“Really?” Forrester said in surprise.
He wanted nothing more than to take her back to the Socorro Valley, but he’d been afraid she wouldn’t want to go. He wasn’t sure why he’d thought that. Maybe because Elle seemed so happy at the diner.
“You really want to go meet them.”
“Silly, I’m dying to meet them. They’re going to be my new family.”
“Yes they are,” Forrester said, and put his arms around her and pulled her in close.
Chapter 49
Elle
ELLE’S EYES GREW WIDER AND wider as Forrester drove her through the Californian mountains and down toward the coast.
“This is so beautiful, Forrester.”
He put his hand on her lap and smiled at her.
“You’re not nervous, are you?” he said, reassuringly.
She shook her head. She should have been nervous, but the truth was, Forrester was so protective of her and so attentive, that she felt perfectly comfortable.
“I had no idea you were from such a nice place,” she said.
“Well, I’m from Stone Peak. But this is where I learned how to be a man, thanks to Lacey and her father and the rest of the Brotherhood.”
Elle smiled. “Forrester,” she said, “what exactly is the Brotherhood.”
“Well,” Forrester said, “I know that’s a question that I’ve been dancing around for the past few weeks, and I know it’s something that you need to know about, but I want Jackson to be the one to tell you about it.”
“Why Jackson?”
“Because his path crossed with yours once before. Not that either of you knew it. But he and Faith were once involved in something that I think you’d be interested to hear about. They’re going to be the best people to explain the Brotherhood to you.”
Elle nodded. It was all very mysterious but she didn’t mind. She trusted Forrester. She knew he was a good man. He wasn’t an angel, and she had no illusion that the Brotherhood was something sweet and innocent, but she could tell it wasn’t something she needed to worry about.
When the truck came to the crest of the mountain pass and she saw for the first time, the immense and startling beauty of the Pacific Ocean in front of her, it took her breath away.
“Forrester, this is beautiful,” she said.
“It’s all yours if you want it,” he said.
She had to take a deep breath. She knew Forrester had family there, and she just had a job as a waitress back in Stone Peak, so she wasn’t opposed to the idea of settling in the Socorro Valley. She still hadn’t made up her mind, though. She’d have to see the place first. And what about Kelly and Grace? One thing made it all very easy for her. Forrester had made it amply clear that they would live where she wanted, and would raise their family in the way she felt was best, so she knew she wouldn’t be pressured into anything. She just had to see the place, meet the Brotherhood, and make up her own mind.
She felt excited as they wound their way down into the mountain valleys. For the first time in weeks, she felt warm. It was a lot warmer along the California coast than the Rocky Mountains had been. She took off her jacket and nestled into Forrester, who had a habit of driving his truck with one arm around her shoulders, which she loved.
When they pulled down the driveway of his house, she again had her breath taken away.
“Forrester, you never told me you were rich.”
Forrester shrugged and said simply, “You have no idea, sweet heart.”
She shook her head. The house at the end of the road was a Spanish style, colonial mansion, surrounded by gently sloping hills that were covered in fine vineyards. In front of the mansion was a huge fountain, and she could see the edge of a pool off to the back. In the courtyard were old pickup trucks, but also some vintage looking ones, as well as motorcycles, expensive luxury cars, and sports cars. There was no doubt that the Brotherhood had money.
“You’re the most eligible bachelor I’ve ever met,” she gasped.
“I’m not just a bachelor, sweet heart, I’m your fiancé, and your baby daddy. You’ve got me for life.”
“Most eligible baby daddy,” she said, and laughed. “I like the sound of that.”
“Come on,” he said, parking the truck. “I can’t wait to introduce you to the gang.”
Elle was touched by how excited he was. It really was a dream come true. She felt like a princess in a fairy tale. Here she was, being brought to what was essentially a castle, by a man who was essentially a prince, and she was having his baby and getting married to him. It was something any girl would kill for. And it was all happening to her, the girl who’d come from nothing, the girl who’d believed that no one on earth would ever love her, the girl who’d been sold by her own mother.
“I’m so lucky,” she said, as Forrester helped her out of the truck.
“I’m the lucky one,” he said, and then pulled her out of the truck and into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she gasped.
“I’m bringing you across the threshold. You’re not my wife yet, but this is my home, and I’ll be damned if I let you walk in.”
Elle felt like she would have swooned if she’d been on her own feet. As it was, she clung to Forrester, nestling her face into his beautiful neck.
“Whoa,” someone said from the direction of the mansion. “Look who’s here.”
When Elle looked up, she saw that his entire family was standing on the front steps, waiting to greet her. It made her heart flutter to see how welcoming they all looked.
“Hey,” Forrester said, seeing them for the first time in over a month.
“Family, this is my fiancée and future mother of my baby, Elle Barclay.”
They all spoke up in greeting.
“And Elle, this is my family, or should I say, our family.”
Chapter 50
Elle
FROM THE MOMENT ELLE SET foot in the mansion, she loved the place. She felt welcomed and safe there in a way that she’d never felt in her entire life. Every single member of Forrester’s family had generously welcomed her into their life.
Lacey had been the first, hugging her so tightly she felt like a long lost family member. Lacey also kissed her cheeks and Elle felt a pang at her heartstrings when she saw that Lacey was crying. Faith was also crying.
“You’re so beautiful,” Lacey said.
Elle didn’t know what to say when Faith pulled her close to her and gave her the warmest, most welcoming hug she’d ever felt.
“Thank you,” Elle managed.
“You’ve made Forrester so happy,” Lacey said. “Even just through the phone I can tell. It’s like night and day.”
“Really?” Elle said, flattered that they thought so highly of her already.
“Oh yes,” Faith said. “You’re exactly the thing that man needed. He was like a wild animal when he left. Now, all I have to do is look at him to see the difference.”
Elle looked at Forrester. He was hugging his brothers, Jackson, Grant and Grady, and Elle smiled. She hadn’t realized she’d had such a noticeable impact on him. She thought back to the day she’d first seen him.
Was he really that different then from how he was now?
Jackson was the first of the men to greet her. He lifted her up into his powerful arms and hugged her tightly. Without even letting her feet touch the ground, Grant took her from Jackson and hugged her. Finally Grady, who was younger and a little shyer, gave her a slightly more timid hug, although it was still very warm.
The women were both holding babies and Elle kissed them both and hugged Sam, who was Faith and Jackson’s son.
“You’re pretty,” Sam said to her.
Elle blushed, although she felt a little silly being so sensitive to the compliments of a twelve year old.
“She sure is,” Grady said.
Everyone looked at Grady. He was the last brother who was still single.
“What? She is,” he said, shrugging.
Forr
ester could tell she was a little overwhelmed and took her by the hand and led her up the stairs. Everywhere Elle looked, she saw beauty and style. The house was a mansion, a real mansion. It was like something out of a movie, with marble pillars, wrapped staircases, perfect decor, and views over the vineyards that people would pay a lot of money for. It was so beautiful.
He led her up to his room, and she gasped when she saw it. It looked more like the presidential suite at a luxury hotel than the bedroom of a man Forrester’s age.
“This place is incredible,” Elle said.
“Did you like my family?”
“I loved them,” she said. “Forrester, they’re so beautiful. They’re so welcoming. This almost feels too good to be true.”
Forrester nodded. “That’s how I felt when I first got here too,” he said. “I was just a kid. I’d been through hell and back in my life. I’d been in and out of every institution in the system, all over Montana. When Lacey’s father brought me here, I thought I was dreaming. For the first six months I kept looking for the catch. It really did seem too good to be true. I caused a lot of trouble during those first few months.”
“But it was true?” Elle said, almost desperate to know the truth for herself.
He nodded. “It was true,” he said. “You know, sometimes there are people in the world that defy your expectations, Elle. They give you more than you ever imagined anyone giving you. More love, more opportunity, more happiness.”
“I see that,” she said.
“Like you, Elle. That’s what you did for me.”
“Me? What do you mean?”
“From the moment you met me, Elle, you did nothing but give. You gave me your trust first of all. Then, when I was locked up in the jail in Stone Peak, you gave me your loyalty and faith. You didn’t give up on me. You waited. You searched. You believed in me. Then, once we were reunited, you gave me the most exquisite pleasure a man could ever imagine. I mean it. Your pussy is like a national treasure, babe.”
Elle blushed.
“And still, you’re only just beginning,” Forrester continued. “You’re carrying my child as we speak. You’re giving me the gift of fatherhood. You’re giving me a baby. And you’re giving me the gift of marriage too.”
Elle was overwhelmed. She knew Forrester loved her, she knew he loved her with an all-consuming passion that she’d never seen in her life until him, but it still overwhelmed her when he presented it to her. She felt like the luckiest woman who’d ever lived.
“You really are my soulmate, aren’t you, Forrester?”
He nodded, and began opening his belt.
“Oh, God,” she gasped. “Here? Now?”
He nodded. “I want you so badly I can hardly think straight,” he said.
“Well,” Elle said, “I want something too.”
“Anything,” Forrester said.
“I want to show you how much I love you Forrester. I want to show you how grateful I am to you for bringing me here and offering me this new life with you and your family. I want to give you pleasure.”
His pants were already around his ankles and she saw his cock throb through his boxers at the sound of her words.
“I’d like that,” he said.
Elle smiled. Then she dropped to her knees, and very slowly, as seductively as she could, she crawled toward him. He stood there and looked at her with so much gratitude on his face that she knew he loved her completely. She was carrying his child, she thought. She was his now.
When she reached him she pulled his boxers down and uncovered the treasure inside. His rigid shaft pointed itself at her like a predator that was about to attack her. She opened her mouth and took it, all the way into the back of her throat. Forrester moaned in pleasure, and Elle felt completely in control. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she knew what she was doing. She was in a place that was safe and secure. She was where she belonged. She was with a man who loved her, who’d put his child inside her, and put his mother’s engagement ring on her finger. He’d introduced her to his loving family. And now, he was moaning in pleasure because of what her mouth was doing to his delicious, beautiful, penis.
His pleasure was under her control. It was a new power, a new control, and it made her feel so overwhelmingly sexual. She teased him, licking his pink head in little circles with her tongue.
“Oh, Elle.”
She looked up at him.
“Who’s going to be your wife?” she said.
“You are.”
“That’s right.”
She let him slide into her mouth and played with him, licking his shaft, bringing him close to orgasm, his cock throbbing with such arousal it was clear it was going to explode soon.
She stopped to speak again. “Who’s going to give you a baby?”
“You are, Elle,” he said.
“Correct,” she said and rewarded him again, this time sucking his sack so tenderly and passionately that he grabbed her head in his hands and pulled at her hair.
“Who is the woman you love?” she said.
“You’re the woman I love,” he said.
She touched the tip of his cock with her teeth, and then gently rubbed his shaft against them. She could taste the salt in his pre-cum. He was so close to exploding he could hardly bear it. He was breathing as if he had to gasp for air.
“Who’s the woman that makes you come?” she teased.
“Oh, god.”
“Tell me,” she said teasingly.
“You are, Elle.”
She sucked him like his cock was a nipple, as if she was trying to get something out of it. He was swollen and throbbing. He was looking at her with a look approaching agony on his face.
“Elle,” he moaned. “Oh, Elle.”
She stopped, for one final time. She was ready to give him release now.
“Who’s the girl that swallows for you,” she said.
Forrester’s face transformed into a look of complete ecstasy.
“You,” he moaned, and at the same moment, Elle leaned her head back, resting the tip of his cock on her lower lip.
He shot his orgasm into her, spilled it into her mouth, and she kneeled there with her head tilted back so that he could see everything he’d given her. She waited till he was finished, until everything he had inside him was in her mouth, and she looked up at him, her mouth open wide.
He looked down at her with so much gratitude. She knew he would do anything for her. He would die for her. He would be loyal until the end.
And then she swallowed everything in a single gulp.
Chapter 51
Elle
ELLE’S DAYS IN THE MANSION passed in a blur of happiness. She called Kelly every day, but she’d already told her friend that she wasn’t coming back. At least not to live. She’d loved her time in Stone Peak, it had changed her life, but her future was in Socorro Valley with Forrester and the Brotherhood. Even without having the discussion with Forrester, she knew in her heart it was the right life for her.
Between getting to know everyone, helping Faith and Lacey with the babies, spending romantic time with Forrester, and learning the ins and outs of her new environment, she was pretty busy. And every morning when she woke up in that beautiful bed, Forrester’s tender arms wrapped around her, she thanked God for the life she was being given. She loved the house, the pool, the vineyards. She loved the town with it’s pretty main street and ocean views. She loved the clean, clear mountain air.
And most of all, she loved being with Forrester.
One of the things that surprised her most was that Forrester was taking the lead in planning the wedding. He’d told her that it was something he wanted to do for her, and he was making it his business to get Grant and Jackson to show him all the places they’d gone to get the things that made their weddings so perfect. Forrester was adamant that they have the ceremony on the same mountain top that Grant and Lacey had been married on. There was a gazebo up there that he loved. He said he couldn’t
imagine getting married anywhere else.
And Elle loved it. She loved that he was so invested in the process. She’d always thought that men just went along with wedding plans, but didn’t play such an active roll. This was perfect. He’d even arranged for her to meet some fancy wedding dress designer in the city and Faith and Lacey had insisted on accompanying her.
On the drive into the city, the women questioned her non-stop.
“So, how did you know Forrester was the one for you?” Lacey asked her.
Elle blushed a little. She was sitting in the passenger seat next to Lacey. Faith had insisted on sitting in the back between the two babies.
“There was just something about him,” Elle said, “something calm.”
Lacey nodded. “Like a pool of deep water,” she said.
“Exactly,” Elle said. “When Forrester came into my life, it was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I never knew men could be like that. Deep and passionate and caring. He was the first real man I ever knew.”
Faith was nodding from the back seat. “That’s exactly how it was for me with Jackson,” she said. “Before Jackson came along I was in a really bad place. I was with a monster of a man.”
Lacey nodded in agreement.
Faith continued. “When Jackson came into my life, I had a hard time believing he was for real. I was like, I thought I knew men. I thought I knew what they wanted. I thought I knew how they treated women, and what they wanted from us. And then, in walked Jackson, and I was a real bitch to him.”
Elle and Lacey laughed.
“No kidding,” Faith went on, “I really was.”
“Who was the man you were with?” Elle said.
Lacey and Faith both went very quiet.
“What?” Elle said. “Should I not have asked that?”
“No, of course you should, sweetie,” Faith said. “It’s just, you still need to talk to Jackson, right?”
“About my past?”
“Yes. About Los Lobos.”
Elle went pale. She felt her heart thumping at the name of the gang she’d been sold to. “What’s that got to do with this?” she said.
“Well, it’s pretty crazy, but I was involved with Los Lobos too, Elle.”
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