The Wife Code: Banks (Six Men of Alaska Book 4)

by Charlie Hart

  I glare at him. “That’s none of your business.”

  “You’re wrong about that.” Green eyes meet mine, and I hate the way he seems to read me. “And you’re still holding back. Why?”

  “Why did you not tell anyone about the infection in your leg?” I toss back. “We all have our reasons.”

  “Even if they end up hurting everyone else.” I know he’s taking responsibility for his actions, but at the same time throwing it back at me.

  “Just because I’m not willingly screwing our wife in a giant orgy doesn’t mean I’m holding back. Maybe I’m a private man.”

  Giles shakes his head, but says, “Maybe. Or you’re afraid of something.”

  “Of course I’m fucking afraid,” I say a little too loudly, my voice carrying across the water and making Tia turn her head towards me and frown. With a frustrated breath, I drag my hands over my face. “Which is why I’m working my ass off night and day to make sure she has the best possible chance of survival.”

  More silence.

  The others resume what they were doing.

  “You lost someone,” Giles says softly.

  “Everyone has lost someone.”

  He takes another sip of his beer. “Who was she?”

  I haven’t talked about Liesel - ever.

  But there’s an itch inside me to open up. Maybe then he’ll get off my back. He knows about loss, about the brutality of this world. The first woman that he cared about had suffered the consequences of it. Maybe we weren’t so different after all. But even as I think it, I know the truth.

  Giles is good. And even though he suffered a devastating loss, it hadn’t tainted him the way it had marred me. But then again, I was already corrupted way before Liesel died.

  “My father had an... appetite for women,” I say.

  Instead of making a joke like most men would do, Giles just tilts his head and nods for me to continue.

  “I grew up in an affluent household. My father had more money than he knew what to do with. It was old money, passed down from my grandfather and he hadn’t had to work a day in his life.” I finish my beer, before adding, “He spent his money on two things, women and booze.”

  Giles’s brows draw down. “And your mother?”

  “Usual story. She died giving birth to a girl. The baby only lived a few days before it...” I shut my eyes at the memory, the little casket beside my mother’s larger one. “My father didn’t let a whole month pass before he brought in another wife. She died less than a year later, the same fate as my mother... Another sister buried.”

  “Shit, Banks.”

  I glance across the water to where Tia is floating in the springs, the others swimming around her like life isn’t this dark, terrible place, and there are still small moments of happiness to be found.

  I know better.

  “After that wife, my father started buying women.”

  “Women?”

  “Four, five, sometimes six at a time.”

  “He had multiple wives?” Giles frowns. “But that’s illegal.”

  I chuckle humorlessly, “Anything is legal if you have money. It was his own private harem. But he didn’t love them, and most of them grew to hate the man. But he still bred with them. He didn’t care about the children...”

  “Children?”

  I inhale through my nose, then blow out a steadying breath, but the horrors of what I’d seen still gut me. “So many failed pregnancies...My father was too damn prideful to call a real doctor, so he started relying on me to help the women when they miscarried. Even the few who were lucky enough to carry to full term, he insisted they deliver at home.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Twelve, when I helped delivered my first...” I swallow hard. “Another little girl. She never took her first breath.”

  “That’s...”

  “Fucked up? Yeah.”

  “I was going to say, cruel.” Giles frowns at me. “That’s too much for an adult, let alone a child to deal with.”

  “It’s what drove me into medicine. At least I have that to thank the bastard for.”

  “Did...” Even under his beard, I see his jaw clench. “Did any survive?”

  “One. Caleb.” A small smile tugs at my lips, because for a short time there had been happiness in the house. “He died of pneumonia when he was two.”

  I’d been fifteen at the time. After that, the darkness had really seeped in, not only to the house and the woman but into my soul.

  I’m not sure why I continue, but it’s like my words ooze from me, like I need to release the horrors that have blackened my soul for too damn long.

  “I hadn’t known it then, but my father had lost his inheritance gambling. But he still continued to grow his harem. His last... wife....” My fingers clench into fists. “Was only sixteen when they married. The same age I was.”

  I let the memories form in my head, let the loss twist inside of me.

  “You loved her?”

  I give a harsh shake of my head. “I’d learned a long time before that, not to love anyone. But we were friends. She didn’t deserve what happened to her.”

  Memories grip me, too damn fresh, and pain sears through me.

  “Banks?” Giles says my name, but all I hear are my demons howling.

  “Men came to collect on my father’s debt...” Screams fill me, women’s voices, begging for mercy. “They took them...”

  “His wives?”

  I nod. “I tried to stop them, but there were too many, and I was...”

  Weak.

  “They raped the women right in front of me. And when they’d come for me, I’d been too numb to do anything.”

  I don’t realize I’ve said the last words until I hear Giles’ sharp intake of breath. “Jesus.”

  It was after that my world went even darker than it had been before.

  Control.

  It was the only thing I sought.

  Control of world. I threw myself into my studies.

  Control over my body. No one would ever touch me again unless I permitted it.

  Control of myself. I would never let myself feel again.

  And here I am, unraveling under Tia’s charm, knowing that history has a way of repeating itself.

  “What if I can’t save her?”

  “You will,” his words are more of an order than a statement, but there’s also compassion in his eyes when he looks at me.

  I hope he’s right.

  Giles raises his beer, clinks it against my empty one. “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right?”

  I shake my head and take a long look at him, then back at all the men gathered around Tia now. “We’ve all been through hell and back, is that what you’re trying to say?”

  He claps my shoulder with his hand. “You aren’t alone in any of this, Banks. It doesn’t take away the pain, but it sure makes it easier to bear.”

  “I can’t put all this on Tia,” I say, adamantly. “She needs to focus on being physically and mentally healthy, she doesn’t need to help me through my issues.”

  Giles raises his eyebrows. “Man, for being so fucking smart you can be pretty damn dense.”

  A smirk crosses my face. “Oh yeah?”

  “Tia isn’t the only family you have. Far as I can tell there are five other guys you can lean on.”

  “I don’t do--”

  He cuts me off. “Right, you don’t get close to people. That’s what you say, yet you just opened up to me.”

  Running a hand over my jaw, I feel like I just got played - except I know this wasn’t a game. Giles isn’t fucking with me, and neither is Tia.

  Maybe it’s time to let her in too.

  Chapter 12

  Tia

  “Banks looks miserable as usual,” Huxley says, nodding towards where Giles and Banks sit in loungers by the spring’s edge. I glance over to where he is looking but then fix my gaze on the man who has his arms wrapped around me.

  The
warm water surrounds us, and Hux holds me against him, my legs wrapped around his waist. Our bare bodies reveal our desire. His cock is growing and my nipples are tight. Salinger comes up behind me and brushes my hair away from my neck, then kisses my shoulder.

  God, I love my husbands. I press my face against Hux’s solid chest and when I do, I can’t help but look in the direction of the two men off in the corner.

  Hux is right, Bank does look stressed, even more than normal. And I know why.

  Me.

  I twist my lips, wishing we could push aside the intensity of our lives for just a little while. But then Banks’ eyes narrow as he concentrates on whatever Giles is saying, and I know for both of them, they carry their pain everywhere they go.

  Looking into Huxley’s glacial eyes, I tell him the truth. “I think he’s worried that I won’t get pregnant in time.”

  “Worrying isn’t going to help,” Hux grins at me, blue eyes flashing. “But I know what will.”

  I laugh as his hand roams across my breast, then lightly squeezes the nipple, sending little shockwaves of pleasure through my body.

  This.

  This is what I need, what we all need.

  To have a little fun.

  His naked body tempts me, and his chiseled abs are begging me to run my hands across them. I kiss him lightly, and while I want to take this to the next level with my husbands, the fact that Banks is looking so grumpy leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

  “What is it?” he asks, a master at reading people.

  “I keep getting stuck in my head.”

  “Then stop for a second and look up, look around you Tia,” Huxley says. “The world is fucked up, but it’s also kind of beautiful.”

  Huxley and I pull apart and swim under the dome wall, then lean our backs against the stones of the natural spring. This part of the spring is uncovered, and we’re open to nature. It’s incredible how warm the water is compared to the crisp air and snow-topped mountains that surround us.

  “It is gorgeous out here,” I say looking up into the trees, heavy cedar branches with the afternoon sun filtering through them. Birds fly overhead and in the distance, a squirrel runs to and fro. There are snow banks around us and the steam from the hot springs makes the place seem magical.

  The old resort is still stocked with beds and a kitchen, and it’s like a hidden oasis.

  Salinger swims closer to us, and I’m grateful to be with him and Hux. They are both so good at putting me at ease, making me smile, and helping me to not take things so seriously.

  We swim, splash, laugh and enjoy the moment. And it’s perfect. Shivering from the cool air that hits my cheeks, I swim back under the dome where my other husbands are.

  “How did you know about this place again?” I ask Salinger when he emerges beside me.

  We move through the shoulder deep water and sit on the natural stone seating in the spring.

  “I heard about it from a colleague. He said he brought his wife up here once.” He looks at me with raised eyebrows and his cocky smile I know and love. “Said it was the weekend he knocked her up.”

  Laughing as Salinger pulls me to his lap, I give him a crooked smile of my own. “Is that your plan then?”

  Sal shrugs, his hands on my ass. “Well, his wife and son survived. Thought it might be good luck.”

  I wrap my arms around Salinger’s neck. Straddling him while naked is heavenly. “I love that kind of thinking. Good vibes, positive energy, couldn’t hurt, right?”

  “Exactly.” He brushes a wet strand of hair from my eyes. “I know it’s scary, but God, Tia. I’d love to make a baby with you.”

  I bite down hard on my lip, feeling a surge of emotion, knowing Huxley heard that, wondering what he might think of Salinger’s strong words. The men around me must sense that the mood is changing because I feel Giles, Fal, and Em all coming closer. Even Banks is near enough to hear the words we’re exchanging.

  “I didn’t know you wanted a baby so badly, Sal,” I admit.

  “Even if it wasn’t our responsibility to try and conceive, I know having a child with you would be my life’s great honor.” Salinger looks deep into my eyes and I see his love for me, it’s so real.

  “I feel the same way. I mean... I’m scared, but...” I shake my head, closing my eyes.

  “What is it?” Em asks, coming up behind me.

  “I don’t want to get my hopes up. But sometimes... sometimes I let myself fantasize.”

  “Is that so?” Huxley asks, a sexy grin on his face.

  “Not that kind of fantasy,” I say, laughing again. “I mean the fantasy of having a healthy baby, raising it with the six of you. I know it’s ridiculous but--”

  “It’s not ridiculous,” Banks says tightly. “It’s going to happen.”

  I look over at him on the edge of the hot spring, and so badly want him closer. He finally put his papers away and has joined us, even though unlike everyone else he’s wearing swimming trunks.

  Turning around in Salinger’s lap, so my back is against his chest, his cock hard against my ass, I reach for Banks and pull him toward me. He allows me to lead him toward the circle and I lean back against Sal as Banks stands in front of me, his fists clenching and I just know he is itching to massage one of my breasts, to suck my nipples and draw them into his warm mouth.

  “Tell us more about the fantasy,” Fallon says beside us, a hungry look in his eyes, nonplussed at the fact Banks is looking at me just as hungrily.

  My husbands are so good at sharing me and a surge of desire washes over me at the thought of all of them giving me such rapt, undivided attention.

  My cheeks flush. There are so many things I might say.

  “I fantasize that you Fal, are on your knees, kissing my round, pregnant belly. I picture myself looking down at you, a father of my child, knowing that you’d do anything to keep us safe.”

  “That turns you on?” he asks, his voice low and gravely.

  “Yes,” I say softly. “And you’d pull me to the bed and kiss my pussy.”

  “Good God, woman,” Fallon groans, pulling me towards him and kissing me hard.

  Salinger moves in the water, pulling himself to the edge of the spring and sitting on the stones, his legs in the water. Then, he pulls me back to his lap, so that only my legs are in the water.

  This time though, he grabs my knees and spreads them apart. The cool air whips over my body, but his hands begin massaging my breasts, warming them up.

  Fallon moves closer, lowering his head, and he begins to kiss my exposed pussy. He breathes hot air against me, and I instantly begin moaning. His tongue explores my folds with such need that my pussy clenches, knowing it won’t take him long to make me orgasm. I’m already digging my hands into his shoulders.

  “You look so beautiful,” Emerson says, watching as my pussy is taken by Fallon’s greedy mouth. His hand begins to pump his shaft and so do my other husbands.

  Under me, Salinger lifts my ass, and fingers my hole, opening me up before inching his solid shaft into my bottom. The smooth way in which he leads me against him has me crying out in ecstasy as Fallon’s sucks hard against my clit, my release revealing how good this feels.

  Salinger’s cock is buried in my ass and Fallon licks me up and down, causing a glorious friction to rush over my body. I’m moving up and down as my backside is taken, and Salinger’s hands massage my breasts as Fallon’s hands grip my hips, pulling me deeper and deeper against his face.

  When I finish coming against Fallon, he moves back, and Giles steps forward, his thick cock at attention. He wastes no time pressing his length inside of my tight pussy, and I cry out, my hands on his chest as the sensation of being filled with two massive cocks at the same time overwhelms me. It feels so good, so erotic, and I feel close to bursting.

  But before I do, Huxley steps onto the stones in the hot spring, on the right side of me, and I look over at him, realizing his cock is right at the height of my mouth. I reach for his hard lengt
h and pull him into my mouth, wanting to suck him off, wanting my body to be filled with come as my husbands bury their seed deep inside of me.

  Giles and Salinger grunt and I know they are so close. I tighten my suction around Huxley’s erection and begin to suck him more vigorously.

  His cock is veiny, throbbing in my mouth and when he comes, it’s hard, his seed sliding down my throat just the way I wanted. I suck him off, more and more until his release is spent.

  Salinger begins to come too, my ass so full of him that I can hardly breathe. I cry out in pleasure, screaming his name as he barrels his cock inside of me, finishing just as Giles rams himself deeper inside of my pussy, coming hard as I claw at his firm chest, holding onto him as the glorious orgasm washes over all of us simultaneously.

  I’m delirious with pleasure as Giles and Salinger pull out and I’m panting for breath. We all laugh knowing what just happened was the hottest group session we’ve had to date, but I also know it is far from over. Some of my husbands didn’t get in on the action and I need to remedy that.

  Emerson hands me a glass of white wine and I guzzle it. Maybe not the best way to hydrate, but being taken this way means there are no rules anymore.

  Around us, the men fight to catch their breath. Once they do, they grab beers for themselves, no one quite meeting one another’s eyes. For me, this relationship is heavenly, but I can’t forget for a moment the absolute vulnerability my husbands are choosing to show one another by being intimate with me at the same time.

  I know this isn’t easy. It requires so much trust. The fact that they have chosen to give it so freely makes me love them all the more deeply.

  “Tell us more about your fantasy,” Emerson says, looking at me with hunger and desire.

  “More?” I smile, sinking back into the hot spring and cuddling up next to Emerson. “Well I read in a pregnancy book that women get horny around their second trimester. So, I was thinking during that time we’d have a lot of sex like we just had. Except all over the house. I mean, we haven’t christened hardly any of the rooms. The kitchen or the dining room table. We should have sex on the stairwell and in the study. Maybe on Banks’ desk. We could sweep all the paperwork aside and make love while a fire blazes in the big stone fireplace. While everyone else watches.”