ROMAN (Lane Brothers Book 5)

by Kristina Weaver

  I’d been curious and terrified as I ran gentle fingers over the smooth skin, my touch light as I explored him from base to tip and back again, enthralled by the heat and satiny texture.

  My innocence, or maybe just plain ignorance hadn’t registered that my explorations had become somewhat more than innocent curiosity till I’d found my mouth on his and become aware of my hand-

  “Stop.” I say quietly, taking deep breaths to still my racing heart and breath. “I-I’m not here for you.”

  A lie but something I have to say to restore my equilibrium.

  Devon is an effortless flirt, something I have only now come to realize, months after doing one of the stupidest things ever. I fell for his innocent kindness which I now recognize as having been his spider drawing my fly into his web.

  There had never been an option for me, not once that whole week when he’d changed his tune and drawn me in. I hadn’t stood a chance against his methods and had foolishly believed that our night together was my choice, an illusion he’d given me to make him feel better about taking without giving, while I felt powerful in my own sexuality.

  And here he is, doing it again, luring me in with his heated eyes and hot words.

  “Imp.”

  “No. I know what you want and while I swore I would hear you out that doesn’t mean I have to let you use your, your methods on me. I don’t want to marry you and spend the rest of my life as the consolation prize. I’m worth more than that. So you can choose. We can be friends and maybe we can come to an agreement about living arrangements or I can leave and we’ll agree about visitation later.” I say clearly, stepping back from his advance.

  My words stop him cold and I fancy I can actually see his mind working when he realizes what I’ve said.

  Yeah, after seeing this house, a long ago childhood fantasy come to life I am well aware of the effort he’s making to give me what he thinks I want and therein lies the problem; he doesn’t know, has no clue but he’s doing what Devon does, going full steam ahead to get his hands on me.

  Thrilling, but nowhere near my goals.

  I really want this to work, really I do. Nothing would make me happier than living in this doll house and getting to know not just the guys but Devon too, but I’m gonna need more than astumbling declaration of ‘I want to love you’ to make things worth working for.

  “You’re here to negotiate?” he asks and I almost laugh when his eyes take on a calculating light.

  Smug fool.

  “Yes and no. I will move in here with you and give you two months, only, to see where things go. If at the end of those two months you and I aren’t working out I’ll go home and we can talk about visitation when the time comes. That’s all I’m willing to give right now and it’s a lot more than you deserve after the shit you pulled at the hotel. Take it or leave it.”

  “I’ll take it.”

  Too quick Baxter I think, smirking and holding his eyes.

  “Separate bedrooms.”

  I walk out and bounce downstairs into the kitchen before he can say another word or ask hard questions that I am in no way ready to answer. This is a last surge effort to get my life in order but if it doesn’t work, which I honestly don’t think it will, I have a backup planning ready and waiting for the moment Devon drops the ball.

  “Oy get your hands off the food Garret! Ladies first. You’re a right pig you are!”

  I spend the night watching the three guys fight and squabble over everything from food, to the movie and even who gets to sit with me on the sofa.

  In the end its Devon who takes up the other half of the space, his glower and outright threats convincing the others of the danger of coming anywhere near me.

  “Stay.” They all say later when the credits start rolling and I stand to stretch, looking around for my ballet flats and car keys. “We’ll make up the guestroom.”

  “Too late to drive now.”

  “I’ll make breakfast and-”

  “Slow down guys! Okay, listen up. Your brother and I have a lot to discuss before anything is resolved and I really don’t feel com-”

  “Settled then. Davy go fix the spare bed, imp and I will be up later after we’ve spoken. Garret you’re on breakfast duty tomorrow. Ryan go pull her car in please.”

  I could protest this take charge attitude and probably get my way but the truth is I feel strangely reluctant to leave these guys and a lot more comfortable knowing that I can sleep peacefully with four men watching over me and keeping me safe.

  And then there’s the ever-present gooey inside that keeps telling me to give in and let Devon take charge and have me. The truth is I want to stay and be his. I want to belong to this family who doesn’t judge or demand and looks at me as if I hang the stars.

  “So, talk.”

  I scrunch my face at him as the boys run to do his bidding and look around the room, narrowing my eyes at the gross orange doily hanging off the back of one of the sofas.

  “Imp.”

  “Devon. Look, here’s the deal. Me’n Dill are tight and short of miracles happening the guy is willing to give a relationship with me his all. Hell, he’s willing to put a ring on it and make it stick. But I promised myself that I would do the right thing and by that I mean I’m willing to give you a chance to prove you’re not as much an asshole as I thought.”

  I hold up a hand when he opens his mouth and take a deep breath, going all in, well for me right now anyway, before my natural reticence stops me from taking a leap.

  “I’ll move in, eh eh eh, hear me out before you start doing a victory dance. I’ll move in and we can be friends, but I am not in a million years getting anywhere near your bed. That ship has well and truly sailed and sunk somewhere off the Bearing Sea. It’s gone but for the sake of my sanity and because I just truly adore your brothers I’m willing to give this co-parenting thing a go. Deal?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dev

  The words are barely out of her mouth before I’m nodding and taking her baby soft, much smaller hand in mine. Why would I give in so quickly you ask?

  Because I am a master of the deal and one thing I know how to do is keep my bloody cards close to the chest and my game face on. Little miss smarty pants thinks she’s just cut me off at the knees but the truth is she hasn’t.

  She doesn’t want to go anywhere near my bed? Good, because I am fine with that. There is more than one place to fuck and I find the thought of cornering her in the kitchen, laundry, bathroom, hell the library, more than satisfying enough that my dick picks up its cue and starts hardening to full length.

  She really should have qualified before shaking on it but as her poor judgement is working in my favour I’m not about to point that out. At least not till I’m balls deep in my woman and making her scream for me.

  “Deal.”

  I see her shoulders soften and bite back a smile. I’d pity her misplaced relief if she hadn’t just walked straight into that trap willingly but as it stands I’m dying to have her under my roof and at hand as my seed swells in her and if I have to double deal to get her that’s what I’ll do, decency be damned.

  She gives me a soft smile and finally meets my eyes and I’m tempted to seal the deal with a kiss and I go to do just that when one of my three cock blocks ambles in and slings an all too familiar arm around my property.

  “Car’s in the garage and Davy says your room’s all set hun. Come on, I’ll give you a shirt-”

  Too bloody far. No other man’s shirt will touch that soft skin or skim her breasts or rest against my unborn son. What’s mine stays mine and they bloody well know it, which is likely why the little bugger said it to begin with.

  “Get your arse upstairs lad, I’ll take care of her from here on out.”

  “But-”

  “You have school tomorrow.” I growl, cuffing him upside the head when he leans in and plants a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

  My emphasis makes imp giggle and the lad throws me a scowl and then winks ov
er her head before running upstairs and leaving us alone again. Right now I want nothing more than to rip her clothes off and take her underneath me on the thousand dollar sofa.

  I haven’t had a woman in over two months and the thought of all that creamy skin and the tight heat between her thighs makes my mouth water and my dick start howling with need.

  “Er, uh, I guess I’ll go to bed then.” She peeps and I bite my lips to stifle a growl when she scampers up the stairs, her ample arse jiggling just so and making me harder than a pike.

  I let her go and drop down in a seat, adjusting myself with a grimace when my erection tries pawing its way through me zipper and lets off a groan of outrage.

  “Blimey you’re in deep.” I hear from the door way and turn a glare on Davy.

  He’s the youngest of the three at seventeen, but what the lad lacks in age he more than makes up in debauchery. According to him it’s his job to get as much experience as possible before finding his woman and he’s made a bloody good go of collecting that experience the last year.

  I’ve seen him with six females so far and those are just the ones he couldn’t shake off fast enough before moving on.

  “Shut it simpleton.”

  He grins and flops down at the end of the sofa, flipping through channels before settling on sports and leaning forward to read the stats being displayed.

  “I like her Dev. She’s a good one. Do us a favour and don’t hurt her yeah? I’d like her to be here for good while she grows and gives birth to my nephew so try not to fuck this up because that snake Gia ripped your heart out. She wasn’t for you anyway so good riddance I say.”

  That brings me up short and I sit back with a frown.

  “You didn’t like Gia?”

  “Oh for Pete sakes, I met the woman when I was eleven and too aware of tits to think straight. I liked her just fine till I heard her making plans to marry you and ship the rest of us off to boarding school.”

  “Yeah, apparently she thought her quim was golden enough to make me toss my family away.” I snort, chuckling when he pulls a face and shakes his finger at me.

  “I hate horror movies old man so no tales before bed time thanks much, I don’t need the mental scarring. Just do me a favour?” he asks, standing and stretching noisily. “Get your game on and do something before our hun realizes what a tosser you are and runs for the hills.”

  I grin, a look he’s familiar with and am back feeling a lot lighter than I did a moment ago. I’m already halfway to where I need to be thanks to my colossal oversight the night I’d taken her, and for the first time since I started having sex I feel smug about that loss of control.

  One night and a morning have put my seed where it belongs, now I just have to convince my baby that she likes it there as much as I do. It fucking turns me inside out just thinking about part of me growing in her belly and she hasn’t even started showing yet.

  “I have game you little git, how else do you think I get her with child?” I grunt, shoving a cushion over my lap when the thought goes straight to my groin.

  Davy chuckles and skips to the door, his smile sardonic as he eyes the pillow and shakes his head.

  “You are so screwed old man. So screwed.”

  ***

  I walk into the kitchen the next morning to the sound of giggling and male teasing and feel my already volatile mood take a dip for the worst when I see imp laughing hysterically at Garret while Ryan sits back and smiles, his eyes glued to my girl.

  Jealousy hits me hard and fierce and it takes a fucking lot of effort not to walk in swinging and instead move to the coffee pot and pour myself a cup before taking a seat at the head of the table.

  I’m irritable thanks to a long night of no sleep because just the thought of her being a wall away from me had me hard as rock and nowhere to go with it. At one point I’d found myself at her door, ready to barge in there and say to hell with whatever nonsense deal we’d made. I’d been a breath away from storming in and falling on her like a beast when three doors had opened silently and my brothers had looked out, stern and implacable and pointed me back to my own room.

  Bloody traitorous mother hens.

  “You alright old chap?” Davy grins at me and I grind my jaw to keep silent.

  “You’re looking tired. Age catching up with you?”

  “Or maybe someone spent half the night in the bathroom, in pain.” Garret says pityingly. “You quite alright old man?”

  That catches imps attention and her eyes zoom my way, their focus so intent I find myself squirming beneath a blush. Bloody bastards are intimating I was in the bathroom rubbing things out while in fact-

  “Are you sick?”

  I shake my head no and glare at the little buggers, daring them to say another word. I should know bloody better.

  “Well, it was either the green apple nasties or holding the sausage hostage.” Davy points out reasonably, though I see the little upstart biting his cheeks to keep from laughing outright.

  Imp meanwhile is gazing at them like they’re idiots before turning to me with an expression of deep concern.

  “Logan ate some bad Thai food once and spent the night on the toilet while his head was in a bucket. It came out both ends and I swear he lost three pounds before the sun came up. Do you have cramps? You need fluids if you lost a lot last night.”

  That sets up a round of cackling that has my teeth on edge before the little dear comes back with a bottle of water, salt and sugar.

  “I’m gonna make you some electrolytes so you can replace what you lost.”

  “Yeah, we don’t want the old bag empty do we mate.” Ryan tosses out on a wheeze.

  “Stop being so insensitive you jerks! Puking is horrible. Are you gonna laugh at me when I look like this in the mornings! Shut up right now!” she hisses, gently petting my brow after giving me a truly horrid concoction to swallow down.

  I manage half before my empty stomach revolts but force myself to finish when she smiles sweetly at me and continues to rub her fingers through my hair.

  “There now, you’ll feel all better. You should go lie down for a while and I’ll come and check on you.” She croons, petting my head before shooing me away to rest.

  I pause and lean against the wall that leads to the stairs, ignoring my stomach as it whines for food and hear the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard; my imp laying into the three buggers.

  “That was awful! How could you try to embarrass him that way?”

  “But hun, we never said he had the trots-”

  “No, you were inferring that he spent all night rubbing one out!” she yells and things go so quiet I hear her breathe. “What you think I’m too naïve to know what Holding the sausage hostage means? I went to college and my roommate was an exchange student from Bristol! I know more indecent slang than you think.”

  I almost choke on my tongue when she starts listing them and then I have to bite my lip when I peak around the corner and see three very red faces looking back at her in horror.

  “Let’s see. Buffing the banana, Jackin’ the beanstalk, spank the frank and then one of my personal favourites tickling the pickle.” She says, ticking off each with a finger. “You think anyone’s naïve enough not to get ‘holding the sausage hostage’? Puleeze you wanker, I was learning this shit while you were still growing your apples! Now eat your breakfast and get ready for school.”

  I forego breakfast and make my way upstairs with a smile because my imp, my girl, has just defended me to those tossers and that can only mean one thing; I have a bloody fighting chance and I think I’ll take it thank you very much.

  ***

  Becky

  It’s so hard not to laugh at the looks of horror as all three lads, and by ‘lads’ I mean three huge, strapping lady killers, look at me, their mouths hanging open in shock.

  So yeah, maybe I’d almost swallowed my tongue when the doofuses had started ribbing him about masturbating all night and then when they’d started in about diarrhoea I
’d almost cracked and told them I understand a lot more British lingo than they think, but the look on Devon’s face!

  Priceless!

  “Beck-”

  “Oh keep your drawers on boys. I have four brothers and my roommate in college had a potty mouth ten feet deep and crammed with these gems. I don’t have a problem with you guys talking like guys I just don’t want to have to laugh at your brother every time you all think you’re being cute. Now someone go give that man breakfast in bed so I can skedaddle my butt out of here.”

  I accept three looks of utter astonishment and bow low when they whistle and shake their heads in awe.

  “Blimey, she’s a keeper this one.”

  “Aye Ryan, she’ll get all that crap about staying away from love right out of his thick head.”

  I don’t understand a word being said between them and even less of the silent looks they keep sharing but I can’t ask now, no matter how curious I am about those cryptic statements. I have shit to do and a small window of time to get them done or the big bad wolf upstairs is gonna come back down before I can make my escape.

  “Where you off to then lass?” I hear from Garret and pause at the kitchen door, breathing through the fear I haven’t allowed myself to feel since waking this morning and making my decision.

  I don’t want to do this, God, I’ve been avoiding it like the plague ergo my week of shutting myself in and only showering when I absolutely had to drag myself from bed.

  But this is not something I have a choice about and I know that the longer I put it off the worse it’ll go for me so I square my shoulders and toss off a cocky grin I don’t feel and probably don’t pull off if their expressions are anything to go by.

  “I have to go see a man about a horse. Or donkey as the case may be. See you guys later.”

  I drive around for ten minutes, aimless and desperate as the lump of fear and resentment settles low in my belly and creeps its way to my chest, making it tight and hard to breathe. When I think I can safely do what I need to without becoming a screaming wreck I flick on my indicator and swing around, keeping myself from turning back for the second time.