by Avery Gale
She didn’t know how long she’d lain over Clay in an exhausted heap, but by the time her brain reengaged, Collin had already pulled from her body and she became aware that someone was cleaning her with a warm, wet cloth. When she would have jerked away, Clay banded her tightly against his chest again even though he was no longer inside her. “Let us care for you, baby. It pleases us to do this for you, please don’t deny us this pleasure.” His words drifted over her like a warm summer breeze and she laid her head back down on his chest and that was the last thing she remembered.
Chapter 9
Holy fucking cat balls, this is what she got for deciding to surprise her three pervert brothers. Lainy knew her brothers were interested in a new woman, hell, she and Cash talked on the phone at least once a week and texted each other almost daily. She was thrilled that her brothers had found a woman they all seemed to agree was perfect for them, because quite frankly she hadn’t really thought it would be possible. She knew they weren’t expecting her until next week, but she had decided to come home and surprise them for the Grand Opening of Red Clouds Dancing. And if her damned flight hadn’t been delayed at JFK she would have made her flight to Denver and been here in plenty of time. The way it was, she’d pulled up just as the last of the staff had been locking up. One of the security guys had stepped up to her car saying he was sorry but she was too late and then told her she’d missed a great party.
The man was a damned giant. Good choice for a bouncer, brothers mine! She’d thanked him and put her rental back into gear and headed to her family’s home. Cash had been telling her about the renovations and additions they’d made but the scope of the changes had still taken her breath away as she’d pulled up in front of the house. Yep, it’s official. Collin has more money than God. The additions on both ends of the house were huge and the rock porch and the landscaping and—well, hell, the list was endless. Geez, she could hardly wait to snoop around in the morning. But right now she was beyond exhausted. Just as she was pulling the last suitcase from the trunk she noticed the truck she’d seen in the club’s parking lot pull around the corner of the long drive.
She felt as if she’d stepped into a spotlight, but of course she hadn’t moved. For just a second she was worried that one of her crazy fans had followed her but then logic kicked in and she knew there was no way anyone could have known her plans. Hell, she hadn’t decided to come home until late last night. But still…the hair on the back of her neck stood up and warning bells were ringing in her mind. Shaking the feeling off, she watched as the truck turned back around and drove away. Must have been one of my brothers’ staff making sure I wasn’t a criminal. Probably figured I’m safe, not many burglars park in front of their targets’ home and unload five massive suitcases that are obviously already packed to near bursting.
Cripes, she was starting to get punchy, making jokes in her mind and then laughing out loud was a sure sign she was beyond exhausted. Just as she unlocked the front door she heard a woman scream. It took a few seconds for the logical side of her brain to take the reins from the fight-or-flight side, but when it did she recognized the sound for what it was. Yes, indeed. This is what she got for not letting the Terrifying Three, as she often referred to her brothers, know she was coming home.
Making her way down the long hallway to the opposite wing of the house she easily found the apartment Cash had told her had been added. Damn, sometimes it was great having a super-wealthy brother. The space was almost double the size of her apartment in New York and much more plush even though the agency she’d worked for had done a great job of making sure she’d had the highest-paying jobs, she’d been conservative with her spending. Truthfully it had seemed ridiculous to pay exorbitant amounts of money for an apartment she wasn’t home enough to enjoy.
Maneuvering her suitcases down the long hall looking for the bedroom, she was thrilled when she poked her head in the office they’d designed. She loved the wall of windows and knew they would give her a stunning view over the valley below and she could barely contain her excitement as she thought about the plans she had for her first clients. She was going to spend a few days resting and then she was going to throw herself into building a new career and if no one ever took her damned picture again it would suit her just fine.
* * * *
Noah Drummond had gone to the Grand Opening of Red Clouds Dancing for one reason and one reason only—to see Ilaina Red Cloud. He’d worried his information had been wrong when her brothers had whisked the blonde bombshell they were all obviously interested in out well before closing. Noah had been certain the brothers wouldn’t have left if they’d known their sister was on her way home, but he’d stuck around until the bitter end just in case. He’d been sitting in his truck letting it warm up when he’d noticed what he knew was a rental car pull up. Noah watched as the most beautiful woman in the entire world rolled down her window and spoke with the brute her brothers had hired as a bouncer. How the man hadn’t recognized one of the most photographed women on the planet was a mystery for the ages, but it had been obvious when he’d watched in confusion as she’d driven off and headed down the private drive leading to her family’s home.
Noah had followed just to make sure she made it safely, he’d waited years for the chance to reclaim her and he wasn’t taking any chances now that he was so close to his goal. He’d seen her brothers’ reactions when they’d seen him and he owed Alex Lamont for staying them. Noah’s reputation as a playboy photographer wasn’t even close to who he really was, but it had made a damned fine cover for the past several years so he’d never made any attempt to set things to right. Alex and Zach Lamont were among the few people locally that had any idea how much broader his job description had actually been.
Once he’d seen that Ilaina was safely parked in front of her home, he’d turned around and returned to his studio and loft. The renovations to the old mill were nearly complete and he was thrilled with how it was coming together. The place had been nearly perfect for his needs and he’d been grateful to Zach for suggesting it. He loved the huge windows, large open spaces, and it had a view of the mountains that always took his breath away. He was proud of everything he’d accomplished in the past few months and for the first time he’d actually been grateful for the ridiculous sums of money the United States military had been willing to pay him for his assistance. He still laughed about that expression—but then “assistance” looked a lot better on the certificate they’d given him than the truth, that was for sure.
Walking up the floating staircase he thought about the elusive woman that most of the world knew only as Ilaina. For years he’d kept his distance, not wanting to put her on the radar of anyone he worked with or for. Knowing who a person loved gave friends and enemies alike too much leverage, but now that he was retired, all bets were off. Stopping in his living room to look at the best picture he’d ever taken he couldn’t help but touch the canvas. Once a long time ago—long before she’d become so famous—she’d let him take her picture and it was still the most beautiful picture he’d ever taken. It was also the best picture he’d ever seen of her. It had been just minutes after he’d made love to her and somehow the camera had caught every nuance of her at that moment and the effect was one of pure enchantment. Very soon, my beautiful Ilaina, very soon I’m going to make you understand why I left.
Chapter 10
Layla woke up surrounded by warm skin and even in the dark room she had no trouble telling that Cash was on her right and Clay was snuggled against her left side. She wondered where Collin was until she felt him shift and then she realized the weight that had been over her calves had been lifted. She basked in the feeling of them all around her until she realized what had awakened her – she had to use the restroom. She started trying to free herself from Clay’s hold and when he mumbled and tightened his arm around her she’d whispered that she’d be back in just a bit. He reluctantly lifted her over his body and set her gently on the floor. “Hurry back, baby, I don’t w
ant to sleep with my brothers without you between us.” He gave her a small smile and then fell back to sleep before she’d even turned to make her way to the bathroom.
After leaving the bathroom Layla put on the silk robe she’d worn earlier and made down the hall intending to find the kitchen and get a glass of water. As she rounded the corner into what turned out to be a huge kitchen she saw the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen standing at the large island in the center of the room. Both women screamed in surprise and then the dark-haired beauty started waving her hands and shushing her all the while darting glances up the hall where the men slept.
Layla’s breathing finally calmed down and only then did she realize that the woman standing barefoot in faded jeans and a cut off T-shirt with “Runways aren’t just for planes” across the front was none other than the model Ilaina. “Hell’s bells and hand grenades, you scared the shit out of me.” It took a few seconds before Layla’s brain fully engaged so in the meantime, she simply stood staring at one of the most famous faces in the world. “You must be Layla. Cash has told me so much about you. You are every bit as beautiful as he described you.” And then extending her hand she said, “I’m Ilaina Red Cloud, I’m so sorry I scared you. I tried to get here in time for the Grand Opening, but things didn’t work out the way I’d planned.”
Layla tried to smile, but she was still too stunned to do much more than stare. Her shock must have shown because Ilaina looked at her and shook her head. “Honey, you better have a seat, you look a bit—” Her words were cut off as her three brothers skidded around the corner in just their jeans. Ilaina looked up and smiled. “Hey, you guys, have a little respect, here. Didn’t your mama teach you that’s it’s not proper to come into the kitchen without a shirt on? And nobody wants to see your big ole bare boy feet. Hell, boys have hair on their toes, that’s just too gross for words. And the whole effect is just way more visual information than I ever want about you three stooges.” And with those words she launched herself in to Cash’s waiting arms. Layla didn’t doubt for a minute that she and Ilaina Red Cloud were going to be great friends. She loved the way the woman held her own and thought on her feet. Oh, Tori and the girls are going to love her, too!
Watching as Cash crushed his sister in a hug, Layla was touched at the obvious affection the two shared. Ilaina hugged each of her brothers, but her face clearly reflected her deep love and respect for Cash. When they’d all exchanged greetings and promised to meet back in the kitchen in a few hours for a “real Red Cloud breakfast” whatever that meant, the men had led her back down the hallway to the bedroom.
Just as they’d settled her back in to the massive bed, she’d muttered that she never had gotten the glass of water she’d gone downstairs for and Clay reached over and handed her a small glass of water she hadn’t even noticed him carrying back to the room. She downed the entire glass before handing it back to him with a shy smile of thanks. The last thing she remembered was Cash’s soft chuckle behind her before he pulled her tight against his warm chest and spoke against her ear. “Love, you took five years off my life. Hell, we were all halfway down the hall in our fucking birthday suits before we heard Lainy’s voice, so we had to come back and get our jeans.” Layla remembered smiling and then she just slid back to sleep.
* * * *
Nick Lang paced the small holding cell like the caged animal he was. Just a few more hours and he’d be out of this fucking hell-hole forever. It had taken years, but he’d finally won his case on appeal. What monkey-run court took the testimony of a damned teenage girl over all the witnesses he’d managed to “find” anyway? It hadn’t mattered how much pressure he’d put on his niece or her worthless mother, the bitch had still testified. At least his sister had kicked her out of the house, so he was sure she would be easy to eliminate. Hell, nobody cared when some street walker turned up dead in an alley. And God knows she’d been easy to find with that damned white-blonde hair of hers. One of his contacts in Colorado had let him know he’d seen her just a few days ago. The kid was obviously looking to move up quickly and Nick would reward his loyalty so others would understand what it took to shine in the bosses’ eyes. He didn’t know yet why she was in Colorado, probably followed some sugar daddy. But he’d spend a couple of days getting things together here and then head north and take care of her once and for all.
Thinking about his niece always gave him a fucking migraine because the whole thing was such a mixed fucked-up mess. Jesus, the kid had been a dead ringer for Marilyn Monroe from the time she was twelve and he’d enjoyed taking her places back then. She’d been a great distraction while he’d done “business.” If a cop did happen by, he was always so distracted by Little Miss Perky and Blonde that he was oblivious to whatever Nick was up to.
The guard walked by for the fourth time in twenty minutes and glared at him. “Sit your ass down, Lang, we’ll get to you soon enough. Getting sprung on a fucking technicality doesn’t mean anybody in the front office thinks they need to bust their ass to speed up your paperwork.” Every guard in the place had been even nastier after Nick had won his case. Oh sure, there had been several that had been willing to keep the perks coming his way for the right amount of money, but most of them had decided that he was about a thousand feet below pond scum.
In a couple of hours he’d be able to forget all about this place and the opinion of the pencil dicks who had held it over him for the past several years wouldn’t mean squat. He’d be out of here and back on the street making some serious cash in no time and when he caught up with Layla he intended to make her understand the importance of loyalty, right before he slit her throat. Oh yeah, that was definitely going to send a strong message to the rest of his “family.” They’d give him the respect he deserved because he planned to leave no doubt it was all or nothing. They’d know if he’d kill his own blood, he’d damned well kill any of them.
Chapter 11
Layla couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun at a meal. The Red Cloud siblings had worked together in the kitchen like a well-oiled machine despite their constant bickering and teasing banter. It was obvious their parents had made sure each of their sons learned to cook and she was going to be sure and thank them for that when she met them because Lord love a leper, she could barely boil water without setting off the smoke detectors. Each of her tiny apartments over the years had been filled with smoke every time she’d decided that cooking really couldn’t be that hard and she’d made another attempt. Finally her last landlord had threatened to move her out into the street if she didn’t stop trying to “torch the place.”
This morning she’d opted to set the table and make toast, which she’d been thrilled she hadn’t turned into charred cinders. When Cash had noticed her beaming at the tall stack of golden brown bread slices he’d raised an eyebrow in question and she’d excitedly told him that she’d made the whole stack without the alarms going off and he should probably note it on the calendar for later submission to the history book people. He’d given her a bear hug and whispered in her ear that cooking wasn’t even close to what he thought she did best. Layla knew her face had turned five shades of red when everyone else in the room burst out laughing.
She’d enjoyed watching the siblings as they spent most of the day catching up on each other’s lives. Ilaina had made it clear to her brothers that she loved the changes they’d made to their childhood home. When they’d gone downstairs, Layla had been delighted to see the basement was a walk-out and that the patio had a beautiful fire pit and an outdoor kitchen designed for entertaining large groups of friends.
But when they’d entered what they called Layla’s Beach she had been completely overcome with emotion. Collin explained not long after they’d met in Houston, she had mentioned being worried about living in Colorado during the winter because she so loved the warmer temperatures of southern Texas. She remembered that conversation, it had been during their long drive to Colorado and he’d been describing the beauty of snow glist
ening from the tall pine trees and she’d shivered from head to toe before she’d explained her worries. “Frack, I get all sad and sleepy if it’s cloudy for more than a couple of days. What am I going to do when it’s cloudy for days on end and it’s too cold to go outside and bask in the warm sun and recharge?”
When Collin led her into the Beach Room she’d cried because his thoughtfulness had touched her so. But then she’d squealed and kicked off her shoes and headed for the “sanded beach” that came complete with a tiki bar and beach chairs. Collin had shown her the lights and explained that they were designed to imitate the day spectrum rays of the sun and were supposed to greatly alleviate symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. There was a walk-in pool with a small waterfall that was supposed to keep the oxygen level of the water at “optimum levels for various beneficial effects.” Clay had leaned close and whispered that all that meant was that it was going to send bubbles dancing over every inch of her and that since they were going to make her swim “nekkid” those bubbles were going to dance over her clit and make her want them all the more.
Layla had been thinking about all the orgasms she’d had last night and was fighting the heavy feeling of neediness in her lower abdomen and the throbbing in her clit when she felt Cash step up behind her and press his hard cock against her ass. And that small move had felt like a bolt of electrified need had been shot directly into her pussy. She felt a flood of moisture coat her labia and begin trailing down the inside of her thighs. They’d shown her the swimsuits they purchased for her and then let her sit in the hot tub with Ilaina. But when Collin had helped her into one of his button-down shirts after he’d dried her, he’d very subtly taken her bottoms so that she’d spent the last hour sitting on a leather stool in front of the tiki bar with her very bare pussy moving over the rough texture of the leather. There had been several times she had nearly moaned out loud and by the time Ilaina had gone upstairs Layla was nearly ready to plunge her fingers deep and bring herself some relief.
