by Lora Ann
I had a feeling the ominous words would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Chapter Ten
Lacey
How could I blame E for taking off like that? There was no reason for me to feel hurt or let down in any shape, form, or fashion. Yet, I did. He had done nothing wrong. Nothing I hadn’t wanted. I was the one who lead him on if we got right down to it. So, why? Why had I changed my mind in the midst of the most mind-blowing experience of my life? If I had known that was what an orgasm was all about, I would’ve had one years ago. The climb up and up and up was unfathomable, but the fall over into the abyss of fervent pleasure was like nothing I had ever imagined. Better. All-consuming. And I wanted so much more, which, I suppose, was why I put the brakes on. The knowledge that E could never give me more than physical enjoyment had brought me to my senses. Barely. Still, I craved him, needed what he could give me. After one taste, I was afraid that I wanted far more than I could handle. That, right there, scared the living daylights out of me. The word you should’ve used is shitless. Yeah, that too. While part of me stood by the decision to stop, the other part knew he had been hurt. The latter bothered me immensely. Stupidly I thought he was a man only after carnal pleasure. Seemed I had been wrong, horribly mistaken. Though it had only been a flash, there was vulnerability in his eyes, and now, I felt like crap for doing what I had done. Double crap!
As I stood mulling over the epic screw-up I had just participated in, something soft touched my shoulder. Startled, I spun around to see who was there. The hand was feminine, but I didn’t recall seeing any women around here. The beauty standing before me strongly resembled Marilyn Monroe. Goodness, she was stunning. I blinked a few times to clear the image; although, she was still utterly breathtaking I could now see the differences. What came to mind as I studied her hair was spun gold. Eyes a deep grayish-green that held more knowledge than her tender years, though there was the chance I was mistaking her age, but I would put my money on twenty-six—definitely not over twenty-eight. Suddenly, I was aware of the fact I stood there in a wrinkled and skewed robe. The discarded nightgown tossed carelessly on the floor instantly drew my eyes. Had she seen it? What would she think of me when she did?
I attempted cordiality—“Hello”—even though I felt plain and boring in front of a goddess.
“Hi,” she greeted, “I’m Aimee, Nik’s wife.” She held out her hand.
I took hers in mine, recognizing how tiny it was compared to my Amazon one. Her size reminded me a lot of Keeley’s. Matter of fact, they resembled each other greatly. One would think Aimee was Keeley’s twin, not me. ‘Course we had heard how we looked nothing alike our whole lives. We were actually a perfect balance of my parents, but people who didn’t know them had no point of reference. “Nice to meet you. I’m Lacey Kincaid a…” I stammered trying to figure out what I was to E. Employee didn’t seem quite right after what he had just done to my body. Finally I finished with, “friend of E’s.”
She gave me a warm smile. At that moment, I knew we would be great friends. Well, if I would be around long enough to form a friendship. Sadly, I doubted I would be. She added, “Any friend of E’s is a friend of mine.” She looped her arm with mine. “Let’s talk, Lacey.”
We entered the kitchen where she grabbed an already prepared chicken Caesar salad, two bowls, and a bottle of white wine. Once we both had our food and drink laid before us she began, “How long have you known E?”
“Almost six weeks,” I answered after finishing my bite. “This is really good. Did you make it?”
“Uh-huh…thanks.” Her inquisition continued, “Did you meet him here in San Fran?” There was a twinkle in her eye, like she knew more than she was letting on.
“No,” I replied. “We met up at Lake Tahoe. I was a dancer up there at his club.”
“Ah,” she responded as if I had just connected the dots for her. “You said you were a dancer.” She added, “Does that mean you no longer are?”
“I still work for him,” I clarified.
“I see.”
Not liking what that might imply, I quickly confirmed, “I’m a professional dancer—well, I planned to be once I finished my degree—nothing more.”
“I never doubted that.” She reached over to place her hand over mine. “I’m sorry if you thought I meant otherwise.”
“It’s all right. S’pose that’s normal, considering what Even does for a living.”
Now she looked perturbed, retracting her hand from mine and absentmindedly stroking the stem of her wine glass. “Do you have an issue with E?”
“With what he does, no,” I quickly pointed out. “My issue is much more personal in nature.”
Again, her demeanor shifted as she acknowledged, “Do tell.”
“There’s really nothing to convey.” I sighed. “I royally messed up just before you arrived.”
Her head tilted to one side. “I have a hard time believing you’ve done anything E can’t handle.”
“Yeah, I did.” The confession finally caused me to tear up. I buried my face in my hands, not wanting Aimee to see me like this. After she freed my face from my hands, she declared, “There’s nothing you could’ve done that was so bad he wouldn’t forgive you.”
“Wanna bet?” I laughed humorlessly. “If you were a guy, could you accept an apology from a prick tease?”
“Whoa…hey, don’t be so rough on yourself.” She stood up and walked around the table, taking a seat next to mine and turning me towards her. “Let’s talk, woman to woman.”
I swallowed, “Okay.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened between the two of you earlier?”
“Everything?” I whispered.
She reassured, “I think it’ll help. I promise whatever you say stays between us. You can’t shock me,” she declared.
For some reason I believed her, though I didn’t know her story. I proceeded to avail how I had led E on. When I finished with my sordid tale, she assured, “He’s a grown man, Lacey. And he knew better than to play with an innocent like you.”
Incensed, I fired back, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Hey…I didn’t mean to offend you,” she affirmed. “However, it’s obvious you have high morals and values, plus, no actual experience.”
“H-how,” I stuttered. “How could you know that? Not the morals and values, but the lack of knowledge.”
“You’re a good girl. One would have to be blind not to see that.” She shook her head with self-deprecation. I wondered just what all Aimee had experienced in her short life. Something told me it was enough for three lifetimes. She continued, “He should’ve had more control of himself. Actually, I’m very surprised at the lack thereof.”
The wheels were turning in her head. She had the look of deep concentration when I admitted, “I wanted him. I still want him and his possession. I need for him to fully make me his.” After that revealing confession, I asked the question that had been weighing heavily on my heart. “What does that say about me?”
“That you’re a woman sexually attracted to a beautiful man.” She grinned, “One that has awakened your sensual side. There’s no shame in that, Lacey.”
A deep, slightly accented voice responded, “No. There’s not.”
I jumped at the sound of Even’s voice and glanced towards the doorway. There he stood in all of his sweaty glory. Dang, if I had once thought he was handsome, I now knew he was devastating—too magnificent. Too everything! Until Aimee squealed and popped out of the chair like someone had set a firecracker underneath her, I hadn’t noticed the god standing next to E. The man looked so much like He-man I did a double take, like I had with Aimee. She had grabbed a tea towel on her way over to him. She was standing on tip-toes as he leaned down so she could administer to his wounded mouth. They were murmuring back and forth the way couples in love did. Such a beautiful, yet intimate, sight that I turned away.
E strode over to the fridge and helped himself to a bottle of water
. I noticed he had pulled another one out for the man who had to be his brother, Nik. The resemblance was unmistakable. These men were absolutely breathtaking, and Aimee fit Nik perfectly. They were a gorgeous compliment to one another. Suddenly I felt awkward and, not for the first time, plain. Once Aimee had finished cleaning up her husband’s lip, she walked over and railed at E. “So help me, Even Kristofer Strand. I should beat the ever-loving shit out you myself.”
He shot her a mischievous grin. “Oh, baby, I’d like that.” He grabbed her hand she’d been fisting towards him and tugged her towards his big body. “You’ll like it, too,” he teased.
There was a low growl I recognized as pure possession. Next thing I saw, Nik was coiling his arm around his wife’s waist and pulling her firmly into his mountainous frame. He actually made E look small in comparison. It wasn’t the height but muscle mass. Where E had definition, Nik was stacked. As if his muscles had muscles. To drive the point home he claimed, “Mine. Yours is over there.”
Nik inclined his head my way and I actually blushed. I didn’t belong to anyone. Yet. E walked over and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Yes, she is,” he confirmed before kissing my temple. I couldn’t help but notice the difference in the brother’s voices. Both were a deep timbre, but Nik’s had a rasp to it, reminding me of a rock star. And E’s, was like melting dark chocolate—decadent and forbidden. Heaven help me, I wanted another taste, acknowledging that once was definitely not enough. All of a sudden there was an ache low in my belly, followed by a trickle of moisture between my legs. I would never survive this powerful and dangerous man. Yet, like Phaethon, I begged for the reins to the sun chariot. Idiotic. I couldn’t control him anymore than Helios’ son could those steeds. Thing was, I didn’t want to. Instead, I needed him to dominate me. We were going to go down in a blaze of glory, I just knew it.
Chapter Eleven
E
The look my sweet virgin gave me was making it difficult to stand there in present company. There was nothing I wanted more than to sweep her up into my arms and show her exactly how her body was capable of reaching innumerable orgasms. She was still wearing that damnable robe, inviting my hands to roam her luscious curves. Good God, the woman was a walking temptation—one I had no desire to avoid. Though there remained the question: Who would I end up sacrificing, her or me? Hell, if I knew the answer. But there was that innate gut-check which told me, neither one of us would ever be the same again. Fuck.
Aimee pulled me from my musings. “E?” She snapped her fingers in front of my face. “You okay?”
I ran a hand through my hair and dropped the arm I had around Lacey. “Yup,” I shortly replied as I went to grab a beer from the fridge. While I popped open the bottle, Nik chimed in, “I’ll take one of those.” He inclined his head towards my study. With the hint, I looked over at Lacey. “I’m going to be a few minutes. Will you be all right here with Aimee?”
She smiled, “Absolutely.”
“Aimee…” I glowered at her and cautioned, “Behave.”
She shot me a saucy grin. “Why, Even… I have every intention of remaining on my best behavior.”
I heard both women giggling as Nik and I walked down the hall.
He chuckled, “Damn females.”
“You could say that again,” I huffed.
Once we were safely behind closed doors, my brother gave me a knowing look. Before he could speak, I beat him to the punch. “Yeah, I know. She’s beautiful.”
“And you want her with every fiber of your being,” he fired back.
“Shit! I can’t deny that.”
He took a healthy swig of his beer and then said, “Here’s the deal, little brother. I’ve picked up on a few things about women since I’ve been with Aimee.” I gave him a go-ahead-and-let-me-have-it look. He did. “Denying what you both want, is fuckin’ stupid. C’mon, you watched me do that with Aimee. You were the one to call my bluff. So, I’ll return the favor and do the same for you.”
“Son of a bitch,” I retorted with no heat. How could I be angry when he was calling it as he saw it? Bottom line, it was the truth whether I wanted to hear it or not. “For fuck’s sake, Nik, what do you want me to do? Ravage her. Strip her of her innocence and then turn her out once I grow bored? Hell man, even I’m not that big of a dick.”
“Whoa,” he affirmed. “What’re you saying here?” He coughed to clear his throat. “Is she a virgin?” His look was one of complete disbelief. Any other time I would’ve laughed, but, right now, there wasn’t a damn thing funny about it. Although I didn’t want to betray Lacey’s confidence, I needed him to have a clear picture of what was going on. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m sayin’.”
“God…damn, that’s a game changer.”
I shot him pointed look. “Y’think?”
He finished off his beer and then went over to pour himself a brandy. When his eyes met mine, I nodded for one too. My stomach was now in knots. Normally I wouldn’t have mixed drinks, but at the moment, I couldn’t care less if I got shit-faced. He acknowledged, “Figures it would be you that ended up with an innocent woman.”
“Go to hell, Nik.” Then I pointed out, “And I haven’t ended up with her.”
“Matter of time, my brother,” he smirked.
“Look, smartass. There isn’t the question of if I want her or not. That’s a done deal.”
“She wants you too, E,” he declared. “In case you’ve missed the signals she has been sending.”
I threw back the liquor and then sighed, “No. I haven’t missed a single one. Thanks for the heads up, though.”
He chuckled, “Glad I’m not in your shoes.”
“Wish I wasn’t in them,” I admitted.
“Do you have a game plan?”
“Yeah, actually, I do. Let me bring you up to speed.”
After my brother was in the know on the whole Keeley ordeal, we shared another drink as we brain stormed the best possible course of action. In the end, he agreed with my MO on attempting to locate her. Meanwhile, he made sure I was up to speed with the Aimee/Caleb debacle. God, what a mess both situations were. Furthermore, Alex was busy beating the pavement up at the lake, following a lead he couldn’t turn over to one of his guys. He had told us it wasn’t something he trusted in the hands of just anyone—which, of course, left more questions than gave answers. We wrapped up our impromptu meeting and went back out to join Aimee and Lacey.
When we entered the living room, Aimee was curled up on the sectional watching crap TV. I took in everything but couldn’t locate Lacey, so I inquired, “Where’s Lacey?”
She startled not realizing we had walked into the room. “Oh,” she gasped with her hand over her heart. Nik strode towards her and began to rub her shoulders while she replied, “She was really tired.” Aimee gave me a meaningful look.
Dammit. Lacey had shared what had happened between us. Should’ve known they would talk. Funny how women were willing to reveal intimacies with each other, while men joked and ribbed one another about sex, but nothing of significance. Hellooooo, I haven’t informed my own brother of our heated encounter. ‘Course he’d know soon enough, Aimee would make sure of that. “It has been a long day,” I yawned for emphasis.
Nik acknowledged, “Go lay down, E. We know how to let ourselves out.”
I walked over and gave Aimee a kiss on the cheek and then hugged my brother. It was undeniable how much his gorgeous wife had helped thaw his icy heart. And I, for one, was ecstatic to have my big brother back. I had missed him more than he realized. Hell, more than I was willing to admit. After that, I made my way down to my bedroom, pausing in front of the room Lacey was in. Temptation to slip inside and check on her almost won out, but I beat it back and went on my way. Once in my room, I stripped and headed straight for the shower. There was no way I would rest smelling the way I did. I crawled into bed still wet and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
*****
A blood-curdling scream woke me. I grabbed my
Glock 22 from the nightstand to search for the source, which brought me to my senses quickly. First thing I noticed as I eased my way around the three-thousand square foot penthouse, Nik and Aimee had left my place locked up and secure. Nonetheless, I continued to ensure all was well and no one had broken in. After a few minutes, I returned to the hallway where the second thing caught my attention, whimpering. What the hell? I rapped my knuckles against the door of the guestroom Lacey was staying in. There was no answer, so I gently opened the door. “Hello.” I announced, “It’s Even. Lacey? Are you…”
My words left me as the stunning woman in question stepped out of the en-suite bathroom. The robe she had been wearing earlier was loosely clinging to her body. With the gap spread all the way to her navel, I got quite an eye full. On a growl, I kicked the door closed behind me, setting the gun down on the bedside table as I strode with purpose towards her. She startled as she realized I was naked. I unapologetically slept in the raw. I hated clothes binding me. Her hand came up to her mouth while she attempted to stifle a gasp. Once I reached her, I queried, “What happened? Did you have a nightmare?”
She nodded. Apparently she hadn’t realized I had overheard her wails down the hall. Without preamble, I enfolded her against my body. There was no way I could ignore her softness melding with my hardness. The human body had always fascinated me, especially the female form. And this woman, in particular, had bewitched me like no other had ever done. I stroked her back up and down for comfort. Her trembling was what kept my sex drive in check. I wouldn’t dream of taking her in such a vulnerable state. “Wanna tell me about it?”
