by Marks, Teir
“So, you didn't find out anything at all?” She questioned.
“No,” Grae responded, now playing in her hair. “He didn't give us anything. Miles will be back tomorrow afternoon, and we're going to get him and Sutton to look into his background. Find any associates he may have and try to link him to anyone that may be crazy enough to have it out for us.”
“Will Sutton start looking in the morning?”
“Probably. She may need to get some of her equipment from her house, but Kylen can take her to pick it up.”
“I still can't believe such a sweet girl ended up with Kylen.”
Grae chuckled. “You're a sweet girl, and you ended up with me.”
“Yes, well, you hide your crazy better than he does.”
Again he chuckled. “Well, at least you know I'm crazy.”
“I'm fully aware. Though I may be a bit crazy myself, considering I find it attractive at times.”
Grae slid one hand down her back and gripped one of her ass cheeks. “Oh, yeah?”
She reached back and swatted his hand. “I'm tired, Grae.”
He hummed. Normally, he would have told her she'd more than enjoy what he had planned for keeping her awake, but figured it had been a long night for everyone and he would let her sleep.
Reaching over, he turned off the lamp before continuing to rub her back and play in her hair. Within ten minutes, he heard her easy breathing and knew that she had fallen asleep.
Closing his eyes, Grae listened to her soft breathing and allowed it to lull him to sleep as well.
4
Nyela took a deep breath, thinking on where exactly to start the conversation. It was clear to her that Synn expected a better answer than the one she had given him hours ago in his office. Even without him coming out and asking the question. The silence and the way he was gazing at her said it all.
She supposed that she could tell him the way she got into the business. Where she had learned her skills from. Both stories involved her father. He had been the one to teach her to shoot and about stealth. He had taught her everything she needed to know about weapons. He had also been in a classified unit of the Military, and she was more than sure he was responsible for infiltrating and taking care of many of the wanted United States terrorists. It was the reason she went into business with Sutton.
When she had first met Sutton, she had been fifteen, and Sutton had been ten. There was just something about the shy girl that made Nyela want to take care of her, protect her. She wasn't really sure what it had been. To the day if asked, she wouldn't be able to put her finger on it.
They had become friends, in Nyela's mind, quickly. Though she knew Sutton had still been skeptical of her for a while after that.
Once she discovered that Sutton was, to put it mildly, a technical genius, it seemed that the idea and the pieces fell into play. At first, it was just finding people for long lost relatives and old high school sweethearts. All of which they verified extensively before putting them in contact. In the event that they were planning to do something to the person they were looking for.
After they met Luna, the specifics of their business changed. Her friend's uncle was, for lack of a better term, a vigilante of justice. He disposed of those who murdered, raped, ran trafficking rings, and things of that nature. He had so much work that it was nothing for him to pass them off some.
Small jobs at first, but it wasn't long before he saw how good they were as a team, how the three of them supported each other, that he was giving them more jobs. Their reputation spread, and people began to seek them out themselves.
So, that's what she did. She started from the beginning. He didn't say anything the entire time she spoke, but Nyela honestly hadn't expected him too. She rarely ever expected him to speak if she was just going to be truthful with herself.
When the silence stretched on between them, she found herself needing to fill it.
“Say something.” She stated.
“Why didn't you tell me?” Synn questioned, and Nyela raised a brow at him.
“Why didn't you tell me that you and your siblings ran an illegal business?”
“Empire, but touché.” He told her with a smirk, and Nyela simply rolled her eyes.
She watched as he stood from the chair he'd been sitting in and headed into the en suite. She was glad that they hadn't repeated the sparring that had taken place in his office. If he tried choking her again, she was going to show him exactly what she was made of.
“Come on.” He spoke as he continued on to the bathroom.
Nyela stood from the bed after a moment and began to head into the bathroom as well. He had just turned on the shower when she walked in. He turned to face her and pulled his shirt over his head. She took the hint and began to undress as well.
She stepped into the shower first, and Synn got in after her. She loved his shower. Even more than she loved her own. It was large, with a shower seat in the wall. It made her wonder if all of the showers in the house were like that. She made a mental note to check them out.
Nyela hadn't brought any of her bath products into the bathroom yet since she hadn't unpacked anything, but she didn't mind using his and smelling like him. She picked it up, only for him to take it out of her hands.
Turning around to look at him, she found that he stood at full attention. She bit her bottom lip, and admittedly, her head got a bit bigger. She was sure he had gotten that way from just looking at her.
She reached out to grab it, fully prepared to stroke him a bit before bypassing the rest of foreplay and getting straight to what she wanted. However, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her flush against him.
He leaned down and kissed her as Nyela felt one of his hands snake down her stomach and between her legs.
Slowly he began to strum her clit, and she moaned into their kiss as she followed his lead. His tongue massaging her own.
When it was clear that they both needed air, the kiss was broken, but Synn's lips attached to her neck, and Nyela threw her head back to give him better access as she began to move against his hand. She reached down for his dick again, her hand barely brushing it before his free hand grabbed hers and moved it away.
“Synn.” She found herself whining slightly. “I want you to fuck me.”
“You want my dick?” He questioned, lips to her ear.
“Yes.” She responded, feeling her first orgasm rising.
“Too bad.” With that, he stopped all stimulation.
Nyela's head immediately came up, and she looked at him, eyes wide, but she could tell by the look in his eyes, that he was dead ass serious, which pissed her the fuck off.
“Seriously, Synn?”
He shrugged before he began to wash himself. “I'm not giving you any for a while.”
“What?! Why?!”
“You lied to me.”
“You lied to me too. You didn't tell me what you did.”
“I was going too. You didn't plan on it.”
She bit her bottom lip because he had her there. She never had any intention of telling him unless things went further in their relationship. As long as they lived in separate houses, she could keep her secret. And she had planned on that being the case for a very long time.
“Whatever.”
Nyela huffed like a child, before snatching up his body wash and the bathing loofah she'd left there and began to wash her body. It was silent in the shower after that. The only sound being the water falling. Physically at least. Mentally, she could hear the sound of her pussy, weeping tears of sorrow.
Once she was done with her shower, she stepped out, grabbing a towel and heading into the bedroom. After drying off, she threw it aside and went to her suitcase to get a shirt and panties to sleep in. She was getting dressed when Synn walked out of the bathroom. His dick still at full mast. It made her wonder how he could deny her sex when he clearly wanted it.
Instead of saying anything, she slid into bed on the side she had designated as hers.
When he was dressed, he turned the lights out and got in on his side. Nyela turned her back to him. She had learned from the first time she had slept over with him that he wasn't big into cuddling. He had done it, but it was mainly because she had wanted to. She could tell.
It wasn't a big deal to her. She had to be in the mood to cuddle herself. It was for that reason, though, that she knew he wouldn’t care that her back was to him.
She was proven wrong when she felt his arm around her waist, and she was suddenly pulled back into his chest.
“Be mad, but I won't reward you for keeping things from me, even if I didn't tell you what I did. I planned on telling you because it's an empire I'm building with my siblings. And every King needs a Queen. We're in this together. Even before you knew you were mine, we were in this. Don't keep anything else from me, Nyela.”
She was rendered silent for a moment. One because she hadn't expected him to say anything like that, he had called her his queen; and two because she was sure that was the most he'd ever said at one time. One part of her wanted to say something smart about how that better go both ways, but she knew that it would.
“Okay.” She stated, then tacked on. “But I expect the same from you, Synn. I'm not the other women. So, you won't lie to me or simply keep me in the dark under the excuse of protecting me.”
“I don't lie.”
She sighed. “Synn.”
“I won't.” He stated.
She nodded and felt him pull her tighter against him. Closing her eyes, she waited on sleep to greet her.
Ashton leaned against the door frame of the bathroom, and stared at a sleeping Korrae as she lay in the bed. Her hair a mass of curls spread across the pillow. He had asked her last night before they went to bed if she wanted to talk. She had told him she was too physically and mentally drained and that they would talk in the morning. She had said it, but he was more than sure that she would try to sidestep it and not talk about it at all.
The plus side was that she hadn't been any more distant than usual last night. She hadn't put up a fight when he had pulled her to him and held her. So, in his mind, that was a good thing, and he could work with it. He knew that, like with all things, it would simply take her a little bit to swallow everything that happened.
He didn't necessarily need her to accept what he did for a living. Though it would make it much easier on both of them because he wasn't letting her go, and if he had to kill every man that she tried to engage with after him, he would.
Making his way over to his closet, he went through it before deciding on what to wear. Once he was dressed, he decided to allow her to sleep longer before heading downstairs. The aroma of food hit him immediately, and he knew that meant that Leiha was cooking. She was almost the only one in the house that would. It wasn't that he and his siblings couldn't cook. It was that most of them simply didn't.
Rounding the corner into the kitchen, he was proven correct when he saw her standing at the stove. He made his way over and poked her in the side.
“Good morning, Ashton.” She stated, never turning to look at him.
“Favorite Sister-in-Law.”
“Up until yesterday, I was the only one you knew personally. So, I'm your favorite by default.”
“Eh, even with them here, you're still my favorite.”
“You're only saying that because I'm cooking.”
“That's definitely part of it.” He told her, tapping her nose before going to the fridge. He had just taken the Orange juice out when Kylen walked in.
“The two of you spend a lot of time alone,” Kylen spoke. “Something I should know? You trying to get in where Grae has been?” His baby brother questioned with a smirk.
Ashton watched as the older mentioned brother rounded the corner and slapped Kylen in the back of the head. “Shut up, you little shit.”
“Fuck you, Grae.” Kylen hissed out.
“No, thanks.” Their older brother responded.
“That's Leiha's job anyway.” Ashton threw in.
“And she does it damn well.” Grae retorted.
“All three of you get out,” Maleiha spoke, and Ashton began to laugh as Grae chuckled, and Kylen questioned whose mama she was. “I'm glad I'm amusing. See if you still think so when I don't feed you.” Ashton's head snapped towards her as his older brother pointed at him and laughed. “You too, Grae. In both senses.”
“Hold up, Beauty.”
“Nope. No, hold up. Get out.”
With that, Ashton placed the juice back in the fridge, deciding he could wait until breakfast was ready to pour himself a drink and left the kitchen. His brother's in step with him. It was still early. Just ten o'clock. He had actually been surprised Leiha was up since he knew it was the morning hours when they'd all gone to sleep.
Miles wasn't set to return until three that afternoon, so Ashton knew that he had time to kill.
Making his way back upstairs to his room, he decided to wake Korrae up. He knew that it wouldn't be long before Leiha was finished cooking.
Walking into his room, he found her in the same position he had left her in. He knew that she was tired, but he also knew that she needed to eat.
Ashton took a seat on the bed beside her. He began to run his index finger up and down her cheek. It was only a moment before she stirred, but she didn't open her eyes.
“Wake up, Vixen.” He stated, leaning in to kiss her forehead.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open as he pulled away, and she looked up at him.
He watched as she slowly sat up, using the back of her hand to rub her eyes. “What time is it?” She questioned.
“A little after ten.” He informed her. “Maleiha is cooking breakfast.”
“Okay.” She stated, letting out a small yawn as she stretched.
When she shifted, Ashton moved out of her way so she could get up. He watched as she walked into the bathroom before he got up and headed over to her suitcases. She had brought quite a lot with her, but he hadn't been surprised. She owned a clothing boutique. That alone was evidence enough of her love of clothes.
Starting with the first of the five large suitcases, he opened it and began putting her clothes away as he made space for them.
Cleaning out to the top drawer of one of his dressers, he placed her bras and panties inside. Making a mental note of a few sets he definitely wanted her to wear for him.
When she came back out of the bathroom, he was still working on the second suitcase. Granted, she hadn't been in there long since they'd both showered last night.
“Are you giving me my own space in your room?” She questioned as she went to a different suitcase.
“Our room and yes. Why wouldn't I?” He questioned, closing the drawer.
Ashton walked over behind her. Wrapping his left arm around her waist as she stood up straight again. She leaned back against him after just a second, and he leaned down to kiss her neck.
“Do you want to talk about this now?”
She turned around in his hold, and he looked down at her. “No. Can we talk about it later? I'm still letting yesterday's events digest, I suppose.”
Leaning down, he kissed her softly on the lips. “We can talk about it whenever you want to, Vixen.”
She nodded in response, and with that, Ashton let her go so she could get dressed, and they could go downstairs to breakfast.
Sutton walked into the kitchen to find Maleiha placing a large plate of bacon on the table that already housed eggs, toast, sausage, oatmeal, and fresh fruit. Along with Orange Juice and what smelled like coffee. It was a lot of food for one person to have cooked, and she felt bad. Had she known that she was cooking for everyone, she would have come out of Kylen's room earlier and helped her.
“Good morning, Sutton.” Maleiha greeted her with a smile.
“Good morning.” She responded softly. “D-do you need any help?”
“No, It's all done and ready to eat. Now, we just need to round up everyone else. Could you
do that for me?”
Sutton bit her bottom lip before nodding.
Turning to leave the kitchen, she headed into the living room to see if anyone was in there, but it was empty. She then made her way up the stairs to the second floor. There were six bedrooms on that floor, but she knew that three of them were empty. She knocked on one of the closed doors. A moment later, it was answered by Larkin.
“Hey, Sutton.”
“H-hi. Maleiha said t-that breakfast is r-ready.”
Larkin smiled at her and nodded. “Okay, thanks. I'll let Emery know, and we'll be right down.”
Sutton nodded before turning and heading to the next closed door. This time when she knocked, Ashton answered.
“Um...b-breakfast i-is ready.”
“Thanks, Sutton. We were just about to head down.”
Simply nodding, she turned and made her way to the stairs, going up to the third floor. There were four bedrooms on that floor, but from what she had heard from Kylen, the only people up there were Synn and Grae. One of their friends or something used to be up there as well before he decided to move back home to New Mexico.
Sutton knocked on the first closed door. A couple of seconds later, it opened, and she took two steps back. It wasn't that the action had startled her; it was the person that had opened the door. Though she had known that at one of the rooms, he would be the one to open it, considering Maleiha was downstairs.
Grae stood there looking down at her, and she had to swallow, trying to make her mouth form the words she needed to say.
It wasn't as if he was glaring at her or intentionally trying to make her feel uncomfortable. It was just an aura he gave off, a presence. It was much like Kylen's if she was being honest because while it scared the shit out of her, it put her at ease a bit. As contradictory as that sounded. She could only take it as a testament that, even though he seemed to be more mellow, he was just as psychotic as her boyfriend.
“What's up?” He questioned.
“M-M-Maleiha s-s-s-aid t-that...”
She was cut off by him reaching out and lightly poking her in the forehead with two fingers. “Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. Actually, nobody in this house is going too. Take a deep breath, slow your breathing, and start over.”
