together. Payton and Serena collected her before lunch and promised to return her safe and sound in a few hours.
Good thing he trusted his mother and Ben’s, or he would be trailing along after them.
He leaned back in his chair with another glance at the clock, staring at it wasn’t going to make the fucking thing move any faster.
Steve made a mental note to pass more of this mundane running of their empire over to someone else, so they could have more time with their One. There were still a few roads to travel with her yet.
The most important one was yet to come, and with her growing confidence, it would be soon. Then, there really would be no secrets between them, and the first meld bonding of the three of them could finally take place.
His phone buzzed in his back pocket. He leaned forward whipping it out, frowning when seeing Dean’s number lighting up his screen.
“Hey, buddy.” He answered, hoping there was good news. Truth was; Dean rarely called unless something was going down.
“Arial’s asshole’s trying to find her. I just got wind he filed a missing person’s report, and then yesterday, the investigator I sent to track him reported he went to work, but didn’t come out. No doubt he slipped away sometime during the day.”
“Fuck, do you think he’s got wind she’s with us?”
‘I’d advise to go legal on this.’
Human law dictated neither he nor Ben could do anything, unless the asshole made a move, and with Arial’s abuse, non-physical it meant no lasting charges would stick to the scumbag.
But, because he filed a report, it meant Arial would have to check in at a police station and give an account of her whereabouts. No doubt, the asshole was trying to track her by pulling this stunt.
“There’s no way he could know. I’ll talk to a few contacts; talk her into making an official statement, soon. The courts can pu
t an intervention order in place. He won’t be legally able to come within in two hundred meters of her without being arrested,” Dean said.
“Alright, I won’t take her down to any station, they can come here. Can you arrange someone to come on Monday?”
“It won’t be a problem, until then keep her safe. I don’t like the look of this, my gut tells me it could turn nasty if he ever got near her again.”
“We’ll protect her. Thanks buddy.” Steve ended the call.
The sound of doors opening and feminine chatter made Steve smile and his body throb painfully.
“It’s worth it buddy.” He glanced down at his aching cock. “She’s worth it.”
He leaned against the door frame watching as Arial put her bags on the end of the table. Her smile radiated as she laughed at something his mother said before her cheeks turned an alluring shade of pink.
It perked his interested. What were the women talking about? He pushed off the frame and walked into the room.
“Any clothes left in the shops for the rest of Melbourne’s women, mum?” He teased lightly.
“Oh, hush boy,” his mother scolded. “Girls time out is important.”
Arial turned and met his gaze and her blush deepened. Steve couldn’t resist, so he strode up, pulled Arial into his arms and claimed her lips in a brief kiss.
“Missed you, baby. Did you have fun?”
She beamed at him. “Yes, your mothers are wonderful and I missed you, too.”
“You’re a delight, dear, we had fun too, don’t forget our little chat.”
Her blush deepened, he couldn’t help his curiosity.
“What chat was this?”
“Something you’ll find out later.” His mother scolded lightly. “Until now, hush”
Properly chastised, he held up his hands in surrender, letting her move from his arms.
“I know when I’m outnumbered.”
“Sensible boy” His mother nodded.
The women giggled together and Steve shook his head. “I’ll be in the office if you need me, love.” He left the women to their devices, but still pondered what their one was up to, feeling Arial’s gaze on his back as he walked away.
Between Feather and Fur (Gryphon Melds #1) Page 5
