Damned fool.
Standing at the door, arms crossed, he glared at Trenton, daring him to look back. It was another five minutes but eventually the idiot did, dropping his phone in the process. Trenton waved as if nothing was going on but Lucas wasn’t stupid, he knew his family and knew some things—like Trenton getting into things he shouldn’t and Tony putting his nose where it didn’t belong—would never change. Lucas wasn’t sure about Spencer’s part in all of this, because with Tony not speaking to Spencer and Spencer avoiding Tony at every given turn it was doubtful that Spencer was in the loop at all.
In fact, Spence had left an e-mail two days ago asking what the hell was going on. And Lucas had texted him: TRUST ME and don’t worry you will get my work reports on time.
Spence, not one to respond via text, answered: Your reports aren’t what I’m worried about.
But Lucas hadn’t heard from anyone else. J.C. had been quiet, but then it was rare that he would chat with his sister. Not that Lucas didn’t love her, but they just weren’t that close. Maybe there were still some residual feeling on both sides on how she’d handled her relationship with Hunter, and maybe Lucas hadn’t handled the news with grace either. So not hearing from her hadn’t surprised him. Hunter and Tony were discussing the situation, but Lucas hadn’t heard from anyone else on that front.
And then there were his parents, who worried too much and had gone through a great deal of pain already watching their second-oldest son deal with a broken heart. Lucas hadn’t spoken to his father yet, but he’d heard enough from his mother to know their feelings. What would they say if Kiloran was pregnant? Would they ever accept her if he did continue the relationship?
“I thought you were still asleep.” Trenton voice broke through his thoughts.
“I bet you did. What did Tony want?”
Trent rolled his eyes. “How do you do that?”
“It’s a talent. Now spill.”
Trenton picked up the puppy from his spread eagle sprawl on the ground. “He wanted to make sure you were well-protected, that you could see someone coming long before they got to you…Blah, blah, blah. Normal Tony being Tony crap.”
“So he bugs you too?”
“Bugs me? At least you’re older than he is. Imagine, just for a second, being the baby.” Walking into the house, Trenton placed the dog in his crate but didn’t bother to latch it. Both of them knew that boy wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “Anyway, he means well. Haven has mellowed him a bit.”
“Has she? Or has he just found a new way to hide his issues?”
Trenton shrugged. He grabbed an apple off the counter and headed down the hall. “Not my problem, and as long as he’s worried about you, I’m off his radar. I’m just going to get my gear and be off.”
“Where you heading?” Lucas followed and watched him throw his clothes into a bag haphazardly.
“Not sure. There are some cliffs in the area I could try climbing. I don’t really have anything lined up at the moment. You know my job kind of takes me away on the spur of the moment. Not many people plan when they need a rescue.”
The outdoor called to Trenton like no one else. It was in his blood. He understood the way the trees moved and the way the winds blew. When they were all kids, Trenton had been their little weatherman and was accurate more times than not. He’d joined the department of forestry right out of college and was never happier than when he was out in the wilds of the middle of nowhere. But his direction in life had changed when he had been called in to help rescue some campers caught in a snowstorm.
After a few years, he’d become one of the best rescuers out there. Trenton loved the thrill of the rescue—from fire jumps to scaling mountain cliffs to save stranded hikers; he lived for it. But budget cuts and red tape had made it harder and harder to do what he loved. After discussing an idea he had with his brothers, Trenton had decided to make a change. He and Clinton James, a buddy from the department, had started Rescue Me a few months back with the intention of helping anyone in need of rescue. They charged the rich top dollar so those who couldn’t afford to pay didn’t have to. In no time the company was booming, and already they’d opened a branch in Europe and were looking at opening another in Australia. Lucas couldn’t be prouder. “If you have nowhere pressing, why not stay here?”
“Are you kidding me? I’ve no need to be the third wheel to your little reunion. It was bad enough watching this love affair the first time around. I don’t need to witness any more of the encore then I have already.” Turning serious, Trent looked at Lucas. “Take care; this lunatic is out to get you and won’t stop until you’re out of the picture one way or another.”
“I know, and I hope we’ll draw this asshole out soon, for everyone’s sake.”
“And Kiloran? What happens when you find her stalker and everyone is safe and sound? Look, no matter how well Tony can spin something to work in someone’s favor, I can’t believe that years’ of hurt and hate on your part just fell away overnight because you two met in a bar and the fireworks exploded. Do I think it became real last night? Hell yeah, and neither of you would have been human if what happened yesterday hadn’t rocked you to your souls.”
“When did you become so wise, runt?”
“When I got taller than you.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure where it’s going. Or even if we can go anywhere at all. There are just too many secrets and too much pain.”
Trenton nodded, then pulled his brother in a hug. “I just want you happy again. I just want Luc back.”
What could Lucas say to that? He wanted to shake his brother and his whole family and say this was who he was now; couldn’t they just deal with it and love him for who he was? But that wasn’t fair, because the man he had used to be had loved freely, had been trusting and caring. The man he was now questioned everything, laughed very little, and kept everyone at a distance. And they did love him, even when he was standoffish and being a jerk.
For the last few years, Lucas had looked out at the world and wondered who would hurt him next. He’d questioned every woman and all of their motives. It hadn’t mattered if she was a new girlfriend of one of his brothers or his very sister. He hadn’t trusted them. Haven had been the only one to call foul on his attitude and she had done with such grace that even he’d admitted that compared to her broken heart, his own held no weight. His sister was right; he didn’t particularly like women.
So maybe working through all these feelings was what it would take for him to move on, for him to heal and for him to return to his family. “We shall see, Trent.”
“Well, then I’m out. I gave Kiloran my number in case you lose your phone again. And for the love of that dog, just name the mutt Fenway.” Clapping him on the arm, Trenton threw his bag over his shoulder and headed out the front door.
Lucas watched him drive away until the dust had long since settled in his path. He was at a loss what to do next. How could he capture a faceless man and recapture a relationship in shambles? And what to do about a family in no way ready to open Kiloran back into their fold?
“Did Trent just leave?”
“He did.” Lucas turned to see Kiloran barefoot, her hair ruffled, and looking sexy as sin in his T-shirt. “You sleep well?”
“Surprisingly yes, but I ache all over this morning.”
“Not surprising. Car accidents have a way of doing that to you.”
Taking the few steps closer she pressed up against him, bringing Lucas’s cock to attention. “Oh, I don’t think all of my aches were caused by the accident. In fact, I would place money that you cause some.”
“Is that so?” he murmured against her neck. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he lifted her into full contact, her toes unable to touch the cold tile in the entry hall. He didn’t need to tell her what he wanted; as always, she honed in on his
needs. Kiloran wrapped her legs around his waist in a dance as old as time. He loved the feel of her legs, so shapely and firm. He walked them across the hall until her back hit the wall. “Are you too sore, or are you up for a little more activity?”
She moved one leg down around his and ground her pelvis into his jean-clad leg. “Try me.”
“Oh I intend to.” Wrapping his fingers around the back of her thigh, Lucas pulled Kiloran leg up and over his hip, opening her and rewarding him with a mewing sound that had always driven him crazy. Moving higher, he wrapped his hand over her bare ass and pulled away from her neck only long enough for him to raise an eyebrow at her missing undergarments and to see her sassy smile. “How long were you waiting for my brother to leave?”
“About thirty minutes. If he had stayed much longer, he would have seen me jumping your bones.”
“A surefire way to get him to run screaming from the house.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Lucas looked up above her head. “Grab onto the lamp above you. Don’t let go until I tell you.”
Kiloran did as she was told, stretching up to grab the golden sconce. In doing so, her breasts thrust out and he could see her hard nipples through the thin fabric of his T-shirt. He brought his lips down over the small numbs and sucked until the fabric became wet and he could see the darker ring of the areola clearly through the now-transparent cotton. He repeated the action on the other breast as she squirmed, trying to grind against him again.
“Put your feet flat against the wall and hold your body up with your arms.”
“There is no way that thing will hold me.”
“Trust me.” He tweaked her nipple and her eyes widened in disbelief. Their sex life before had always been good, but had tended on the side of vanilla. He wasn’t going to make that mistake now. There was so much he had fantasized about doing to her all those years ago but hadn’t ventured. If this was all the time they were going to have, Lucas was going to take what he wanted. He pulled his belt from his jeans and placed his leg between hers to steady and hold her up. “Give me your hands.”
She did so without complaint or question. He laced the belt around her wrists, pulling it tight and then securing it so she couldn’t get out. Kiloran looked ready to argue but he could feel her getting wetter by the second and she didn’t seem aware that she was actually rubbing against him. Both hands gripped her ribcage, lifting her up high enough to get her hands back over the sconce. With the belt in place, she was now secured to the wall—only when he lifted her would she be able to get away.
“Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice just a whisper against her ear. “Do you trust me not to hurt you or to do anything that will harm you?”
She nodded.
“I need you to say it. I need you to tell me.” Lucas intertwined his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck forcing her to look at him.
“Yes, I trust you. Yes, please, I need you.”
“Put your feet against the wall again and spread your knees.” She did as she was told and he groaned. He couldn’t help it. The sight of her open to him and tied to the wall had him nearly out of his head with need, and for a second he thought he might come right there in his jeans. “Don’t move.”
Kneeling before her, Lucas moved in and kissed the inside of her leg, laying kisses from the inside of her knee all the way up her thigh to just before her apex. He repeated the action on the other side, not touching her anywhere else until she started shaking. Lucas took both of her legs and hooked them over his shoulders, easing the weight on her wrists. Sitting back on his heels, he looked up at her as Kiloran stared back at him. Nothing else had ever been this sexy.
Lucas couldn’t wait any longer. He caressed the inside of her thigh, working his way to her center, taking a few long, slow licks, savoring her. Thrilled as she shimmied under his hands he felt his cock grow harder in his jeans. He forgot the thrill he got when he ate her. How she tasted and sounded under his tongue.
He circled her clit, nipping at it once before his tongue entered her. She bucked against him, panting and moaning until the hall echoed with the sound of her desire. Every noise spurred him on, made him want to hear more. He wanted to know how loud Kiloran could get, how much she could take until she lost control. His fingers bit into her hips as he pulled her closer so he could feast. She exploded with her legs locked around him, her hips bucking, and the sexy sound of her screaming out his name echoed through the hall and into the house.
When Kiloran’s breathing had slowed to normal again, Lucas lifted his head, and kissed her still-shaking thighs. Kiloran’s head fell forward, chin resting on her chest. Unhooking her legs from his shoulders, Lucas was careful to keep her weight in his arms. He stood between her legs, wrapped her legs around his hips, then undid his pants, allowing them to fall to his ankles before kicking them out of the way. He grabbed her T-shirt at V-neck, thankful she had chosen one of his oldest ones that had already started to fray. With one quick yank, the shirt split along the length, leaving her full exposed to him.
Her nipples begged for his attentions, and who was he to say no? Lucas kneaded and tweaked the nipples until they were hard pearls. When she whimpered, he was undone. Lucas wrapped his hand around her waist to hold her in place as he pushed his hips up and impaled her on his cock. The buzzing in his ears as he fucked her hard and fast droned out everything around him. All he could focus on was her clenching him tight. He thought he would die from the pleasure of it.
He changed their angle enough to grind against her clit—he wanted her to come with him, wanted to feel her shudder around him this time. Something deep within him needed them to explode together. And just when he was sure he couldn’t wait long enough to satisfy her too, she bucked against him, yelling loud enough that he could hear it over the buzzing. She tightened her legs around him, pulling him tighter into her, and took him over the edge with her.
Lucas rested his forehead in the crook of her neck as he caught his breath. Then he lifted her body up, allowing her to remove her bound hands from the sconce above her, before lowering Kiloran to her feet, but was loath to move away. Unwrapping her wrists, he kissed the raw, bruised skin. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” She looked at her wrists, then kissed him deep. “That was the most amazing…” She seemed at a loss of what to say.
And he understood, because so was he.
Chapter Twelve
“Just my brothers being—well, my brothers.”—Lucas to Kiloran
How the hell did she have any energy left? Lucas opened his eye just enough to see that the sun wasn’t up yet and neither was he. Rolling over, he pulled the pillow over his head. “Sleep. Need sleep”
“Lucas, wake up.” He heard through the layers of fabric and feathers.
Throwing the pillow aside, he glared at her. “Woman, I need some sleep. Even I can’t have sex all night.”
In the moonlight he saw her blush and then she handed him her cell phone. “Phone for you.”
“Whatever my family has to say can wait.” He checked the clock: 4:13 glared at him in neon blue. “It certainly can wait four hours.”
“It’s Agent Vassar. He says it’s important.”
That got him up. Rubbing his face, Lucas inched up so his back was against the headboard. He took the offered cell phone. “What’s so important that you had to call now?”
“Rough night?”
“Just get to the point. Is this about the stalker?”
“Actually, no. This is about your brother.”
Lucas bolted out of bed. “What happened?”
Agent Vassar chuckled on the other end of the line. “Nothing yet, but one of my field agents walking the grounds found him asleep in one of the trees. Thought you might like to know.”
“Son of a bitch.” Lucas looked out the bedroom w
indow to see an FBI agent pointing at the tree in question. Glancing back at the clock he knew exactly who was in that tree. Trenton. “I am going to kill him.”
“Please wait until the agent is out of sight and dispose of the body where I can’t find it. I really don’t want to come up there tonight to arrest you.” And with those parting words, Vassar hung up.
Lucas looked out the window again and let some more curses fly as he threw on a pair of sweat pants and slipped his feet into some sneakers. When Kiloran jumped to follow, he clipped out a brisk, “Stay.”
“I am not a dog to be ordered around.”
Through gritted teeth he managed, “Stay, please.”
Somewhat mollified, she eased back into the bed. “Tell me at least what is going on?”
“Just my brothers being—well, my brothers.”
“Oh?”
“I can fill you in when I get back. It’s better if I handle this alone. At least one of us should get some sleep tonight.” He kissed her hard and quick before heading out the door. The night air chilled him to the bone, and for a second Lucas wished he had grabbed a shirt or a jacket.
He crossed the dew covered grass and meet up with the agent standing just outside the woods edge. “Sorry to wake you, Mr. Sherman.”
“No need to whisper. Jackass up there sleeps like the dead. Thank you for calling me.”
“Want me to stay around?”
“No, I’ve got this one.”
“Okay.” The agent chuckled. “Don’t want any witnesses, I take it?”
“Got it in one.” Lucas thanked the other man again and watched as he resumed his patrol of the property. Taking in a stabilizing breath, Lucas walked up to the tree. At least the fool had tied himself to the trunk before falling asleep. What had he thought he was doing?
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