by April Zyon
After she drank down every drop of James’s semen, she licked his cock twice more before pulling off and gasping. “Victor, please, can I come now?” she begged, pushing back against him.
“Come for me, little one.” He tightened his hold on her hips, thrust into her harder, and then stilled when she clamped down on him. Shouting her name, he came right along with her.
Kasper shuddered and collapsed against James. Her cheek rested on his thigh as she panted. “God, that was so good.” It had taken her a bit to finally catch her breath enough to speak those few words.
With a groan, Victor pulled his cock free from her body and fell onto the bed panting. “Holy shit, I actually saw stars,” he muttered. He rolled off the end of the bed to land on his hands and knees. “Talk about light headed,” he said with a grin as he pushed to his feet to weave his way to the bathroom.
Kasper couldn’t have moved if she had to right then. She relaxed with her eyes closed on James and yawned. “I can’t move,” she told him softly. “That was incredible. For a first time together, for a first time for me period, it felt amazing.” She pressed a kiss to the top of James’s thigh as she spoke.
Running his fingers gently through her hair, he smiled down at her when she turned her head enough to glance up at him. “You’re going to feel it later. This afternoon I’d recommend a nice hot, relaxing bath, and then another prior to bed. It’s either that or tomorrow you’ll be walking around like you just climbed off a horse after a six-week ride in the Old West.”
“Will you carry me into the bathroom?” Kas rubbed her cheek on this thigh. “Because I have to admit I don’t think I could move right now to get into the bathtub. So carry me? Share the bath with me?”
“I think we could manage that,” he said. “Victor, start the bathwater, would you? The lady needs a soak.”
Chapter Seven
Peeking into the kitchen, Kasper waved James and Victor forward. Both men were grinning at her antics. They followed her into the space, and James went straight to the fridge while Victor checked the two covered plates on the counter. “Looks like Nolan made his blueberry muffins, and someone did up some biscuits, as well.”
“What do you feel like eating, sweetheart?” James asked while he bent over, peering into the fridge.
“Everything. Oh, there should be kielbasa sausage in there. We can cook that up along with some eggs. Or we could make omelets since someone made biscuits? Really, I’m good with about anything. I love food. All food. Especially meat.”
Victor pressed a hand to his chest. “A carnivore after our own hearts. Pull out the sausage and eggs. We’ll do up a quick omelet with some cheese, have the sausage in cross slices so it’s crispy, do up some gravy, and have the biscuits on the side. It’ll be good.”
“Do you think we should make a lot of that for when people start to come down, so we will have some for them?”
“Considering they already ate, I doubt they’ll need anything immediately. But I suppose we could make a little extra on the off chance someone’s hungry around here,” James told her.
“They’ll all know what we were doing, won’t they?” she asked with her cheeks feeling hot.
Victor snickered and nodded. “Oh, I’m pretty sure they know exactly what we were doing. Not like we were trying to be particularly quiet. I’m sure they are all super jealous, as well.”
“The rooms are all soundproofed, and yes, I guess I was a little loud. Is that bad?” Kas wasn’t sure how people should be when making love. “I think that you guys should just be happy that Mikhail is sleeping.” Goodness, she had a brother! That was something she knew that she needed to let him get used to; she wanted a relationship Mik but knew he didn’t want her as a sibling, however. It was just so surreal. She was no longer alone in the world.
“Definitely not bad,” James assured her. “I like you loud and letting us know how much you like what we’re doing.” Victor cleared his throat, but neither of them looked his way. “Always best to be very vocal instead of keeping it all inside.” Victor cleared his throat again, louder, and this time James asked him, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Uh, big brother isn’t sleeping,” he said through his teeth as he gave a toothy grin toward the doorway. “I think he heard just a little too much of what we were discussing, too.”
Kasper turned and saw Mikhail leaning against the doorframe. She lifted a hand and smiled. She knew that more than likely her face was red because she felt the heat racing up her neck and into her cheeks as she said, “Hi?” Yeah, as if the man didn’t already have enough reason to hate her. Jesus. H. Christ. She felt her cheeks burning in color and knew that they had to be very red at that moment. She shouldn’t be embarrassed but she was. “Do you want an omelet?”
“I already ate. Thank you, though,” he said. “I just came to get a bottle of water before heading out to do some work on the overhanging trees. We’re going to clear as much as we can around the fence today, finish it tomorrow, and then get the new system up on the walls. We’ll work on the house the day after.”
“Oh. Okay,” she said with a bit of a frown. “I’m sorry you walked in on our conversation.” Kas didn’t know what to say to Mikhail, the man who was the only family she had left. She wanted to have a family, but it was clear Mikhail didn’t want that.
James put a hand on her back and rubbed lightly. Mikhail shrugged as he moved to the fridge. “I’ve heard worse things being discussed since starting to hang around with all these guys. Try having to lay perfectly still, and in absolute silence, while they’re all cracking jokes and making fun of one another. It’s truly a miracle I haven’t taken a pot shot at one of them out of pure revenge.” Stopping next to her after grabbing his water from the fridge, he fell silent for a moment. “Come find me later,” he said, then he turned and left the kitchen.
She looked at his retreating back, then looked up at James. “Should I be worried?” she asked. “Him wanting me to come and find him later?” Kas wasn’t so sure it would be a good idea. She had no clue what the man had to say to her; she was just hopeful that whatever it was, he wasn’t going to shoot her.
“It’ll be fine,” James said. “He won’t harm an innocent, and to be honest, I think he wants to talk to you. Or ask you a bunch of embarrassing questions that end up with us getting shot in the ass. Either or, you’ll be fine. Get chopping.”
She snickered. “He wouldn’t shoot you guys. He needs you on his team too much,” she said with a smile. “Right, back to food chopping.” She took out a knife, grabbed the sharpener that was on the counter, and sharpened the blade quickly, and then she began to dice the veggies.
“What she said. Think positive, James. So what if we’re making time with his newly found, only living relative, who just happens to be his baby sister? As long as we keep our backs to the walls, or go out in full Kevlar, we have absolutely nothing to worry about.” Victor shook his head as he cracked eggs into a bowl. “‘Cause snipers are known for being completely sane at all times,” he muttered.
“You two are hilarious.” She snorted. “Just know I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep the two of you safe. I happen to like you both, more than a little. Besides, you both keep me very warm at night, so that’s a great reason to save you more ventilation. Don’t you think?”
“Definitely one reason not to become ventilated, yes.” James nodded enthusiastically. “The other is it damn well hurts.”
“He’s not going to shoot you two imbeciles,” Gareth said as he came into the kitchen. “Morning, Kasper. Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Thank you, Gareth.” Kasper smiled. “I had these two men surrounding me and making me happy. How did you sleep? And how would you know that he isn’t going to shoot them?” She wanted to know.
“Slept all right for not having Camilla here. It’s odd how quickly you get used to having a woman wrapped around you or pressed up against you at night. As to the other, I know Mik won’t shoot them because th
ey are important to you. While he might be acting like a grumpy bear with a beehive shoved up his ass right now, he’s only trying to protect himself. As long as these two yahoos keep you happy, they’re safe. On the other hand, if at any time you’re not happy…” Gareth made the sound of a gun being cocked. “Hunting season will be open.”
Kasper latched onto one part of that. “Wait, what’s he trying to protect himself from? I don’t understand. Why would he be protecting himself from anything? And he’s my only family as well. He’s all that I have left in this world, the only blood relative that I have. To me, that’s priceless.”
“From being hurt, of course. Mik’s father died when he was about ten. The man was his hero. Then his mother passed from cancer before he graduated high school. He took her death the hardest because she was his mom, all guys have a serious soft spot for their mothers. Then he finds out he has a half-sister who he never knew about, on top of which he finds out his father had an affair, crushing that image he had of the man. Out of all of us, Mik has the biggest heart. It doesn’t seem like that because he’s appears so closed off. It’s all the little things he does that no one really knows about that proves how big, and soft, and gooey, his heart is. So he’s being cautious with you so he doesn’t end up hurt again.”
“The poor man,” she said softly. “I don’t want to hurt him, but just me being alive has.” His father—her father—having an affair had hurt him, and she knew it. “Well, I just hope he’ll eventually learn I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.”
“Give him time, munchkin. He’ll get there.” Winking at her, Gareth went to the fridge and dug out a half-dozen water bottles. “Oh, and it would be a huge help if you could kick these two into gear. While we’re all happy that you three are getting along and enjoying time together, there is work to be done. Right? Good. Catch ya later,” he called as he left them in the kitchen.
She watched Gareth leaving and smiled. Looking to her men, she winked. “You heard the man. Breakfast, and then I’m sending you boys off to do what needs to be done. I’m going to do some work online. I have to get some files in order, and I want to Skype with my cousin Pepper and ensure she’s doing okay in her new apartment and getting ready for school.”
“While I’m displeased with being sent off to do manual labor without a proper audience to appreciate all that hard work, I understand.” James leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “Chop faster, and then we can get this done and get out of your hair for a little while.”
“I’m done,” she said after a few more chops. “I’m ready to get our food started now. I’m actually starving.” Which seemed funny; she had worked up quite the appetite last night. “Pull out the biscuits, please?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Victor said. He lifted the lid and slid the plate down the counter to her. “Grab me a couple of the gravy packets if you would. The omelets are about ready for cheese and veggies, if you guys are ready. The sausages need a couple more minutes, but we’re close.”
“Sounds good.” She helped them get their meal together and laughed from time to time with them as well. Kas liked it, this time with them. It fulfilled something in her she hadn’t known was missing.
Chapter Eight
After a lovely breakfast with her guys, Kas went out to the tree line by the wall. Looking up into the trees, she saw her half-brother there. “Mikhail? You wanted to see me after I finished eating and doing what I needed to do. Are you okay?” she asked him with a small frown.
He dropped out of the tree to land a couple feet in front of her. “I’m fine.” Looking around while brushing his hands off, he waved her toward a section of the lawn away from where the guys were working. “Gareth has not-so-nicely pointed out I’m acting a bit of an ass. Actually, what he said, I won’t repeat. No one needs to hear some of what that man says. I just wanted to let you know I have trust issues and am naturally cautious. Which doesn’t appear to be a surprise to you in the least, so either you guessed that or Gareth has been his usual helpful self.”
“I’m not much on trust, either,” Kas said honestly as she leaned against the wall. “Thank you for telling me. I won’t push for anything, but I want you to know that having a blood relative…” She looked up at the skies for several moments and then back to him. “I’ve never had a blood relative.” She whispered the admission. “So to be able to have one means so much to me. I know that I’m not what you want or what you need, but I would really like it if we could somehow have a relationship as brother and sister, or maybe just friends?”
Mikhail frowned. “What do you mean you know you’re not what I want? I’ve never had a sibling, so this is all scarily new to me, too. I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. I’m probably making a mess of things. Look, the bottom line is I’m willing to try if you are. What we get out of this in the end I can’t even guess at, but at least we can say we tried.”
“I can be loud and obnoxious when I want to, I can be a bit abrasive and sometimes tend to shoot before asking questions. For the most part, though, I’m quiet, I’m a loner, and it worries me that I might end up alone,” Kas confessed. “Weird, I know. I would like to try. I really would. I think that the thing we might get is at least a friendship and hopefully a sibling relationship.”
“Then we’ll muddle through this together and see what we come out the other side with.” He stared at her silently for a long time. “As tempting as it is to let you see everything by touching my hand, I’m still not sure it’s a great idea. While you might have an idea of what my career has entailed up to this point, the reality is a lot worse. Are you okay with that? At least for the time being.”
She nodded. “I am. I don’t like to intrude upon people’s personal truths. I prefer to listen to them and accept what they have to tell me. I only touch if I feel I’m being lied to. Well, that or when I tried to kill Donovan Swan at my parents’ funeral. I touched him then and realized that he was the one who killed them. Somehow, we have to work that out, too. I’m going to trust you to help me on that one,” she assured him, or assured herself as the case might have been.
“I’m guessing you already have a dossier on him. We’ll need to see it, and then we’ll do some digging with our contacts to get even more. Hopefully, we can find the proof of his crimes and get you some closure.”
“I have put together a full file on him. I’ve got electronic and paper copies, so if you have someone that you need to send it to, you’ll be able to. Thank you, by the way, for offering to help me. I appreciate that a lot. It’ll be nice to no longer be alone.”
“I’ll have Owen grab both copies from you. He’s our resident computer genius. The things he can find, or do, with just a cell phone would scare you silly.” Falling silent, Mikhail tipped his head. “I can’t say what the future might hold, Kasper. But know this for a fact: you won’t ever be alone again.”
“I hope that you’re right. I’ll have everything ready for him. It’s just nice to know that I don’t have to be alone anymore. Nice to be able to have someone to turn to. That means a great deal to me.”
“Any time you need anything, I fully expect to be your first call.” Someone shouted for him; turning, he gave a wave before looking back at her. “We’re going to keep at it for a couple more hours before breaking for the day to start dinner. With the weather being so nice, we thought we’d do a barbecue, if you’re interested.”
Chapter Nine
Later that night…
After an amazing barbeque dinner, Kasper and Mikhail were cleaning up in the kitchen while the men were in various places in the house. She looked out at the backyard and back to Mikhail before she said, “You’re all good men. I’m happy you came into my life. I know that this tossed your whole world into a tumble, but I’m glad you’re here and we’re all getting to know each other.”
“This didn’t toss our world into anything. It’s what we do,” he told her. “Besides which, you’re family. While this is still freaking me out a little, and it’s tak
ing some time to get used to it all. I’m starting to enjoy it now that my level of freak isn’t as high as when I first learned about you.”
She smiled at that and nodded. “I’m very happy to have a brother. I’m looking forward to being able to get to know you a bit more and possibly getting to know your woman as well.”
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “I should likely call her and bring her up to date. Assuming that Gareth hasn’t already in his oddly biased, yet strangely amusing, way. Of course, as soon as I tell her, she’ll get Ares to bring her out here so she can see for herself what you’re all about.”
That had her frowning. “It’s not safe for her here, is it?” she asked quietly. “Because if it were safe, you would have her here already, wouldn’t you? I would like to get to know her, but not if it puts her in danger.”
“Yeah.” He drew the word out. “You really don’t know Camilla, but you will. You poor, poor thing.” Shaking his head, Mikhail gave her a sympathetic look. “Besides, if she drags Ares out here, then he won’t leave until she does. She’ll be fine.”
“I take it he’s very partial to her. Is she his descendant or something?” She leaned on the table as she spoke to him. “Is that why he wouldn’t leave until she was safe and home again?”
“She’s a descendent of Artemis, actually, but Ares has always been in her life as her uncle. She has him totally wrapped around her little finger. It’s kind of funny to see her make the big bad God of War jump when she says jump.”
“I like her already, if she’s a descendant of my Aunty A.” She’d had Artemis in her life for a long time. She adored the woman she called aunt and was happy to have her. It had taken her time, but with James and Victor’s help, she was able to process just why her aunt had done what she had and why. She understood her aunt’s choices, they talked all the time again now. “Do you think Aunty A will come by more often then she has for the last few months?” She didn’t know why Artemis had stayed away, but she would ask her when she came over. Even though they talked on the phone daily, she was still exceptionally sad she didn’t see her aunt as frequently like she used to.
