After The I Do (Meeting At The Fault Line Book 1)

by Autumn Breeze

  “Did you just call me little?” Sophia asks, pausing next to him. He huffs and she uses the bottom of her foot to push him over so he falls sideways into the dirt again. For good measure, she pops one of the marshmallows in her mouth before she turns away from him.

  “He called you a beast, too,” Lilith reminds her when Sophia is sitting down with the bag of treats in her lap.

  “Don’t forget evil,” Duke adds after his wife. The pair sit as far away from each other as possible but I notice both wear little silver bands around their left ring finger.

  They haven’t spoken to each other since the night Lilith lost the baby as far as I know. I hope for Duke’s sake as much as Lilith’s that they do eventually speak again. Only the pair of them can really understand what the other is going through.

  “Might as well toss in the mean for good measure,” I tell her and she glares at all of us as if we are suggesting a trip outside of Necropolis.

  “None of you assholes can have anymore, except Everett.”

  “Yes!” Everett claps his hands gleefully as he pokes his tongue out at all of us. He is a traitor who can’t be trusted. If marshmallows can buy his loyalty, I stand no chance when it comes to maintaining his allegiance. Our relationship is doomed for failure.

  “Here.” Sophia tosses a marshmallow high enough it goes over the fire. Before Everett can grab it, I snatch it out of the air. He turns a hostile and offended gaze on me. I lift an eyebrow and his eyes drop to the soft white cylinder I hold hostage between my thumb and index finger.

  “You want it?” I ask. He rolls his eyes, turning in his chair ever so slightly.

  “Of course,” he replies. I hum, looking him over. My siblings have been with us for three days and within that time, he’s been stingy with his affection. Apparently, it is okay if our staff or random strangers catch us having sex but out of the question for my siblings. It isn’t as if I want to be walked in on by them or anyone but it won’t be a first either.

  “I want a kiss,” I declare.

  Leaning over, Everett presses his mouth to mine without a second thought. His lips part when my tongue flicks out. Accepting the invitation, I sweep my tongue inside; his tongue tentatively seeks mine out. By the time he pulls back, my lungs are burning but a smile pulls at my lips.

  Holding the marshmallow out, he reaches for it but I pull it back at the last second and pop it between my lips. His mouth opens and a horrified gasp escapes while his eyes widened as I chew the sweet treat. By his look alone, you’d think I killed a member of his family while he watched.

  “You villain,” he sneers.

  “Every villain is a hero depending on the perspective,” I inform him. No villain ever thinks he is the bad guy. Every low life believes they are the hero of their own story; they all share the opinion they are doing what is right no matter how anyone else views them.

  “From mine, you’re a marshmallow thief which makes you a villain.” My lips twitch as I reach out and trailed my fingers along his jaw. His gaze narrows and I lower my hand before he snaps at me.

  “How can I make it up to you?” I ask. He hums, much like I do sometimes, and inspects me. I fold my hands together in my lap and wait.

  What is he going to ask for? What won’t I give him if he just asks?

  “A kiss,” he settles. That is simple and more to my benefit than his.

  “As you wish,” I tell him before leaning in. Jerking his head to the side, he pulls his mouth away from mine. My lips slide along his cheek as he plants his hands on my shoulders and pushes me backwards.

  “Never mind,” he tells me. “You’d still be a thief.” Duke laughs as my brows pull down.

  “Finally; someone who won’t take your shit.” Everett catches another marshmallow Sophia throws his way and pops it into his mouth with a satisfied grin. I shake my head at my husband, best friend and three siblings. They are all fiends who deserve a whipping.

  “You’re all being locked out,” I inform them.

  Sophia’s eyes expand as her lips pucker in a pout. “Even me?”

  I scoff at her fake innocence. “Most definitely you.”

  She’ll be tossed in the rain with Thing One and Thing Two. Everett and Duke will be left to fend for themselves as well. While they beat on the door, I’ll enjoy some peace and quiet in my own home. Maybe I’ll watch a movie while eating popcorn in the living room without someone complaining about my TV choice. It is possible I will play video games without automatically setting up multiplayer. It’ll be beautiful.

  “I’m not built for the rough life,” Lilith complains.

  “Better ask your husband to build us a shelter,” Mason remarks.

  There is something in his voice, something I recognize because it is in all of ours, including mine when I remember my little sister is married and has been for some time. It is hurt. It is the knowledge she got married and we weren’t there to stand beside her, cheer her on and offer our support. We missed what should have been one of the happiest days of her life.

  “Come on,” Lilith groans, “I already said I was sorry.” She folds her hands together and sucks her bottom lip between her teeth. She is truly sorry but it does not stop the hurt.

  My heart still aches because she did not get to wear a white dress and stand before our elders. Those things should have been hers. She longs for those things, or she had as a teenager. Now, I am not sure what Lilith longs for.

  Maybe for peace, to feel at home in her own skin, to not feel as if she is at war with herself.

  “I didn’t and I won’t,” Duke mutters.

  Everyone hears him but no one says anything as it falls silent.

  The crackling and popping of wood fills the hush. Smoke curls and dances above our heads like snakes as it slithers toward the sky and disappears into the trees. In the distance, the creek can be heard bubbling as it rushes toward its terminus.

  Out here, I can almost forget that just a few days previous my family was almost followed home, that some new enemy is knocking around because we finally have peace with the Vârcolaci. Surrounded by these people I love more than life itself, it is easy to imagine that the growing sense of unease we are all steeped in is just a dream, just a trick of the imagination. Reality is never far away. I know it waits but for now, I sigh and close my eyes.

  “Let’s play Ghost in the Graveyard,” Sophia chimes. I open my eyes as Mason shoots to his feet.

  “Not it,” he calls, turning and disappearing into the woods before a decision can be made.

  Everett watches him with a lifted eyebrow. “What’s Ghost in the Graveyard?” he inquires.

  A slow smile stretches my lips as I think about the lazy days of my youth. We all played the game together; running through the house and yard, we all looked for and sometimes found suitable hiding places. By the time they were all old enough to play, I was on the cusp of adulthood but still enjoyed the game. It has been many years since we all played. This will be the first time we do it on my estate, if we all agree to play.

  “The way we play, it’s just a fancy name for Hide and Seek,” I explain to Everett. “You have to stay hidden until the Ghost finds you. The first person found is the Ghost. The last person found avoids being the Ghost for one turn.” I avoided being the ghost a lot when I was younger because I was older and knew of the better hiding spots.

  That advantage will be gone now. How will I fair against the monsters now that we are on equal footing?

  “Sounds fun,” Everett says.

  “Thanos is it,” Duke announces, rising to his feet. He walks toward Lilith and extends his hand. She looks up at him, shakes her head softly and disappears on her own.

  Sophia disappears after her sister. Duke looks at me and sighs before disappearing as well. There is an ocean of sadness in his gaze but there isn’t anything I can do to help.

  Lilith needs time.

  We all do.

  “I’m only counting to sixty so you’d better run fast,” I tell Everett.
He shoots from his chair and goes in the opposite direction of my siblings, probably realizing it’s smarter to spread out. My lips twitch as he disappears into the trees.

  I will find him last.

  “One,” I holler, letting my voice carry, “Two . . . Three . . . Four . . . ”

  27

  Shoving his fingers into my hair, Everett slams his mouth against mine. Swallowing his moan, my tongue slips between his lips and begins to explore the cavern behind his teeth. The sweetness of the chocolate and marshmallow he’d been eating just a few minutes ago overwhelms my senses as my fingers curl around one of his thighs.

  I’m hard and throbbing almost painfully inside of my jeans. If I want relief, I’ll have to don a condom and sink into Everett’s body. That sounds like a great idea.

  What am I waiting on?

  We are alone in the woods, far enough away from the bonfire currently raging that no one is going to see us unless they come to investigate. I can have him here and now and no one will be the wiser if we take certain precautions.

  “Can you be quiet?” I ask; my lips twitch as I push Everett back. He pants lightly, his chest heaving as my fingers go to the band of his jeans. It takes him a moment but when he understands what I am asking, his eyes go wide. Glancing in the direction of our family some fifty feet away, he chews his lip before looking back to me.

  “If I have to,” he answers after a moment of hesitation.

  Can he, really? Over the last few weeks, he’s proven being quiet isn’t a strong suit of his. Of course, if he is loud now someone—most likely one of my siblings—will come to investigate.

  Whoever follows whatever sounds of pleasure he makes will discover him being stuffed. If we are caught, we’ll have to stop and that sounds like the worst possible outcome. Once I am inside of his tight body, I don’t want to withdraw just to prevent us both from being embarrassed. If he doesn’t want his happy ending to go up in smoke, he’ll have to try hard to keep his voice at bay.

  “I believe this might be one occasion in which you have to—” I tell him as I pop the button on his jeans and slip my fingers inside. Everett’s lips part and he moans when my palm curls around his stiff shaft. The fingers in my hair tighten. Sharp nails press against my scalp but I don’t mind their bite. “—Or we may be discovered.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait?” Everett pants, his voice weak as he rocks into my fingers. I understand his hesitation. The threat of being discovered by a sibling or in-law is enough to make any man’s blood run cold.

  “Do you want to wait to cum?” I ask, my thumb moving over the crown of his cock as I withdraw him from his clothes. One of his hands falls from my hair and he pushes his pants down his hips. My eyes feast on the prize I am currently being presented with.

  The straining prick in my fingers and Everett’s sac tight against his body has my throat going dry with desire.

  “I’m not good at waiting. You know that by now,” he whispers.

  Capturing his mouth again, I release his length. He whimpers against me, rocking forward. Fingers slip under my shirt even as I reach for the button on my own pants. Freeing myself, I exhale against Everett’s mouth before digging a condom out of my pocket.

  Pulling the package from my fingers, Everett rips the plastic open before unrolling the latex over my shaft. Reaching down, I stroke myself a few times before releasing my prick and grabbing the man in front of me. Spinning him around, I urge him toward a tree. He braces himself against the trunk and I trail my fingers down his bare ass.

  Wiggling back against my hand, Everett makes a sound of impatience as my fingers simply rubbed against his hole. Now isn’t the time to play but I do anyway, just as I have before. Sex is something I enjoy and I intend to thoroughly revel in the exquisite creature pushing back against my fingers.

  “Do you want me?” I ask, pressing my finger in ever so slightly. Everett cries out softly, his head bowing against the tree.

  My prick pulses but I know without lube, I have to take my time, have to prepare his body. What is already on the condom won’t make it easier if I don’t take care to ready him. That is why I pull the single finger free of him only long enough to add a second. He rocks back against me again, one of his hands slipping to the front of his body. I don’t mind if he touches himself.

  “You know I do,” Everett whispers, his chest shaking as he inhales and exhales.

  Leaning against him, I nip at his ear as I add a third finger to his hole. He whimpers as I twist the digits inside of him. His bottom presses back against my hand while I scissor my fingers to loosen his entrance.

  Easing my fingers out of him, I slap his ass and he jerks, crying out low. My eyes drift to the bonfire but so far no one has heard him. With his increasing noise level, it is only a matter of time. Most likely, I’ll have to cover his mouth so we can finish without interruption.

  Would he mind? Do I care if he does? He’s been pushing me around and taking what he wants for weeks now. Maybe it is my turn to do a little pushing, a little taking.

  “Thanos . . . please.” Curling one palm around shaft, the other goes around his hip as I draw him backward. He bends further over and I step forward so I am pressing against the entrance to his body.

  Panting, he pushes backward and I press into him slowly. He whimpers and whines but it isn’t long before I am buried to the hilt. Both of us seem to exhale when I am engulfed.

  After a moment, he adjusts. I still wait a couple of seconds longer before pulling back and surging forward. Everett cries out, his voice carrying slightly through the forest.

  Grasping Everett’s shoulder, I pull him up against my chest. Wrapping one arm around his waist, I lay the other across his mouth. His fingers curl around my wrist as I thrust forward again.

  Everett moans behind my palm as he attempts to remove my hand from his mouth. I do not release him for fear our family will hear, will come and put an end to our madness before either of us reach our own personal ends.

  “Do you want me to make you cum, Everett?” I whisper in his ear before nipping it. His chest shakes as he draws a choppy breath in through his nose. Sliding my free hand under his shirt, I find one of his nipples and roll it between my fingers. He quivers against me, reaching up to lay his hand over mine as I pluck the sensitive bud. I grunt as I surge deeper into him.

  “Touch yourself, Everett.” If he doesn’t touch himself, he will cum all the same but still, the sight of his fingers around his shaft will still push me toward my edge. It will add to my possession of him. “Stroke your cock for me, Everett,” I mutter.

  Even though his face turns a new shade of pink, his fingers curl around his shaft and he does as I desire. It is dark and the shadows surround us but I can still see his fingers sliding along his hardness by the flickering of the distant firelight. The view has my prick jumping inside of him. He gasps, pressing his back against my chest. I roll into his body, sinking deeper before withdrawing and repeating the action. Clenching around me, he feels exquisite.

  “Good boy,” I mutter, nipping at his ear. He gasps, yanking on my wrist and I release him so he can breathe. One harsh exhale after another parts his lips as I thrust into him. He squeezes my shaft, his body milking me.

  “You’re a pervert,” he breathlessly teases and I laugh softly.

  “I am a pervert.” I cannot deny that. “And you are one, too, for agreeing to be fucked in the middle of the woods fifty feet from our family.”

  His head falls against my shoulder. Across my cheek, I can feel the hot exhale of his rapid breath. Reaching back, the hand not around his shaft wraps around my neck and tangles in the hair on my nape. The hold gives him the leverage necessary to push back against my cock.

  We sway together in perfect rhythm.

  “Shut up,” he moans, his speech strained.

  The hand around his length moves faster and I imagine he is close. I won’t deny him. As much as I want to drag this out, spend a few hours fucking him against every tree located
on the perimeter of our camp site, I know that is impossible. Our absence will be noticed sooner or later. Duke has probably already noted it and simply chosen not to investigate because he suspects what I am doing if I am not watching Lilith, Sophia and Mason.

  “As you wish, любимый,” I whisper. He attempts to laugh but it breaks off into a moan.

  The shine of pre-cum decorates his prick for a second before he brushes it away with his index finger. I increase the pound of my hips and he cries out, raising onto his tiptoes. My sac hits his bottom, sending soft noises through the forest.

  “Thanos . . . I’m close,” he gasps. Removing my arm from around his abdomen, I plant it on his back and push him forward. Pressing his free hand against the tree he was using for support before, he bends, giving me better access to his ass.

  “Wait for me,” I order him. It is the first order I have given him but I expect him to obey. He whimpers but nods. My hand smacks against his flesh and he cries out again, jerking back against me. My hips move faster as the build of my release presses down on me.

  At our rate, I am really going to cum in just a few more moments.

  “I’m going to cum, Thanos. I can’t wait,” Everett whispers.

  I grunt, reaching around his body and knocking his fingers away from his shaft. He protests but cries out just as quickly when my palm slides over him. He feels like hot iron. Moving my hand and body in a steady rhythm, I stroke and fill him all at once.

  He clenches around my shaft like a vice.

  “Everett,” I grunt, my cock pulsing in his body, just as he cries out.

  “Thanos.” Everett wiggles down against my erection as warm liquid spills over my fingers.

  Both of us pant. I stay in him for a moment before mournfully withdrawing. He turns to face me as I pull the soiled condom off. Digging a hole with the tip of my boot, I drop the latex inside before covering it up. By the time I look up, Everett has put himself in order.

  “Should we go back?” Everett asks as I tuck my own member back into its proper place.